Exploring the three Rs of waste management - Rogue ...

Reduce means to cut back on the amount of trash we generate. · Reuse means to find new ways to use things that otherwise would have been thrown ... SearchbyMaterial SearchPickupCalendar ExploringthethreeRsofwastemanagement—Reduce,Reuse,Recycle Recycling May17,2018 Recycling May17,2018 Inordertokeepasmuchmaterialoutofthelandfillaspossible,it’simportantforeachofustodoourpart.Oneofthewaystoputthatplanintoactionisthroughthe3Rsofwastemanagement—Reduce,Reuse,Recycle. Reducemeanstocutbackontheamountoftrashwegenerate.Reusemeanstofindnewwaystousethingsthatotherwisewouldhavebeenthrownout.Recyclemeanstoturnsomethingoldanduseless(likeplasticmilkjugs)intosomethingnewanduseful(likepicnicbenches,playgroundequipmentandrecyclingbins).Learntoreduce Reducingissimplycreatinglesswaste.It’sthebestmethodforkeepingtheenvironmentclean,soit’sthefirstofthe3Rs.Byreducing,youstoptheproblematthesource.Makinglesswastetobeginwithmeansthere’slesswastetocleanup.Herearesomeeasywaysyoucanreducetheamountofwasteyoumake: Packyourlunchinalunchbox.Paperandplasticbagscreateahugeamountofwaste—andplasticbagstakehundredsofyearstodecompose.Tryadurablelunchboxorreusablelunchbaginstead.Dittoforwhatgoesinsideyourlunchbox.Insteadofplasticbaggies,tryreusablecontainers. Bringreusablebagstothegrocerystore.Moststoressellcanvasordurableplasticshoppingbagsthatcanbeusedagainandagain.SomegrocerystoresevengiveyoualittlemoneyoffatthecheckstandwhenyouBYOB—bringyourownbags. Saynotobottledwater.Insteadofbuyingbottledwater,useareusablewaterbottle. Watchwhatyoubuy.Whenyou’reinthesupermarket,payattentiontothepackaging.Canthecontainerbecleanedoutandusedforsomethingelse?Andwhencomparingtwosimilarproducts,ifonehaslesspackaging,considermakingthatyourselection. Learntoreuse Reusingistakingoldorunwanteditemsyoumightotherwisethrowawayandfindinganewuseforthem.Thereareallsortsofwaysyoucanreuseitemstohelpreduceyourtrashfootprint: Cleanoutyourcloset.Maybeyoursizehaschanged.Maybeyourtasteshavechanged.Insteadofthrowingawayclothesyoudon’twantanymore,givethemtosomeonewhowillwantthem.Ifyouhaveaboxoftoddlerclothes,forexample,andyour“baby”isnowingradeschool,givetheclothestoafriendwithayoungchild.Youcanalsodonateyourclothestoanynumberofcharitableorganizations—theygiveyourclothesagoodhome,yougetanicetaxdeduction. Shareyourtoys.Doyouhaveabunchofoldtoysyoudon’tneedanymore?Donatethemtoalocaldaycareprovider,preschoolorfamilywithkids.Youcanalsodonatethemtolocalcharity.Themoreyoushare,thelessyouwaste. Findanewuseforanolditem.Whenit’stimetothrowsomethingout,thinkaboutotherpossiblewaystouseit.Glassjars,forexample,canbecomestorageforyourcraftingareaorshop.Oldbathtowelscanbecutupandusedaswashrags.Plasticpopbottlestakeonanewlifeasbirdfeeders.Makeawovenbasketortrayoutofoldmagazines.Andthetoothbrushyou’rereplacingistheperfectscrubbrushforhard-to-reachareas. Haveagaragesale.Youknowthatdiningroomset,exerciseequipment,knick-knacks,blenderandotherthingsaroundthehouseyounolongeruse?There’ssomeoneouttherewhowouldlovetohavethem.Agaragesaleisagreatwaytocleanoutyourspaceandhelpreusealltheitemsyoudon’twant.Youcanmakealittlemoneytoo.Andwhenthesaleisdone,boxupanythingthatdidn’tsellanddonatewhat’slefttoalocalcharity—manyofthemwillcometoyourhousetomakeapickup. Learntorecycle Recyclingisthelast—andmostcommonlyused—ofthe3Rs.Recyclingischangingdiscardedmaterialsintonewproductsinordertoavoidusingmorevirginresources. Corrugatedcardboard,milkjugstylecontainers,newspaperandinserts,andtinandaluminumcanscanallgoinyourRogueDisposal&Recyclingred-lidcarttoberecycled.Butwhathappenstothoseitemsdowntheroad? Corrugatedcardboardisrecycledintopaperbags,paperboard(likeboxesfordetergent,cereal,tissueandshoes),newcardboardandeventhesquigglymiddlepartofcorrugatedcardboard. Theplasticinmilkjugstylecontainersisturnedintoplasticlumberfordecking,buckets,Frisbees,storagetubs,newplasticbottles—andstadiumseats! Newspaperisoneoftheeasiest-to-recycleandmost-recycledmaterials.Yesterday’snewsgetsturnedintoeggcartons,buildinginsulation,paperplates,kittylitter,constructionpaper,phonebooks,sheetrockandnewnewspaper. Andwhenyouputtinandaluminumcansintherecyclingcart,theyaretakentoaplantwheretheycanbereprocessedintoavarietyofnewproducts—keepingthemoutofthelandfillandcontinuingtheirusefullife.Oldcansmightbecomenewcans,ortheymaybechangedintothingslikebikeframesorasphaltroadway.   ViewAll ShareThis Topics Environment Recycling Security ViewAllEducation WhatCanIRecycle? Havesomethingyou’dliketorecyclebutyou’renotsurehow?Typeinthematerialnameandfindout. SearchByMaterial SignUpForRemindersandServiceAlerts Wantaphonereminderthattrashdayistomorrow?Anemailthatserviceisdelayedduetoicyroads?Choosetheoptionthatworksforyou. Subscribe