Proper waste management is impossible to achieve when only the government is doing it.
To be successful, every one of us should play our part—no matter how small you think that role may be.
The best advice is to focus on the three R's of recycling; a concept designed to help cut down how much waste is thrown away.
Curious to know how you can apply this practice to your everyday life? Read on.
The Three R's of Recycling
The R's of recycling consists of the three steps, arranged in the form of an inverted prism:
Reduce (minimize waste and generate as little trash as possible)
Reuse (use a product over and over again through creative means)
Recycle (process waste and create new products from the unusable items)
The inverted prism means that the first step should be the most effective, so there’s little left for the second step.
The last step, recycling, should be the last resort; there should be a minimum requirement for this step.
1. Reducing the Waste: The Top Priority
This step aims to reduce how much waste you create so that there’s little to no waste to clean.
Of the three, it is right at the top of the priority list if you want to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Here’s what you can do to reduce waste as much as possible:
Reduce plastic and paper use
Incorrect use and disposal of plastic are among the biggest causes of environmental damage.
Not only do they take years to decompose, but they also release toxic substances when they do.
While many of us already know how bad plastic is to the environment, limiting the use of paper is equally important.
Paper is made from trees and uses a lot of water during manufacturing, so you should also use as little paper as possible.
Fortunately, technology has made it possible to go paperless in many of our tasks.
For example:
Instead of using notebooks for rough work or note-taking, an iPad is a better option.
Use reusable water bottles
Plastic bottles generate tons of solid waste every month. Since much of that waste cannot be processed, it goes to landfills.
Landfills are allocated patches of unproductive land that are sealed once filled with waste.
Although useful, they have many disadvantages, including fire hazards, overspill, and land destruction.
Therefore, creating as little waste as possible for landfills is important.
Using steel containers instead of plastic bottles, for example, keeps your water hot or cold as needed and reduces plastic waste.
Reuse grocery store bags and containers
You can bring a reusable bag when grocery shopping and ditch the single-use plastic ones.
Besides, stores usually charge extra for grocery bags, so you can save money and the environment when you start bringing your own.
For fruits and vegetables, you can keep a basket or bamboo bag that looks stylish, which is also much easier to carry than a plastic bag.
READ MORE: 7 Facts About Plastic Pollution
2. Reusing and Repurposing: The Second Best Option
Before plastic, people used to make do with reusable items, and would save every container and box to reuse in some other way.
This also included clothing, as well.
For example:
A t-shirt would not go into the waste basket when it has gone out of fashion or become too worn out.
Instead, it would be reused or repurposed as a cleaning cloth or mop.
We should all start doing that again now that the environment is crying for our help.
Reuse or gift your clothes
If you don’t need or want a piece of clothing anymore, don’t just throw it away. Gift it to a poor fellow who is not as fortunate as you are.
You can also be a little crafty and turn your old clothes into pillow covers, cushions, and small comforters.
Repurpose plastic containers as flower pots
You can use small plastic containers to keep flowers and even decorate them using paint and a brush.
Another crafty project you can take on is arranging cola bottles into a small bench in your backyard.
Making a basket by cutting plastic bottles into long strips and knitting them is also a neat idea.
Reuse small household items
If your shoelaces have seen better days, don’t throw your shoes out. Get active and find a replacement from the market.
Similarly, your old toothbrush can be a perfect tool to clean your car engine or motorbike.
You can use plastic bottles as bird feeders and repurpose containers as dog toys.
3. Recycling or Upcycling
Recycling is the most used by many societies.
Garbage collection teams gather the material and select the one that can be recycled.
However:
Even recycling is not possible or sometimes ignored in many parts of the world, and most waste goes to landfills.
What’s worse, countries where environmental legislation is weak burn non-recyclable materials.
Here’s what you can do to help in recycling efforts:
Separate the waste material
Not all waste is treated equally at the recycling stage.
For example, aluminum materials are often recycled to be used in the construction industry.
Some types of plastic are recycled to make low-grade plastic bottles and containers or shopping bags.
It’s important to create separate boxes for collecting waste.
Usually, three- or four color-coded trash bins will be enough, and you can use each one for a particular type of waste.
Sell your old electronics
Throwing away a broken laptop or any other gadget together with your other trash might not be the best idea.
Instead, you can sell it to a scrap dealer and make money while helping the environment.
A lot of electronics are still somewhat valuable even when they’ve stopped working. They have reusable parts, so scrap dealers take them at a fair price.
What Should You Do Next?
Now that you’ve learned about the three R's of recycling, you can start to make lifestyle changes to help your community & the environment as a whole.
Spread Awareness
Again, when it comes to saving the planet, everyone should play their part. Otherwise, we’ll be left with a damaged environment that cannot be repaired.
So, pass this knowledge on to your friends, family, and peers.
If you’re a student, talk to your teachers about arranging a lecture in your classroom.
You can also ask your parents to help you reduce, reuse, and recycle and learn for ways to repurpose waste.
Keep Learning
Next, you should learn about different household materials and how they can be repurposed.
Educating yourself in what small, simple ways to reduce the amount of waste is a great way to start. Then, take that knowledge and put it to good use.
Adopt a Lifestyle Based on the Three R’s
The most important thing we should all do is adopt a lifestyle based on the waste management concepts of the three R’s.
Make a chart of every household item that can be reduced and try to minimize their use in your house.
Essential items that cannot be reused should go under a separate list. You can then generate ideas to put them to good use.
Making a conscience effort in separating trach and recyclables doesn’t take much time at all.
READ MORE: SUSTAINABLE GROCERY SHOPPING: 6 TIPS TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Final Thoughts
Waste management is a initiative where every citizen must cooperate and collaborate to be successful.
The three R’s concept provides a simple framework where everyone can take part in at every step.
Our responsibility is to learn, share, and implement this concept in the real world to save the environment which all our survival depends.
Thus:
You can find creative ways to make this process successful and help save the planet!
