The three most important words that begin with the letter “R” are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle! These three words provide us with the solution to the increasing garbage problem the world is facing today.
There are huge benefits of the three “R’s.” Reducing, reusing, and recycling all help cut down on the quantity of waste that people throw away.
Landfill spaces, natural resources, and energy are conserved with the use of these three “R’s.” Another important element is that a large amount of money and land is saved from dumping these wastes.
To reduce means that you ensure that you do not produce waste at all. As the name clearly suggests, reuse is the use of things that have already been used before. This helps in decreasing the economic and environmental waste we produce.
The third ‘R’ is recycling, a complicated process involving remanufacturing used materials and articles through a specific process and then selling them again as completely new products.
It is extremely crucial that people follow these three “R’s” if they want to reduce the waste, they create to provide a safe and healthy environment for future generations to come. We can make the change real and do our part towards contributing to making this world a better place.
One can reduce, reuse, and recycle several items. The most common and the easiest items to reduce, reuse, and recycle are mentioned below.
Reuse Bottles And Grocery Bags
Using and throwing away plastic bags for groceries has become a danger to the environment. A reusable grocery bag will help you protect the environment, and you can use the bag for other things apart from putting groceries in it.
Similarly, reusing water bottles for water or other beverages will not only save you money but will also help in waste reduction. Substitute your plastic water bottles for a metal, refillable, and reusable one!
Reuse Paper
Old newspapers, magazines, schoolbooks, and notebooks can be reused in a number of ways. The internet is full of ‘DIY’ ideas that are easy and creative, where all your wastepaper can be used to make beautiful and decorative items like paper baskets, envelopes, and gift wraps!
Recycle Old Clothes
Bedsheets, towels, and old clothes that are no longer being used can be reused too. Big cloth pieces can be cut into a small size duster or cleaning rags. Another good idea is to cut your old clothes into small pieces and patch them together.
You can create a new style using lesser worn pieces into a great-looking art piece by sewing them together in different patterns. If you cannot do these things, the best and easiest thing to do is to give them away to somebody in need instead of throwing them away.
Old Furniture
Even if your furniture is broken and unrepairable, don’t just throw it away. You can reuse the wood from your furniture in many different ways. You can make shelves from old furniture wood, you can use the wood as a bulletin board in your children’s room, or you can turn them into boxes to use for storage.
Make Compost
Make your own compost with fruit and vegetable trimmings, leaves, sticks, grass, coffee beans, and newspapers! You can even use bread or cheese to make homemade compost for your backyard or kitchen garden.
The waste problem is very real and is affecting the environment of the world adversely. If we want to fight waste and pollution, we must start immediately and take the necessary measures NOW to protect the land and waters of our Earth for the next generation.