In our previous posts, we have understood about E-waste and what are the dangers of improper waste disposal. In this post, we stress on the importance of the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
You can read about some Eco-friendly new year resolutions here.
REDUCE
Why reducing is necessary? Reducing doesn’t necessarily mean lowering the consumption of goods or items. It means making a judicious use of our resources which are finite in nature. It also means reducing the usage of items that hurt the environment. Some examples of using the concept of Reduce in our daily life is as mentioned below:
- Shop groceries only on weekends, this would help in reduction in fuel consumption
- Use public transport whenever possible
- Reduce usage of plastic straws, plastic plates, paper/plastic cups
- Reduce printing documents unless absolutely necessary
- Avoid long email signatures, long email signatures eat up space when printing emails is a requirement
- Use a single paper napkin to clean multiple plates instead of using multiple napkins
- Use handkerchiefs to dry your hands instead of paper napkins
- Switch off lights and fans when exiting a room
- Reduce using single use packaging
REUSE
Reusing products is beneficial to the environment and is also light on the pocket. Some ideas that can be followed are:
- Reusing clothes to barter it for utensils or any other product
- Using zip bags to store fruits and vegetables and don’t use polythene bags
- Use cloth bags for grocery shopping
- Reuse items in alternate ways if possible
- Use steel straws and don’t use plastic ones
- Donate old clothes, donate or sell electrical and electronic items
RECYCLE
Recycling of material encourages the growth of circular economy. The recycling industry is a young industry and has the potential to create tremendous employment opportunities. Some ideas to encourage recycling are given below:
- Buy products that can be recycled or are made from recycled material
- Use waste collection centers to dump E-waste, plastic waste, paper waste and glass waste
- Actively participate in waste donation drives/campaigns
- Encourage others to adapt recycling habits
RecyclEarth Foundation encourages everyone to religiously follow the 3Rs in their routine. Small changes in your life could result in big results for our planet. It will be implementing outreach programs for students to encourage them to adapt a eco-friendly lifestyle from a young age.