Reduce, reuse, recycle

A reader reminded me of the phrase “Reduce, reuse, recycle” and these are listed in the order of importance.  “Reduce” means that the use of the resource never occurs, so the resource is available for the future and the use of the ancillary resources to produce and transport the item also never occurs. Ending your use of single-use plastics is a simple example of an easy way to reduce.  Reducing our use of resources (and our production of pollutants) is the most beneficial to our goal of a healthy planet. 

Second is “reuse”.  Use your creativity to reuse or repurpose an item that already exists rather than buying something new.  A coat of paint might allow you to use an item for several more years.  Food packaging containers that would normally be discarded could be used to store small items in a workshop or to bring home leftovers from a restaurant (and eliminate your use of a disposable restaurant take-home container).  I have a very nice pair of wool mittens made from an old sweater that could no longer be cleaned or repaired.  Buy previously owned items when you can.  Reuse of an existing item means no resources will be used to produce something new, although smaller amounts of resources might be used for repairing, refurbishing, or repurposing an item. 

Recycling is important, but many items cannot be recycled for a variety of reasons.  Don’t rely on recycling to solve the problem of our insatiable use of the earth’s resources, and make sure you know your local recycler’s guidelines.  Putting the wrong thing in a recycling bin can ruin a whole batch of recyclable material.  And be sure to buy items with recycled content when possible to help build the market for recycled materials.