Day 19 - REDUCE, Reuse, Recycle

Do you remember the old saying; "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!" It's a good one, eh. What I would like to point out today is the order in which the words are said: 1. Reduce; 2. Reuse; and, 3. Recycle. I believe it was said in that order for a reason. 

We live in an over-consumptive culture, but what makes it worse is the amount of waste we generate (unnecessary waste). If we make a conscious effort to first reduce our consumption; second reuse what we have already consumed; and lastly, if there is no more use for the item, recycle, we will create a more sustainable society.

I don't think this is an impossible task, nor terribly difficult. It is just about recognizing our unnecessarily consumptive patterns. For example: using a reusable mug, reusable shopping bags, double-side your paper when you print or copy, reduce organic trash by composting, buy products with a longer life-span, buy in bulk to reduce packaging, etc.  

Then comes reusing. Some examples include: repairing damaged items instead of throwing them away, if you have no use for it anymore, sell it on ebay/craigslist/kijiji, shop at garage sales or second hand stores, old clothes can be donated or torn clothes can be used as rags for cleaning, etc. 

Finally if your product has come to the end of its life, make an effort to recycle if possible. I found the following benefits from an article written by Laurence O'Sullivan. 

- “Paper products are the single biggest component of the municipal solid waste stream, making up 38.1 percent of the material landfilled in the United States. Effective paper recycling efforts can help conserve landfill space and natural resources and preserve biological diversity by reducing the call to harvest timber from wild areas.”

- “Compared with the production of primary aluminum, recycling of aluminum products needs as little as 5% of the energy and emits only 5% of the greenhouse gas.”

- “Glass produced from recycled materials reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and water pollution by 50 percent. Manufacturing glass from recycled materials also saves 68 percent energy and half the water normally required in the manufacturing process.”

Day 19's challenge is to make a conscious effort to reduce your consumption, reuse what you already have and always recycle if possible.