Importance of 4Rs – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - TRVST

It is going to take a joint effort but there is no reason why cannot do this together. Remember, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Pin Me: Pin ... Homepage·SustainableLiving·Importanceof4Rs–Refuse,Reduce,Reuse,RecycleinspirationImportanceof4Rs-Refuse,Reduce,Reuse,Recycle11·07·19·LASTUPDATED:08·03·22Bygrowingawarenessandgaininganunderstandingoftheenvironmentalimpactswehaveonourplanet,wecanbebetterinformedofwhereandhowtoact.Alackofawarenessandresponsibilityhasalladdeduptopollutedland,sea,andair.Fromalackofconsiderationoftheenvironmentinthewaywemanagewastetomass-producingthrow-awayitemstokeepupwithdemand.Thankfullythingsarechangingandunderstandingtheimportanceofthe4Rscancertainlyhelpusinformourchoices.Byincreasingoursustainabilityinthehomeandbettermanagingourwastewecanallmakeaconcerteddifference5.Especiallyifwearetoallplayaroleinhelpingkeepouroceansfreefromplasticwasteandreducingourconsumptionofneedlessitemsthatcanpolluteourenvironmentoncedisposedof.Ifyouareunfamiliarwiththe4Rsthentheyare:RefuseReduceReuseRecycleThe4Rsmakeforasimpleyeteffectivewaytohelpusconsidertheitemsthatwebuy,useanddisposeof.Whenwechoosetostopandthinkabouteachofthe4Rsithelpsustoconsideranumberofimportantaspectsrelatedtoourconsumption.Fromwhatwebuy,tohowwecanreduce,towhatcanbereused,andhowweeventuallygetridofit.Ifwearetomakeadifferencetotheenvironmentthennowisthetimetoidentifytheimportanceofthe4Rs.Importanceofthe4Rs-WhyDoWeNeedToBeMoreAware?Thisisaprominentquestionthatunderpinstheproblemswearefacingrightnow.Sciencetellsusthatweareprospectivelyheadingtowardsaglobalsequenceofeventsthatwillchangethewayinwhichwelive.Andimpactmanyoftheplantandanimalspeciesthatwesharetheplanetwith.Manyoftheproductsweproducecausegreenhousegases,whichcontributetoglobalwarming.Thewayinwhichweneedlesslythrowthingsawayimpactstheoceansandwildlife.Alackofactionhasledustowherewearetoday.Ifwedonotradicallytransformhow,what,andcruciallyhowmuchweconsumeandmitigatetheworstofournegativeimpactsontheplanetwecouldseeglobaltemperaturesincreasebyatleast2degreesby21004.Infact,2016wasthewarmestyearonrecord.Manyarenowstartingtofeeltheresultingchangesofawarmingplanet.Frommeltingicecapstomoreextremeweather.Withthiscomesfoodshortages,watershortages,andsealevelsrisingbyseveralfeet.Townsandvillageswillbecomesubmergedandpopulationscouldbewipedout.Itisaveryrealproblemthatweneedtoaddressnowbecausetimeisrunningout.However,wearemakingimprovements.Wearenowmoreconsideratewhenitcomestowhatwebuy.Wealsoconsiderwasteinadifferentwayandmanyofusarethinkingmoreaboutasustainablefuture.Progressisbeingmadebutwecandomoreandthisiswherethe4Rscanplayasignificantroleinhelpingguidebothourthinkingandouractions.WhatAreThe4Rs?The4Rsareasimplewayofremindingushowwecanmakeadifference.Eachstepprovidesuswithadifferentwayofconsideringwhatweuseandhowwedisposeofwaste.Everystephasaclearfocusoneducatingus.Ithelpsustoidentifythechangeswecanmake.Assuch,usedwelltheimportanceofthe4Rsisbornoutasanextremelyimportanttoolinourfightforabetterplanet.1.RefusePhotobyJonathanChngonUnsplashWeallhavetherighttomakeachoiceandrefusewastefulandpollutingproducts.Fortoolong,wehavebeenbuyingproductsthathavebeenpackagedinawaythatcancauseenvironmentalharmoncewedisposeoftheplasticwraps,boxes,andcartons.Around20-25%offoodwasterelatestoitspackaging.Fromwaytoomuchplastictotoomuchcardboardandevenoversizedpackaging.Needlessandcost-consciousratherthaneco-friendlypackagingiscausingproblems.Despitethis,wecanchoosetorefusetobuyitemsthatcontainsingle-useplasticsoritemsthatareindividuallypackaged.Single-useplasticbagsareabigproblemandoneofthereasonswhyouroceansaresuffering.Commonly,theseplasticscannotberecycledeasily.Theyarethereforeaproblemfortheenvironment.Anumberofinternationalpoliciesareeithernowinplaceorplannedtohelpaddresstheissue.Thefirstpoliciestolimitouruseofplasticbagsemergedasearlyas19911.Andfurthermovesareinplacetolimitcosmeticscontainingmicrobeadsthatendupinourwaterways.TheEUperhapsmakingthebiggestpolicycommitment-bybanningmanysingle-useplasticsassoonas2021.Choosingalternativestowastefulsingle-useplasticsandotherpollutantsDespitethis,there’smoretodo.Tomakeastandorchangewenowhavemoreoptionsthaneverbefore.Aroundatrillionplasticshoppingbagsarestillusedeachyear.Toaddtothis,almost500billionplasticbottlesaresoldglobally.Thisisjustscratchingthesurfacebecausethereismoretoconsider.Suchasonemillioncoffeecupsbeingsenttolandfills,ouruseofplasticstrawsrightthroughtoreceivingpaperbankstatements.Fortunately,ifwerefusetopurchaseorusetheseitemsthenwearereducingtheirharm.So,wecanopttouseeco-friendlyreusablestrawsorlong-lastingplasticbagswhilewecanchoosetouseourowntravelmugswhichcoffeeshopsarenowhappytorefill.Andofcourse,saynotoplasticbottles.Thefirststeptowardsunderstandingtheimportanceofthe4RsandmakingadifferenceistoRefuse.Doingsodecreasesdemand.Subsequently,themanufacturersandproducershavetothenthinkaboutlesswastefulandsustainablealternatives.2.ReducePhotobyZoeFernandezonUnsplashIfwereallywanttoreducewastethenweshouldthinkabouthowwecanmakethathappen.Ifwanttouselesswastethenweneedtopurchaseless.Thisrequiresconsumerstobemoremindfulwhentheydomakeapurchase.Therefore,consumersshouldthinkabouthowmuchtheyneedthatparticularitem.Theyshouldalsoconsiderhowmuchtheywilluseit.Fordecadeswehavelivedinathrow-awaysociety.Insteadofrepairingitems,wethrowthemawayandreplacethem.Therearemanywaysthatwecanreduceandthatcanhelptosignificantlyreducewaste.Weshouldthinkaboutusingreducingouruseofcoffeecupsorthrow-awaycoffeepods,especiallywhenwehaveotheroptionsavailableCheapclothingisanotherprimeexample.Whilecheapclothingisperfectforthosewhocannotaffordmoreexpensiveitems,itisimportanttoconsiderhowcost-effectivetheyare.Iftheyneedreplacinginseveralmonths,thenitmightbeworthpayingmore.Therealityofthesituationisthatpeoplearenotawareofwhathappenstotheirclotheswhentheythrowthemaway6.Youcansimplyreducetheenvironmentalimpactofyourclothesbychoosingsustainablefashionthatwilllastlongerandshoppingwithethicalclothingbrands orbuyingsecond-handfromthriftshops.ReducingouruseofresourcesIt’snotjustaboutwasteeither.Wecanevenreducetheamountofwaterwewaste.Asimplewaterbuttcanhelpyoutouserainwaterinsteadofwaterfromthetap.Itoffersthesamebenefits,cansaveonmoney,andhelptoreducewaterwaste.Ourconsumptionofenergyalsohasaknock-onenvironmentalimpact.Havearead-uponhowyoucansaveelectricityathomeandschool.You’llnotonlybehelpingtoreducedemandfornon-renewableenergyyou’llalsosavemoney.Whenbuyingforotherpeoplethinktooaboutwaste.Considergivingplastic-free.Andasweapproachtheseasonofcheerthere’snobettertimethantothinkaboutazerowasteChristmas.Sothenextstepinrealizingtheimportanceofthe4Rsisreducingwasteandisallaboutmakingaconsciousefforttolookatthebiggerpicture.Wearealltooquicktothrowthingsawaywithoutasinglethoughtforwhathappenstowaste.Toreducewaste,weneedtoreducewhatwebuyanduseandconsiderlimitingourselvestoessentials.Itisassimpleasthat.3.ReusePhotobyBernardHermantonUnsplashReducingwasteisnotjustaboutreducingwhatyoupurchase.Itisaboutconsideringwhatyoucanreuse.Thisessentiallymeansnotputtingitinthewastebutusingitforanotherpurpose.Whenwestoptothinkaboutthewastewegenerateandhowwecouldreusealotofwhatwebuy,itiscleartoseethedifferencewecanmake.ThiscanrangefromthesmallestofitemssuchasreusingjarstostorepensorscrewstorepurposingwrappingpaperatChristmasorBirthdays.Oneofthebiggestculpritsofwasteisfast-foodestablishments,withpackaginghavingarecoveryrateofjust29%2.Manywillserveuptheirfoodinplasticcontainerswithlids.Thesearemoreusefulthanmanyrealizeandtheycanbeusedasmakeshiftlunchboxesortostorecrayonsforthechildren.Wecanevenreuseplasticandturnthemintoeco-bricksthatcanbeusedtobuildentirebuildings3.Thisisaboutbeinginnovativeandforward-thinking.Itissurprisinghowmanyitemscanbereusedandrepurposed.Toaddtothis,wecanalsoavoidusingitemscompletelyandpurchaseread-madereusableitems.Thiscanincludecoffeecups,cutlery,andevenshoppingbags.Themorewereuse,thelessweneedtoproduce.Thispreventswaste,reducesmanufacturingprocessesandemissionsatthesametime.Oneofthebiggestwaysofreusingitemsisthroughupcycling.Peoplearenowbecomingmoreandmorecreativeandso,itisnowpossibletotaketired,wornitemsandupcyclethemintobeautifulpiecesthatcanbereused.Itisthiskindofcleverthinkingthatcanmakeadifference.SometimesyoumightfindanotherRmentioned-“repair.”Similartore-usewhenitemsbecomebrokenorwornoutrepairingthemcanextendtheirlife.Thisisespeciallytrueofelectronicdeviceswhichcanresultine-waste.Whereaswecanfindourselvestemptedtoupgradetothenewestmodelrepairingacrackedmobilephonescreencansavemoneyandmeansonelessdeviceneedstobemanufacturedinthefirstplace.4.RecyclePhotobyMichaelJinonUnsplashWhenitcomestowastemanagement,recyclingitemsisthefinaloptionandthefinalRaswelookattheimportanceofthe4Rs.Insteadofthrowingawayclothes,youcandonatethemtocharity.Domakesurethatyousortandcleanallitemsbeforerecyclingtoincreasethelikelihoodtheyactuallydoinfactgetrecycled.Toensurewecorrectlydisposeofitemsrecyclingisthefirstoptionwhereverpossiblewhenourproductsreachtheendoftheirusefullife.Alongwiththis,italsomeansthatitemscanberepurposed.Werealizethehugeproblemplasticwastecausefortheenvironmentbutwhenthemajoritybecomesrecycled,wecanreuseitinotherways.Bottletopscanbecomecarbatteriesandreusableplasticbagswhileplasticcontainerscanbeturnedintotoys.Thepossibilitiesarealmostendlessandrecyclingtechnologyisconstantlyimprovingandthatisarealpositiveinourquesttoreducewaste.TogetherWeCanMakeADifferenceItisnolongerenoughtogeneratewasteandthrowitawaywithoutacare.Weneedtotakeresponsibilityforouractions.Thisisavitalaspectofturningaroundtheenvironmentalproblemswe’vecausedwhilstworkingtosetthingsright.Thetruthis,forcenturieswehavebeencreatingneedlessamountsofwaste.Thiswasteiscausinghavocwithwildlife.Itiskillinganimals,itisalteringfoodchains,andcausingproblemswithglobalwarming.Thefutureofourenvironmentisinourhands.Wecantakecontrolofourdestinybutitrequiresaconsideredapproach.Whenwebegintothinkaboutwhatwebuy,aswellaswhatwereuseandrecycling,wecanmakeadifference.Thisprovesthattheimportanceofthe4Rsismoreprominentthaneverbefore.Itisgoingtotakeajointeffortbutthereisnoreasonwhycannotdothistogether.Remember,Refuse,Reduce,Reuse,Recycle.PinMe:TweetPinShareShareWhatsAppPocketEmail1DirkXanthos,TonyR.Walker,Internationalpoliciestoreduceplasticmarinepollutionfromsingle-useplastics(plasticbagsandmicrobeads):Areview,MarinePollutionBulletin,Volume118,Issues1–2,2017,Pages17-26,ISSN0025-326X,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.02.048.2Challengesinpackagingwastemanagement:Acasestudyinthefastfoodindustry.Aarnio,Teija(2006-08-18)"3AshrafMansourHabibMansour,SubhiA.Ali,Reusingwasteplasticbottlesasanalternativesustainablebuildingmaterial,EnergyforSustainableDevelopment,Volume24,2015,Pages79-85,ISSN0973-0826,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2014.11.001.4Collins,M.,R.Knutti,J.Arblaster,J.-L.Dufresne,T.Fichefet,P.Friedlingstein,X.Gao,W.J.Gutowski,T.Johns,G.Krinner,M.Shongwe,C.Tebaldi,A.J.WeaverandM.Wehner,2013:Long-termClimateChange:Projections,CommitmentsandIrreversibility.In:ClimateChange2013:ThePhysicalScienceBasis.ContributionofWorkingGroupItotheFifthAssessmentReportoftheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange[Stocker,T.F.,D.Qin,G.-K.Plattner,M.Tignor,S.K.Allen,J.Boschung,A.Nauels,Y.Xia,V.BexandP.M.Midgley(eds.)].CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge,UnitedKingdomandNewYork,NY,USA.5Barr,S.(2004),Whatwebuy,whatwethrowawayandhowweuseourvoice.SustainablehouseholdwastemanagementintheUK.Sust.Dev.,12:32-44.doi:10.1002/sd.2266Birtwistle,G.andMoore,C.(2007),"Fashionclothing–wheredoesitallendup?",InternationalJournalofRetail&DistributionManagement,Vol.35No.3,pp.210-216.https://doi.org/10.1108/09590550710735068MainPhoto@travelwithlaceonUnsplashFeaturedinSustainableLiving7ZeroWasteShavingCream&BarOptionsForAnEco-FriendlyLather19BambooSunglassesandWoodenAlternativestoPlasticWhatisSustainableLiving?SignUpforUpdatesSIGNUPSignUpForOccasionalUpdatesByusingthisformyouagreewiththestorageandhandlingofyourdatabyTRVST.Pleaseseeourprivacypolicyfordetails.Leavethisfieldemptyifyou'rehuman:YouMightAlsoLikeguideBambooFabric&SustainabilityguideWhatisLyocellFabric?Sustainability,Pros,andConsguide8BestReusableFoodContainersForZeroWasteKitchenStorageinspiration12TipsforanEco-FriendlySummerguideZeroWasteToothpaste-14BestPlasticFreeChoicesinspirationAlternativesToFastFashionForSlowerSustainableStyleABOUT · THETEAM · CONTACT · PRIVACY · COOKIES · T&CsCopyright©2022TRVSTLTD.AllRightsReserved100NorthPointCenterE, Ste125#A262, Alpharetta,GA30022,USA7BellYard,London,WC2A2JR,UnitedKingdom 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