As our country’s population continues to grow each and every day, the amount of waste we produce steadily increases. With poor waste processes and programs in place, most of the waste ends up in a landfill, which can be detrimental to our environment.
You might have heard of something called the “waste hierarchy”, which refers to the order of actions to be taken to reduce the amount of waste that is generated. This hierarchy aims to improve overall waste management processes and programs for households and companies that produce large amounts of waste every year.
By adopting new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle we all can contribute to a greener future, which strives to halt the pollution impacting our delicate ecosystems. In order to improve our processes, let’s dive into the 3 Rs of waste management.
What are the 3 Rs of Waste Management?
The First ‘R’: Reduce
The concept of reducing waste that is produced and consumed is essential to the success of improving the 3 Rs of waste management. The premise behind reducing is pretty simple to understand; if there is less waste, then there is less material to reuse or recycle.
In order to create a solid action plan to decrease the amount of material you are reducing, you have to examine what you are using on a day-to-day basis and what is it being used for. Ask yourself if you can eliminate a few items or if they are essential?
Here is a list of things you can do to reduce the amount of waste you generate:
- Start to compost your food waste instead of throwing it in the normal trash can. This can reduce methane (a greenhouse gas) that contributes to global warming when the food rots at a landfill.
- When you shop for groceries, make sure you are being mindful of the number of goods you are buying that are packaged using materials like styrofoam and plastic. Remember, you throw most or all of the packaging material away, so if you are aware of what you’re tossing out you could reduce the number of goods you buy in harmful materials.
- When you are at work, print on both sides of the paper you are using to decrease the amount of paper you use each month.
- Also, when you bring food to work make sure you are bringing your own reusable utensils and tupperware. This will help you avoid using disposable plates, spoons, glass, cups, and napkins. Also, you should invest in a reusable bag as well to carry your lunch.
- If you are a business, ask yourself if there are some products you can cut back on that aren’t essential to your bottom line.
We all know how easy it is to just throw things away that are broken or obsolete, but taking the extra step to reuse them can significantly improve our current processes and eliminate the wrong materials ending up in our landfills
The Second ‘R’: Reuse
The act of reusing can save you a lot of money if you do it right. When you reuse, you are finding another purpose for an item that would have otherwise been thrown away. There are many instances where you can reuse rather than throwing materials away.
Here are a few examples of how you can reuse some common items:
- Stop buying water plastic bottles and invest in a reusable container made of metal or glass
- Instead of throwing everything you use away, determine if you can keep some material to reuse in the future like plastic containers, wood, clothes, furniture, etc.
- If you are moving or renovating your house or business, can you repurpose some of the materials you were going to throw away? Can you sell these items on a second-hand marketplace platform or store
- Instead of throwing away old clothes, you can give them to friends or you can donate them to the stores that take donations or sell them to consignment stores
- Find nifty ways to use old products like glass jars to store food items in your pantry. For example, you can reuse an old pasta jar container to hold popcorn kernels or other dry food.
- Buy used products.
When you reuse your materials, you are helping to prevent pollution caused by the need to harvest new raw materials, which also saves time and energy. What most people do not realize is most of the products that they throw away have not been used to their full extent. So when you reuse items or sell them, others are able to extend the product life and use them to their full potential.
The Third ‘R’: Recycle
This is probably the most important ‘R’ out of the three. Recycling refers to the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. What is great about recycling is that it costs much less than harvesting and producing new materials and limits the potential of pollution.
Here are a few ways in which you can improve your recycling processes:
- At home, you can educate yourself and your family on the best practices when it comes to recycling your materials.
- At work, clearly label your recycling bin and put up a few charts that show people what they can and cannot recycle.
- If you operate a manufacturing business, you can streamline your collection and processing operations by using a waste management company like Generated Materials Recovery
- You can purchase items that have been created using recycled materials.
It’s important to note that the biggest challenge people face when they try to recycle is convenience. Since it takes a little more effort to sort materials than throwing everything in the trash, be sure to hold your coworkers, friends, and loved ones accountable. Remember, recycling only works if buy recycled goods and materials to complete the process
Conclusion
Implementing the 3 Rs of waste management in your daily life is crucial to the success of achieving a better environment for all. If you can incorporate the 3 Rs and these simple tips into your daily life, you will be that much closer to the goals of zero waste.
If you are a commercial business looking for a waste management company that can handle recycling materials like glass, plastic or cardboard, contact us today. Here at Generated Materials Recovery, we have been a creative problem solver for manufacturing and industrial operations for more than 20 years.
It is our mission to provide reliable solutions to achieve your sustainability goals and make the most of your waste. Our process works around your operations so you do not skip a beat. We look forward to hearing from you!
