The Six R's

The six R's - refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, and rot - can change the world. Most people are aware of three, I will introduce you to three more. All six together acts as a protective shield from waste.

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REFUSE

To refuse, is to say NO to unnecessary items.

Not buying things that are unnecessary saves money, and is good for the environment. Use the power of money to tell companies what not to produce.

To learn about our over consumption of items, we can take a look at our shopping list, and separate what we actually need, from what we want. For example, if your friend gives you clothes he doesn't want, you refuse, and tell him to give it to someone who actually needs it.

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REDUCE

This means to use less. Reducing what you buy and use has a less impact on the environment, and in the process, you save money! Refuse and reduce work as partners. First step is to refuse buying things that we don't need, then we have to reduce what we already need and use.

Let's use the size of balls as an example. The basketball is what you end up buying. This contains what you need, and a LOT of what you want. If you REFUSE, you will go down to the size of a tennis ball, which contains what you need, and a high amount of what you want. If you REDUCE, you will go down to the size of a golf ball. This contains what you need, and a decent amount of what you want! Golf ball is the goal!

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REUSE

This means to make use of what you already have more than once. For example, a plastic bag can be used to carry your groceries until it rips! Reusing just means to not buy more of what you already have. A great way to reuse is with shopping bags. You can invest in paper, or cloth bags, that will last very long, and when it isn't usable, it is not harsh on the environment. It's a good idea to always keep them in your car. This way, when you go shopping (for what you NEED), you will have bags ready. This is obviously much better than using plastic, and spending money every time. You can reuse EVERYTHING, including clothes, appliances, jewelry, etc.

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REPAIR/RE-VAMP

This is when you take something you don't use - waiting to be recycled or thrown into the landfill - useful again! For example, if you print something incorrectly, you can use the paper to take notes, or for doing math calculations. You can repair old tea cup sets into plant containers, use a cheese grater to hold earrings, colanders as wall lights, and wayyyy more. There are many sites on the internet with ideas on re-vamping our junk. If you can't repair, maybe you can donate them to people who don't have the money to get it, like a coat that can't be revamped can be given away...this is called RE-HOMED!

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RECYCLE

This step comes after repair for a reason. It means you recycle what you CANNOT repair. Most of us are guilty for recycling whatever we don't use, like scraps of paper, or old kitchen appliances, but it is important to try to revamp our junk, BEFORE recycling. Recycle what you cannot repair. Recyclables are paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, ripped clothing, electronics, etc.

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ROT

Not all paper and cardboard can be recycled. This is because it may be contaminated with food or oils. This includes used paper plates, and pizza boxes. This should not be sent to the recycling center, because it will contaminate all the recyclables (not only from your home), and EVERYTHING will go to the landfill, ALL BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TO PUT USED PAPER PLATES INTO THE RECYCLING BIN! Let's not do that.

So where will it go? Into the compost bin! This will be composted and transformed into amazing soil fertilizer for plants. Food scraps also go here, NOT the landfill. This will help with saving waste, AND give you nutritious soil for your garden plants!

Putting Six R's Into Action

Now that you have learned the six R's, put them into practice. Refuse, say no to things you don't need. Reduce the things you do need. Reuse things more than once. Repair things that aren't useful anymore, and make them useful once again. Recycle things you can't repair. Let items that can't be recycled like pizza boxes, to Rot.

Inform your friends and family, so they can also live a waste-free life!