The Five Rs To Being Low Waste

There are five Rs to remember when trying to lower your waste. They are refuse, reduce, reuse/ repurpose, rot, and recycle. They should be done in the order listed.

1. Refuse- say no to single-use plastics

2. Reduce- minimize what plastic you absolutely need

3. Reuse- reuse or create a new use for the plastics you have

4. Rot- compost what can be composted

5. Recycle- this should only be done if you cannot do any of the above

Check out these blogs that I found online for more information on how to reduce plastic:

https://www.fix.com/blog/reduce-plastic-use/

https://www.diynatural.com/plastic-free-home/

Refuse

Say no to single-use plastics wherever you go. These include but are not limited to straws, disposable plates, cups, and cutlery, plastic bags, takeout containers, and plastic packaging. Bring your own reusables instead. When you go to the supermarket bring reusable totes and produce bags with you. If you are going out to eat you may want to bring Tupperware for leftovers. If you are going to a cheaper restaurant or ordering takeout, ask for no plastic cutlery and bring your own reusable cutlery instead. When going to a coffee shop bring your own reusable to-go cup.

Reduce

Some things you may think you simply cannot get without plastic. To reduce plastic try bulk shopping (in a store that lets you bring your own containers), buying in glass, metal, or cardboard instead of plastic, or getting your food closer to the source -- like the farmers market, deli, or butcher shop -- where they may put it in your own reusable containers if you ask. For other things, such as candy or snacks, you may not be able to get them without plastic. Try eating/ using the products less or making them yourself.

Reuse

To avoid plastic, bring a reusable cup, Tupperware, and cutlery wherever you go. If people think it’s weird of you to do that just tell them that you are saving the environment for everyone’s future. At home, you can use silicon stasher bags, Tupperware, and beeswax wraps to preserve and store food. Some of the packagings you use may be reusable. You can use jars or other containers with lids for bulk shopping or food storage. Make sure they are numbers 2, 4, and 5 ONLY(you can find these numbers in the recycling symbols on the bottom). Other plastics can be dangerous if reused.

Rot

Compost food waste and paper towels (if they have water or food on them only). Composting services may not be available in your area or through your town, but you can try backyard composting or find someone who would take your compost. Make sure you only compost what the service you choose says you can, otherwise you may contaminate the compost. TIP: Store compost in your freezer to avoid it smelling.

Recycle

You are probably very familiar with this R since recycling has become a very common thing to do. This should be your LAST resort since although it is better then sending things to landfill, it uses a lot of energy and can often emit lots of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) if the materials are being shipped to a processing plant. Also, putting non-recyclable or dirty things in your recycling bin can often cause whole batches of material to be thrown out due to contamination. When you recycle, make sure you do it correctly. Wash out all recyclable items, to make sure they are clean, before putting them in your recycling bin. Check for the numbers on plastic containers and only recycle what your recycling service says you can. You can find this information online.

Now that you know about all the Rs of being low-waste, I hope you apply them to your daily life in an effort to make our future more sustainable. Please subscribe so that you get notified whenever I publish a new post. You can leave a comment down below if you have any suggestions for what I should post next.