“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” is a catchy jingle to remind everyone to have a positive impact on our environment. More specifically, the “recycle” part is an easy way to reduce waste. But what if the jingle was changed to “repurpose”? The slogan is just as catchy: “Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose!” According to National Geographic, 91% of plastic worldwide is not being recycled. How much of that trash could have been recycled or
Off the coast of the Dominican Republic, a huge wave of plastic was washed up onto the shores. What if that trash was recycled, reused or even repurposed?
repurposed for a different use? Because recyclable items are not being recycled, so there is still a lot of trash being accumulated. Instead of throwing it away or recycling, the answer then may be to instead “repurpose”.
The definition of repurpose is to give new use to something for a different purpose than the one for which it was originally intended. Reusing items in our everyday lives can impact citizens, the Earth, and the future. It helps us to save money, eliminate carbon and air pollution, and become more conscious in the products we are buying, using, and wasting.
The Origins of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
There is debate around the origin of when this catchy phrase began, but the movement started around the 1970s, while the Vietnam War was going on. People were becoming more environmentally conscious about our impact on the Earth’s ecosystem.
The Benefits of Recycling
- Prevents pollution caused by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials
- Saves energy
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change
- Helps sustain the environment for future generations
- Saves money
- Reduces the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or sent to landfills and incinerators
- Allows products to be used to their fullest extent
It takes a bit of creativity to reuse or repurpose an item. To save ourselves from running out of natural resources and accumulating waste, repurposing may be the way to go.
Ideas on How to Repurpose
Repurposing at Home
It saves us money, time, and waste to repurpose everyday items, such as clothing, containers, and plastic products. Living as minimally as possible can help your wallet, living space, and carbon footprint. Here’s ideas on how you can begin repurposing items in your home:
- Water bottle: Fill the bottle with water again, use the bottle to water your indoor plants, use it as a pot to grow plants, use to hold paint, or create a scientific experiment.
- Clothes: Use old clothing as cleaning rags, make a blanket, donate to homeless shelters, or give it to someone who would use it.
Repurposing at Work
Reminding co-workers and staff to follow a green lifestyle in the office can help the company save paper and reduce waste. Choosing to have eco-friendly printing and recycling food products can help the company stand out from others in values and goals.
- Paper: Reusing unwanted sheets of paper as packaging filler, reuse it to take notes, or print on the other side for drafts.
- Composting bin: Have a composting bin in the work kitchen and donate the compost to a local garden.
Repurposing In the Community
When you buy local and reuse bags, you are supporting a sustainable economy. Communities can successfully develop sustainable practices and techniques to collectively live sustainably.
- Buying local: Use canvas bags to buy groceries, over and over.
- Containers: Bring your own reusable container for beauty products at your local markets.
Small changes to your everyday routine, can make a huge difference. Recycling shouldn’t be completely eliminated, but repurposing takes initiative to save the Earth, cut down on waste, and supporting a local, sustainable economy.
Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose!
Written by Joann Hernandez
August 15, 2018
Disclaimer: Photos and “Benefits” section does not belong to editor. References are listed below.
References:
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
https://recyclenation.com/2015/05/history-of-three-r-s/
http://pantheonchemical.com/reduce-reuse-recycle/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reduce-reuse-recycle-nidhi-shetti
https://www.homedit.com/repurposing-ideas/
https://ilsr.org/the-repurpose-project-building-community-through-reuse/
