Reduce Reuse Recycle
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle is a simple roadmap that encourages consumers, businesses and municipalities to continue using goods that have already been manufactured or, in the case of replacement products, to make limited use of raw materials for their production. It forms a basic rule for sustainable living and circularity. The three Rs help reduce the amount of waste we have to throw away. It is also called the Waste Hierarchy, where the most important part is to reduce (or consume less). It starts with reducing the amount of waste you (as a business or consumer) produce, or the R of Reduce. This is followed by the R of Reuse, where reusing items as much as possible before replacing them is the principle. Finally, it is important to recycle items whenever possible (the R of Recycle).
When reducing, you can choose products with less packaging, buy in bulk, look for items that can be reused and only buy products you need. Transport, waste, plastic, energy, chemicals, meat, water, purchases, electronics, clothes are all reduced using this principle. Reducing the amount of waste we all produce significantly and easily benefits the environment. Reusing involves looking at how certain items can be reused (ideally several times) in creative ways before being replaced. With this comes the added benefit that, besides helping the environment, you can also save money. Recycling is about making sure items are separated that can be recycled, meaning they can be used for a new purpose. Glass, cardboard, aluminium or empty batteries are examples of this.
Using the 3 R's also helps minimise the amount of space required for landfills (the places where waste is deposited). These three steps are also reflected in the 10 Rs for improving circularity. This Reduce, Reuse & Recycle standardisation thus ensures that the amount of waste for producing, offering, delivering and consuming the product has been reduced by following the 3 R's roadmap.
When reducing, you can choose products with less packaging, buy in bulk, look for items that can be reused and only buy products you need. Transport, waste, plastic, energy, chemicals, meat, water, purchases, electronics, clothes are all reduced using this principle. Reducing the amount of waste we all produce significantly and easily benefits the environment. Reusing involves looking at how certain items can be reused (ideally several times) in creative ways before being replaced. With this comes the added benefit that, besides helping the environment, you can also save money. Recycling is about making sure items are separated that can be recycled, meaning they can be used for a new purpose. Glass, cardboard, aluminium or empty batteries are examples of this.
Using the 3 R's also helps minimise the amount of space required for landfills (the places where waste is deposited). These three steps are also reflected in the 10 Rs for improving circularity. This Reduce, Reuse & Recycle standardisation thus ensures that the amount of waste for producing, offering, delivering and consuming the product has been reduced by following the 3 R's roadmap.