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10 Ways to Improve Your Recycling
When a U.S. paper firm sought a sign to inform customers of the recycled content of its products, recycling as we know it today began approximately forty years ago.1 Gary Anderson, a talented graphic designer from the University of Southern California, took first place in the design contest they held. His design, which was based on the Mobius strip—a shape with only one side and no end—became well-known as the recycling symbol.
Many people associate recycling with blue plastic containers and bottle drives. The fact that huge businesses, such large bottlers of beer and soft drinks, use recycling to escape handling their manufactured packaging is a contributing factor in the issue. However, recycling is a design philosophy, a natural law, a catalyst for innovation, and a source of wealth. This guide is a summary of the fundamentals as well as some of the finer and more advanced notions that have recently developed for anyone seeking to avoid corporate sponsored recycling and make recycling a more essential part of their lives.
For example, “A tonne of ‘trash’ recycled has twice the economic impact of buried. Additionally, recycling each additional tonne of waste will result in $135 more in sales, $101 more in salaries and earnings, and $275 more in products and services than just dumping it in a landfill.2
Top Recycling Tips
Continue reading to find out how recycling is environmentally friendly and how you may recycle more sustainably.
1. The Basics: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The adage is so worn out that it almost seems like “reduce, reuse, recycle” should be common sense. There are multiple steps we should think about before recycling, although the most of us have only truly heard the last third of the term. They are listed in order of priority. The first step is to consume less and replace that consumption with high-quality goods and services. The next step is to find useful applications for “waste” materials. Fix it instead of replacing it if it’s broken! Return it to the creator if at all possible, especially if electronics). Or even better, avoid purchasing any packaged goods! The final step should be tossing it in the blue bin. (For good reason, the trash can is not on the list.) You may easily watch your garbage that is going for the landfill decrease quickly by balancing these three principles. Placing your used water bottles in the recycling container by the curb is a fantastic example of recycling. But you may lessen or perhaps do away with your need for single-use plastic bottles by using a water filter and reusable container.
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2. Know What Can and Can’t Be Recycled
Make sure you don’t send anything in that can’t be processed by reading up on the recycling regulations in your area. Try your best to adhere to the rules that apply to your city as closely as you can. However, things might get trickier than that. Knowing the difference between genuine recycling and greenwashed recycling can assist you avoid supporting businesses that engage in “fake feel-good” recycling. The coffee maker Illy, for instance, launched a capsule recycling programme for its single-serve coffee pods. The truth is that the “recycling programme” really transports the capsules to another region of the nation (hello carbon emissions!) before downcycling them to the bare minimum. Although their marketing may make consumers feel better about throwing away capsules, the reality of the plan is that it is not the best form of recycling.
3. Buy Recycled Products
The cyclical movement of materials through the system, which eliminates waste and the need to extract more virgin resources, is the core of recycling.Three “Frequently Asked Questions on Recycling.” United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Supporting recycling entails sustaining this cycle by purchasing recycled goods as well as recycling materials. Today, everything from printer paper to office chairs contains a significant percentage of recycled materials. But be sure to understand the distinction between recyclable and recycled materials.
4. Inspire an Artist
Offer to supply resources if you know someone who is enthusiastic in creating art from discarded materials. For their art projects, many schoolchildren require materials like paper towel tubes. Older painters employ anything from oven doors to elastic bands. Ask if you know someone who gives art workshops to emphasise creating art out of junk. Remind them to utilise recycled paper and biodegradable materials while you’re at it.wherever possible, use eco-friendly pencils, paints, and glues. See the list below for ideas and organisations that provide artists, students, and others with beneficial “trash.” Remember that you can use your imagination to repurpose your salvaged materials as well!
5. Recycle Your Water
If you own a home, you might want to explore restructuring your plumbing so that toilet flushing can be done with rainwater or the wastewater from your shower and tub. Use leftover bathwater or dishwashing water to water your garden (as long as you use biodegradable soap).
6. Compost Your Food Scraps
The ground-breaking book “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things,” by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, proposes categorising so-called “waste” into biological nutrients and technical nutrients. Biological nutrients are those that can easily and safely breakdown at the end of their useful lives and then replenish the soil. One of the easiest and most efficient recycling techniques is composting.4 You can put your green kitchen garbage and garden trimmings in an indoor or outdoor
composter (with or without worms for entertainment). Find neighbours or a communal garden that can utilise your soil if you don’t have a garden of your own. Your standard kitchen trash can will fill up more slowly and won’t smell if you compost food leftovers. Many cities also offer programmes for turning your tree into mulch after Christmas.
7. Recycle Old Electronics
Battery recycling is widespread (rechargeable batteries are more environmentally friendly, but even they eventually wear out), electronics recycling is becoming more popular in many urban areas, and there are a number of non-profit organisations that will accept computer parts and turn them into functional computers for others. Companies like eBay have created programmes to aid in the resale of your electronics. Even without a contract, your cell phone may still make emergency calls, so other organisations will be happy to recycle it or donate it to an elderly person. If Offer your broken large appliance to nearby repair companies, trade schools, or hobbyists to work on if you’d rather replace it than try to fix it. Nowadays, several communities offer hazardous trash recycling days where they accept both hazardous and electronic garbage.
8. Consider Recycling Potential When Purchasing
Keep a close eye out for recyclable items in addition to purchasing recycled products. When you buy something wrapped, consider whether you can recycle it, return it to a shipping business for reuse, or in some other way make use of the packing. When purchasing an item that will eventually degrade or wear out, such as an electrical component, choose a model that can be easily upgraded or disassembled for spare parts so that you won’t have to throw away the entire item if a single component breaks. The term “monstrous hybrids” refers to products that cannot reasonably be combined, and while they are typically initially cheaper
unable to be recycled or fixed.
9. Don’t Dispose — Donate
Many charities appreciate your donations. There are organisations like Freecycle and Recycler’s Exchange that can assist you in getting rid of useful items that you simply don’t want to use. Use the “free stuff” section on Craigslist if you live in a city that has one. Give away items like unfitting clothing, cartons from your most recent move, and perfumed soaps that don’t suit your tastes. Make it a household rule that nothing usable is disposed of until the community has been given a fair chance to use it.
10. Analyze Your Waste Trends
Consider doing a trash audit to have a better understanding of the types of materials that enter and depart your home, workplace, or school. Set a time limit, such as a week or a month, and divide your garbage into different categories. Weigh the various material flows that leave the building, such as compostable organic waste, aluminium, recyclable plastic, and reusable materials. Create a “material recovery” programme to cut down on the amount dumped in landfills. The fact that most businesses pay to have their trash picked up and can receive payment for recycled paper, containers, toner cartridges, corrugated cardboard, and other items makes this a fantastic activity to perform with youngsters, but it can also be quite persuasive to corporate higher-ups.