The Basic 7 R’s of Zero Waste
The 3 R’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle have now amplified to The Basic 7 R’s of Zero Waste. Rethink, Refuse, Regift and Repair are recent additions. Only when we tackle all of them can we lead a zero-waste life. It doesn’t mean that there would be nothing in the garbage bin, but then we can dispose of the small quantity, sensibly.
The Basic 7 R’s of Zero Waste Explained
1. RETHINK
When you are going to buy something, pause and reconsider how your action will affect the environment. Just stop and think-Are you adding to the problem or do you want to be an environmental advocate?
2. REFUSE
Learn to deny yourself the comfort of that unnecessary plastic carry bag. Be a friend of the earth and carry your own organic shopping bag. Buy less and buy goods that will cause minimum harm to the environment. Just say no and refuse single-use products.
3. REDUCE
Make conscious choices and rationalize your consumption. Buy less, buy products that have little or no packaging and that last a long time, borrow instead of buying, and compost. Items that are no longer needed or of use are donated or sold. Say no to gifts or freebies that you may never use.
The Basic 7 R’s of Zero Waste
4. REUSE & REPURPOSE
We all have lots of things that we collect over the years. We Indians stash away even disposables for later use. Instead of hoarding them, we can creatively upcycle, and recycle glass jam jars, clothes we don’t fit into, or even a carton turned into a utility box. Repurpose your old articles into fancy and cool objects. We can make invitation cards into bookmarks or money envelopes.
5. REPAIR
Lack of time and sewing skills to repair things have led to us being referred to as a “throwaway society”. This leads to more stuff that ends up in the trash and into the landfill. The environment endures this as new items need to be produced, consuming more of the resources on our planet. Repair rather than discard and join the repair brigade.
6. REGIFT
When you receive a gift, you would not use just pass it on to someone who would use and appreciate it. Don’t feel guilty about it, but make sure that the receiver would value it. See that the gift is something new and is still packed in its original packing and is not a treasure you would not want to give away.
7. RECYCLE (Compost)
Instead of throwing all your organic waste into the trash can and making compost out of it. In simple terms, let your organic waste rot and decompose into nutrient-rich organic compost. Use it to fertilize your garden or gift it to those who have a garden. Segregate your waste so that it can be recycled. Most city municipalities are into major recycling of trash and if there is a designated pickup spot for special recycling bins, then offer to drop it off there.
So there you go! You can see how you wear your much-loved t-shirt, then turned into a duster, mop or rag and then finally end up in the trash. How many of The Basic 7 R’s of Zero Waste do you follow? If you do not, then start now!
‘This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter’
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
Check out 5 tips to make your home eco-friendly, 3 ways to teach children eco-friendly habits and 10 ways to sustainable food choices, 8 tips for sustainable fashion, 6 ways to teach kids about sustainability and 8 Tips to buy sustainable Jewellery
@wordsmithkaur
@wordsmithkaur
Zero waste conserves resources and minimises pollution.
I am so impressed with your effort to spread awareness on several topics Harjeet… every week you come up with something new n so important and it makes us contemplate.
Zero waste management is important and I liked the points that you mentioned but beg to differ with the regift part as I dont like regifting someone’s elses gift . Regifting is good as along as we say to the person that we are recycling the gift we received to them rather than hiding it. But majority dont do that and that carry a wrong message as other person too understand that its a recycled gift. During Diwali I found it happening in large scale and I also receive sometimes a few. I dont know people will like it or not … to a few I said better you dont give me gift than gifting a recycled one. give it to the poor they dont have money to buy it will help them and give blessings. To me it seems like saving money on buying gifts. When one regifts as majority just do it for saving money on gifts and not with the intention of giving a useful item as gift to others.
Harjeet it’s so good to read about sustainability. In practice, a few residents in our building setup events like spring cleaning, holiday recycle -where we invite residents to donate items that they do not use. We organize the stuff and hold a charitable event where all residents are invited to pick items of their choice, instead of going to a store to buy these, then offer any donation in return. The donations go to local charities. We just warped up our holiday charity event last night. The 7 R’s fit perfectly. I love how there is more awareness around sustainable living.
That was a very good insight to the 7R’s, and of course its the duty of each and every person livong on this planet to see how they can make living better with the usage of 7R’s.
Today, sustainability defines the models necessary to ensure the survival of the human race and planet Earth. I follow all seven R’s you have mentioned here, and I am proud of it.
I totally agree with you. Earlier, we used to reuse and repurpose a lot of things. Now people look down on it. These days it is usually and throw.
Enjoying your posts on sustainability, Harjeet. They are the perfect example that sustainable living does not mean breaking the bank. It just requires more conscious choices.
Loved your idea of using 7 R’s. These are the beat ways to keep your environment clean and reuse and recycle is one of the best ways to do so. These Rs help in avoiding unnecessary wastage.
I especially agree with the repair. We have forgotten how to do it….a simple damage that can be fixed easily is left till it becomes irreparable or the prod is discarded. I feel increase in income levels & the prod options available has led to this. Same is true of relationships too these days as many just walk away instead of trying to work towards making things right.
Yes, I know only 3 R. Your each point is accurate. We can use this 7 R in our day to day life that can contribute to save the Earth. If we can use REFUSE it will also bring lots of changes.
All these 7 Rs are important. Once they’re used, the goods are simply dumped in a landfill or destroyed in an incinerator. In contrast, a zero-waste approach conserves natural resources and reduces pollution from extraction, manufacturing, and disposal.
Love that you made an article about this to spread awareness. This should be implemented in every city/town/country. Our Mother Earth could really use some well needed help for the next generation to still enjoy what we had been enjoying nowadays.
I am a big advocate of rethink and reuse. I feel that upcycling is the way to go. We have to chuck materialism and mindless consumerism at some point. Great reminder.
That’s such a nice post and I totally agree with you on this and do the same by reusing most of the usable items
An eye-opening post! You teach us so much through your content!