It's very tempting to throw things away or even drop them in a recycling bin when we are done with them. Is there a better way?
Share your ideas for extending the “lives” of the items that we buy and use, and their packaging as well!
Reuse & Repurpose >
Reuse & Repurpose: Revival before you recycle
The next time you go to recycle or throw something away, ask yourself this: Can I reuse or repurpose this item? I started asking myself that recently, and I have now realized how many items I can upcycle or repurpose instead of recycling. For example, I was about to discard a bunch of old CDs, but instead turned them into wall art. But, why didn’t I just recycle them? Why should we try to revive an item before recycling it?
Well, recycling is a process where you collect materials that would have been trash, to turn them into a new product. The problem is, with recycling, certain plastics ( which are the biggest and most harmful portion of marine litter ) simply won’t recycle. In fact, according to data, “only around 9% of plastics actually get recycled; the other 91% of plastics are landfilled, incinerated, or dumped into rivers, streams, and oceans” ( repurpose.global ). Also, from a manufacturing standpoint, using recyclable material in their product is an expensive process and might scare away buyers. So, what else can we do? Try to revive an item before you recycle it!
We’ve all heard it: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Before we recycle, we can't skip the first two R’s: reduce and reuse. How can we start implementing these practices into our lives right now?
1. REUSE shopping bags every time you go grocery shopping instead of using single-use bags. This way, you can REDUCE the amount of bags you are consuming. Other items include eating utensils or plating.
2. REPURPOSE items, like using old clothing as a rag or towel. For me, I dry my hair with an old t-shirt to get as many uses out of it as possible. If you’re artsy, you can cut out labels or photos from an item and use them in cards or projects.
3. Purchase items with less packaging; buy items in large containers instead of small, one-time-use packaging.
What are some examples of this in the world around us? In India, there is the Rock Garden of Chandigarh. This is a garden completely made and constructed of home waste and thrown-away items. This garden is an amazing showcase of reusing and repurposing, and how trash can be reused and turned into art.
So, the next time we’re about to get rid of something, think: How can I bring this item back to life by reusing it before recycling it?
