3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle

Did you know that you’ll get a 10% discount for helping us promote the 3 R’s of recycling, reusing, and reducing?  

I am committed to helping future generations inherit a healthier, greener planet and so I’m offering 10% off to patrons who bring back their glass jars or show me how they have cleverly reused and repurposed their glass jars.  Just find me at an event and return your empty glass jars for an automatic 10% off.  

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The waste hierarchy:

As per the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, “The three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle – all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space, and energy. Plus, the three R’s save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills. Siting a new landfill has become difficult and more expensive due to environmental regulations and public opposition.”

Here are some of the things you can do to REDUCE the waste:

Print on both sides of the paper to reduce paper wastage.

Remove your name from the mailing lists that you no longer want to receive.

Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.

Use a dishcloth instead of paper towels

Avoid using disposable plates, spoons, glass, cups, and napkins. They add to the problem and result in a large amount of waste.

Avoid buying items that are over-packaged with foil, paper, and plastic. This excess packaging goes to waste.

Buy products in bulk. Larger, economy-size products or ones in the concentrated form use less packaging and usually cost less per ounce.

Buy durable goods that have a long warranty. They generally run longer and save landfill space.

Buy durable goods – ones that are well-built or that carry good warranties. They will last longer, save money in the long run and save landfill space.

At work, make two-sided copies whenever possible.

REUSE: It makes economic and environmental sense to REUSE products. Sometimes it takes creativity:

Reuse products for the same purpose. Save paper and plastic bags, and repair broken appliances, furniture and toys.

Reuse products in different ways. Use a coffee can to pack a lunch; use plastic microwave dinner trays as picnic dishes.

Sell old clothes, appliances, toys, and furniture in garage sales or ads, or donate them to charities.

Use reseal-able containers rather than plastic wrap.

Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of paper cups.

Reuse grocery bags or bring your own cloth bags to the store. Do not take a bag from the store unless you need one.

Old jars and pots can be used to store items in the kitchen. They can also be used to store loose items together such as computer wires.

Old tires can either be sent to a recycling station or can be used to make tire-swing.

Used wood can be used as firewood or can be used woodcrafts.

Old newspapers can be used to pack items when you’re planning to move to another home or store old items.

Old and waste envelopes can be used by children to make short notes.

Waste paper can be used to make notes and sketches and can be sent to the recycling center when you don’t need them anymore.

Your old books can be used by poor children or can be donated to public libraries.

Your unwanted clothes can be used by street children or can be donated to charity institutions.

Old electric equipment can be donated to schools or NGOs so that they can use them.

Rechargeable batteries can be used again and again and help to reduce unnecessary wastage as opposed to regular batteries.

RECYCLING: is a series of steps that takes a used material and processes, remanufacture, and sells it as a new product. Begin recycling at home and at work:

Buy products from the market that are made up of recycled materials i.e. the product should be environment friendly. Buy products made from recycled material. Look for the recycling symbol or ask store managers or salesmen. The recycling symbol means one of two things – either the product is made of recycled material, or the item can be recycled. For instance, many plastic containers have a recycling symbol with a numbered code the identifies what type of plastic resin it is made from. However, just because the container has this code does not mean it can be easily recycled locally.

Buy products that can be recycled such as glass jars.

Invent new ways to recycle different items.

Avoid buying hazardous materials that could pose difficulty for you to recycle. Buy non-toxic products, whenever possible.

Use recycled paper for printing, letterhead, copier paper, and newsletters or making paper handicrafts.

Check collection centers and curbside pickup services to see what they accept, and begin collecting those materials. These can include metal cans, newspapers, paper products, glass, plastics, and oil.

Consider purchasing recycled materials at work when purchasing material for office supply, office equipment, or manufacturing.

Speak to store managers and ask for products and packaging that help cut down on waste, such as recycled products and products that are not over-packaged.

Buy products made from material that is collected for recycling in your community.

Find ideas about how to reuse your glass jars here: https://tinyurl.com/reusejars