Reducing waste

One of the easiest ways to reduce our waste is to reduce the amount we overall consume. 

What are the three R's?

The three R's, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, are the three essential components of environmentally friendly waste management.

  • Reduce is the most important of the three R's, and it refers to the reduction of waste production. This can be accomplished by avoiding the purchase of unnecessary items, for example, using reusable bags and purchasing items with minimal packaging.
  • Reuse refers to the use of items more than once. This can be accomplished by reusing water bottles, coffee cups and shopping bags.
  • Recycling refers to the process of converting waste into new materials and placing them in the appropriate recycling bin. Although absolutely integral to environmentally friendly waste management, recycling is the least desirable of the three R's and should only be used when waste cannot be avoided.

Circular Economy

Circular economy is a step further than the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle concept we have all now become accustomed to. The main aim of a circular economy is to reduce waste and extend the life cycle of products. 

Circular economies begin even before the Reduce step, it begins at the design and production stage of manufacturing. By creating more durable products with longer life cycles it slows the rate of products needing to enter the reduce, reuse, recycle cycle. The next step involved changing our consumer habits. Instead of every individual buying the same products for themselves, we should try to share or lease them where possible. For example, instead of buying a new DIY item that you may only use a few times, could you rent it instead? When a product does reach the end of its life cycle, we then keep the reusable products in our economy as much as possible through recycling. These components can then be reused in another product, thereby limiting waste and reducing the need to gather raw materials again. This is a change from the traditional linear economy we currently use where we take-make-consume-throw away.
  • Lowers carbon emissions
  • Reduces air pollution
  • Lowers levels of toxicity exposure
  • Reduces energy and resource consumption
  • Reduces landscape and habitat disruption- limits biodiversity loss
  • Long term money saving for consumers
  • Actively participate in the reduce, reuse, recycle concept
  • Support businesses using a circular economy model
  • Try to buy items involved in a circular economic model- for example refurbished items
  • Consider sharing/leasing items you do not use often with friends/extended family/ neighbours

Did you know- The global textile industry is one of the largest polluters in the world, responsible for around 8-10% of global carbon emissions, that's more than all flights and maritime shipping combined! And it consumes 79 trillion liters of water a year. We can help reduce this by buying clothes second hand and repairing/repurposing them into other items instead of throwing them out. 

According to the latest UK landfill statistics, some of the most common non-food items in landfill are: 

Rinse them out thoroughly and place them in the correct recycling bin.
Rinse them out and reuse them yourself.
Rinse them out and place them in glass recycling. They can also be reused to make decorations for events such as using them as vases for flowers.
Repair them or repurpose them into different things if they cannot be donated. There are some great ideas here:
Consider switching to reusable nappies that can be washed.
Avoid them as much as possible by ensuring you always having reusable bags with you. An easy way to do this is to keep a small, fold-up reusable bag in your car, coat pocket or bag. If you do get a plastic bag, keep it and reuse it as many times as you can.
Most large supermarkets have places where you can recycle batteries. Collect all your old batteries at home and take them with you next time you head to the supermarket. Many large supermarkets also have places to recycle plastic vapes and printer ink cartridges aswell!

 

Did you know- Sometimes we ask you to put waste in your black bin that you might think should be recycled. There is a good reason we do this. Your black bin waste is processed into a special kind of fuel that can be used to generate power. In order for this fuel to work properly, we need certain ingredients. By following our guidance of what to put in which bin, you help us ensure as little waste as possible goes to landfill. 

Doncaster waste links:

Green bin- Garden waste

Black bin- General rubbish that cannot be recycled

Blue bin- Recycling such as paper, card, cans and plastic bottles but not glass

Green box- Recycling glass bottles and jars but not their lids

A-Z of recycling and waste in Doncaster