WAC- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (9/22)
In this age of throwaway living, the three R's were born. I'm sure you have heard the phrase reduce, reuse, recycle, but have you ever taken the time to consider which of these three is more important? When it comes to this mantra we hear so much, we tend to focus on the recycling aspect, leaving reducing and reusing out in the dust. What if I told you that recycling and reusing can be harmful and you should have spent that time reducing? You wouldn't believe me, right. Well, you should because it's true. Reusing and recycling does sound like a good plan, but there is only so much you can do before it gets to be too much. Out of reducing, reusing, and recycling, reducing is the most important and is something we should try and implement into our daily lives.
In recent years, big time companies are trying to appeal to their consumers by reducing the number of natural resources they consume. These large companies who are reducing are setting a good example for their consumer,s which in turn encourages them to reduce. "Sustainability-based practices in the corporate world save businesses quite a lot of money, and data shows that consumers prefer environmentally-friendly businesses. The main way that businesses utilize the three R’s is by reducing the use of resources" states Trent Bateman in Is It More Important to You to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle? By making an effort to be environmentally friendly, they save money on their products, make more money through the consumer, and are doing a good deed by reducing.
In our country, every single person you cross paths with is creating around 4.3 pounds of waste. It doesn't seem like a lot because we can recycle and repurpose it, but the truth is that only 32% of the total waste our country creates is recycled, said Rachel Cernansky from Discover Magazine, meaning the balance 160 billion pounds is sent to landfills. Although landfills do take up a lot of space, the main concern is the increasing amounts of greenhouse gases that are being emitted. "The third largest cause of methane emission is from landfills," said KQED in The Math Of Trash. If we can just reduce some of our waste we can work towards saving the environment from all the harmful gases produced from landfill waste.
Why not reuse and recycle, you may ask? Recycling can be harmful and a waste of time, whereas reusing puts your health at risk. Lately, recycling is becoming more expensive and the prices for these materials have dropped. In addition to that, 25% of all recycled items end up in landfills anyway, stated the SENCER article Is It More Important to You to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle?, which is a waste of resources. As for reusing, it can put you, your family, and the environment in harm's way. Reusing a water bottle made out of cheap plastics can poison and even send you to the hospital. "Continuous use of some plastic bottles can lead to health risks if they are made with cheap plastic or if harsh chemicals leach out of those containers with increased use, " explained Trent Bateman and others in their SENCER article, Is It More Important to You to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle? As you can see, choosing to reuse and recycle and can cause severe damage, which is why you should take the time and reduce the amount of waste created in the first place.
Landfills are a big portion of this widespread problem, but the are other contributing factors such as all the carbon dioxide released when waste is being transported to the landfills. When you have to transport as much waste as 160 billion pounds, it will take many, many trips to get the job done. While moving the waste from one place to another the garbage trucks are continuously polluting the air with carbon dioxide, leading to over 22 billion pounds of CO2, as mentioned by KQED in The Math Of Trash. This routine of creating and transporting waste is damaging our environment, but by reducing the amount of waste needing to be transported we can slowly reduce the amount of pollution being done to our country.
There's no doubt that applying the three R's can contribute to a healthier environment, but reducing is the best way to go. If you reduce the amount of waste created in the first place, there will be hardly any need to reuse or recycle. Reducing, not only saves you money but benefits eco-friendly companies. It prevents a good amount of greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere. Reducing makes for a better tomorrow, without all the hassle and worry of recycling and reusing. Reducing is our only hope. So, are you going to reduce?
In recent years, big time companies are trying to appeal to their consumers by reducing the number of natural resources they consume. These large companies who are reducing are setting a good example for their consumer,s which in turn encourages them to reduce. "Sustainability-based practices in the corporate world save businesses quite a lot of money, and data shows that consumers prefer environmentally-friendly businesses. The main way that businesses utilize the three R’s is by reducing the use of resources" states Trent Bateman in Is It More Important to You to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle? By making an effort to be environmentally friendly, they save money on their products, make more money through the consumer, and are doing a good deed by reducing.
In our country, every single person you cross paths with is creating around 4.3 pounds of waste. It doesn't seem like a lot because we can recycle and repurpose it, but the truth is that only 32% of the total waste our country creates is recycled, said Rachel Cernansky from Discover Magazine, meaning the balance 160 billion pounds is sent to landfills. Although landfills do take up a lot of space, the main concern is the increasing amounts of greenhouse gases that are being emitted. "The third largest cause of methane emission is from landfills," said KQED in The Math Of Trash. If we can just reduce some of our waste we can work towards saving the environment from all the harmful gases produced from landfill waste.
Why not reuse and recycle, you may ask? Recycling can be harmful and a waste of time, whereas reusing puts your health at risk. Lately, recycling is becoming more expensive and the prices for these materials have dropped. In addition to that, 25% of all recycled items end up in landfills anyway, stated the SENCER article Is It More Important to You to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle?, which is a waste of resources. As for reusing, it can put you, your family, and the environment in harm's way. Reusing a water bottle made out of cheap plastics can poison and even send you to the hospital. "Continuous use of some plastic bottles can lead to health risks if they are made with cheap plastic or if harsh chemicals leach out of those containers with increased use, " explained Trent Bateman and others in their SENCER article, Is It More Important to You to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle? As you can see, choosing to reuse and recycle and can cause severe damage, which is why you should take the time and reduce the amount of waste created in the first place.
Landfills are a big portion of this widespread problem, but the are other contributing factors such as all the carbon dioxide released when waste is being transported to the landfills. When you have to transport as much waste as 160 billion pounds, it will take many, many trips to get the job done. While moving the waste from one place to another the garbage trucks are continuously polluting the air with carbon dioxide, leading to over 22 billion pounds of CO2, as mentioned by KQED in The Math Of Trash. This routine of creating and transporting waste is damaging our environment, but by reducing the amount of waste needing to be transported we can slowly reduce the amount of pollution being done to our country.
There's no doubt that applying the three R's can contribute to a healthier environment, but reducing is the best way to go. If you reduce the amount of waste created in the first place, there will be hardly any need to reuse or recycle. Reducing, not only saves you money but benefits eco-friendly companies. It prevents a good amount of greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere. Reducing makes for a better tomorrow, without all the hassle and worry of recycling and reusing. Reducing is our only hope. So, are you going to reduce?
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