WAC - Is it more important to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle? - 9/22/17

WAC - Is it more important to Reduce, Reuse or Recycle?

Written by: Riccardo Gavardoni 8B

We sometimes ask ourselves, "Is it more important to Reduce, Reuse, or Recycle?" The short answer is, we should do all of them. Nevertheless, there is always one that stands out and is the most important of all, and that is reduce. There is a reason why we put reduce at the beginning of the 3 R's. That is because there is much more waste than we imagine, and since we can't take things out of landfills, we need to prevent waste from getting there. As a result, by reducing waste we can significantly reduce our environmental footprint, as reusing and recycling take a lot of time and resources.

Reducing is one of those things you can do that is easy and can help the earth in extraordinary ways. By reducing waste, we reduce the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or sent to landfills and incinerators. Which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing also allows products to be used to their fullest extent. Not only is reducing good for the environment, it's easy too! All you have to do is look for products that use less packaging. This reduces waste and costs, or try buying in bulk, for example, can reduce packaging and save money. You can also try buying reusable over disposable items, so you don't throw away something every time you drink some water. In conclusion, just making simple changes to your everyday shopping life can have an impact on the environment.

Waste causes pollution, contributes to climate change and squanders more money, energy, and natural resources than most of us realize. Making small changes in our everyday lives can make a powerful difference to the health of all living things and the planet we call home. In fact, even companies are starting to realize how important reusing is. In the article, Learn More About Reducing, Reusing and Recycling, written by Trent Bateman it states, "The U.S. Energy Information Administration believes that we have enough liquid fuel to meet our global energy demand through 2040, but finding new, eco-friendly energy sources and reducing energy usage is crucial for the future." Lately, large companies are beginning to reduce for their surroundings and for their economy. By reducing natural resource consumption, big time companies are saving their business's a lot of money. But is that their only initiative? When these companies reduce on a massive scale, consumers are more likely to buy from them. As data shows that consumers prefer environmentally friendly businesses. In other words, if companies use reducing to save and/or make more money, then you should be able to trust the process of reducing.

Reusing and Recycling may not be as beneficial as they seem. In fact, this could even be a trade-off. According to Trent Bateman, Author of SENSER, " Reuse in general seems like a good strategy, but each circumstance is different. 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." The act of recycling isn't full proof either. Recycling costs are going up, and the advantages of recycling are diminishing. Additionally, around 25% of recycled items wind up going to landfills, not being recycled by any means. As indicated by Discover Magazine by Rachel Cernansky, a few urban communities don't even recycle that often. It can rely upon where you live and how much the offices can deal with. Around 6.8 of plastic in the U.S. cannot be recycled, in light of the fact that exclusive certain sorts of plastic can be recycled. Notwithstanding, individuals don't have the foggiest idea about that specific plastic can be reused, so in any case, the majority of the plastic gets hurled into the blue container, which at that point decreases the productivity at the arranging station. Yes, recycling is good for paper, and certain types of plastic, yet in all of the truth, it's not the most efficient.

There's most likely that applying the three R's can add to a more beneficial condition, yet reducing is the most ideal approach. On the off chance that you reduce the measure of waste made in any case, there will be not really any need to reuse or recycle. Reducing spares you money as well as advantages eco-accommodating organizations. It is also a much more efficient way to improve greenhouse gas emissions than other methods. Reducing improves tomorrow, without all the bother and stress of reusing and recycling. Reducing is our exclusive expectation. The accompanying question can control singular decisions, as well as bigger talks about our states of mind and conduct: Is it more essential to reduce, reuse, or recycle? I'll be reducing. What are you going to be doing?