How to Reduce, Recycle and Reuse

 It is no surprise that garbage has become a serious worldly issue and what’s concerning is what this means for our future environment. It is a well known theory, and a likely one at that, that by 2050 the ocean will actually contain more plastic in it than fish. Did you know that it can take up to 1000 years for one plastic bottle to decompose itself?

We need now more than ever to educate people on what they can do to limit their waste and do their part to help rebuild the environment. Take India for example. India, with a population of 1.32 billion, produces an estimated 60 million tons of waste alone each day. On top of that, about 45 million tons of this waste is dumped daily without being treated first. If this continues then they will eventually need a garbage dump the size of a huge city.

Here are a few tips you can adopt into your daily lifestyle to decrease waste:

Most importantly, we should figure out alternative ways to using paper and paper products. There are many ways we can find alternatives to paper. Instead of our daily Tim Hortons coffee we can bring our own travel mug which they will be more than happy to fill up all the same. More and more companies are also encouraging their employees to use up scrap paper when jotting down notes and such instead of using a brand-new sheet of paper. Also, many companies are including notes at the end of their email signatures that act as a friendly reminder to think of the environment and not print out emails.

Secondly, in addition to limiting our use of paper we should also consider finding alternatives to plastic. The amount of plastic water bottles alone that are discarded each day is terrifying. Ditch the plastic bottles and easily make the switch to stainless steel water bottles. Instead of using and paying for plastic grocery bags, bring and reuse cloth bags. When you stop and think about it, there are countless ways in which we can cut out plastic.

Another important tip is to learn how to compost. There are many benefits from having your own compost waste bin, besides the fact that it will no doubt aid in your waste removal efforts. Compost can be used as fertilizer and it is a great way of promoting plant growth as well.

Lastly, many of us have already been taught at a very young age about the 3 R’s. Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. More and more companies are coming up with new and inventive ways on how to reuse their waste. However, this is still not enough. DIY projects are a great way for anyone to reuse household items. One of the most famous reusable household items of all time have been socks that are then used for dusting and toothbrushes for scrubbing toilets. Let your imagination fly and see what new and interesting things you can come up with.