7 R’s of Sustainability For Healthier Environment

Some years back, nobody paid much attention to the accumulation of waste in homes, bodies of water, and landfills. It grew to such proportions that authorities became fearful that it might cause a disaster. The resulting environmental concerns affected all living things in the same way. Due to arrays, that’s how 7 R’s of Sustainability came into existence!

Read on to this article to know more about…

The 7 R’s of Sustainability

7. Rethink

Stop and think! Take a moment to think the next time you’re standing in line at the supermarket. Many of us are guilty of purchasing impulse purchases that we then discard without ever using. This is especially true when it comes to groceries.

Ask yourself with these questions: 

• What is its purpose? 
• How many times will I use it? 
• Can I recycle it or will it end up in the landfill? 
• Can I repurpose it?  

If you think that it’s unreasonable to buy those things then that’s the time that you proceed to…

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6. Refuse

After constant rethinking and finally coming to a realization, you will end in refusal. Refusing is simply avoiding having extra waste. If you are confident that the material is useful to you, then accept. Otherwise, politely decline it.

A piece of advice! Decline the things that are extra. Who needs an extra when you have enough? And by refusing the materials that you don’t really need you will now be in the stage of…

5. Reduce

Everyone has heard the word ‘reduce’ but do you know what it totally means? This only means is to reduce the amount of unnecessary items you purchase and bring into your home.

For example, if you have a water bottle consider refilling it instead of purchasing a new one that will only add to your excess materials. By that, you already reduce your consumption of extra materials through investing in alternatives.

Reduce the amount of a product you use and extend its lifetime through…

4. Repurposing

One of the best rs of sustainability is repurposing. Instead of tossing anything away once it has been used up, see if you can repurpose it and use it for something else. This will keep perfectly good products from ending up in landfills.

Sustainable ways to Repurpose: 

• Old water bottles to vases    
• Repurpose old newspapers for gift wrapping or paper bags
• Old toothbrushes to clean small and tight spaces
• Repurpose cans to plant pots

3. Reuse

When you can’t repurpose it maybe you can reuse it! Repurpose differs from reuse, when you repurpose anything you are giving it a new life while when you reuse a thing it’s extending its use until it can no longer function.

There are a lot of things inside your home that are still reusable, stop purchasing the same things instead reuse them to eliminate excess waste. 

Some ways you can reuse items are:

• Reuse plastic water bottles instead of purchasing new one.
• Reuse plastic bags to carry items.
• Give old clothes to charity to reuse it.

If you can’t reuse them due to defects and damage, then you must consider the…

2. Repair

Repairing goods that break is another technique to increase their lifespan. There are businesses that will fix goods for you if you don’t know how to do it yourself. Furthermore, repairing it is frequently less expensive than purchasing a new one.

You can fix these following items:

• If you have broken shoes you can use shoe-glue or if it needs to be stitched go to the repairman to fix it. (Don’t purchase a new one if it’s still fixable)
• Make use of your manufacturer’s warranty to have your technology fixed (phones, computers etc.)
• Broken furniture can be repaired at furniture repair shops.

So many items that are fixable and can be used again.

1. Recycle

When it comes to recycling, you must further your research and knowledge in doing things so. There are materials that can be recycled but not applicable to your location, recycling is a process. It can be a simple or complex way, it could be chemical or physical transformations and needs to be taken carefully and seriously. Thus, it may lead to other environmental problems.

One example of recycling that needs to have safety precautions, recycling plastics. When you recycle it by physical transformation there’s no problem. But, if your recycling includes chemical processes such as burning or melting then you must consider other things. Just like making recycled blocks or bricks out from plastics, in the process of making you must have the right place and equipment to perform to avoid environmental damages that includes other living things.

Tip: Google what type of materials that can be recycled in your region.

Let’s make a change! 

We hope you learnt some useful tips for incorporating the 7 R’s of sustainability into your daily routine. Take this as your mantra! Use them on a daily basis and know that every step you take toward a more sustainable lifestyle benefits the environment.