Reduce Reuse Recycle

Background

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle commonly known as the 3Rs. The main reason why the 3Rs are practiced is so that the treatment of waste via incinerating and landfill can be minimized. Although some incinerating plants can make use of the energy from the waste to generate energy, it will release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, one of them being carbon dioxide. Ashes produced from the incineration will also be highly toxic. Landfill may be a useful method for disposal of rubbish in countries that have large areas. However, it will be a very bad idea for small countries like Singapore to adopt because of its much smaller area. By practicing the 3Rs, there is a reduced need for mining of raw materials which will require energy as well as result in the depletion of earth’s resources.

A waste hierachy pyramid showing on how to deal with waste, the 3Rs are essential to waste management

A waste hierachy pyramid showing on how to deal with waste, the 3Rs are essential to waste management(above)

Reduce

Definition

The Reduce in 3Rs means the reduction of the amount of waste and rubbish produced by everyone.

It can provide great benefits to the industry as well as to the environment. By practicing “Reduce”, the need for raw materials is reduced and therefore, the cost for purchasing and transporting of raw materials is reduced. Also, this will help in reducing the amount of waste being disposed off.

There are many examples of “Reduce” for industries.

Examples:

Purchase products in proper packaging;
Ensure proper handling of the product so as to minimize wastage of raw materials;
Making the operation of production more effectively;
Having more inspections on the production process.

However, to the average individual, buying long-lasting products is more costly than single-use products. Also, people rarely buy products in bulk because they fear the products may not be finished or may spoil over time. However, reducing the use of water and electricity certainly benefits the environment as well as the public.

Examples of personal reduction include:

Buying products with less packaging;
Not buying products on impulse, instead considering their uses before buying them;
Reducing the use of electricity by switching off lights and applications when not in use;
Minimize water usage;
Reducing the usage of disposal products such as crockery, plastic bags and non-rechargeable batteries
Buying refill packs for pens or dish washing liquid

A bottle of mineral water, most people reuse the bottle for other domestic uses

A bottle of mineral water, most people reuse the bottle for other domestic uses(above). Photo courtesy of Jm51

Reuse

Definition

Reusing prevents waste disposal via the reuse of waste products such as plastic water bottles. After reusing, waste products do not necessary need to have their original functions. The plastic water bottles can be used as pots for planting plants.
There are many advantages to reusable products. Although these products cost more than single use products, they are durable and long-lasting, and are definitely worth buying. Besides that, there is a reduced need for disposal. Energy and raw materials saved are also used to make the large amount of single use products otherwise purchased.

Some examples of reuse:

Reusing old mouse pads as insulators for placing hot containers
Passing and donating unwanted books
Using both sides of the paper when writing
Reusing single-use items, eg. containers and plastic bags from stores

Recycle

Definition

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new products. It helps to reduce the use of raw materials and energy usage, compared to normal production. However, recycling can sometimes expend more energy than raw production. There are several main types of recycling listed below.

Paper

Paper recycling comes from waste papers which include newspaper, office paper, and cardboard. Some coated and contaminated paper cannot be recycled due to the troubles of removing impurities from the paper. One main disadvantage of paper recycling is that paper cannot be recycled continuously like glass and other materials.

A recycling bin located in Germany(right). Photo courtesy of Jwanders

Aluminum

Aluminum comes mainly from drink cans. Aluminum recycling can save a lot of energy compared to extracting aluminum from ore. Also, the amount of carbon dioxide released during recycling is less than extracting aluminum from ore.

Plastic

Plastic recycling is very challenging due to the fact that there are many different types of plastic materials. There is a need for sorting of plastic recycling. Some of the examples of plastic recycling include plastic containers, bottles and plastic bags.

Glass

Glass recycling can come from various glass jars and container. Unlike paper recycling, glass structure will not break down over time and therefore can be recycled an infinite number of times.

Analysis

The 3Rs were coined to encourage eco-friendliness among people by reducing the amount of waste products, reusing the useful waste products for other uses, and recycling whatever waste produced which could potentially be recycled into useful products for use. It does not advocate any new technology, nor does it make use of any sophisticated machinery. Instead, it encourages people to be more conscious of the environment and how it is affected by whatever we do. We feel that this is good in the way that it educates people about the advantages of eco-friendliness, such as reduced amounts of waste to be incinerated or dumped and the reduced amounts of raw material needed to produce products. This would not be a very effective way to reduce the damage done to the environment on its own, but when done with other methods, it can prove to be very effective at preventing further damage done to the environment. Overall, we feel that it is a good method of reducing the factors involved in the destruction of the environment, but it is not an active measure, but more of a preventive measure. Furthermore, it is able to diminish overall environmental degradation and slow down global warming due to it helping mankind to reduce the need for raw resources and lighten the load on nature.