Waste: The 3 Rs

If the population continues to rise at the same rate, Earth will need the resources of 3 planets by 2050 to support us...

Waste —of energy, food, plastic, water and material items — is one of the most important keys in unlocking a solution to our environmental problems.  Our impact on the environment and consumption compound this.  The 3 R’s –  Reduce, Recycle and Reuse – are an important initial step in limiting our carbon footprint.  Put    simply – the less we waste by engaging in mindful consumption, reducing our consumption of disposable products, and committing to organised waste management, the less negative impact we will have on our planet and environment.

 

Where do the SDG's fit in?

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6 – Clean Water and Sanitation

By wasting less water, more of our planet’s natural resources such as water can be conserved.  Water shortages for all will lessen, and energy in disposing and processing waste water can also be reduced.

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7 – Affordable and Clean Energy

Reducing energy consumption reduces demand, expenditure of energy and pollution. This is turn reduces the amount of non-renewable resources being burned as well as the harmful chemicals they release into the atmosphere that ultimately cause global warming and climate change.

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12 – Responsible Consumption and Production

We are running out of natural resources at an alarming rate, and we therefore cannot afford to waste them.  We must be more aware of our consumption of all material products, including food, to support sustainability and global progress towards all other goals!

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13 – Climate Action

By reducing our waste we help climate change by encouraging a limit to the production of unnecessary quantities, thereby reducing production pollution and greenhouse gasses. This is important to halt global warming.

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14 – Life Below Water

Single use plastics often end up in our seas. By becoming more mindful of our waste, we help to keep wildlife safe from harm and pollution.

Your Future

Have you thought about what life will be like in 50 years, if we do not manage waste properly?  Will we have increased water shortages?  Will the planet be hotter? Will more species be extinct due to climate change? How much plastic will be in our seas?

What's the Solution?

REDUCE

your total overall consumption of resources you use and waste through everyday activities.

 

REUSE

whatever you can, whenever you can to minimise the amount of items that go to waste.

 

RECYCLE

what you cant reuse yourself, so that it can be put to good use elsewhere or disposed of responsibly.

 

Ask Yourself 5 Simple Questions:

Electricity

Can I turn off that plug?

Food

Will I eat all of this portion?

Plastic

Is there a sustainable alternative or can I apply the 3Rs?

Water

Do I need to leave this tap running?

Fashion

Do I need to buy this or can I reuse something I own?

Take Action on Waste!

Start the change...

Tips for being more aware of preventing harm to the environment through every day actions

Raise your awareness – how many plugs are around your home, office or school? How many can be turned off? How much food do you throw away per day? Do you leave taps running? Keep a log for a week!

 

Separate your waste for recycling. Check your local rules on what can and can’t be recycled in your area, and start a new bin for recyclable rubbish.

 

It may sound simple, but write yourself a shopping list! You are more likely to stick to what you need with a list and this will lead to wasting less of what you don’t.

 

Take reusable bags everywhere. You could store a fold up fabric carrier in your handbag which is accessible whenever needed, or invest in heavy duty supermarket shoppers.

 

Turn off taps when cleaning your teeth or washing your hair whilst applying shampoo. Remember, small saves add up to big saves!

 

Use appliances efficiently to their maximum capacity, for example, dishwashers and washing machines. The more you can get out of a single cycle of using energy and water, the better.

 

Turn off lights as you leave the room, unplug power leads, and shutdown technology. Energy can be wasted by leaving appliances on standby or chargers in switched on sockets.

 

Set aside time each day to step away from electricity and spend it outside in nature.

 

Avoid disposable items like single use plastics, by investing in products such as travel cups and refillable bottles. Make a few easy swaps to sustainable alternatives!

 

Do a bit more...

Create weekly meal plans—this will enable you to plan ahead, write more concise shopping lists and reduce the amount of food that goes to waste. You could also buy in bulk to reduce packaging consumption.

 

Shop for fruit and vegetables in local groceries or farm shops, and shop seasonally where possible. This helps to support farmers in your local community whilst cutting down on energy used in transportation of products and over packaging.  You could even start to grow your own foods in a garden or allotment!

 

Travel more efficiently and trade what car journeys you can for walking, cycling or public transport.

 

Learn how to cook your own meals and replace pre-packaged ready dinners and takeaways with fresh home cooking.  You can find lots of waste saving  recipes on the Love Food Hate Waste YouTube channel, as well how to freeze or save uneaten food for future meals.

 

Start a compost heap for vegetable peelings or other uneaten food, or a wormery for other waste. Compost is also a great help for use on your own new food patches!

 

Reuse clothing – fix anything that can be saved instead of replacing, and shop for clothing in charity or second hand shops.  Give back to the cycle by donating items you no longer want or need for someone else to use!

 

Make your own DIY items such as cosmetics and cleaning products—you can find lots of interesting tutorials, ideas and hacks on YouTube!

 

Measure your waste – what space does it fill now? Can you reduce this to a single jar per week? Or year?!

 

Connect & Collaborate

Your World. Your Future.

Are YOU ready?

Experts, activists and philanthropists agree, one of the most effective ways of making positive global change for our planet is to CONNECT—with each other, with organisations, with charities and specialists. The bigger the project, the BIGGER the impact, and by helping you to join the dots Planetary hopes to assist with your efforts to make worldwide change!

Project 1

Start a communal allotment to grow foods, and a shared community compost pile to assist local farming. You could grow your own fruit and vegetables to eat and share with friends and family to reduce your need to visit a supermarket!

Project 2

Set up, contribute to and utilise shared networks for buying and selling within your community. This could be in school, in your company or wider village or town. Social media marketplaces are a good example of how this can be successful. Run regular community swap shops or jumble sales - one person’s waste is another’s treasure! Swap shops work particularly well for clothing.

Project 3

Expand recycling to a whole new level and include your entire community, school or office. Did you know, there are options for recycling items that are not typically recyclable? Through companies such as TerraCycle… why not set up a wider recycling network? You could check their online maps and collect items such as crisp packets and confectionary wrappers to drop off to existing collection points periodically, or why not apply to become a collection point yourself? Each person in your group or community, or even other local schools or companies in your area, could set up a drop off station for a different item, and share the responsibility of dropping collected waste to each other within the network. This is a great way of joining the dots and collaborating to reduce waste on a larger scale!

Starting a project?

Keep us updated by tagging #yourworldyourfuture #planetaryproject

Useful Links

National Geographic on Energy Link nationalgeographic.com
Hidden Water Waste Calculator Link watercalculator.org
Love Food Hate Waste com lovefoodhatewaste.com
Terracyle UK Link terracycle.com