The « 6 Rs »
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Rethink and Repair are the « 6 Rs ». Waste is a huge problem in our society so the « 6 RS » is a way to lead a more sustainable economie and life.
Reduce means cutting down the amounts of materials we consume. It’s simple if we consume less, we will product less waste ! In fact, today it’s impossible to totaly stop our consumption so simply reduce is the solution.
For example we can reduce our overall consumption by stopping buying clothes on fast fashion websites ou store, because these are clothes that will not have a long lifespan and we will have to buy others soon. We can also refuse to buy products that comes overly package.
Recycle allows to recover some materials of omething when it’s really broken. By this way we can make something new with old and recover materials ! Today it’s really easy to recycle, there are different trash : one for glass, one for plastic, one for paper, … If you have space and garden you can also have a compost and if you are in a flat you can have a vermichord composter.
Reuse means thinking before throwing in the trash ! If you have buy a salad in a plastic box, maybe you can reuse it to carry your snack towork tomorrow ! Or when you go to a coffee shop, you can bring you own mug !
In addition, thanks to internet, today we can do a lot of DIY and with a little bit time and work we can give a new life of shorts to these broken pants !
Rethink assumes that you have an ecological conscience and a desire to make efforts. In fact to « rethink » you have to ask yourself if your really need this new thing. Often the answer will be « NO I dont’ » so you will cancel this purchase. And this even if you really want this new cute dress or this awesome foldable phone because your actual phone is already working !
In the society of comsuption this is not an easy exercice but it’s a cool exercice for the planet and your wallet !
Repairing is not always our first reflex and yet it is often the best idea to have ! On the one hand it can save some money, repairing a dishwasher is often less expensive than buying a newone. And on the other hand saving the environment because we consume less materials. So if your screen’s phone is broken, change the screen and not the all phone !
Refuse to consume. This can be refusing to bring the gadget that people gave you in some manifestations or refuse the plastic aroud your superb bouquet of flowers. « Refuse » can also be refuse all the useless gifts that you can have for Christmas or your birthday (to avoid any quarrels, warn those around you in advance).
Sources :
Waste Hierarchy – “The 6 R’s” – Sustainability Blog (st-andrews.ac.uk)
