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The 7 R's of Sustainability Are : Rethink

The 7 R's of sustainability are rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse and repurpose, recycle, and rot. Rethink involves questioning if purchases are necessary. Refuse recommends avoiding single-use plastics. Reduce is about consuming less. Reuse and repurpose means finding new uses for items rather than throwing them out. Recycling has various options like curbside pickup or drop-off centers. Rot refers to composting organic waste instead of sending it to landfills where it produces methane.

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Kyth Nicol Cloma
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1K views2 pages

The 7 R's of Sustainability Are : Rethink

The 7 R's of sustainability are rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse and repurpose, recycle, and rot. Rethink involves questioning if purchases are necessary. Refuse recommends avoiding single-use plastics. Reduce is about consuming less. Reuse and repurpose means finding new uses for items rather than throwing them out. Recycling has various options like curbside pickup or drop-off centers. Rot refers to composting organic waste instead of sending it to landfills where it produces methane.

Uploaded by

Kyth Nicol Cloma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Environmental Science

Notes: 7Rs of Sustainability

The 7 R’s of Sustainability Are…


Rethink

The next time you are standing in the grocery store take a moment. Do you really need to
purchase that box of individually wrapped snacks? Could you recreate the same thing at home
instead? In our house we try to determine if we really need the item at all. Sometimes, we opt
for the convenience. The point is to stop and think.

Refuse

If you have children, you know all too well they don’t have a hard time with this one. I finally gave
up on the morning green juice because my daughter will absolutely not drink it. So why not
practice what our children already know and refuse single-use plastics. To borrow the
popular US War on Drugs campaign, “Just say no!”
Environmental Science
Notes: 7Rs of Sustainability

Reduce

Often we fall into complacency by allowing ourselves to rationalize the situation. “I’ll just recycle
this” when in fact, we should opt for reducing our consumption. When we become conscious
of our choices and question whether or not we really need something, we are better able to make
informed decisions.

Reuse & Repurpose

We all have lots of things that we acquire in the course of our daily lives. Whether it’s extra glass
jars from our food stuff, clothing items that we no longer wear, or household items that we no
longer use, these items can be creatively upcycled.

Recycle

There are a few different options for recycling depending on your location:

• The easiest way to get started is to contact your city’s public works department to determine
if there is an existing curbside program.Curbside recycling programs usually offer pickup once
or twice a week. You may need to acquire a designated recycling bin to participate. Ask for a
list of items that are accepted in the program and be sure to follow the directions.

• If there is no curbside program in your area, locate a community recycling drop-off center. In
some cases, items that are not accepted in your curbside pickup are accepted at a drop-off
center.

• Ask at work about recycling and keep a box under your desk to separate out the recyclables.

• Consider putting a small bin in your car to make it easy to collect plastic bottles and other
items while on the go.

Rot

The final of the R’s of Sustainability is rot, or rather, allowing your organic waste (food scraps,
grass clipping, etc.) to decompose in a process typically referred to as composting. That rotting
organic waste can be transformed over time into a nutrient rich soil amendment.

That same waste in a garbage bag sent to the local landfill will increase greenhouse gas in the
form of methane. Even if you use a garbage disposal, most of the solid waste is simply filtered
out at the water treatment facility and rerouted to the landfill.

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