“It’s only one straw,” said 8 billion people. -Unknown
According to Joshua Becker, the founder of Becoming Minimalist, the most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.
The management of natural resources is a crucial focus of sustainability. Reduction in the amount of waste generated saves the raw materials, energy, and water that businesses could have used for product manufacturing and saves the cost of purchasing new items. Buying what you need or reusing items will save you money and provide a more sustainable future for your children in the coming years. As the title suggests, the less we waste, the less humanity will need in the future.
Did you know that reducing the amount of waste we produce significantly impacts the Environment?
Interestingly, reusing an item can save about 20 times as much energy as recycling it. Environmental sustainability requires making wise choices. We can prevent waste from happening if we reduce the products we buy and increase our reusables. Small actions like preferring reusable items over disposable ones can make a HUGE difference. First, find out what products you usually waste and then match that with more sustainable alternatives.
I prefer long-lasting effects. Never refuse to reuse. Choose products with less plastic packaging. I am maintaining and repairing broken items instead of replacing them. Donate, borrow and share things. Rethink what you need.
Waste reduction aims to improve environmental sustainability by redirecting the waste out of the economic system and substituting raw material inputs. This integral cause needs the attention of both individuals and society as a whole.
Waste Reduction In Packaging
Find clever ways to REDUCE your waste. I am sure there will be at least a few things on this list that you can change today to make a difference to your unique waste footprint. So then, what do you say we do? Let’s go!
1. Recycle
Reuse materials, reduce, reuse and recycle is probably the most important thing you can do to your waste. It takes less energy to destroy a piece of plastic than to create a new plastic bag from scratch. Most people will save money, power, space, and all sorts of wasted materials if they can reuse their materials.
2. Avoid using plastic or paper
Plastic bags can be reused and are better than canvas bags for many purposes. You can use a cloth bag for clean-up and to conveniently carry some items to the car. Paper bags need to be discarded once they are full or burned in a bonfire. Do not use plastic when you can reuse cardboard or hemp.
3. Buy in bulk
Buying in bulk reduces packaging waste and reduces the cost of the goods. Even if the packaging for good is used once, then the packaging for the waste is thrown away. This is the most significant waste of materials and energy. Bulk buying also allows you to use materials that are less expensive than most other materials.
4. Dispose of waste in recycled containers
It is a crime that 50% of all garbage is improperly disposed of in landfill space and being used to hold or burn in a disposal area. These containers should be disposed of in properly compostable containers. We should avoid burning plastic waste because this produces emissions that are harmful to our environment. It may take a few years for the soil to decompose if the plastic is buried and left in the ground.
As you can see, the most common form of waste in the UK is packaging, and the best way to handle packaging is recycling. We must learn about and implement waste reduction principles in our homes, offices, shopping, transport, and workplaces. With these principles in mind, we can reduce packaging waste and produce less packaging, which results in less packaging waste. Therefore, less packaging disposal costs, which results in lower carbon emission and packaging disposal costs while improving our global living standards.
So what can we do?
Our homes should be our primary beginning point for waste reduction, but it usually isn’t. Often we don’t know where the packaging went, or that packaging wasn’t biodegradable, or that biodegradable packaging isn’t recyclable. And often our homes don’t have space or money to dispose of the waste properly. So packaging goes into our kitchen cupboards or bins or storage bags, boxes, and containers. We should treat these differently to household waste:
1. Store recyclable packaging in your local recycling center or bin. These usually have a separate containers for biodegradable packaging and plastic waste. Many recycling schemes offer rebates and discounts for customers who bring their packaging to their center.
2. If you can, recycle your packaging. This is by far the best option, as it reduces your packaging waste and saves money. Many of us don’t know that there are schemes for recycling packaging. Contact your local council to find out if there is one in your area. You can also contact waste management companies to see if there are schemes that could suit you. They will tell you about the plans they offer.
3. Don’t throw your packaging in the bin unless it has been specially collected for recycling. It is better to put it into containers that can readily separate different materials, like glass, cardboard, paper, and plastics. And look out for recycling packs that say things like ‘biodegradable’ or ‘recyclable’ on them, or products that can be recycled like fabrics and plastics.
4. Contact your local elected official to find out how you can help dispose of your packaging waste. You may be able to pick up your trash for free or do it for free if you pay for collection. Or you may even be rewarded for your efforts, like a compost bin or garden tree.
Other things you can do to reduce waste
1. Consider where your waste should go. If you know what you want to recycle, why wouldn’t you recycle it? If you know you want to compost, why wouldn’t you compost it?
2. Consider the materials in your waste. Plastics and foam products are often the most wasteful, so if you know what you want to recycle, why wouldn’t you recycle those? If you know you want to burn, why wouldn’t you burn?
3. If you know you want to dispose of it, why wouldn’t you just one of it?
4. Consider how you will get rid of the waste. You can burn the trash, recycle it, get rid of it in a variety of other ways, or just let it be.
5. Think about how you can reduce the amount of packaging waste. There are several different ways you can reduce packaging waste, and you should try them all.
6. How-to are everywhere. Make a to-do list of things you need to do to reduce packaging waste. If you don’t do any of them, you could waste a lot of packaging waste. And destroy it we do.
7. How-to videos are everywhere. Make a to-do list of things you need to do on YouTube, the web, and anywhere you can find an internet connection. There is a lot you can do to reduce the waste of packaging waste.
8. How-to videos are everywhere. Make a to-do list of things you need to do on YouTube, the web, and anywhere you can find an internet connection. There is a lot you can do to reduce the waste of packaging waste.
Join our homeownership campaign because good habits start at home.
Chief Storyteller;
Michael T. Thomas
#TheGreenPreneur
