The 3Rs to Properly Manage Solid Wastes Properly

The 3Rs in proper solid waste management include: reduce, reuse and recycle, and the 3rs main motive is to ensure sound material recycling in the environment through an effective use of resources.

What are these 3Rs and Why are they Important?

The act of reducing, reusing and recycling waste is called the 3Rs.

• Reducing is an act of cutting short your method of using a material, an act of using things with care, in order to reduce the amount of waste generated.

• Reusing is the act of using a material again or part of the material which are still reusable.

• Recycling means using waste itself as a resource. The reduction of waste can be achieved if we are able to put the principle of these 3Rs in practice.

Now let us look at each of them in details below:

1. Reduce

Learn to reduce, reducing is a simple as reducing your usage of materials in order to reduce the amount of waste you generate. It is the perfect method for keeping your environment clean, which is why it is the first among the 3Rs. Producing less waste means you don’t have to clean up so much waste.

If we can stop buying products that we don’t need, or we buy products that are multipurpose, then we can help reduce the waste that we make.

The first thing we have to do is cut down our purchase of the things we don’t need, the following are some steps we can take to reduce the amount of waste we make daily.

✓ The first step is to check if we already have something else in place of what we want to buy.

✓ Is there something else that I can use for this same purpose.

✓ What I want to use this material for, is it really important?

✓ Ensure you buy products that can last long.

✓ Purchase a multipurpose product.

✓ Avoid buying disposable kitchen utensils.

2. Re-Use

The second R of waste management is reuse. It means using a material again or for another purpose. It also means transferring materials to other people to use again instead of throwing it away.

These are some things you can put into practical ways:

a. You can use old tins, cans or pot to store or keep some items or foodstuffs in the kitchen.

b. You can use clothes sack for waste bin instead of plastic bags.

c. You can give out your old toys or old clothes that can be used again to the poor.

d. You can use your old woods or tires to make chairs or tables that you can use while working.

3. Recycle 

The third R in the hierarchy of waste management stands for recycle. Recycling means to transform waste product into new materials that can be used again.

It is necessary to have a recycling station in order to help in the recycling process. Recycling reduces the use of energy and the use of raw materials. It also reduces water and air pollution. Using recycled materials helps to save the environment and make it fruitful.

There are some necessary things that need to be put in place in order to achieve the goal of recycling:

a. Create new methods to recreate different items

b. Avoid buying toxic products.

c. Use recycled paper for printing or making paper handcrafts.

d. Buy products that are made of recycled materials.

e. Ensure you put bottles, glass, metals, and papers in a recycled bin in order to reduce waste that goes to the landfill.

How do we apply the 3Rs to our daily activities?

1. Learn to reduce your leftovers

You can always reduce the amount of materials you throw in the trash can, reuse the leftover materials or produce you have remaining. Your leftover food you can make a new delicacy out of the leftover instead of throwing it in the waste bin. You can plant some of your vegetables and fruit seeds, this won’t cause you any harm, instead it will make surrounding beautiful and cooler.

2. Give out your products that are in excess

This mostly apply to our food. Some of us end up cooking food in excess, instead of throwing the food away, you can give it out to the needy.

Some of us have clothes that are oversized or too small for our size, instead of us using the clothes as rags and finally throwing it in the waste bin, you can give it out to the poor or to some of our maids or servants.

3. Engage in exchange offers

There are some shopkeepers that run exchange offers once in a while. This is one of the best opportunity for us to exchange our old products for new ones. While the shopkeepers can recycle, the old products been exchanged to make a new one. This reduces our expenses and the expenses of the shopkeepers.

Why do we need to practice the 3Rs?

• In order to reduce air and water pollution.

• To save energy.

• Helps to save and sustain the environment, for other generations to live in it comfortably.

• To save money and improve the economy.

• Finally, to reduce the waste that will be recycled and dumped in the landfills and incinerators. 

The 3Rs of waste management is the best way to solve the massive increase of environmental and health issues as a result of the increase in waste. This is the only way to make a positive impact on the environment. It is important to put the 3Rs into practice in order to reduce landfill, air and water pollution.