The R's of sustainability: Why recycling should be the last option

More than a dozen R's are in the sustainability handbook, and the last of which, probably surprising to most, should always be recycling.

We all know what recycling entails, and yes, it's better to recycle than throw your waste in the general rubbish bin. But let's look at all the things we can do before our glass, paper and tin reach the recycling bin.

I have read several articles, all with different groupings of different R's, but all bringing a single message across. It's always easier to live more sustainably than we think and it is essential that we do.

See these mantras as tools, just like the rhymes we were taught in school to remember grammar rules or elements in the periodic table. These mantras make it easier to stray less and less from the green-version of the yellow brick road.

So let's dive in.

Responsibility

Humans are the caretakers of our planet. Individually we cannot take responsibility for the whole human race, but we definitely have control over what we think and do. Once we acknowledge that our actions affect the planet and her inhabitants, we can decide if we want it to be positive or negative.

Rethink

When accepting this responsibility, we begin to change the way we think about our lifestyles and the planet's natural resources. Natural resources are finite. They can and will run out if we don't manage our use of them properly. The way in which natural resources are taken from nature, how this influences the environment left behind, how quickly it is replenished and where these materials end up should play through our minds whenever we are in a store or looking at our online shopping baskets. Keeping this in mind influences what we buy, who we buy it from, how we use it and eventually dispose of it. Changing the way we think, changes the way we act.

Respect

Remember that just because you gained insight into how your lifestyle affects the planet, it doesn't mean everyone around you has. We should respect the choices others make even if we don't agree with it. There is enough shaming going around in the world. Don't add to the pile. Rather put your energy into sharing resources (mostly just information) and how living sustainably has benefitted your home, health, community and pocket.

Refuse

In short, it refers to refusing to take or support any products or companies that cause harm to the environment, either through their products or processes. A simple example is to refuse over-packaged produce in supermarkets. However, it isn't so simple as most produce in grocery stores not only come in a polystyrene container but are also wrapped in a metre of clingwrap. Then you look to different stores/suppliers to get these items. It might take a while to work out the kinks and find a trustworthy, plastic-free local supplier, but as soon as you have a new source, it will be just as simple as before. Plastic shopping bags are another example of a single-use plastic that can be refused by taking your own reusable shopping bags to stores. Of course it helps if you fold these single-use plastic bags into little samosa-shaped triangles and keep them for other purposes, but rather avoid them at all cost. It's not easy to avoid all plastic, but try to minimise it wherever you can.

Reduce

"Reduce" ties in a simplified way of life that goes well with trying to live more sustainably. It includes reducing the amount of stuff we own and buy, cutting back on our (food) waste and non-recyclable items, and being more water-wise and using less energy in our homes. The kitchen and bathroom are usually the culprits when it comes to generating the most waste in a home. Look at the type of waste generated in these two rooms. We can "reduce" by swapping the items responsible for the waste with environmentally-friendly products.

Reuse

"Reuse" refers to using a product again for more or less the same purpose. When you buy an item, you're not only paying for the contents but also for the container/packaging. So use it! There are lists upon lists of thing you can do with reusable items and materials. I will also share a few ideas on this blog. This way you save on certain future purchases and reduce (see how it's all interlinked?) the amount of energy used to make the item. How? By lengthening the lifetime and worth of each product. Instead of becoming a single-use item and ending up on the rubbish dump or in a recycle bin, the product goes through another cycle of use.

Repurpose

"Repurpose" refers to using something after it's initial use for a different purpose/goal. Examples include making firelighters out of used tea bags and paraffin or letting the peels of used lemons soak in vinegar for a while to make your own multipurpose cleaning spray. The art of DIY-ing comes in handy here and there are so many projects and recipes available for you to try.

Repair

Another R that incorporates some DIY, elbow-grease and, if necessary, a little research work on Google. By repairing an item we extend its useful life, which in turn helps the environment. Fewer materials and resources need to be used in order to make new products. Sometimes things break. Other times want to dispose of a perfectly good piece of furniture just because we've grown tired of it or it's gone out of style. Before you dispose of an item, first check whether it can be repaired or upcycled in some way. Can a tear in a piece of clothing be repaired with some creative stitch- or patchwork? Can a new coat of paint or varnish bring your kitchen table back to life? With a bit of work, we can save money and get the satisfaction of knowing we improved something ourselves.

Re-home

Although this usually means finding a new home for a pet, this term also refers to sharing items you cannot or do not know how to reuse or repurpose with someone else. You can give material like carton to a local day-care or preschool for arts and crafts projects. Or you can donate old clothes to charity shops or hospices. Just because you can't do something with it, it doesn't mean someone else can't. Keep an eye out for adverts or Facebook posts asking for these materials in your community.

Rot

"Rot" is more commonly known as composting. This happens when organic materials like food scraps, plant trimmings and a range of paper products are broken down into simpler compounds by microorganisms. This process recycles various organic materials that would otherwise be regarded as waste products and puts them back into nature. Food waste that decomposes in rubbish dumps releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Composting is also an effective and cheap way to enrich the soil for your garden or pot plants.

Recycle

Finally, we get to the elephant in the room. You are probably wondering: How can recycling be bad? Should I continue doing it? Yes, you definitely should. But if the list of things you can do before recycling an item didn't inspire any ideas, read through them again and do some research. Although recycling is a noble intention and we should definitely do it, it only works if there are proper processes in place to acquire, process and reintegrate recycled material into the economy. If companies don't buy recycled material to reuse in their supply change, the recycled material will simply end up on the rubbish dump anyway.

This video by BuzzFeed brilliantly explains why we should work through all the other R's before giving recycling a thought:

Not all R's refer to items purchased or used in our homes. Some R's entail activities that you can do at home, or that make a change outside our immediate circles.

Here are some other R's to live by:

Replant

Deforestation is no secret. Every year thousands of hectares of woods and rain forests are cut down for housing, wood and to expand farmable land. This and the continual pumping of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere are just some of the reasons we need to replant as many trees as we can, not just in our community but also in the areas affected by deforestation. But we need to replant the correct trees: Species native to individual ecosystem play important roles in food chains and the continued health of the planet. Invasive species cause all sorts of problems and are difficult to remove once they spread. There are groups across South Africa that aim to remove invasive plant species in certain ecosystems. Find a local group in your area and offer to help. It's great exercise and does some good for nature.

Replenish

To replenish is to increase the supply of useful clean resources rather than continuing to reduce them. When we put compost or other organic material back into the soil, we replenish it with essential organisms and minerals for plant growth. When we alter gutter pipes and install water tanks at homes and buildings to catch rainwater, we create a supply of water that would otherwise have been lost.

Reinvent

Reinventing refers to developing and applying new methods or actions to make our lives more sustainable. Renewable energy like solar and wind power are examples of reinventing our fuel sources, rather than using finite fossil fuels like coal or oil.

Restore

Our goings and doings as humans impact natural habitats immensely. Several habitats, that are the only known locations where certain species are found, have been completely wiped out. Sometimes species have adapted to only live and reproduce in certain areas. If the conditions change due to global warming, pollution or other human activities, their entire lifecycle is at risk and we could cause the extinction of several species. We need to restore life-giving habitats to ensure the survival of thousands of animal and plant species. If you need an example, read up on what palm oil plantations are doing to orangutans. A century ago there where hundreds of thousands of them in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. Today there are only a few thousand left and they have been classified as "critically endangered" by the World Wildlife Fund.

That was a mouthful, but remembering these simple mantras can change the future of our planet. Live by them and you will see the difference it creates.

Research from: www.cooldavis.org; www.dunedingov.com, and www.worldwildlife.org.