The 4 R’s – refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle

Pollution of the environment with plastic waste, especially single-use plastic, happens so often and comes so easily to each of us that if we stopped one day to analyze how much single-use plastic we consume, we would be truly amazed.

From bottled water, to our favorite to-go coffee, to shopping in the market or supermarket where we use plastic bags and bags, to the packaging of new items we buy, to plastic toys for children, straws, cups and much more, almost everything contains plastic – and many of them we only use once.

The global movement “Plastic free July” as well as NGOs and people concerned about these issues propose 4 ways in which we can combat the consumption of single-use plastic through awareness, education and changing certain habits.

Refuse

The simple refusal of single-use plastic is already an important step. You can refuse the plastic bag if you only bought 2.3 items that fit in your purse or hands, or refuse to buy a bottled water and choose a reusable container.

Reduce

Before making a new purchase, think carefully about whether you really need that thing. Less stuff not only helps the environment, but also helps us to be more frugal, more aware of the choices we make and ultimately even help us live a better life.

Reuse

Almost every item we have at home can be reused in one way or another, especially kitchen items. We can take an example even from our grandparents, who always reuse jars and bottles to fill them with jams and sauces for the winter.

Recycle

After you have managed to refuse, reduce or reuse, the last step would be recycling. Why the last one? Because recycling is expensive both financially and in terms of negative impact on the environment. It’s the last step in the consumption cycle and to do it right, don’t forget – plastic containers must be clean to be recycled.

Other ideas we can consider when we want to be more careful with environmental pollution: to refurbish or repair beloved objects.