Reduce, reuse, recycle

- Recently, there have been huge changes in our global recycling markets. China used to accept the majority of products for recycling from places like the United States, but they stopped doing that. That policy change left the recycling companies you and I depend on scrambling to find other places to take waste that could have another life. Our recycling infrastructure is an interconnected global web with multiple points that could break it. It's getting harder to find companies willing to invest in recycling products and using the materials that come out on the other end. So we need to rethink our aspirational recycling, and instead, explore all four Rs. Let's check out this inverted pyramid that starts with Refuse, followed by Reduce, Reuse, and finally, Recycle. The order of the Rs is critical. Recycling should be our last option before we throw an item in the trash, sending it to a landfill where it stays forever. Let's explore what the four Rs look like in action. Refusing means saying no to waste in the form of single-use disposables like plastic water bottles and plastic bags. Short-lived things that have a one-way ticket to the landfill. When you order takeout for your next office lunch, refuse a single-use disposable silverware. Instead, invest in reusable silverware. At my former workplace, we gave new employees a reusable metal silverware set. That small gesture invites employees to be part of the larger company culture where we use reusable instead of single-use items. Next, we think about reducing our environmental impact, which means buying and throwing away less stuff. Take the Broadway show Wicked. They switched to using rechargeable batteries in the actor's headsets. They went from using 15,000 batteries per year down to 96. And that's just for the microphones in one Broadway production. Their actions sparked an industry-wide change, reducing the need for batteries and the precious metals used to make them. Look around your workplace. When I looked around mine, I realized that we become more mindful about our trash by providing each person with a small bin that we're each responsible for emptying every day. On my way to sort my trash, I think about what changes I can make tomorrow to reduce the amount of trash that I put in the landfill. It's those moments of reflection that help me look at the world a little bit differently, and empower me to make small changes that add up over time. Before you throw anything away, ask yourself if there's anything else you can use the item for. That leads to reusing items until they wear out, instead of throwing them in the garbage. At one place I worked, we implemented an annual swap meet where we brought items, either from our desks or from home, that we didn't want or need anymore. The food dehydrator that I never used went home with Lynn, and I scored a frame for a photo that I needed to hang. The last R is last for a reason. Recycling is the last resort before an item goes to the landfill. So try to refuse, reduce, and reuse before you need to recycle. Recycling is when we take waste, like plastic water bottles, and turn it into something usable again, like a T-shirt or a park bench. Recycling looks different in different places. And I recommend taking the time to learn about your town's recycling guidelines. A great way to do that is to visit your local recycling facility. Understanding how the system works, and following the recycling guidelines ensures that your items get recycled more effectively. I know this is a lot to think about, and I might have challenged some of your assumptions. But the effort we put in will help our planet and help us create a future where we keep Earth's finite, precious materials out of landfills.