| The Other Two Rs | |
| Before you recycle, reduce and reuse(Courtesy of Community Office for Resource Efficiency in Pitkin County)Recycling is an important way to reduce waste, but the most effective way is to not create it in the first place. Manufacturing a new product requires energy, and the mining of raw materials. The product must then be assembled and transported.
Reducing and reusing are therefore important ways you can conserve our planet’s limited resources, save energy, and save money. Check out this quick video for one example 5 Easy Ways to Reduce and Reuse: 1. Avoid purchasing heavily packaged items. Buy fresh food and buy in bulk to avoid excess packaging. 2. When shopping online, buy all your items as one purchase, rather than separately, so everything can be packaged into one box. 3. Opt out of junk mail and pay your bills online. Every year more than 100 million trees are cut down that go to producing junk mail. 4. Shop at thrift stores instead of buying new. The valley is full of great secondhand stores. 5. Switch from disposable to reusable items like food or beverage containers, refillable razors and pens, and washable kitchen towels and diapers. Did you know Kerug cups are not recyclable or compostable? In 2014, enough Kerug cups were consumed to circle the planet 10.5 – 12 times. These plastic cups are just one example of a single-use item that ends up in the landfill. Read more here. |
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AUGUST 2, 2016 BY (EDIT)
