Re-solve your Re-Cycle in the New Year!

 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – We’ve heard for years that these three things can help us save the planet – but can they? Sometimes it seems like we just skip to the last one, Recycle. All I have to do is put my recyclables into the blue bin and I’m doing my part, right? What have I reduced? Have I been reusing? Are there other “R’s” I should be thinking about? 

If you want to start 2023 being purposeful and working on reducing your impact, consider making your list of R’s a little longer.

Rethink: It’s what we’re doing right now; rethinking about how we buy, use, and waste products in our lives. Take time to look around your home or community and think about how much waste is created, what you’d like to see changed, and what you think you can tackle first. Start small and remember: this is a cycle!

Reduce & Refuse: Renting clothes, buying thrifted items, and borrowing all help us Reduce what we buy and waste, while getting us to consider what we can soon Refuse to buy. For example: if I start with a simple reusable water bottle, fill it up wherever I go, and Refuse the temptation of an easy grab-and-go plastic water bottle – I’m already winning.

To also help Refuse, think about if you even need the item or not. If I stop buying a new outfit every season, and instead stick to basic staples, rent clothes, or thrift, I’m contributing less to one of the worst polluters on the planet just by refusing new.

Reuse: You know this one! Keep using the items you have as much as you can, even if they’re meant to be “single use.” Don’t be so quick to throw out things like plastic cutlery or water bottles that can be washed and used again after only one use. Prioritize buying products that can be reused rather than single use items.

Repair: Take the time to repair things before just tossing and replacing them. Hillsborough County citizens with a library card can access dozens of online resources to help them make repairs, such as the Chilton Library for automotive projects. There are also classes offered like sewing so you can repair your favorite shirt instead of tossing it! 

Repurpose: Is there another task your items can do? This is where you get creative and do a little DIY! A garden in a water bottle? A t-shirt or jeans turned into a reusable shopping bag? See some DIY ideas here and then think about what else you can make new from old!

Re-gift: What have you finished using that’s still in good shape and can help someone else avoid buying something new and creating more waste? Remember the clothes you rented, or the items you thrifted earlier – they’re part of someone else’s “Re-gift” step, and now both of you are reducing waste! What has served its purpose for you or is taking up space that you can donate or give to someone else?

Recycle: Ah, the step we used to jump right to in the past! Sometimes we cannot reuse, repurpose, or repair items and it’s just time to say goodbye. If they’re made of a recyclable material – you know what to do! To ensure you’re recycling properly, please check our local recycling guidelines here for Hillsborough and recycling guidelines here for the City of Tampa.

Repeat:  Because we know this is a loop, go back to “Re-Think” and see how you’ve done. Are there areas you can improve? Did you have to make concessions for some waste you can’t seem to get rid of? Did you come up with great new ways to reuse items? You’re doing awesome, keep going!

 

Does this seem like a lot right now? How about another R: Relax. No one can do this all at once, and no one is perfect at it. It’s all about everyone taking small steps to do better, when they can, how they can, that helps in the long run.

water bottle planters