Almost everyone has heard of the 3R rule: reduce, reuse and recycle. These three notions are of vital importance to reduce and get to avoid pollution and conserve environmental balance. However, you can still follow more steps to take care of the planet.
With this ecology article, we want you to know the new initiative of the 7R: redesign, reduce, reuse, repair, renew, recover, recycle. Here you will learn what each of these actions are and how to put them into practice to achieve a circular economy and a sustainable future for all.
Redesign
This first concept refers to the introduction of Ecology in the world of design. That is, design or manufacture products taking into account the environmental consequences.
Functionality ceases to be the unique objective when producing a new product and shares prominence with Sustainability. For example, suitable materials are used for later recycling, respectful containers, etc.
Reduce
Current societies consume a lot of goods, products and energy and very quickly. Therefore, it is very important to start reducing both the amount of products we consume and those we generate as residues.
For example, we can reduce our consumption energy maintaining heating or air conditioning according to the recommended temperatures, 19 ºC – 21 ºC (heating) and 24 ºC – 26 ºC (air conditioning). As well as many other actions: take advantage of daylight to not spend electricity, close the tap when we are not using water even if it seems to us that it is only a moment, use low consumption bulbs and rechargeable batteries, etc.
Taking all this into account, you may be interested, for example, the reading of this other Ecology Verde post on how to reduce my carbon footprint.
Re-use
If you have the opportunity, Give new use to products which have already been used for their main purpose. On the Internet there are many ideas of how to reuse products for lengthen your useful life and, in this way, stop excessive production of waste. For example, we can reuse the fabric purchase bags instead of using a plastic every time we go to buy. They can also make a wide variety of crafts with used objects, reusing them and recycling them. Here we show you some of the best ideas:
- Ideas to reuse plastic bottles.
- Ideas to reuse plastic bags.
- 10 everyday things that you can easily reuse at home.
Fix
If something has been spoiled, Before throwing it and buying a new one tries to repair it. Currently, people tend to immediately discard those products that “break” without worrying about trying to give them a solution to function again as before.
Repair is almost always cheaper than buying new products with the same utility. Let yourself some time to try to fix it and thus save on raw materials and energy and collaborate with the reduction of waste.
Renew
As in the previous case, people have many ancient objects at home to which we no longer use the simple fact of being old. Try Update the objects so that they can have the function for which they were created or reuse them for other things that can also be useful.
Recover
Continuing with the new strategy of the 7R: redesign, reduce, reuse, repair, renew, recover and recycle, we find the penultimate: recover. According to this rule, Recover the already used materials to be able to reintroduce them as raw material In the productive process to, in this way, to be able to create new products.
Recycle
Once you have already given all possible uses to a product, do not forget about Recycling process. Separates waste depending on whether organic, plastic, glass, paper or cardboard, metals or toxic and disregard them in the appropriate container. This will help the environment avoiding pollution and overexploitation of natural resources.
The importance of 7R for the environment
The 7R model opts for a Circular economy instead of linear. While the linear implies obtaining raw material every time it is necessary to manufacture a new product, the circular changes this concept for the introduction of the keys of the 7R.
The continuity of these actions promotes the Use of resources That we already have manufactured today, significantly reducing our environmental impact on the planet. Thus, the 7R for the environment (Redesign, reduce, reuse, repair, renew, recover and recycle) are key that allow us to collaborate in the care of the planet. The continuity of these actions promotes living in a responsible society with the environment and with a fundamental objective, the sustainability. In this other article you can learn what environmental and social sustainability is.
Otherwise, if the big cities continue to harvest the linear economic model that has been implemented so far, we will end up exhausting the natural resources that the environment offers us, thus impacting on serious consequences, such as the extinction of species, the acceleration of climate change, the increase in natural disasters and environmental degradation.
If you want to read more articles similar to 7R: redesign, reduce, reuse, repair, renew, recover and recyclewe recommend that you enter our recycling and waste management category.
