The 6 R’s of Sustainability: When Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Isn’t Enough.

Everyone is talking about sustainability now. But everyone has a different definition of what that means. The confusion gets even worse when you talk about the R’s. I grew up with the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Now people are talking about as many as 14R’s. What!? Why mess with a good thing right?

Well, unfortunately, the 3R’s puts a lot of emphasis on recycling which in many places isn’t very good. Most people think that if they recycle they’re sustainable, but in reality, there is much more to it. So here are the 6R’s that I try to live by and which influence my consumption habits. I like going through this list sometimes when I want to buy or throw out something.

1. Refuse

This is the first step to living a more sustainable life and the hardest. Refuse things you don’t need, refuse to buy from companies who ignore the environment, and refuse to vote for politicians who don’t take the ecological crisis seriously.

2. Reduce

If you don’t bring it home, you’ll have less. Simply put, buy what you need when you need it and (little) more. Leave a little earlier in the morning and drink your coffee in the café instead of taking it to go, or reduce the impact of a new purchase by "reloving" a secondhand product.

3. Reuse/Repurpose

This makes refusing and reducing a whole lot easier because for most of us we already have a ton of stuff. Remembering to reuse or repurpose items for something new means we don’t have to consume even more. My favorite way to reuse it to fill old mason jars with Bulk Barn Candy, like I did when I went waste free at the movies. If you’re craftier, there are hundreds of DIY projects all over the internet, like 20 Ways to Upcycle Glass Jars & Bottles.

4. Repair

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, but if it is?

5. Rot

Compost is an amazing thing. Stop throwing organics in your garbage bin where they’ll be trapped in layers of garbage. Instead, put it in the compost where it will turn into dirt!

6. Recycle.

This is the absolute last step. Try to go through the other R’s before deciding on this one, because the impact is only as good as your province's waste management system.

Main Take Away: buy less new stuff and try not to throw things away. Go through the R’s and figure out if you really need something new or if borrowing, renting, or buying it secondhand would work too. Also remember that one person’s trash is another’s treasure, so if you don’t want something, consider putting it on an online marketplace, offering it to a friend, or donating it.

I hope you enjoyed learning about my favourite 6R’s. Do you use any?