What Are the 5 Rs of Sustainability?
If you would like to make 2023 a year of consuming less, then there's no better place to start than making the 5 Rs habit. Besides being the watchwords of the zero-waste and sustainability movement, they are also the way we humans used to live 100 years ago. Of course, many people today still live this way. It's just that they often live outside the Global North, and in many cases, their circumstances compel them to conserve more to get by. They may even look at the consumerist, disposable lifestyle of the Global North with envy, but in many ways, I envy their more simple life.
Trash Rant
Over the past few months, I've been questioning the average American lifestyle of consume, Consume, CONSUME. In fact, at the base of the entire system lies a mindset that believes in the inherent disposability of things, and the right to dispose of those things with impunity, because "'Murica." The people who embrace this worldview will say to themselves:
"I don't like this color anymore, so trash X. I want a new X."
"It's broke. I could repair it, but now's a good time to get the latest, best X."
"I want to downsize. Get a dumpster and let's send half the household stuff to the landfill."
Absurd, right? Or take this one:
"It has to be new. I don't want to live in a house someone else has lived in. I don't want to wear clothes someone else has worn. I don't want to use dishes someone else has eaten off of."
It didn't used to be this way in America. 100 years ago and beyond, our ancestors lived more sustainable lives overall, even if they had the means to buy "stuff." They weren't ripping off sheets of paper towel for every little spill, or blowing their noses with tissues, or eating off paper plates with plastic cutlery at every single freaking meal because they didn't want to do dishes. They also walked, gardened, and relied on themselves to meet their basic needs more than many of us do now.
Fast forward to now. In the name of convenience, we have created linear systems that produce a ton of trash daily. Even if some of that trash is recyclable, less than 10% of what is sent to be recycled actually is, so over 90% is ending up in the landfill anyway. In fact, America is responsible for 12% of the planet's trash, or 1800 pounds per person per year. That stinks to high heaven. And it's downright arrogant of us to think that what we throw away doesn't have an effect on the environment, because it does.
I invite you to do a trash audit and track how much trash you produce in a single day, and then commit to producing a little less trash each day. I'm not zero-waste yet. My household certainly isn't, but I am approaching my consumer choices with the question, "What is the end of life for this thing I want to buy?" In other words, when I'm done with it, what happens next? Is it something that can be cycled back into the system or is it just destined for the landfill? Is there something that can replace this thing I'm using that is more sustainable and eco-friendly?
The Five Rs
The following steps can help you consume less so that it's easier to answer these questions when you're thinking about a new purchase:
Refuse
If you're committed to consuming less, "Refuse" is a big first step. The primary intention is to refuse to accept or use items that within minutes of use become trash, also known as "single-use products." You could also refuse to purchase consumer products or support industries that contribute to the degradation of the planet.
I admit this is hard because of the systems in place all around us in America, or in my case, in Utah. If you order take out, for example, your food is often in styrofoam or paper containers, accompanied by plastic, paper-wrapped straws, all tied up in a plastic bag. All of that is single-use paper or plastic and will go straight to the landfill.
To counter that somewhat, you could refuse the plastic utensils and straws and use your own stainless-steel versions. You could eat in at restaurants that use real tableware instead of paper and plastic. The degree to which you take this is up to you, but every little bit helps. Here are some things I am making a practice to refuse:
- Paper plates, using real plates instead
- Plastic straws, using stainless-steel straws and carrying them with me
- Paper towels, using Swedish dish cloths
- Disposable razors, using a safety razor instead
- Soap and shampoo in plastic bottles, using soap bars instead
- New electronics, buying used
- New cars, buying used
Reduce
When you get into the zero-waste movement, the first temptation you have is to rent a dumpster and get rid of all the plastic and other "stuff" you have in your life all at one go, but this would just compound the trash problem, right? Instead, the idea behind "Reduce" is to curb your consumption.
One approach is to wait 30 days before buying anything you have the urge to buy. If you still want it after 30 days, then look at it again. Another thing you could do is to buy used as much as possible. Of course, there are some things like mattresses that I understand why you wouldn't want to buy used, but in general, buying used is a way to redistribute resources so that things don't just end up in the landfill.
And reducing can be about decluttering, reducing the "stuff" you have in your life. However, don't just throw everything away. Donate much of it to thrift stores or give it away to family. There are ways to declutter without filling a dumpster with First World excess.
Reuse (Repair)
Another way to consume less is to just reuse what you already have. Along with this comes the idea that if it's broken and can be fixed, then fix it instead of buying something new. Buying used also reuses recources that are already created instead of funding the need for more production. Finally, many items can be upcycled for a new use. For example, I'm getting into the practice of buying my peanut butter and jam and other products in glass jars instead of plastic so that I can upcycle the glass for storing food. Get into the practice of thinking of new ways to use something.
Rot
Not the most attractive name for a wonderful concept. Basically, "Rot" means to compost. Did you know that we Americans waste up to 40% of the food we produce, adding up to 1.4 billion tons annually? Instead of sending all that food waste to the landfill where it is often trapped in plastic garbage bags emitting methane, we can compost our food wastes within our own homes, no matter the size. Composting leverages the natural way organic materials are broken down and become nutrients for plants. The yield from your compost then becomes nutrient-rich organic matter for your garden or potted plants. There are many resources online about composting. Check it out today and close the loop on food production and waste.
Recycle
Often, when you think of living more sustainably, "Recycle" is the first thing you try to do. Unless you find out exactly what the recycling rules are for your area, you may fall into what's called "wish-cycling." This is where you have a general idea of what should be recyclable and so you throw those into the bin. You can recycle plastic, right? OK, so into the bin goes the plastic that wraps the toilet paper rolls, except in my area, if you can stick your finger through the plastic, you can't recycle it. All that junk mail is recyclable, right? Except that those mailers you get with the plastic window. Yeah, you have to cut that out. Not recyclable. The list goes on. The best thing to do is find out what you can recycle in your area, follow the rules so that your bin isn't contaminated (and thus thrown into the landfill), and recycle as much as you can.
But the bigger lesson is to start with the other Rs and let recycling just be one of the tools in the toolkit and not a fantasy way to save the planet.
Landfill
"Landfill" is not an "R," and really, the ultimate goal is to avoid it. Sometimes that's not practical or possible, but we should do our best to send as little as possible to the landfill. Do you really want to add to this?
How are you doing living the 5 Rs of sustainability?
