by Rebecca Ness
Vice Chair ESAC
2020 has been a transformative year as we were propelled to live in a different way. Many people are reevaluating what they want in their lives and what’s most important. Have you been considering ways to make your home and life more sustainable? New Years’ resolutions are a great way to try something new and take better care of yourself, your family and the environment.
We're all familiar with the the classic 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. In this article we look at a couple of the classic Rs and a few newer ones. Did you know there are more than three? The order of the Rs is important—the closer to the start of the list, the more sustainable the option.
Rethink: How do you view natural resources? Understanding that natural resources are limited can greatly influence the choices you make. Each choice is important to the health of the planet: thinking about what you buy will help the environment and potentially save you money. Ask yourself if you really need that new item of clothing. Can you buy it second hand? Or can you go without it?
Reduce: Reducing the number of resources in your everyday life is next on the list. Most waste is typically created in the kitchen, so start there to make the biggest impact. To reduce lunchtime waste for kids, consider a stainless steel lunchbox with compartments. For example, Planetbox brand lunchbox offers many varied containers for replacing single use plastic baggies, tinfoil, plastic bottles and utensils.
Refuse: A great way to refuse over-packaged items is in the produce section of the grocery store. Avoid produce wrapped in plastic and bring your own reusable produce bag. Bexley Natural Market offers compostable produce bags that you can reuse for your countertop compost bin. Refusing an item from someone can feel impolite or uncomfortable. You can politely decline when someone offers you an item you do not need and you can even mention your resolution. You can refuse to support products or companies that harm the environment.
After you find ways to rethink, refuse and reduce, the following 3 Rs will come more easily.
Refill: Refillery stores are a new planet-friendly shopping option that help you stock and re-stock with quality, ethically-sourced products without wasteful packaging. Koko is a solid, smart refillery that opened this summer at 15 N Westmoor Avenue. They have big glass dispensers filled with shampoo, body wash, cleansers, laundry powder, dishwashing powder, baking soda, vinegar, hand sanitizer, and many more essentials. You can bring your own containers to fill or can purchase glass or metal containers there. The staff will fill and weigh your containers and send you on your sustainable way.
Bexley Natural Market helps reduce waste by offering an organic bulk section with high quality, beans, rice, grains, seeds, tea, herbs and spices. Customers are welcome to bring their own reusable containers and eliminate unnecessary trash.
Rehome: You may have received gifts last month that don’t suit you. When an item goes to the right person at the right time, the resources will not be wasted. Take a minute to think about who could use and enjoy a mismatched gift. Also, some gifts may displace older items in your home. Bexley resident, Lindsay Goodman, rehomes items that she no longer needs. “When I find a new home for an item, I can help a neighbor find what they need without buying new, while also keeping it out of landfill.”
Recycle: Recycling reuses materials to be made into something useful and reduces the need for raw materials. There are some exciting additions to our local recycling program: we can now recycle tinfoil, aluminum pans, jar lids, dairy tubs (butter, cream cheese, sour cream, etc), as well as yogurt, fruit and applesauce cups!