Taking care of the environment is a subject that can often be taken for granted. But world awareness and the importance of a sustainable world are showing each day the best alternative for a better future for future generations.
Recycling, reusing and disposing of properly is essential for us to be able to produce less waste and to make the most of each material. If you think the situation is not serious, know that much of the food produced on the planet is simply thrown away!
The waste
According to a study produced in the United Kingdom entitled: “ Global Food: waste not, want not ” in the translation: “ Don’t waste, you don’t have to ” 50% of the food is wasted. That’s right, half of our food is thrown away. While all this is wasted, many people are still starving on our planet.
There are several causes for such waste, they are:
Poor agricultural techniques and difficulties with transport and storage: Due to the little infrastructure that we find in Brazil and in several countries, many foods end up being wasted during transportation and the little technology found in the field.
People take more home than they consume: Another big mistake. Due to the promotions that we normally find in markets, we think that the “this and that” price is good and we take many times more than we will consume. A food has an expiration date and it is not a good attitude to buy more than necessary.
Lack of awareness: Just as the consumer takes more than he needs in the market, when he realizes that the product is spoiling, he just ignores it. When this type of situation occurs, we must immediately offer it to a neighbor who is in need or donate it to those who need it most. Throwing away is always the worst option.
But anyone who thinks that only food is wasted is wrong. Water, which is also one of our most precious assets, is also wasted, as it is the energy source of a food that will be discarded. According to the British report itself, around 550 billion m³ of water is wasted every year in the production of food that ends up in the garbage.
And with what attitudes can we save the planet?
There are several attitudes that we can follow to have a more sustainable world, we separate the main ones.
Dispose of the oil in the ideal way: The cooking oil we use normally needs to be disposed of in the ideal way. This is because when it is thrown directly down the drain it is capable of contaminating up to one million liters of drinking water. In addition, it damages the plumbing and can also clog the sewer.
The correct way to dispose of it is to store the used oil in soda bottles (PET) and dispose of it in appropriate places for collection.
Biodegradable packaging: This can be a slightly more complicated mission, not least because much of what we consume does not offer us this possibility. The important thing is that we adapt gradually, as these products will undoubtedly be our future.
We can adapt to this process with a simple attitude: go to the market with your own bag. Reducing the consumption of plastic bags is already a big step in the search for a sustainable world.
There are several other products that have already started to be developed to be biodegradable, most of them come to replace disposable plastic products, such as: plates, glasses, boxes and cutlery. Most of these items are already being produced from natural materials such as cassava and cane. As this type of production results in biodegradable objects, its disposal culminates in the degradation of waste by bacteria and subsequent transformation into organic compost.
No to waste: Waste is a bad attitude, with the planet and also with society. Therefore, just buy in the market what you are sure to consume, if the products are expiring, look for places to donate, this will be of great help.
The same goes for saving water and light. Always remember to turn on electrical appliances only when you need to, and turn them off when finished. With water, we can reduce consumption with shorter baths and checking for leaks in the pipes. All of this generates waste and could be used by other people, in addition to your pocket that feels all this unnecessary consumption.
Separate your garbage: Each type of waste has its own recycling process. As they are mixed, the process can become more expensive or even unfeasible, due to the difficulty of separating them according to their composition. That is why it is important that you separate your garbage already at home, sort it by: organic, electronic, hospital and radioactive. This will not only make the process easier, but also cheaper.
Reduce your waste using the 5 R’s rules
A good way to reduce your consumption is by applying the 5 R’s rule. All five simple attitudes are interconnected and function as a ripple effect.
- 1st R – Rethink
Rethink your habits and attitudes, buy only what you will consume and try to get rid of this exacerbated consumerism that is often installed in us.
- 2nd R – Refuse
Don’t get carried away by promotions and products that won’t make any difference in your life. From here you will start to be more aware of the reduction in the use of natural resources.
- 3rd R – Reduce
Reduce and set goals to reduce your waste consumption. Give preference to products of greater resistance and do not buy something just because it is a newer version than you already have, first analyze and think “do I really need this?”.
- 4th R – Reuse
Increase the useful life of products you are interested in, reusing is finding a new function for something that often does not matter to you anymore. With creativity, we can recreate products that would be discarded.
- 5th R – Recycle
As you can see, recycling is the last step. That’s because to recycle regularly, we need to be educated and mentally prepared for it. Going slowly and following the first four teachings, recycling will become easier. Do not forget to always dispose of properly, so you will give new life to a product that would have no longer useful life.
Creative ways to take advantage of trash
Garbage can also be reused to make new objects, just be creative. Here is a list:
- Beer bottles –Flower pots
- Lego Pieces –Keychains
- Old cards –Reeds for musical instruments
- Disinfectant handle –Garbage collection shovels
- Whiskey Bottles –Bottle for liquid soap
- Tennis rackets –Mirrors
- Skate –Swing
- Pet bottles –Hangers
- Globes –Lamps
- Pipes –Futuristic Flower Pots
- Bottle of wine –Table lamp
All this and more! Abuse your creativity, reuse !
