Simple Hacks to Recycle & Home Waste Segregation

With the world progressing into the new age, the new challenge we face is the reuse and recycling of plastic and other items. Every one of us wants to save the environment today by reusing and recycling items as much as we can.

What is Recycling?

Recycling or reusing is a term for the process of converting any type of waste into new material that may be of any use. Wastes can be of different types, and some of them include, liquid wastes, solid wastes, hazardous waste, recyclable wastes, organic wastes, and many more.

Some of them can never be recycled or reused, such as - hazardous and radioactive wastes. Such waste can only be dumped in any outskirt areas with no contact with human life. In other cases, waste can be recycled or can be reused, such as - plastic waste, organic waste, e-waste, and so on.

The EPA report of 2017 stated that people in countries like the US alone generate more than 267.8 million tons of trash and 90 million in compost. So if a country like that, with ample resources to recycle and waste segregation, creates this much trash, imagine the situation in India!

That is a scary fact, right? Well, so how do we recycle items in our homes, and create an effective recycle at-home system that can make us a better contributor to the environment? Come let's work together to create greener homes!

Let us first start off with recycling at home.

Recycling at Home

Recycling more at home is a little bit tricky to start initially, but if you spend some time creating a comprehensive recycling system, then you are well on your way to an effective setup. This method begins with having places to store your recycled materials in the house. Most common of things that can be reused across the board.

Here are some simple tips to recycle plastic effectively at home:

1. Turning cardboard boxes into bins is an effective recycling tip for the home.

2. All plastic bottles can be reused or recycled, from water bottles to mini lights with some crafts sessions.

3. New paper can always be used to create new and innovative things. Besides that, all kinds of paper have multiple uses that can be easily mastered. Who knows, you might even sell them with your tiny business.

4. All items of metal have one thing in common. Despite being long-lasting and durable, things of metal is easy to reuse and recycle. For many small things, you often don't need people to tell you what to do.

5. Spacing out your cupboard and lifestyle can always help you. They can encourage you to have a cleaner, minimalist style of living to maximize efficiency throughout the household.

6. When going out, take usable bags and other items that can be used to carry items. There is also a new recycling fashion trend which can be greatly stuck to if you can know what to recycle and make it great once again.

7. Glass can be recycled, too, and it can be recycled multiple times.

Recycling at School

It is important to take our recycling plastic and reuse habits into our schools. Especially to instill the same values and love for nature in our kids.

A recent study showed that most of the items used in a school could be recycled. Providing children and young adults with the importance of recycling can help in improving a greener and healthier community.

If you want to get your school going in on the recycling revolution, here is how:

1. Most of the recyclable material at schools is paper. Recycling paper must be the basic and most important target for those who are creating.

2. If there are any school supplies left over at year's end, you can donate them to students in need of a local organization that works in the said area.

3. Beginning a composting program in your school can go a great way to solving a lot of problems. This can also help by easing the work of the people who come as garbage workers while also being an interesting lesson for all the children.

4. Every cafeteria space should have separate containers for plastic, paper, and metal recycling.

5. Common materials in school like aluminum, plastic, and other such materials can all be recycled with the nice thought. It must be understood that the whole exercise of recycling rests on the point of imagination and usability arising from said imagination.

6. Every school administration must look into a proper system. These days schools must take an active interest in both a thermotical and practical approach.

7. A simpler idea would be to aim for a more paperless environment. Now, this may sound off place. However, it is not to cut paper but to cut unnecessary paper use in schools. Schools tend to overcompensate against the need for paper when the world is growing more digital. This must be taken into account, and a new system where paper is of lesser demand will help the environment.

Recycling at Offices & WorkSpaces

The definitive place you can make a difference in recycling is at work. Recycle plastic and recycling items Below are some ways that you can easily increase your recycling and reusing in the office:

1. Pack lunch: having a packed home good can be a great tip for one's health and wealth. With the lockdown emergence, home food has become the norm for most people, if not daily. This must continue into the days when the continued lockdowns are finally lifted. This can help save money and one's health.

2. Coffee for many is the best joe to start the day; however, bringing your own coffee in your own flasks can be the best thing for anyone who is interested in saving the environment in their own way.

3. Office supplies tend to be mostly made out of paper and plastic, and this raises an important question of handling all these resources properly. Inventory management then, with this in mind, becomes a hard challenge. Everything must be used in the method that increases their efficiency and not reduces it.

4. Try to recycle plastic items from your office supplies. As said earlier, most if not all things have some amount of plastic on the corporate floor. Therefore, it becomes vital for all to ensure proper usage and ways of recycling in order to both cut-down costs and save the environment.

5. Make your commute green. Using electric vehicles or commuting together in carpooling and public transport can all make your travel and commute greener.

6. Reduce your paper consumption. Only print documents when necessary. Use email for internal office communications as well. But if the paperwork is absolutely necessary, then use both sides of the paper whenever you can.

Now, that the office is taken care of, let's work on

Recycling & Reusing in General

Having a proper home waste segregation system in all places other than home is always important if we want to make this world's environment safe.

Recycling can be implemented in your day-to-day life and help you maintain a greener home and reduce your carbon footprint on the earth. Here are 9 easy recycling tips to help you start your green journey.

1. Getting Started:

Once you make the decision to recycle, do not feel pressured to do what must be done. Take your time and effort to let the passion for the cause sink in. Rome wasn't built overnight; that applies here too. To get an effective system running and working, you cannot pressure yourself to follow everything to the dot. Take some time, forgive yourself when mistakes happen, and soon you shall reach the point where you have it ready.

2. Reduce and Reuse:

Yes, you have heard of it before, and not actually a part of recycling!

But reducing the materials, you often use and reuse the same items instead of tossing them out can seriously help you in your recycling of plastic quest.

3. Know What Can Be Recycled

Thankfully we live in a digital world, where there are countless websites, tutorials, and info videos out there on how and what can actually be recycled or how to reuse them. Still, here are some pointers

• Paper & Cardboard:

Paper is the first of thing that can be recycled, including books, magazines, old mail (unless there's some sentimental value), and coloured paper. Avoid waxy papers. Cardboard can easily be recycled if it does not toil with food grease, (for example: pizza boxes). Remove the liners before recycling cereal or other food boxes.

• Plastic:

Well, coming back to our main point, recyclable plastics are now used in plenty across the globe. Some of them have a set of numbers on the bottom side, and 1 to 7 levels are usually accepted in the recycling sectors.

Some cannot be recycled because of the low-quality blend of plastics used. Plastic bags especially are not accepted curbside, but you can collect them and turn them in.

• Aluminium:

In general, all the aluminium cans are accepted for recycling. Rinse out liquids, especially sodas and juices, to avoid an onslaught of bugs in the area.

• Glass:

As mentioned before, Most glass containers can easily be recycled. Do clean them before sending them to the bin and place them carefully to avoid breaking them.

4. Recycle Old Appliances & Tech Products:

As mentioned before, we live in the tech-oriented digital world, hence with the influx of technology, naturally, the influx of technological waste, or e-waste as the popular coinage goes, is also at an all-time high!

What is E-waste?

E-waste or electronic waste are old electronic items that have died or been thrown away because of breakages. E-waste is also a recyclable waste. Some examples of e-waste are - old TVs, refrigerators, mobile phones, and so on.

This e-waste can be reused or can be recycled. Several plants are being provided in the major regions across the world, who does efficient e-waste conversions.

Old Cellular phones, Outdated smartphones, televisions, defunct computer systems, printers, and the list goes on and on in every landfill. However, more than metal, these systems will have plastic components, and it's the best way to recycle plastic! Some of these can be directly given back to certain electronics stores or official showrooms, as the manufacturers will be more than happy to recycle plastic and other metal parts or simply refurbish newer and better products.

5. Recycling Water:

Yes, you heard that right, you can recycle water! Think twice before swirling that used water down the drain, as you can use this water for a wide variety of purposes around the home. Especially in Gardens! Repurpose the extra water used for making noodles pasta, or curries to water down a flower bed. This will also help a lot in rooftop gardens as well!

The water used for cleaning dishes or bathing is known as greywater, which can be used further to clean out your garage tiles or lawn spread greens. Thus keeping your landscape area fresh and green in a less wasteful manner.

6. Recycling Food:

Don't get confused; reusing food items such as leftovers is a typical trait of not just Indian mothers and homemakers but all across the world. Recycling food here means that it can be used for composting; a large amount of food waste per week in your home can be used as manure for your garden bed or even for a biogas plant in your home. So it's a double win, getting a free energy source as well as recycling the food waste!

7. Buy Recycled Items:

If you are recycling plastic to minimize your carbon footprint, then this won't come as a surprise to you. When you buy or purchase things for your home, make it a point to look for things made out of recycled materials. Thus your money actually funds the green initiative, and the companies understand that there is value for recycled materials! This can lead to further profits for them as well as reduce the large-scale carbon emissions in the world. Furthermore, these items are recyclable again and again, thereby ensuring a proper cycle!

8. Rinse and Repeat:

It is recommended that you always rinse out any items before throwing them into the bin. Not only does this avoid contaminating the whole bunch with food, but this will also prevent your recycle bin from smelling and attracting any pests or rodents from poking around.

Take enough time to understand how to implement recycling into your lifestyle. Use these recycling tips to get yourself a solid handle on the practice, ensuring that being green turns into a lifelong habit.

We hope this robust article has helped start your journey into creating a system for recycling plastic and recycling items, in general, to make our environment a better place.