When we finish using something nowadays there is a social pressure to recyle. Whether it be the advertising of “We will recycle your old product for free” to entice us to buy a new gadget or the little logo on the packaging of food.

In principle this is a good thing – we all want less waste. If you stop to think about it though, it’s not really the best solution.

The worst case scenario (which I have read about in various countries) is that the cost of actually recycling the stuff we have seperated into different bins is too great and that it all ends up in the same landfill anyway. The best case scenario is that more time and resources are dedicated to converting a percentage of waste back into a usable product.

Before we simply throw that item into our recycling bin it would be much better if we could find a way to repurpose it or, even better, to reuse it as is.

Repurposing our item will involve some time or effort and maybe involve using some extra resources to make it into another item but it will have a smaller impact on the planet than the amount of resources required to completely recycle it (especially if you live in an area that the recycling doesn’t happen as mentioned previously).

The best of the lot is just the straightforward reuse of an item. It takes no time in comparison to repurposing, consumes a minimal amount of resources (maybe just a clean out or something similar) and will have almost no cost. Items like storage jars or water bottles are obvious examples that spring to mind but I am sure that you can think of relevant ways to apply this to your own life.

I hope we can move from the mindset of “Time to recycle this,” towards “Can I reuse or repurpose this?”. Making recycling the third choice and not the first one.