Taking pride in using recycled!

My first table mat from fabric scraps

The topic of this blog arose after hosting a webinar on ‘Sustainable Living’ for college students during the first month of the lockdown. One of the students asked, How can one be proud and not be embarrassed for using recycled or reused products?

I assumed there would be more awareness among the younger generation, since they had a basic environmental science subject in schools and colleges. But in this case, it was clear the student was embarrassed to reuse and recycle.

The absence of value and vision (in the things that we do) can be the source of shame and embarrassment.

When one understands what reduce, reuse, or recycle really can do for our planet and its inhabitants, I am sure embarrassment will be replaced with a sense of responsibility, joy, and pride.

If you ask me why I follow the 3R principle (REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE) and the many more R’s that keep adding to the list, it is simply because I have seen the ugly side of waste management, piles of unwanted roadside litter, consumerism of gigantic proportions, materialistic possessions with short shelf lives, water pollution, and so on. Open your eyes, look around, and you will be driven to minimise your impact on the environment, social life and encourage the circular economy.

Let’s introspect—what do I do daily that is toxic for the environment? And how can I help to reduce it?

Some facts and figures:

· The world is expected to generate approximately 49.8 million tons of E-waste in 2018 with an annual 4–5 per cent growth.

· According to a recent report by EPA, every day, we are to get rid of over 416,000 mobile devices and 142,000 computers either by recycling or disposing of them in landfills and incinerators.

· There are more mobile phones on this planet than the number of people living on earth!

· Compared to disposal in landfills or by incinerators, reusing or recycling computers can create 296 more jobs per year for every 10,000 tons of computer waste processed.

· Almost 100 per cent of textiles and clothing are recyclable.

· Kriti Tula Co-Founder and creative director at Doodlage says, it is estimated that 73 % of all the clothes end up in landfill in a linear fashion model.

· 1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption contains plastic

· The world produces 381 million tonnes in plastic waste yearly — this is set to double by 2034.

· 10 litres of water is needed to make one piece of A4 paper.

· Recycling 1 ton of paper saves around 682.5 gallons of oil, 26,500 litres of water and 17 trees.

Image by Ellen Lindner © The Balance 2019

These are just a few of many facts and statistics of the waste we create and a large amount of energy we consume to make the product and dispose. Try and run a small waste audit at home for a week. Here is the link to my previous blog which can help you do a simple waste audit. It can give you a fair idea to understand what type of waste is generated in your house, how frequently is your dry waste bin emptied in a week?

The more you read about the waste that goes to the landfill each day, the more the concept of reduce, reuse and recycle will then make sense. The sense of contributing to the good, will slowly seep in you. It will then become easier to find ways to create your carbon handprint. We don’t have to take part in protests or go on fasts to achieve it. We can take part in this movement by sitting at home and making wise choices. That can be the power of the demand-driven market. There are many inspirational people around who are doing a great job of keeping it minimal and achieving a low carbon footprint.

Check out — Minimalists on Netflix, becomingminimalistic, Lauren Singer and Sahar Mansoor founder of Bare Necessities , to help kick start your journey.

Laptop cover made from torn pants, an old scarf, and torn t-shirts for stuffing.

I love to receive hand me down clothes and shoes from family and friends. I make handmade items from leftover fabric I get from a local tailor. The feeling of happiness and achievement which runs through me each time I make these recycled items is unquantifiable. The sense of fulfilment to have saved the waste from ending up in landfill and increasing its shelf life is profound. And for this very reason, I take pride each time I reuse, refurbish, and upcycle. When I have the clarity for the cause I am standing for, I promote it by gifting my products and encourage them to lead this path. Nowhere does a sense of awkwardness comes to me as I pass on the positivity towards finding a solution.

For those who do not have time or the tools to make recycled upcycled products at home, one can always buy from the brands that make recycled products. Here is the link to a few brands in India and abroad who make products out of waste.

Every time you make a purchase and stand in the billing line, let these thoughts run through your mind. Have I bought a recyclable product? What is the shelf life of this product? Can I reuse, upcycle this product after its intended use? If you get a no as your answer, you still have time to let go of the product at the billing counter. Same can be done with online shopping.

I can understand for some, shopping especially online shopping gives pleasure and may find it therapeutic but it is in your hands to make a mindful choice to reduce the waste you create in a longer run. Feeling of gratification that you have contributed towards reducing the carbon footprint and increasing the circular economy encourages you to do more.

“Recycling is critically important and using recycled material is an important short-term step but it doesn’t solve our core waste problems,” TerraCycle’s CEO Tom Szaky.

Creating circular economy models for reusing, recycling the waste generated is the way forward. We need to come out of the linear economic model of a make-use-dispose and rethink our economic models towards making it circular involving local communities and young entrepreneurs. Lockdown 2020 gives us the best opportunity as many manufacturing units are shut down.

Kirchherr et al. (2017, p. 229) proposed the definition of the circular economy “an economic system that replaces the ‘end-of-life’ concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes.”

I liked the perspective which  Circular Clarity  gives in one of his articles to understand and be(come) a circular person.

Every action we take has a ripple effect and every action CAN start with me! Your impetus will be fuelled by your small achievements. Start with baby steps, encourage others, the feeling of gratification will lead you to do more and the cycle continues to become circular from within.

Until Elon Musk finds a planet that can harbor life, let us focus on our home planet!