Kariza Dumlao

5. 4R's of Ecology: Strategy sustainability in Schools Community-based Projects

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, and RECOVER

Reduce

-Reduce is about using less and having less of an impact on the environment.

-It makes fewer demands on the environment to create manufactured processes that use fewer
resources and create less pollution.

How can we reduce waste in our school environment?

By simply, encouraging waste-free lunches by cutting down on food packaging, single-use and
disposable items, and so on. This can focus on packed lunches as well as school dinners.

Encourage healthy eating in the school by recommending no crisps, sweets or fizzy drinks days or
banning soft drinks. We must also provide a box where people can place paper with a blank side and if
possible use both sides of notebook pages.

Reuse

-Reuse is the second preferred waste management option after waste reduction.

-Reuse is the practice of using a material over and over again in its current form.

-The essence of reuse is that it preserves some or all of the energy and materials that went into making
an item.

How can we reuse waste in school?

-We can use it as making crafts, some examples of the many items we can reuse include clothing, school
supplies, and sports and electronic equipment. For example, jars for display and tin cans for planting.

Recycle

-Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects.

-The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept.

-The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the properties it had in its virgin or
original state.

What are the things that we can create into a new material using a recycled materials?
-We can use plastics bottles, newspaper, old cd's etc. for decorating classroom.

Recover

-Recover is defined as to get back, regain or make up for.

-Recovery of waste means any operation the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose
by replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particular function, or
waste being prepared to fulfil that function, in the plant or in the wider economy.

What are the materials that we can recover?

-Potentially recoverable materials include clean fill as well as metals, paper, cardboard, asphalt shingles,
sheet rock, concrete, lumber and other wood waste, glass, electrical wire, plastics, organics and many
others.