Learning Journal Unit 2

ENV 1301

Reduce, reuse, and recycle are options of waste management which help to reduce carbon

footprint as a measure to sustainable environment. Reduce is to choose products that has low or

no carbon emission in process of manufacturing. Reuse is making materials which we no longer

need available for others that need them rather than deposing them as waste. While, recycle is to

using materials from products to produce new products, rather than exploring new raw materials.

I have noticed of resent that reuse and recycling of waste takes place in my local community on

small scale. The amount of reuse and recycling going on is not proportional to the waste

generated by the community, and this result to a lot of environmental pollution:

Recycling takes place in my locality; as empty cartons are gathered by low income earners and

sold to a contractor, who in turn sells it to companies that recycle them. Likewise, other materials

like metal scraps from bad electronics, metal furniture, and automobile vehicle parts are gathered

for recycling companies. Plastic bottles are not left out of recycling. As I gather from personal

interview, waste plastic bottles are recycled and used for production of interlock bricks, and

buttons for cloths.

In my home, we observe the following waste management.

1. We reuse bottled water plastic bottles for storing drinkable tap water and homemade juice

drinks in the refrigerator.

 2. Empty paint 20 liters pails are washed and reuse as bucket for carrying bathing water in

the bathroom, carrying water from the tap for washing vehicle. Some are also dedicated

to serve as garden pans for transferring soil and weeds to other locations within the farm.

3. Biscuit cartons are reused to store books that had not enough space in book shelve.

Some number things I learn new this week include

1. Recycling is not meant to be done by government. I had before now the impression that

government should recycle waste.

2. A great amount of metals like copper, silver and gold can be saved through bad

electronics like laptops and mobile phones.

This course is becoming more interesting than I anticipated. I am determining to put in my best

to be about to assimilate the knowledge required and apply it to my local environment.

References

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nd. Article: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

https://www.epa.gov/recycle