Three R

To reduce

The reduction of waste can be done on two levels: reduction of the consumption of goods or reduction of the consumption of energy. Indeed, at present, energy production produced it even of many waste in the broad sense (nuclear waste, Carbon dioxide…). The objective of this step is:

to limit the quantities of objects intended for a single use (for example, the Emballage S of food products should be rather realized in Verre that in plastic);
to limit the quantity of matter composing these disposable products (by preferring packing in the form of nets rather than of films);
to support the re-use of the products (for example by marketing refills ready with employment).
to adapt the apparatuses according to the needs (for example, not to make turn a washing machine to half charges or not to buy a refrigerator larger than its needs which will unnecessarily consume more electricity).
to make hunting for the Wasting S: reduction of the water escapes, stopping of the apparatuses in day before, use of bulbs to energy saving, less sporting control…

To final, one thus reduces the quantity of matter and products impossible to re-use or recycle.

To re-use

The re-use consists in at the end of the lifetime preserving most of the product and giving it in a position to be used. The practice of the re-employment is largely supported by the network of Recycleries and Ressourceries.

Solidarity

The products which underwent a wear but remain usable after minor repairss can be transmitted to other users less looking on their general state: thus, the Clothing S, the movable , the Toy S or the apparatuses electric household appliances S in operating condition can be re-used: charity associations like Emmaüs, the Catholic aid or the Croix-Rouge take again these objects in good state, even come to seek them in residence. You can also join a group Freecycle which connects, by the means of a mailing list, people who wish to get rid of objects which encumber them with people who need some.

Reconditioning

It is about a re-use of the product or its principal components (most robust, or most expensive or difficult to produce), when it is possible to change only the worn parts and the consumable parts to remake a product ready with the resale of it: cartridges of Printing Ink for S and consumable of impression, Driving S and spare parts of Automobile S remade with nine (parts known as " of standard" exchange;)…

Consumable currents

Many objects of the everyday life can be easily re-used: plastic bags, sheets of paper (by re-using the paper already printed over the second face or like draft)

Consign

The instruction consists in increasing the purchase price of the bottles, and restoring this overcost with the return of the bottle. It was very practiced in France on the bottles out of glass but almost disappeared today, partly because of the growing number of different bottles imposed by marketing. A law imposed its return in 2003 in Germany on the quills and plastic bottles of gas beer and bottle, but the distributers did not play the game, by withdrawing these products of the sale rather than to accept the instruction.

The ecological assessment of the instruction is however very positive: the same truck bringing the bottles can set out again filled with the empty bottles, instead of setting out again with vacuum and that another empty truck leaves to seek glass in the oil collecting trays. Moreover the bottle is reusable such as it is, without additional consumption of energy to remelt the bottle, contrary to the selective collection of glass, which in addition does not make it possible to make white Verre, unless sorting the white coloured Verres and glasses during recovery.

To recycle

The Recyclage relates to the materials of which are made up the products at the end of the lifetime. It primarily consists in recovering these materials to make use of it like raw materials for new products. In certain cases, it is limited to their transformation into energy (mainly by Incinération) and into ultimate waste.

To develop

Certain people add a “V” after 3R for Valorization. This last possible stage before elimination aims at drawing an unspecified value from waste which cannot profit from the treatment of 3R.

Several solutions exist and it is probably a way which will develop in the future (although less interesting environnementalement speaking). Here some examples:

Use of the Biogases generated by the centers of hiding of waste to produce energy,
Composting of organic waste to renew and enrich the grounds,
Incineration of waste with strong energy value (wood in particular) to produce energy.

See too

urban Economy ~ Ecology ~ Environment ~ Management of waste

External bonds

“Three R” in New Brunswick

Random links: