The 9 Rs to Zero Waste

By: Tiffany Gibson, Owner of Rekindle Upcycling

02/03/2022

Reuse, Reinvent, Regift– Use an item till it is no longer usable in any possible way. Think outside of the box and get creative. Reinvent or find a new uses for unwanted/unused items. Regift Items that you no longer want and reuse them till they are no longer repairable, or usable.

Repair- Try to fix and repair broken items till they are no longer repairable, reusable, or upcyclable. Research and purchase items from companies who are willing to work on and repair their items. Research repairing methods online, how to videos, or locating a repairing specialist if needed.

Reduce - Repurpose- If the item is no longer usable as is, break the item to pieces or parts and use it for pieces. Reduce it, and its carbon footprint as much as possible while getting as many resources out of the item as we can till it is no longer resourceful\reusable. Once you have it broken down as far as you think you can possible go set it aside and start gathering/collecting like items into groups. The need for the item may have not arisen yet and this item will need to be set aside until then.

Research- Rethink - In the meantime, do research on other possible options that you can reuse the materials for, what they can be upcycled it into for future projects. We also want to research for other alternative options that help us avoid these final wastes that still end up being unusable despite our rekindling and re-salvaging processes. Come up with new uses for unused items or materials. Rethink how we use items, the materials, and what they can be used for in future uses. Think of other options, or alternative methods.

Recycle- Then finally if there is a huge collection of an item that can no longer break down, or be parted out as pieces, used, salvaged then we would recycle the item if it were recyclable, if not we would need to properly dispose of the waste in the safest environmentally friendly option possible.