The R’s of Sustainability

For our first post in Sustainable September, we take a look at the R’s of Sustainability. Commonly paired together with the chasing arrows symbol (♻️), Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is the typical tagline or call to action to think about our waste and to be more sustainable. I think there is value in the symbol and the phrase, as it is easy to remember and the symbol stands out. Do you know the story of how the chasing arrows symbol was developed? A college student named Gary Anderson entered a contest sponsored by the Container Corporation of America in 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, and he created the winning design in “a day or two” (source: https://www.architecturelab.net/illusion-of-the-recycling-symbol/). Pretty cool thing to put on your resume!

Of course, the downfall of the symbol has been how it become paired with the Resin Identification Codes (RICs) created by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988. The numbers, ranging from 1-7, indicate the type of plastic. They are not required in all countries, but the RICs are widely adopted and sometimes required by local regulations. The most common misconception when trying to determine what to do with an item with the symbol is that it is recyclable or else it wouldn’t have the symbol (despite the presence of any small print that may point a consumer to check local facilities.) It’s also clear that having the symbol hasn’t increased recycling of plastics, as the percentage of plastic waste recycled globally continues to stay around 9% (source: https://www.earthday.org/plastic-recycling-is-a-lie/).

If the chasing arrows symbol isn’t prompting us to recycle more, can we still find encouragement and motivation in the slogan? It’s often said that when you talk about reduce, reuse and recycle that recycle should always be the last option. We need to reduce our consumption and reuse what we can first to be more sustainable. Which R do you relate to the most? If you don’t like just the three R’s, you could always expand your choices, as it’s becoming more common to see the addition of refuse and repurpose to the list. I’ve also seen rot, for composting, recover, for usable food, and rethink. Back in August, I presented at the Dayton Region Sustainabiility Luncheon, and in my talk, I added resist (the new normal, and a government that continues to act counter to our beliefs and values) and reject (excess consumption and the barrage of marketing from big corporations). That’s a lot of R’s! I cannot pick a favorite but I am striving to do something in every area. As always, it’s important to remember that small actions can lead to big change, and, the goal is not perfection.

If you have a favorite R or one that you relate to the most, let us know!

Dayton Sustainability Lunch talk