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[Thematic Report] The Sixth "R" of Zero Waste

by Rafael Luna Reyes | 29-09-2021 14:51 recommendations 0

In nature there is no such thing as waste, that is a fact. Matter is neither created nor destroyed but reorganizes itself into new forms. However, in recent times and due to human intervention, ecosystems have lost a large volume of their biomass, have released enormous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, and have suffered alterations in their biogeochemical cycles due to changes in land use for having more ¡°productive¡± areas to satisfy the overconsumption of the human species, much of which comes from the biased view that many things lacking apparent or immediate usefulness or whose usefulness is ignored, are a waste, which is not true.


This massive destruction of nature, manifested mainly in the loss of biodiversity and climate change, has shown to have several solutions and mitigation alternatives, among which is the "Zero Waste" which consists of the application, in daily life and in lifestyle, of five activities represented by their initials in 5 letters R, which are worth mentioning:

¡¤         - Reject what we don't need

¡¤         - Reduce what we need and cannot reduce

¡¤         - Reuse what we consume and cannot reduce or reject

¡¤         - Recycle what we cannot reuse, reduce, or reject

¡¤         - Reintegrate to ecosystems what can be reintegrated


Given this, I would like to add a sixth R: Restore, which although it is external to Zero Waste, is actually closely related as it is also essential to achieve sustainability by helping to regenerate the balance of ecosystems and thus recover the normal flows of matter and energy in a perfect flow of conservation of matter. There is no better way to achieve ¡°Zero Waste¡± than by allowing nature to recover the balance from which we have stripped it. This is one of the best ways to save ourselves and the planet.

 

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3 Comments

  • Hannah Mentor says :
    Hello Rafael, this is your mentor Hannah.

    I'm so sorry for the late comment.
    Well written thematic article on our September's theme zero waste.
    I love your creative thought on sixth R.
    We often hear 5Rs about zero waste but it's quite theoretical and fixed, so why not add or deduct some for your own, right?

    Thank you for your great article and please keep up with your wonderful work :) Happy new year!

    Sincerly,
    Hannah

    Posted 03-01-2022 15:00

  • Rafael Luna Reyes says :
    I agree completely.

    I also hope that more people are part of this lifestyle, because I believe that it is the best way in which we can help the planet individually, and that done collectively it has a huge positive impact.

    Thank you so much for the comments.
    My best,
    Rafael.
    Posted 01-10-2021 14:33

  • Joon Mentor says :
    Hello Rafael,
    this is your mentor Joon.

    Yes I agree with your idea of adding Restore as the sixth R of Zero Waste.
    From the beginning, the whole point of zero waste was to have positive impact
    on environment. If Restoring our already broken down ecosystem is possible,
    then Zero waste movement is achieving its goal. In Biology, there is a term
    homeostasis which the biological being tries to keep the consistency and
    tries to return to its normal state. Our environment is currently off from original
    position, and needs external help in order to keep its consistency. Hope Zero
    Waste movement can become one of the means of it and more people
    implement this lifestyle so we can make collective impact.

    Well read your article, and let's keep up!

    Best,

    Joon
    Posted 30-09-2021 01:45

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