Reduce, , Recycle Study Guide

Source reduction: Any activity that reduces before it can be generated – at the source. Source reduction involved reducing both the amount and the toxicity, or harmful ingredients, of what we throw away. Such as: • Make products last longer • Cut down on product packaging • Substitute nontoxic or less toxic products for those containing potentially harmful ingredients • Buy durable products and repair items that can be fixed • Borrow or rent things you don’t use very often • Buy reusable products and avoid disposables

Reduce: • Avoid disposables • Reuse , , , and other items • Choose products with the least amount of packaging materials • Buy in bulk quantities • Buy in natural packages (oranges, nuts)

Reuse: • Purchase reusable products • Donate to and Shop at secondhand stores • Use cloth grocery bags

Recycle: • Remake products from waste material

• Look for symbol – three arrows mean collect, remake, reuse • Choose products that have symbol and labeled either Made of Recyclable Materials or Made of Recycled Materials • Recycle plastic according to its type. • Know common materials that can be recycled such as; glass, aluminum, tin-plated steel cans, paper, plastic, used motor oil, yard waste • Know how these products are usually recycled

Compost: • Understand that composting is a process by which plant material is returned to the soil, enriching and improving the consistency of the soil while reducing the amount of solid waste requiring disposal

Recycle Programs: • Know the difference between source-separation and single-stream recycling Source-Separation – each type of material is sorted by the consumer into separate bins Single-stream – materials are collected all mingled together with no sorting required by individuals.

Study Hint: Go to the web and search different communities throughout Tennessee to determine what recycling programs exist and have the 4-Hers determine how to best recycle various products. This information can be found searching by city, county, or even particular companies.