Be a waste warrior!
The good news: every family can waste less. Here are five magic “R” words to remember.
Refuse
Say “no, thank you” to things you don’t need, like extra plastic bags or straws.
Reduce
Use less. Take only the food you will eat. Switch off lights when you leave.
Reuse
Use things again: a steel bottle, a cloth bag, both sides of the paper.
Repair
Fix it! Glue a broken toy, sew a button, mend a torn book.
Recycle
Sort paper, glass, metal and plastic so they can be made into new things.
Six waste-saving ideas
1.Carry a steel water bottle
2.Take a cloth bag to the shop
3.Draw on both sides of the paper
4.Swap books and toys with friends
5.Turn off the tap while brushing
6.Pass on clothes you’ve outgrown
Around the world
Rwanda, in Africa, banned plastic bags in 2008, and its cities are known for being very clean. In Kamikatsu, a town in Japan, people sort their rubbish into about 45 groups! India banned many single-use plastic things, like plastic straws and cutlery, in 2022.
Here in Keralam
Many homes keep wet waste (peels, food scraps) and dry waste (paper, plastic, glass) apart. Haritha Karma Sena workers collect the dry waste so it can be recycled.
This week’s mission: be a waste detective!
Every evening, look in your bin with a grown-up. Make a tally mark (|) for each thing you find. On Sunday, count up: which kind of waste did your family make the most? Choose one way to make less of it next week.
| What went in the bin? | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| Plastic wrappers and bags | |||||||
| Paper and cardboard | |||||||
| Food scraps and peels | |||||||
| Bottles and cans |
Our family promise: Next week, we will ______________________________________________
For grown-ups: Sources for page 16: UNEP (city waste, food waste; about 2.1 billion tonnes a year, compared here to elephants of about 5 tonnes), OECD (plastic), Global E-waste Monitor 2024, Ellen MacArthur Foundation (clothes).