What to do before you even buy a product

by Sustainable Choice Group 30/12/2020

Guide

Learn how to ‘pre-cycle’

The 3 R’s ‘Reduce’, ‘Reuse’ and ‘Recycle’ are popular terms. But have you heard of ‘Pre-cycling’?

Pre-cycling is when you consider a product’s recyclability and contribution to waste even before buying it. You might say “yeah! I already do that.” Wonderful! Spread the word, and let people know that they can make real changes, pre-purchase.

Some say that pre-cycling is even better than recycling since many recyclable materials are not actually recycled due to contamination. So, by pre-cycling every product we buy, we can avoid waste from entering our homes and workplaces.

Train your mind to consider the three Rs before you purchase

Pre-cycling is all about training our mind to think in a sustainable way before we’ve even purchased the product. Don’t leave it until afterwards. Pre-cycling asks us to plan ahead and make changes in the way we shop, with a little forward-thinking.

It makes sense – don’t wait until you’re hovering over the bin

To be honest, this should be how we think about any product we’re about to purchase. Don’t wait until you’re ready to throw something out to finally think about your recycling, reusing or repurposing options.

Here are a few ideas to get the pre-cycling juices flowing. Do these up-front:

Over to you

What does pre-cycling mean to you? It’s particularly helpful when the 3 Rs (recycle, reuse, re-purpose) don’t work out – perhaps due to contamination or ineffective waste management. When it comes to reducing waste, pre-cycling is a useful concept – and all it requires is a little forward-thinking.

The world of sustainability is always changing. The information we’ve provided is based on what was current when we published it. So, please make sure to check the latest standards and guidelines.

by Sustainable Choice Group