There are countless actions individuals can take to make their lives more biofriendly. You can create a drought-tolerant garden, install solar panels on your home, use reusable grocery bags when shopping, opt for LEDs to improve energy-efficiency, take eco-friendly forms of transportation and so much more. While doing all of these at once may seem a little overwhelming, starting with a simple mantra for biofriendly living can be a good way to start. One of the ones we can all relate to is: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle.

Understanding the R’s

Commonly referred to as the five R’s (although there can be more R’s), refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle, are simple actions you can incorporate into your life to minimize your environmental impact and make your life more biofriendly.

Although recycling gets a lot of attention in the general media, it is last on this list because recycling is focused on the end of life action one should take once a recyclable product can no longer be used. There are countless other actions you can take before recycling to help cut down on unnecessary waste. Each of these not only benefits the environment but can save you quite a bit of money, too.

What’s even better is each of these actions can be taken with recyclable products and materials, as well as a variety of other products.

Refuse

Refuse is pretty much your first line of defense against unnecessary waste. When you refuse, you’re saying no to buying single- or one-use products and items you don’t really need. If you don’t truly need the latest and greatest electronic device, don’t buy it. Save your money. If you have to have a new razor, buy a reusable one you can use again and again, not a plastic, single-use one you’ll end up tossing in the trash.

Reduce

Reduce can be done in many different ways. You can start with reducing the overall number of products you buy. Simply buy less. The less you buy, the less waste you’ll generate. Then, when you do buy, opt for products with no, or minimal, packaging. This, too, is a simple way to reduce waste. Another way to reduce is by choosing reusable, compostable or biodegradable products or those you know have a long lifespan.

You can also reduce your consumption by repairing clothes and other products which may have sustainable minor damage. A tear in a shirt can be mended with a needle and thread. A ding or scratch in a wooden table can be sanded down and re-stained to look like new.

Reuse

The next action you can take along your path to biofriendly living, and as part of the five R’s, is reuse. This can be incorporated into your life in numerous ways. You can get a reusable water bottle to use again and again, day after day. Simply refill with water and enjoy. This one action along can prevent hundreds, or thousands, of plastic water bottles from making their way to landfills.

You can take the root ends of the green onions you just chopped for dinner and regrow them to give you more green onions. If you do it right, you can reuse the root ends to grow additional green onions indefinitely. You can do this with a variety of other vegetables, too.

Many people bring reusable grocery and produce bags when they go grocery shopping. This is a simple, yet effective, way to reduce plastic waste and live more biofriendly.

If you have gently used clothing items you no longer wear, you can donate them to a local charity or second-hand store. You can even sell them on consignment, if you wish. Whatever you choose, this is another way you can reuse the products you’ve purchased, rather than throwing them away.

Repurpose

When you’ve finished using a product for its originally intended purpose, i.e. using a chest of drawers as a dresser, you can repurpose for something else. Maybe your old dresser can be fashioned into a new planter for your garden or a bookshelf for your reading nook or a coffee station for your guests.

Being able to repurpose a product is limited only by one’s imagination. Fortunately, even if you can’t think of an idea of the top of your head, there’s always Pinterest or other places online to gather a little inspiration.

Wine bottles can be repurposed into decorative lights. Glass jars can be repurposed as food storage containers, flower vases, candle holders and more. Old furniture you no longer need can be re-envisioned into something you can use right now. For example, an old desk can be turned into a gardening prep table. Flip it over, add some cushions and a little non-VOC paint and you’ve got yourself a repurposed seating area.

Recycle

Once a recyclable product has reached the end of its usable life, the best option is to recycle it. This is the right way to dispose of such products. Doing so prevents unnecessary waste and makes it so new products to be made from the recycled materials. You should, however, determine whether your recycling is single-stream or multi-stream and decide which is best for you. The key is to ensure your eligible products are recycled for the good of the planet.

the Road to Biofriendly Living

Biofriendly living takes time. It’s a process. While you can jump in feet first, and some people do, you can also adopt simple actions which can help you develop a more eco-friendly lifestyle as you go. It’s also okay to make mistakes along the way. Just pick yourself up, dust off and keep moving forward. We’re all in this together. Any positive steps you take towards helping the planet and minimizing your environmental impact are beneficial.

So, start with this simple mantra…refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle…and you’ll be on your way.