What Is the Difference Between Reuse, Reduce and Recycle?http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/difference-between-reuse-reduce-recycle-3068.html

by Andrea Peck, Demand Media

The strains resulting from population growth, excessive consumption and the effect of pollution on nature and human health have led to questions regarding the methods by which people conduct their lives. Reduce, reuse and recycle are separate but interconnected concepts that support the same goal of maintaining a healthy world. Though they sound and appear similar, reduce, reuse and recycle are distinct elements in the language of resource conservation.

Reduce

Keeping purchases to a minimum is an important way of reducing the toll on the Earth's resources. Lowering consumption is the key to the concept of reducing, which can apply to physical objects as well as natural resources, such as gas, electricity and water. Not to be confused with reusing or recycling, reducing means lowering or eradicating use from the start. Cutting back on unnecessary purchases lowers the rate at which materials are used, but also effectively lowers the energy, gas and transportation costs that are accrued when an item is made and sold. The term "reduce" clearly applies to lifestyle. Reducing driving would mean combining trips, carpooling, and walking, biking, and taking public transportation when possible. Taking shorter showers, landscaping appropriately to the local climate and replacing older, less efficient appliances with Energy Star appliances all fit under the reducing concept.

Reuse

"Reuse" is a broad term that combines reusing materials and using items that have reusable qualities. Paper plates are an example of a nonreusable product. Cutlery that can be reused prevents waste at the landfill, but it also lowers the amount of energy needed to manufacture new products. Less pollution results, and more natural resources are left intact. Consider the possibilities of an item before discarding it, as it might be reused toward a different purpose than originally intended. An old shirt may become a car rag. Though reuse is different from reducing use, when an item is reused, consumption is reduced as a by-product.

Recycle

The term "recycle" refers to the process in which an item or its components are used to create something new. Plastic bottles are recycled and made into carpet, pathways and benches. Glass and aluminum are other commonly recycled materials. Recycling is technically a form of reusing, but it refers more specifically to items that are discarded and broken down into their raw materials. Recycling companies convert the original item and then sell the now-usable material. Some companies purchase secondhand material and use it to manufacture a new product, which is another form of recycling.

Putting It All Together

Combined, reduce, reuse and recycle form a complete circle that can preserve natural resources; reduce waste, energy consumption and pollutants; and protect the planet. Composting offers an example of all three resource conservation elements. With composting, natural materials are recycled into a form in which gardeners and landowners reuse them. When using homegrown compost, the need for artificial fertilizers is reduced; also reduced is space taken up needlessly in landfills for material that can instead go back to the earth.