4R Concept for Sustainability

 

Accumulating an unbearable amount of waste for a day in production and consumption activities has become a global problem. Therefore, concentration is focused on to it globally to achieves sustainable development through 4R concept in : production, consumption waste management.

4R is,

•       Recycle

•       Reuse

•       Reduce

•       Replace

Recycle

Waste is separated here to form a material to produce another product. Here the physical state of substance is changed. Recycling can be done in two ways to have two outcomes.

1.      Materials with lower value are transformed into products, with higher value (upcycle)

Eg : Producing paper from hay.

2.      Products with higher value is transformed into materials with lower value (low cycle)

Eg : Making irons by crushing vehicles that are discarded (in Japan).

Reuse

Using products that can be used over and over in production and consumption activities is known as re use.

Eg : Using lunch boxes (Can be used over and over) instead of lunch sheets.

Reduce

This means the reduction of waste that is released to the environment. This can be done easily by reducing the discarding amount used at consumption or production. The contribution to sustainable development can also be done by eliminating the use, by avoiding the use, or by not using the harmful products at all.

Eg :         Not using non degradable polythene for packing

Not bottling drinking water in plastic bottles,

Replace

Among the natural resources that are used in production, the replacement of resources that are replaceable is known as replace.

Eg :         Start a reforestation project by a firm that uses timber as its a raw material

Farming fishery resources by a business that engages in fishing industry.