It’s time to rethink Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.

With Earth Day this past Monday and the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution meeting in Ottawa this week, I’m inspired to share some thoughts that have been percolating for a few years now. I would propose that it’s time we rethink the ubiquitous Reduce-Reuse-Recycle mantra.

The quick take on why it’s time is that while the powerful slogan has done much good since it’s introduction in the mid-70’s, it is now losing its effectiveness as a tool to truly make an impact in an era when the recycling business model is struggling and the ability to reduce consumption seems limited.

As a potential evolution, I propose an updated version of the 3 R’s: Replace – Repair – Re-Earth.

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 – find better alternatives to many of the most harmful materials and chemicals, particularly for plastics. Companies are already starting down this path but should accelerate their efforts.

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿 – get back to building things that can be more easily repaired to extend the useful life of the product. It was good to see Apple recently open access of used iPhone components for repairs, and right-to-repair efforts are taking root more broadly.

𝗥𝗲-𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵– this is my way of saying composting. While composting is gaining attention behind new products like Mill and Lomi, or businesses like the startup Turn , enabling and expanding composting as a mainstream consumer practice has great potential to make an impact on the waste stream and greenhouse gas emissions.

At this point, the original 3 R’s are so engrained, they are not going away anytime soon. However, while we should continue to support the original 3 R’s, I believe these three updated R’s offer a way to rethink our approach to day-to-day living that can have an even greater impact.

What do you think? If you could rethink Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, what you suggest?