The 5Rs

Your book, Our Wondrous World (Chapter 8), gives a 5-step plan to cut down waste. It is called the 5Rs of waste management.

Refuse: say 'no' to things that make waste, for example single-use paper cups. Reduce: use things carefully so that we make less waste, for example writing notes on both sides of the paper. Reuse: use something many times before throwing it away, for example using a gift bag again for another occasion.

Repurpose: use something in a new way, for example making toys or decorations from old newspapers. Recycle: turn a thing into something new through some steps, for example making handmade paper from old newspapers, like Pihu did.

Your book has some examples. A family brings its own cloth bags to the grocery store instead of using plastic ones: that is Reuse. Maya does not use a plastic straw for her coconut water: that is Refuse. Sara gives her old books to younger students: that is Reuse. Kabir paints an old bottle to use as a flower vase: that is Repurpose.

By making these small changes, we help our environment, save our resources and reduce the pollution caused by waste.