Reduce and Reuse: Recycle’s Underrated Sisters

It’s one of the first things we learn about how to practice sustainability in our everyday lives: reduce, reuse, recycle. Most of us have recycling down by now, but what about the first two steps? Reducing consumption and reusing what we already own are the first two steps after all, and they deserve just as much love as recycling. They even go hand in hand. By reusing what you already own, you’ll reduce what you have to buy. Simple, right? One example of how reducing and reusing can benefit the environment is in our closets.

Clothing is a great way to express yourself, but it’s also an efficient way to make a lot of trash. 11.3 million tons of textile waste are created every year in the U.S. alone, and the average garment is worn just seven to ten times. This waste has cascading effects. Most fabrics used to make clothing contain at least some polyester, which requires a huge amount of power and carbon emissions to produce, which releases microplastics into the environment, harming wildlife.

While wider use of recycling programs for clothes could reduce this amount, what if we reuse our clothes thirty times instead, as this challenge posits? Even better, what if we only buy what we really love, not what fits in with ever-changing trends, and wear our clothes for years and years at a time?

I have hand-me-down sweatpants that age back to my brother’s high school days, circa 2013. Some sweaters I have worn so many times that people immediately recognize them as my signature pieces. Because they are all clothes I genuinely love, there’s no reason for me to buy more new things or try to recycle them.

Without a doubt, recycling is an important aspect of sustainability and should not be forgotten by any means. But by reducing and reusing, we can make it so that recycling is less needed in the first place.

Earth Day is April 22nd, but at Beaver Creek, we are celebrating “Earth Day Every Day”! If you have the sustainability bug, we have no shortage of ways to get involved. Check out our website and sign up for one of our April events. At the end of each program, you will be entered in a drawing for a gift card! Be sure to take advantage of our FREE admission the week of Earth Day and participate in our Earth Day Walk on April 22nd!