What is meant by 3 Rs? Explain with the help of appropriate examples.

The 3 Rs refer to Reducing, Reusing and Recycling.

• Reducing refers to reduce generation of waste at the source. For example, use of washable napkins instead of single use napkins and use of cloth bags instead of polybags.
• Reusing refers to the reuse of items where possible in the same form or a physically different form, instead of buying new products. For example, making dolls, cushion covers, doormats, etc. from old cloth pieces. Flyash from power plants is used as a cement substitute. It is used for making bricks, roads and filling up low lying areas.
• Recycling refers to processing the waste into raw material usable in other useful materials. For example, baggasse, a by-product of sugar industry is used for manufacturing paper. Plastics are recycled by plastic manufacturers.