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5R's of Zero Waste Management to save our green planet: A Narrative review

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 European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience
[Link]
ISSN: 2321-9122
Received: 18-12-2021, Accepted: 03-01-2022, Published: 19-01-2022
Volume 10, Issue 1, 2022, Page No. 7-11

5R’s of zero waste management to save our green planet: A narrative review
Wahied Khawar Balwan1*, Arashdeep Singh2, Sachdeep Kour3
1
Department of Zoology, Govt. Postgraduate College Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir, India
2
DFO Rajouri, Department of J&K Forest, Jammu and Kashmir, India
3
Educator at Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District, Houston, Texas, USA

Abstract
Earth, the green planet is the only planet in our solar system known to host life. In the absence of food and water, life cannot
survive. Without productive soil, the world would fail to support even half of its present organisms, or a tenth of its human
population. At present, basic natural resources needed for human life are either growing scarce or are frequently polluted. In
many parts of the world, soil is degraded, water is scarce, and food supplies are declining. In modern times, the waste
generated by humans has become a big challenge for our environment. Several developed as well as developing countries are
generating enormous amount of waste and struggling to deal with it in a sustainable way. Waste that is non-biodegradable or
non-recyclable is not only filling landfills but also affecting our water bodies, grasslands, fields, climate, public health,
wildlife, and so forth. Since we have limited space on earth to dispose all the waste, it is imperative to take steps to manage the
waste by using the resources efficiently. Zero Waste management is a global movement designed to reduce waste in our
society. The concept of 5R’s is to decrease the number of things we use and simultaneously also decrease the number of things
we throw away. The intent of this article is to understand the existing global status of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
generation as well as to explore various ways to manage ever growing volume of waste, which poses formidable challenges to
both high and low-income countries of the world.

Keywords: 3R’s, 5R’s, zero waste management, sustainability, landfills

Introduction waste management programs. It is estimated that less than

There has been a massive increase in the solid waste 20 percent of waste is recycled each year, with huge
generation around the world in recent decades, and there are quantities still sent to landfill sites. With such immense
no signs of it slowing down. This is due to several factors, volumes of waste arising, the need for authorities to provide
such as population growth, urbanization, and economic adequate waste treatment and disposal services has become
growth, as well as consumer shopping habits. The pace of ever more important. We currently live in a linear economy
urbanization across the world especially the developing where we extract resources from the earth and then dump
countries world is witnessing an unprecedented increase them in a giant hole in the ground. The goal of zero waste is
with rural to urban migration one of contributing factors to move to a circular economy where we write trash out of
putting tremendous strain on cities [1]. Currently, about 55% existence. The circular economy mimics nature in that there
of the humanity world resides in the cities which are is no trash in nature. Zero Waste lifestyle is a mission to
projected to rise to 68% by year 2050 as per estimates [2]. save the world from waste and recyclable materials. Most of
The world generates 2.01 billion tons of Municipal Solid us know about the 3R’s to reduce waste- Reduce, Reuse,
Waste (MSW) annually, with at least 33 percent not Recycle. However, there are 5R’s to promote sustainability
managed in an environmentally safe manner. By and fight our global waste crisis. Refuse, Reduce, Reuse,
2050, worldwide municipal solid waste generation is Recycle and Repair are commonly known as “5R’s” of
expected to grow to 3.4 billion tons. The United States is the waste management. The 5R’s play an important role in
biggest generator of waste per capita worldwide, with each solving the problems which can arise out of wrong waste
citizen producing an average of 808 kilograms per year [1]. management habits.
The East Asia and Pacific region are generating most of the
world’s waste, at 23 percent, and the Middle East and North Definition and classification of waste
Africa region is producing the least in absolute terms, at 6 Waste is an unavoidable by-product of most human activity.
percent. However, the fastest growing regions are Sub- The term “waste” refers to any product or substance which
Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East and North is no longer suited for its intended use. In other words,
Africa, where, by 2050, total waste generation is expected to waste is the discarded material, generated after its primary
more than triple, double, and double respectively. In these use. Waste is of various types and differently classified,
regions, more than half of waste is currently openly based on specific characteristics such as physical states,
dumped, and the trajectories of waste growth will have vast physical properties, reusable potentials, biodegradable
implications for the environment, health, and prosperity, potentials, source of production and the degree of
thus requiring urgent action. [3] Richer countries produce environmental impact [4, 19, 20, 21] Various classifications of
more waste than poorer countries, but typically have better waste exist in different countries. However, the most used

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European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience [Link]

classifications are discussed below: evolved primarily due to health concerns and the need to
1. Physical state: Solid waste, Liquid waste and Gaseous control odors. Waste management is as important as other
waste. public amenities or infrastructures without which the life of
2. Nature: Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable. contemporary man would be extremely difficult. This is
3. Source: Household/Domestic waste, Industrial waste, because studies have shown a direct link between air, water
Agricultural waste, Commercial waste, Demolition and and land pollution and diseases such as lung cancer, heart
construction waste, Mining waste. disease, cholera and hepatitis. [8] In addition, climate change
4. Environmental impact: Hazardous waste and Non- and eutrophication are a direct result of water and air
hazardous waste. pollution. Little wonder why there is a huge disparity in the
life expectancy of people in developed and developing
Waste Generation countries. Once generated, wastes must be managed through
Every human, community, organization, or human activity reuse, recycling, storage, treatment, and/or disposal. Most
generates some type of waste. During pre-historic period, municipal solid wastes and hazardous wastes are managed
wastes were merely a source of nuisance that needed to be in land disposal units. For hazardous wastes, land disposal
disposed of. Proper management was not a major issue as includes landfills, surface impoundments, land treatment,
the population was small and a vast amount of land was land farming, and underground injection. Land disposal
available to the population at that time. In those days, the created problems such as ground water contamination,
environment easily absorbed the volume of waste produced methane gas formation and migration, and disease vector
without any form of degradation. [5] A substantial increase in hazards. Modern landfill facilities are engineered with
the volume of waste generation occurred during the containment systems and monitoring programs [19, 20 21].
sixteenth century when people began to migrate from rural
areas to cities due to the industrial revolution. This mass What is zero waste?
migration of people to cities led to population explosion that Zero-waste aims to reduce the environmental impact of our
in turn led to an increase in the volume of wastes generated waste disposable culture and to address climate change
in cities. [6] The large population of people in cities and issues at the same time. The ‘Zero waste’ philosophy is
communities caused indiscriminate littering and open based on the idea of managing materials in ways that
dumps. These dumps in turn formed breeding grounds for preserve value, reduce environmental impact, and conserve
rats and other vermin, posing significant risks to public natural resources. It seeks to ensure that products can be
health. The unhealthy waste management practices resulted repaired, reused, or recycled back into nature or the
in several outbreaks of epidemics with high death tolls. marketplace [9]. Implementing zero waste requires switching
Consequently, in the nineteenth century public officials from waste management via incinerators and landfills to a
began to dispose waste in a controlled manner in order to value-added resource recovery system.
safeguard public health [5]. The Solid Waste Association of North America sums up
In recent times, the rate and quantity of waste generation is zero waste as all efforts to reduce solid waste to almost
rising tremendously. As the volume of wastes increases, so nothing through reduction of excess consumption and
does the variety of the waste [7]. There are different types of maximizing solid waste recovery through composting and
waste that are generated every day, including municipal recycling. Some definitions of zero waste emphasize
solid waste, medical waste, radioactive waste, hazardous recycling and composting as ways to reduce waste.
waste, agricultural and animal waste, industrial non- However, the zero-waste concept goes beyond recycling and
hazardous waste, extraction or mining waste, oil and gas composting at a product’s end-of-life. It spans the entire
production waste, construction or demolition debris, fossil process from design to raw material sourcing to production
fuel combustion waste, and sewage waste. The amount of and finally disposal. The definition of zero waste according
waste generated is influenced by economic activity, to the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) is as
consumption, and population growth. Among industrialized follows:
nations, the United States produces the largest amount of
municipal solid waste per person on a daily basis. “Zero waste: The conservation of all resources by means
of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and
Waste Management recovery of products, packaging, and materials without
Disposing of waste has huge environmental impacts and can burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that
cause serious problems. The most important reason for threaten the environment or human health.” [10]
proper waste management is to protect the environment and
for the health and safety of the population. [8] It is quite Why is zero waste important?
important to understand that waste segregation and According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
management plays a vital role to reduce the detrimental only around 30% of the US waste stream is recycled and
effects of waste on the natural biological systems and around 140 million tons of waste is sent to landfill each
thereby support the survival of the earth. year. When it comes to single-use plastics only around 9%
Waste management refers to the handling of waste materials are recycled. [11] Landfills cannot continue to hold the waste,
from the time it is made to its disposal. Proper waste they are not only harmful to the environment, but they also
management includes various steps such as collection, release CO2, methane, hydrogen sulfide, and other harmful
segregation, transportation, processing, recycling, treatment, gasses. Additionally, leachate from landfills enters our
and disposing the waste in the best possible way in order to groundwater and pollutes farmland and drinking water. At
limit or eliminate the harmful effect of wastes [5, 19, 20, 21]. In current waste generation levels, the recycling industry
the past, waste often was deposited on land just outside cannot hope to keep up with demand, and while recycling is
developed areas. Current approaches to waste management highly important to the zero-waste movement, it must not be

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European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience [Link]

so heavily relied on. Additionally, the extra resources and waste we output, and they follow a specific order. Here’s
emissions associated with the recycling industry can and the 5R’s hierarchy and more information on each of the R’s
[16, 17, 18]
should be designed out, using better resource management
and by encouraging producer responsibility. Finally, if we
hope to address the destructive impact of climate change Refuse: is the first step of the 5R process. It is the leading
then zero waste and a more circular economy are truly our principle that urges us to refuse anything we don’t really
most sensible and sustainable options. need. Refusing to use single-use plastics or wasteful, non-
recyclable products is most effective way to minimize
Cradle-To- Grave & Cradle-To-Cradle Models waste. Following are a few good examples of refusing:
An important distinction between zero waste and  Save up to thousands of bottles and cans per year and
conventional waste management and recycling is the use refillable bottles instead of buying single use
prevention of wasteful practices at the start of the chain. beverage containers
This is otherwise known as cradle-to-cradle thinking, which  Use cloth bags at stores and just say NO to paper and
stands in direct opposition to cradle-to-grave thinking. plastic
Here’s what the terms mean:
 Cradle-to-Grave (C2G): A linear model that begins Reduce: is the second step of the 5R process. Reduce refers
with resource extraction, moves through manufacturing, to the reduction of harmful, wasteful, and non-recyclable
and sees products end up in landfill. Considered an materials. By reducing waste, we avoid the unnecessary use
“open-loop” system that is inherently wasteful. of resources such as materials, energy and water. It means
 Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C): A circular model that there is less waste to manage. Reducing helps to save money
minimizes waste and keeps resources in use for as long as well as benefits the environment. Following are a few
as possible. Considered a “closed-loop” that promotes ways of reducing
sustainability and strives for zero waste through  Buy in bulk to reduce packaging
reduction, reuse, and recycling. [12]  Take a reusable shopping bag with you so you don't
have to use a paper or plastic bag from the shop
An example of cradle-to-cradle thinking is found within the  Say ‘no’ to a plastic shopping bag when you only have
sustainable natural cycles of organic farming and a couple of items
composting, and this efficient process serves as the perfect  Choose products that use less packaging
archetype for the broader concept. Food is grown using  Buy reusable items rather than disposable ones
natural methods without harmful chemical pesticides or  Stick a "no junk mail" sign on your letter box
fertilizers and is distributed and consumed (ideally using  Take your lunch to school in a reusable container
carbon-neutral distribution channels and  Copy documents on both sides of the paper instead of
reusable/compostable packaging). Once consumed, any food single-sided copying
waste is composted, closing the loop as the compost
contributes to the growing of more food. However, while Reuse: is the third step of the 5R process. Reusing waste
this simple and elegant example of the cradle-to-cradle material helps to save money, energy, and resources that
concept works well with organics, when it comes to more would have been used to make the new product. Whenever
complex products there is a clear need to reevaluate our possible, reuse any material or product you can before
approach. Here, the zero waste hierarchy comes to light, giving it away or recycling it. Following are a few ways of
essentially expanding the 3R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) to reusing:
encourage policy-making, activity, and investment in  Give unwanted toys and books to hospitals or schools
systems that promote the cradle-to-cradle concept. The zero  Put unwanted clothes in used clothing bins
waste hierarchy describes a progression of policies and  Use plastic containers for freezing or storing food items
strategies to support the Zero Waste system, from highest  Save wrapping paper and boxes to use again
and best to lowest use of materials. [13] Understanding these  Use old jars for storage
green concepts and putting them into practice is a great way  Take old magazines to your local doctor's or dentist's
to help eliminate waste and create a brighter future for surgery
generations to come.  Shop at second hand stores or use online trading
websites to buy items that are unwanted by others
The 5 R’s Of Zero Waste Living  Take household items to your council’s resource
The new recycling hierarchy expands the 3R’s (Reduce, recovery centre
Reuse, Recycle) to 5R’s. The 5R’s stand for refuse, reduce,  Make memo pads out of waste paper
reuse, repurpose, and recycle. The 5R’s function as  Re-use envelopes and purchase reuse labels.
guidelines for a less wasteful, more sustainable life.  Share gently used clothing and toys your children have
According to the 5 R's, four actions should be taken, if outgrown with friends and family
possible, prior to 'recycling': refuse, reduce, reuse,  Consider reusing binders, manila folders, and mailing
repurpose, and then recycle. [14] Incorporating this envelopes
methodology into household or business' waste reduction
and recycling efforts will minimize landfill waste and help Repurpose: is the fourth step of the 5R process. The idea of
take the recycling program to the next level. repurposing involves taking items that were meant for one
purpose but can be used for other ones. This is also known
How To Implement The 5r’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, as upcycling in the green or environmental circle. It often
Repurpose, & Recycle requires thinking outside the box. It is important to note that
The Five R’s refer to the guiding principles for reducing the repurpose come before recycling, and this means that

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European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience [Link]

whenever possible, we should see if items can be management comprises of practices and activities required
repurposed. Following are a few ways of repurposing: to handle waste from its origin to the final disposal. As we
 Use old glass jars to store dried food items know, solid waste management is a critical aspect of
 Donate clothing, toys, household items, etc. to thrift ecological hygiene; it must be included in environmental
stores protection programs. Organizations should conduct
 Decorate old glass jars and reuse it as a flower pot awareness programs to spread the word regarding the
 Reuse the eggshells as planters importance of waste management and their end impact
 Recycle old cloth into an attractive bag towards the climate. The zero waste hierarchy refers to the
5R’s which classifies waste management strategies
Recycle: The final step in the 5R process is recycle. according to their desirability in terms of waste
Recycling is a form of waste management that involves minimization. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract
converting waste and other used materials into reusable the maximum practical benefits from products and to
products. Recycling has a plethora of advantages to humans generate the minimum amount of end waste. As citizens of a
and environments. [15] Recycling helps to reduce energy society we have a responsibility to manage our waste
usage, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, sustainably. We can do this following the 5R’s of waste
reduce air pollution and water pollution (from landfilling) management: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle.
by reducing the need for “conventional” waste Now you know what the 5 R’s are, you can make better
disposal and also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The choices. Remember that they go in order. Refusing and
main products that can be recycled are paper, cardboard, reducing means you’re bringing less into your home.
glass, aluminium, tin and plastic containers. Reusing means you’re keeping new things from being made
Composting and worm farms are methods of recycling and old things from being wasted. Practice the first three R’s
organic waste. Recycling of organic matter leads to the and you’ll automatically have less stuff to recycle and rot.
generation of valuable compost, which serves as plant Last but not the least, awareness is the very first step to
fertilizer. manage the solid waste in order to ensure ecological best
After one has made quality efforts to go through all the practices.
previous steps from the five R’s, recycling is a great final
option. Following are a few good examples of recycling: References
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European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience [Link]

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