The average person throws away their own body weight in waste every 5 weeks. Most of it could have been avoided. The 3R hierarchy — reduce first, reuse next, recycle last — is the gold standard.
Reduce starts at the shop. Refuse single-use plastics, choose loose produce, carry a reusable bottle and bag. Every plastic bottle skipped saves about 80 g of CO₂.
Reuse is the forgotten R. Repair clothes and electronics, donate or sell what you don't need, and buy second-hand first.
Recycle properly: rinse containers, sort by your local rules, never bag recyclables. Composting food scraps cuts methane emissions from landfill by up to 90%.