What to do before you even buy a product

Learn how to ‘pre-cycle’

The 3 R’s ‘Reduce’, ‘Reuse’ and ‘Recycle’ are popular terms. But have you heard of ‘Pre-cycling’?

Pre-cycling is when you consider a product’s recyclability and contribution to waste even before buying it. You might say “yeah! I already do that.” Wonderful! Spread the word, and let people know that they can make real changes, pre-purchase.

Some say that pre-cycling is even better than recycling since many recyclable materials are not actually recycled due to contamination. So, by pre-cycling every product we buy, we can avoid waste from entering our homes and workplaces.

Train your mind to consider the three Rs before you purchase

Pre-cycling is all about training our mind to think in a sustainable way before we’ve even purchased the product. Don’t leave it until afterwards. Pre-cycling asks us to plan ahead and make changes in the way we shop, with a little forward-thinking.

It makes sense – don’t wait until you’re hovering over the bin

To be honest, this should be how we think about any product we’re about to purchase. Don’t wait until you’re ready to throw something out to finally think about your recycling, reusing or repurposing options.

Here are a few ideas to get the pre-cycling juices flowing. Do these up-front:

• Consider buying flour, sugar and other staples in bulk to save extra packaging. You’ll still recycle packaging after use, but pre-cycle by choosing to create less waste in the first place.
• Think of all the ways to use vegetable skins and fruit peels – look into DIY natural skin health options so that next time you buy your fruit and veg, you know you’ll be using the whole lot without wastage.
• Instead of receiving mail and then throwing it in the recycle bin, a pre-cycling option is to simply not receive it in the first place! Junk mail can be stopped and real mail can often be switched to email (but it’s also important to consider your digital carbon footprint).
• Search or browse SustainabilityTracker.com to learn about the social and environmental progress of brands before you buy from them.

Over to you

What does pre-cycling mean to you? It’s particularly helpful when the 3 Rs (recycle, reuse, re-purpose) don’t work out – perhaps due to contamination or ineffective waste management. When it comes to reducing waste, pre-cycling is a useful concept – and all it requires is a little forward-thinking.

The world of sustainability is always changing. The information we’ve provided is based on what was current when we published it. So, please make sure to check the latest standards and guidelines.