A pair of cupped hands holding a small mound of soil with a young green plant sprouting from it.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce: Use less

To reduce simply means to do more with less. It’s a good idea to keep this minimalist approach in mind whenever using materials that impact human health and the environment.

Reuse: Make used or discarded things new again

Reuse is one of the most effective strategies for offsetting the environmental and human health impacts of material or products. When you reuse reclaimed brick, for example, you do not need to mine the raw material or fire it in a kiln. If it is already on site, you don’t need to expel greenhouse gases in transporting it. Nor do you need to send the old brick to a landfill. Reclaimed materials can provide design details and a historic perspective that make the landscape unique, and they are likely to save money.

When shopping for reclaimed materials, homeowners now have a variety of options. Research local resources for reclaimed materials and develop a list of vendors in your area. Common suppliers include recycling centers, salvage stores, Habitat for Humanity and websites like freecycle.org or craigslist.

A pair of cupped hands holding a small mound of soil with a young green plant sprouting from it.

A few tips for getting started:

  • Consider the many options. Reclaimed materials can be used in whole form or deconstructed and dismantled for reuse as a completely new object.
  • Be creative. Homeowners should be open to new and creative ways in which materials may be incorporated into the landscape. When reusing materials it is often helpful to let the material inspire the design.
  • Locate materials early in the design process. Determining what materials are available for reuse early in the design process will allow time for creativity and design exploration.
  • Select materials that can be reused. When designing new site features, select durable and nontoxic materials in modular and or standard sizes.
  • Design for deconstruction. Design site features to be disassembled without unreasonable effort or extensive damage to the material. For example, use screws instead of nails and avoid the use of glues or other liquid adhesives.

Recycle: Use recycled materials and recycle what you use

Materials that are collected, reprocessed and used again to make a new product are known as recycled materials. Recycled materials lessen the need for virgin feedstock and avoid sending useful materials to the landfill; however, significant energy and other resources are often required during the recycling process. Because of this, recycled materials should be considered after options to reduce or reuse materials have been fully explored.

Landscapes can support the use of recycled materials in two ways: by incorporating materials made with recycled content — typically the higher the recycled content the better — and by purchasing materials that can be easily recycled in your area.

A close-up of a blue recycling bin featuring the white recycling symbol on its side. The bin appears scratched and slightly worn.

Post-consumer vs. pre-consumer content:

Materials can contain either post-consumer or pre-consumer recycled content. Of the two, post-consumer items are preferred because they are made from materials that were once consumer items and have now been diverted from a landfill. Pre-consumer content typically comes from the manufacturing process and can often be broken down and remade into similar or different materials.

What materials can be recycled locally? Where are the recycling centers?

Unfortunately, all materials cannot be recycled in all areas. Knowing the materials accepted by local recycling centers can help homeowners make more informed decisions. Research local recycling centers and compile a list of what centers accept what types of materials.

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