Four Rs

The Four Rs (rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle) will help you conserve renewable and nonrenewable resources and make less trash.
 

• Rethink – to stop and think about alternatives with less trash
• Reduce – to use less stuff, produce less trash
• Reuse – to use items more than once
• Recycle – to use resources or nutrients to make something else
   

Compost

A mixture of once living things (like grass and other plants) or food scraps (like egg shells or banana peels) that decay and is used as fertilizer. Once decayed, compost looks a lot like soil – many gardeners call it black gold!
 

Incinerator

A furnace or container for burning waste materials
 

Landfill

Also known as a dump, it is a site for trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is buried. It is the oldest form of waste management.
 

Nonrenewable Resources

Resources that can be depleted, such as coal, oil, and minerals. These resources exist in limited quantities. Once we have used them, they are gone.
 

Recycle

To use resources or nutrients to make something else.
 

Reduce

To use less stuff, produce less trash
 

Rethink

To stop and think about alternatives with less trash
 

Reuse

To use items more than once
 

Renewable Resources

Resources that can be replenished, such as trees and other plants. These resources are capable of being replaced by natural cycles or by humans.