The circular economy is a 2 way street...
Everything you take from it, has to go back into it
What makes circular products different is that they're designed to go back into it. Better yet they have a pre-determined place to go after they've been used. But...
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How does one keep their unneeded stuff in circulation?
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What do you do with stuff that wasn't designed to be part of a cycle?
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In the same way nature doesn't waste, every component of a circular economy will always be of use to something else in its environment.
Single stream recycling has been around for 40 years but still diverts only 34% of our waste stream. What's wrong with the "system"?
This guide is intended to help you find answers to both.
Step 1: Separate biological and technical materials
Biological materials are naturally occurring, organic materials provided by nature. Things like trees, water, animals and soil that we use to make things like food, clothing, shelter and more. They have been cycling through Earth's ecosytems for billions of years; and when they are not contaminated with technical nutrients - these systems will take care of the recycling process for us. Aka renewable resources
Technical materials are synthetic, like plastic and electronics - they were made by humans. They are crucial to our way of life, but their artificial composition means they cannot be broken down by nature or returned to a biological cycle. Technical nutrients need to be cycled through a tightly managed "techno-sphere" of synthetic materials that does not interfere with natural cycles.
When biological cycles stay uncontaminated, nature does the heavy lifting for us. With billions of years of practice under its belt, nature can breakdown and reuse everything that it creates. Skip to Composting
Human-made (technical) materials on the other hand do not share the convenience of letting nature take its course.
Instead we must rely on systems of Resale, Return, Repair and Recycling to prevent our materials from becoming waste...
Resell
When possible, reselling stuff you no longer need is the best option for you and for the planet. No time, energy, money or additional resources need to be spent to take something apart, put it back together and reprocess the materials that make it up. Lucky for us, today's ultra connected world is making it more possible every day.
Find the best place to sell the stuff you don't need.
With items made entirely from biological material; it's best to let nature do its thing.
Composting is the best way to facilitate the natural process.
In a nutshell...
Composting is the process of breaking down organic matter (like food scraps & biodegradable materials) into a nutrient rich soil through the natural process of decomposition. When natural material cycles remain uncontaminated - they can recycle everything that's made by nature infinitely!
Ways to Compost
What can I compost?
Alot of the stuff from our daily lives is compostable. Some things like food and yard waste are purely natural. Other things like packaging, paper products, clothing, diapers and more can be designed to go back to nature. Use this guide to figure out what’s compostable and what isn’t. (connect to a guide that best suits our bizness agenda)
Beware: Biodegradable vs Compostable
Biodegradable doesn’t necessarily mean compostable. Everything eventually “degrades”, composting is essentially a way of speeding up the process, but not everything is compostable. This video from Sustainable Jungle breaks down the difference.