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Tag Archive: Reuse Reduce Recycle

  1. The Three R’s… Reduce Reuse Recycle

    The three R’s… We all know them… REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

    This little jingle got its start sometime in the raging 70’s (wasn’t born then so I’m not speaking from experience). Many credit U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin for kickstarting this environmental movement that eventually birthed the EPA and subsequently the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976.

    As the hangover from the 70’s wore off, America has been increasingly more conscious about what it’s using and how much it’s using. So much so, that those of us lucky enough to find ourselves in the People’s Republic of California have been relegated to paper straws that disintegrate as you use them! Given that there’s still an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic thrown into the ocean on any given year, I think a normal person would agree that the three R’s are important to practice.But…

    What if there’s an even better way…

    Let me introduce the SIX R’s… REDUCE, REUSE, REUSE, REUSE, REUSE, RECYCLE.

    My Grandpa used to tell me, ‘if three is good, six is better…’

    The three R's REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

    Now, I know what you’re thinking… I’m mocking our local turtles for having straw issues… BUT, that’s not the case! At Kiva Container we have worked hard for the last 30+ years to create durable, functional, bespoke plastic packaging that absolutely can be and should be reused not once, not twice, but over and over again! Heck, we’ve got customers that are using the same product handling bins from nearly 20 years ago, you want to talk about multiple R’s! Much to the detriment of our bottom line, they’re not looking at replacing them anytime soon!

    There are many ways to be conscious about your footprint on the earth, some people point to electric cars, some people point to metal or glass containers, some even point to wind and solar. We think one huge way is to buy quality products and use, reuse, reuse and reuse them. Don’t buy a new cheap trendy briefcase every two to three years, buy a quality, timeless one once, and be done. Same thing with shoes, wallets, cars, and jeans. Same can be said for material handling totes, bins, and packaging. And for that which you can’t reuse, make it out of something easy to recycle like PET, HDPE or PP. Or even better, make it out of RPET which has already been recycled at least once!! That way you’re still in the reuse stage!

    Give us a call and let us help you design packaging that is reusable, returnable and ultimately sustainable. Because in the end with that kind of goal, we all win!