Managing Resources — One Reuse Cup At A Time

I have just returned to Australia after 15 years in Thailand and Malaysia. Eight years were spent working in the circular economy (the previous 7 years were spent working in food regulation and related laws covering 24 Asian countries). My real passion and commitment is in the development of a secondary raw materials industry, so I have to confess the rest of the Circular Rs were not high on my agenda.

The real barrier lies in the myth that product-life extension is a function of the circular economy and so all we need to do is buy more second-hand or repurpose obsolete products into more appealing items. We have been reusing, repairing and repurposing since time began and still our unabated extraction of primary raw materials has continued.

There is no doubt that product-life extension reduces the pressure on extracting more primary raw materials, to a certain point, and only if we reuse an item for a significant number of times. Furthermore, we have not created the infrastructure to promote responsible disposal habits to support and value end-of-use-cycle materials.

During my first week of being back in Australia, I was sitting in the foyer of a building waiting for the time to pass for a morning meeting. As I was quite early, I had the opportunity to witness many employees arriving at work and, I have to state most of the staff were all carrying a hot drink in a disposable cup. According to www.rentechdigital.com there are 1260 cafes in Perth so you would think a well-functioning reuse system could be implemented within the Perth CBD.

This week’s Video Of The Week comes from Upstream, a leading change agency for the reuse movement in the US and Canada. They spark innovative solutions and forge strategic alliances to help people, businesses and communities shift from single-use to reuse. One of their initiatives is The Reusies, an annual event which champions the heroes making reuse a reality for people across the US and Canada by uplifting their stories and providing them with meaningful support.

It is an awards show and so much more: a platform to highlight solutions, an inspirational spark to encourage innovation and collaboration, and a resource to help the reuse movement grow. I first heard about The Reusies in 2021 when Upstream began promoting it. It has huge international potential and I look forward to the day when other countries apply to host the event.

The Video Of The Week takes us through the journey travelled by Upstream from their desire to reduce plastic consumption to single-use to, finally, settling on the reuse of cups and take-away food containers as a way to combat waste. All well and good but we are still not bringing to consumer’s attention the critical issue of resource scarcity.

It is here that the reuse movement needs to focus on. The level of awareness from consumers around climate change and sustainability is growing each day. Now we need to extend it to include resource scarcity. We want consumers to make choices based on materials, recycled content and responsible disposal habits that maintain the integrity of end-of-use-cycle products so that the materials can feed into a secondary raw materials industry.

The Circular Rs represent only half of the circular economy. The other half comes when all products can be returned into a process of repair, refurbishment, remanufacture, repurpose and reprocessing. Do not be fooled into believing that buying second-hand is the circular economy or an environmentally sound decision. It is only when you fully grasp the value and meaning of the cycle will you be able to participate in it.

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Ms Adrienna Zsakay is the Founder and CEO of Circular Economy Asia Inc, and this article represents her opinions on the circular economy. Circular Economy Video of the Week is brought to you by Circular World™ Media — a brand owned by Circular Economy Asia Inc.

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References

‘How to shop for the best reusable coffee cup’ by Rachel Clemons and Peter Zaluzny, published in Choice Magazine, last updated 13 May 2024.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.