Each year, on the 22nd of April, the world celebrates Earth Day. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and is especially unique due to the current COVID-19 pandemic the world is facing together.

People from all over the globe have been asked to take Earth Day online. There are three different ways to join in as Earth Day goes digital this year – watching Earth Day live, taking 24 hours of action, or joining the global digital surge. We’ve also highlighted ways in which you can reduce, reuse, and recycle and take care of our planet from home, both during the COVID-19 quarantine time and when things return back to normal again.

How you can reduce, reuse, and recycle at home and the office:

It may seem daunting to begin recycling if you have never done so before, but once you start it gets easier and becomes a way of life. Here are some tips on where to start and what you can do to decrease the negative impact humans are having on our world. There couldn’t be a better time to start!

Create a recycling station

Start by creating a recycle station, this will make sorting your waste much easier. Make sure you have a bin for plastic, paper and metal. Design labels for each bin or have a different coloured bin for the different materials. You’re allowed to get as creative as you’d like. Before tossing away any kind of container be sure to give it a rinse before you bin it.

Buy recycled paper and print on both sides

Printing on both sides of the sheet of paper is an easy way to reduce the amount of paper you use every day. Another way of using less paper is to avoid printing emails. Through recycling one ton of paper you can save 17 trees!

Image by Relish

Composting

Invest in a little countertop composter.They are equipped with a filter to ensure that no unpleasant odours escape. When you buy fruit or vegetables you pay for the whole thing, so why not use all of it? You can use your kitchen scraps and provide great nutrients to your garden, so go on and start compositing.

Build an EcoBrick

An EcoBrick is built from 2lt bottles filled with non-biodegradable waste, such as single-use plastic bags, laminated paper, and plastic straws. A good idea is to keep the bottles close to your bin, fill them up until you cannot squeeze the bottle. You can use the back of a wooden spoon to push down all the plastics and get even more into each bottle.

This concept was first used in early 2000 in Guatemala, by a passionate eco-warrior, Susana Heisse. These bricks have gained traction and are used all around the world to build boundary walls, benches for parks and gardens, and even schools in rural communities like HUSK bottle school in Cambodia.

Do some research to find out where your nearest EcoBrick drop-off point is.