The circular economy is rethinking our production and consumption patterns to limit waste and thus optimize the use of our resources. The old economic model of extracting, producing, consuming, and disposing can no longer apply if we want to protect our planet. To effectively reduce its disastrous environmental consequences requires a change in the economy. Making the circular economy, therefore, means repairing, recycling, and reusing instead of throwing away, but also understanding the limits of natural resources.
Change of model on the fly
Becoming aware of the need for this economic change is imperative for the well-being of our environment. A circular economy, therefore, prevents waste by encouraging reuse, particularly through recycling. Plastic is not our enemy if we adopt new habits. . The circular economy is developing but is not yet the officiel model in place. We have an important role to play in making this transition possible.
Definition of the circular economy
The circular economy aims to produce in a sustainable way while limiting consumption and waste. This concept also introduces the creation of new jobs and the generation of new activities. In a circular economy, production and consumption are regulated in such a way that products can be reused, repaired, and recycled. Throwing and wasting are no longer trivial acts today and it is deplorable that they have been.
Transition and sectors of the circular economy
According to ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency), the circular economy encompasses many sectors of activity and can be understood through seven points. These seven points are complementary production and consumption logics.
· Sustainable supply:
take into account the environmental and social impacts of the resources used, in particular those associated with their extraction and exploitation.
· Eco design:
take into account environmental impacts over the entire life cycle of a product and integrate them from the design stage.
· Industrial and territorial ecology:
develop synergy and mutualize between several economic actors the flow of materials, energy, water, infrastructure, goods, or services in order to optimize the use of resources in a territory.
· Responsible consumption:
consider environmental and social impacts at all stages of the product life cycle in purchasing choices, whether the buyer is public or private.
· Extending the duration of use by re-use:
of products through repair, sale, or purchase of second-hand products and donation
· Recycling:
treatment and recovery of the materials contained in the collected waste.
· Functional economy
favor use over possession, sell a service rather than a good. “
Misconceptions about the circular economy
• The circular economy is considered fashionable because of its novelty. However, it already brings together many well-established activities in the regions. This concept of the circular economy must be motivating and mobilizing in order to rethink our modes of production and consumption.
• The circular economy is much more than just waste management. It must be integrated in a comprehensive and cross-cutting manner, both in public policies and in day-to-day activities.
How to participate?
Everyone, at his or her own level, can act and participate in this economy. We all can begin by understanding and integrating the circular economy into our systems of thought. Let us sweep away the preconceived ideas by discussing these environmental subjects with those around us.
We must be actors in the future of our planet. Recycling is one of the essential elements of this economy and it is within everyone’s reach! By consuming responsibly, we can buy recyclable items and products (glass, plastic, etc.). Collect them and bring them to the collection points provided for their recycling.
ZeLoop
Using the ZeLoop application will ensure you get involved and stay motivated in a fun way to participate in the collection and recycling of plastic bottles. Plastic waste is one of the challenging environmental problems of our planet. Our rivers, our seas, our oceans are the essence of our planet. To save them we must change our habits and become responsible for what we consume to the end.