Reduce- Reuse- Recycle

I was in college when Earth Day made it's big comeback. Maybe not big enough, but we're getting there (well maybe not.) The 3 word phrase reduce- reuse- recycle gets thrown around a lot more now. But so often folks don't realize, there is an order to which it goes.
First you want to REDUCE your consumption. Cut back. Buy less. Take your own beverage in a cup. Drive less. Wear the same clothes.
Then if you have to buy it, or you already bought it, then REUSE it as many times as possible. I was reusing the bread wire ties to tie up my beans today. I packed the kids lunch in the bag the bread came in. Of course this lends itself to the many appliances that are being repaired instead of tossed. A friend of mine said he fixed his own refrigerator 3 times- I was impressed.
Lastly, if you have to toss it, RECYCLE. Cutler Bay's new recycling program added many more plastics that can be recycled than before. Good for them. Of course my favorite recycling these days is composting. Recycling food waste back into dirt. Amazing.