The three are like peas in a pod: Reducing, reusing and recycling are all needed to keep the environment clean. But is one more important than the others?

Reducing the products consumed and later reused essentially leads to less recycling being needed. But recycling cannot be forgotten; it gives new life to an old product.

Reducing, reusing and recycling product waste is a personal choice and is not hard to follow, said Ken Reiman, director of Wood County Solid Waste.

One of the simplest ways to reduce and reuse is to think about what products a person really needs, said Reiman.

Most of the products recycled are packaged products, a lot of which are associated with food.

Fast food is a major cause of unnecessary waste, Reiman said.

Richard Mbatu, an environmental program professor, suggests eating in; not only does it cut down on waste, but it also saves money.

If people do choose to eat out, they can ask for just a couple of napkins instead of taking the whole heap that is usually handed out. Also, try to eat in to avoid paper bags.

Another way to cut consumption is to stop buying bottled drink products.

“I quit buying bottled water and started drinking out of glasses. This way I don’t have to worry about as much trash and get to save money,” said junior Craig Gibson.

Mbatu also stressed how important it is to reduce the use of natural resources and conserve energy and water.

Take a bath, turn the water off when brushing your teeth, turn off the lights and carpool as often as possible. These can all be easy lifestyles to adopt, Mbatu said. When reducing isn’t possible, people can opt to reuse materials.

“Paper is an easy product to recycle and reuse, but we don’t concentrate on using it,” Mbatu said.

People can also print on both sides of a sheet of paper and rent books from the libraries as opposed to buying them.

When it comes down to it though, recycling is also essential to helping sustain the environment.

Just like reducing and reusing products, recycling cuts down on waste.

“I always recycle; I mean, I never thought about what I could I do to cut back on that too, but I know that recycling is important for the environment,” said sophomore Kris Payne.

Instead of dumping large amounts of waste in landfills, Mbatu suggested separating the trash into recyclable piles, like cardboard, plastic and paper.

In some states, like Michigan, there are recycling incentives where you get a certain amount of money for each bottle or can.

The three R’s all help counteract global warming and help sustain natural resources, Mbatu said.

Mbatu said he feels that having more student programs would increase awareness about the need to reduce, reuse and recycle. It could also contribute to cultivating good ethics for protecting the environment.

“Remember, we are living on one planet,” Mbatu said.