Do you fill glass 'full' as in picture-1 or fill 'half' as in picture-2 while drinking water?
Some fill it 'half' as in-2 in spite of their need being of 'full' glass. Is it a good practice?
Those who may argue this practice as leading to 'wasted efforts' of having to 'fill it again' may not be wrong. But having filled 'full' glass, 'what-if' suddenly their need changes to 'half' glass for whatever reason?
What do they do in case of such sudden reduction in 'demand' (as in corporate language)? In corporate world the surplus goes in inventory. In case of water above, some consciously 'empty' it over a sapling. Others put it down the drain into waste.
How many times do such situations result into 'wasted water'?
What would you choose between the situation of 'wasted efforts' and one of 'wasted water'? Don't forget to justify¹ the 'why-you-chose-what' to your ownself. Do you know that Flat residents (that are 40%), Chawls (10%) & Slums (50%) in Mumbai must shed water consumption down from 50-200 lit/capita/day (lcd) to 50! Else soon they won't have a single drop to drink although may have infinite sea-water around it to see!!!
Similar is the case with 'waste' in every other material including wasted food in plate, if any, that goes into garbage bin.
Do you know that Mumbai generates waste of 450 gcd (grams/capita/day)? It will grow to 600 gcd by year 2020!
What is the solution?
While establishing ²Kaizen-culture to find innovative solutions on a mission to achieve Zero-Waste, we use a Kaizen-technique called ²MISER in order to trigger creativity by asking MISER-questions: Merge, Improvise, Simplify, Eliminate and Reduce.
Can you do MISER in order to eliminate waste and eliminate NVAs so that work becomes Leaner, Easier, Better, Faster but at the same time needing Lesser efforts-n-resources?
In order to preempt use of Merge, Improvise, Simplify and Reduce, MISER technique begins with considering 'elimination' of a resource or a process or an activity.
Eliminate:
Can you eliminate need of a bowl and a bearer's activity by getting a dish self-served directly in the plate? Eliminated bowl reduces consumption of water and wastage of related resources.
Merge:
Can you merge two activities that can be performed by using a single resource? One may use same spoon to consume vegetable as well as dessert.
Improvise:
Can you rearrange placement of buffet food items in such a way that serving becomes easier thereby avoiding wastage due to extra activities to fetch it, spillage due to difficulties in fetching it, if any?
Simplify:
Can you simplify the menu? Now a days hosts boast of a wider variety of menu numbering over a couple of dozen items with funkier names that confuse guests. They forget that too much choice spoils and promotes waste.
Can you reduce consumption of resources by 3R-technique?
Can you reduce size of water glass for instance to half as in picture-3? This will reduce consumption of water mistake-proofingly: The Pokayoke practice as called in Kaizen. This also promotes a component of JIT (Just-In-Time) lean-practice of consuming 'just' the amount needed.
Reuse: Whereall can you 'reuse' instead of 'use-n-throw' practice that generates waste and disposal concerns? After washing clothes, water can be reused for flushing toilets or mopping floor.
Recover: Can you recover whatever possible from a thing before discarding it as garbage and put it for some other use?
Recycle: Can you recycle it? According to the Environment Defense Fund, recycling glass instead of making it from silica sand reduces mining waste by 70%, water use by 50%, and air pollution by 20%.
So What?
"What's new in this blogpost? I have been doing such things! Recycling glass however is not in my hands!!"
If this thought has passed your mind then do force yourself to answer following question:
"Couldn't I have mined at least a couple of more opportunities within self-control to reduce any-waste in any kind of resources in last 24 hours"?: Some saving in water, electricity, fuel, paper, some wasteful activity for self-&/or-others? Nothing at all in spite of these tips?
If 'NOTHING' then let's be assured, "Nothing at all" is going to be left on this planet!
Footnote-1: No doubt in some situations 'wasted efforts' may outweigh 'wasted water' but generally I prefer the former. The reason is, I can always produce 'efforts' whereas at least as of now no one has succeeded in 'manufacturing water'. Water is a God's creation that needs to be conserved by human efforts!
Footnote-2: Concept from books by Shyam Talawadekar 1) 'World-Of-Kaizen: A Total Quality Culture For Survival and 2) TPM-in-10-days: For Reliable and Just-In-Time Value delivery to Customer.
