When it comes to sustainability, even school kids know the “3Rs”: reduce, reuse and recycle. At least two of those concepts have rubbed off, it seems, in the hiring of state government officials.

It was confirmed Monday that Ford Fuchigami, who was Gov. David Ige’s principal adviser until recently, will rejoin the state Department of Transportation, which he’d previously helmed for about three years starting in 2014. He’s been hired as administrative services officer for DOT’s Airports Division, earning about $150,000 yearly.

That comes on the heels of two other recyclings of Cabinet-level officials. Ige had hoped to re-appoint Jobie Masagatani as director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and install Rod Becker as director of Budget and Finance — but both nominees, who needed Senate confirmation, ran into political headwinds. No worries, apparently: Masagatani has been hired as executive assistant to acting DHHL director William Aila, her former deputy; while Becker is now the Budget Department’s financial administration division chief.

Experience counts for much, certainly. But all this top-level personnel reuse perpetuates business as usual — and keeps out new blood and fresh ideas. And forget even tackling that third “R” against entrenched bureaucracy: reduce.