Ways to Dispose of Waste without Harming the Environment

Some of us may not know much about garbage aside from the fact that you occasionally set it outside once a week. However, what many really don’t know is that garbage is slowly becoming one of the most important industries in the world.

The main reason for that is because the garbage industry is not actually a crowded market meaning that there is a small number of companies that do offer a good recycling system. And recycling is the only way towards a zero-waste future.

An employee of the local waste disposal company called O’Connor’s Waste Removal told us that a “zero-waste future” could become a reality. However, we don’t only need more good waste disposal companies, but a bigger and more effective recycling industry and a better education.

Do you think that the people in the recycling industry have time to separate rubbish and sort everything? You better do that yourself, otherwise, everything goes into flames and whatever remains gets used.

You should try making the best possible recycling system for your household and change some of your daily habits to have less of an impact on the environment. And why do we need a good waste disposal system? Well, to control the pollution, conserve our natural resources, control spread of diseases, and to recycle everything we can for further use.

How to dispose of the waste without harming the environment? There are basically 4 ways to do this (at least).

Recycling

The first and most obvious way is recycling. However, you need to get the right containers for every type of waste that you will be recycling: plastic, paper, glass, metal, batteries and light bulbs, electronics, compost, etc.

Around 75% of all the waste is recyclable, however, the uptake is very low. This is because people usually have no idea about which materials can be recycled and how to properly recycle those materials.

Composting

Composting turns your food waste into fuel for your garden and it can suit gardens of any kind. Even if you are not good at gardening you should know that composting is always good for plants and gardens. And if you don’t have a garden or a plant somewhere nearby, you can donate that compost to a public garden. This will help the garden and limit your carbon footprint.

Composting is not expensive. You would want to fill one small container with materials that are high in nitrogen and materials that are high in carbon.

Green and soft are nitrogen-rich, and dry and brown are carbon-rich materials.

Nitrogen-rich material usually comes from vegetables and carbon-rich from woody materials. You should keep the carbon-rich materials at the bottom so it could help aerate your compost.

Keep adding those materials until you fill your container. It will heat up and you should give it a week or two to cool down. After that, you should mix it using a pitchfork and shred as much as you can. The smaller the pieces are, the smaller the scraps the shorter decomposition time you get.

Reusing

You can save shopping for bags or buy one cloth bag and use it for life if you want. Similarly, you can reuse fizzy drink bottles for water on some hot days rather than throwing them away. You can do the same thing with wood, metal and glass.

Anaerobic Digestion

This is a natural process where plant and animal materials (in other words, biomass) are broken down by micro-organisms in the absence of air. This biomass releases a methane-rich gas that can be used as a renewable heat source and for power. The remaining material is rich in nutrients and can be used as a fertiliser.

Change your habits:

• You should use cloth bags instead of plastic bags. This will reduce the amount of waste you bring into your home. It doesn’t matter where you are doing your shopping, you can always bring your own cloth bags instead of using those plastic bags. This is not limited to grocery shopping. You can bring your cloth bags when you go shopping for clothes, tools, or whatever else you need.
• Buy food with minimal packaging – Avoid buying food that comes in boxes wrapped in plastic.
• Buy from farmer’s markets.
• Reduce your paper usage.
• Make your own cleaners and detergents because many of the containers used for cleaners and detergents aren’t really recyclable. You can make your own laundry detergents, glass cleaners, bathroom cleaners, kitchen cleaners, hand soaps, and shampoos and end up creating a chemical-free environment for you and your kids.
• Don’t ever mix hazardous waste or throw it away together with general waste (paints, paint cans, bulbs, tires, etc.).

We are all trying to save this planet this way or the other. However, as much as we would like to help our planet, and we are making the difference, there are still around 150 metric tons of plastics circulating in our oceans as you are reading this article. Humans are adding another 8 million metric tons of plastic each year.

There are many ways to be eco-friendly, and it’s is now easier than ever before. The only thing you can do is to make sure you put as much of your recyclable waste in the appropriate canisters at home and to, at least try, encouraging other people to do that too.

One person will make a difference, but we all have to change and become more environmentally conscious to create a sustainable, healthy environment.

REFERENCE: GREEN JOURNAL UK