Hello all. I have been really busy with personal and school stuff that past few months, and have not been able to find time to write my articles.

I wholeheartedly apologize for that, and will make up for it by posting my overdue articles tonight. I hope y?all find time to read these. :)

Proper waste disposal and management is essential in our modern times. Why, you may ask? Well, as humans continue to innovate and produce more and more things, more waste is

also produced as a byproduct of all these. Over time, improper waste management can be detrimental to the health of the planet that we live in, and may eventually hinder the same innovation

and advancement that we started.

How bad is this waste problem? Well, according to an article from The Guardian, the world?s population is now producing waste with the same weight as itself, every year! Not over 10 or 20 years,

but every year, our activities produce waste that are as heavy as us.

Many places in the world do not have proper disposal methods or techniques to limit the increase of this waste in the first place. This problem has a large scope, and can thus be addressed from multiple angles.

On the one hand, there is the city or nationwide implementation of measures

related to waste production (limiting), waste disposal, and waste management. However, there are microsteps that each and every one of us can take, no matter where we are, how old we are, or whatever our

status in life may be. These small steps can go a long way in saving our planet if more people

would know about it and practice it. So without further ado, here are some personal actions we can do to limit our own production of waste.

Second, the usage of edible utensils is another rising trend that should be applied by all. While plastic utensils, just like straws, are still the popular option because of their widespread use already,

and their convenience, edible spoons and forks have a large potential for being a way more sustainable choice

for humans all over the world. They not only reduce the waste produced and sent to the oceans of the globe, they also provide nutrition to those who eat them, as these utensils can be enriched with nutrients

to aid deficient diets.

Third is the usage of cloth tote/shopping bags in the place of plastic bags. While plastic bags are indeed durable (as are other plastic products), people still tend to quickly dispose off plastic bags because of their sheer number.

These plastic bags are not always biodegradable, and just build up in our oceans and landfills. Cloth bags, on the other hand, are just as durable (or even more durable and strong) than these plastic bags. They are also more eco-friendly because they don?t need to be changed as often as plastic bags, and they can also serve their purposes better than plastic bags do. By adopting cloth bag usage everywhere, plastic production

and waste will be eliminated effectively.

You might wonder why this article is somewhat generic. It isn?t specific to my region (Philippines) but I can tell you that if my countrymen would take the steps

that I have outlined here, my country could be a lot better. Being a marine country, with lots of bodies of water surrounding our islands, we have a diverse community of sea creatures surrounding us.

They have not been immune to the effects of excessive (mostly plastic) waste in the oceans, and have led to the deteriorating of our ecosystem here. If these steps would just be taken by more people, indeed, my country would be in a much better place.

Sources for this article:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/17/is-it-possible-to-live-without-plastic-readers-tips-for-for-tip-free-living

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/edible-cutlery-protect-environment-india/

https://pebblemag.com/magazine/living/5-eco-friendly-alternatives-to-plastic-straws