Garbage In, Garbage Out

IMPORTANT TERMS

 

Landfill: - A large area used for the disposal of waste.

Composting: - Recycling of organic wastes by burying them in compost pits.

Vermicomposting: - A type of composting done with the help of an earthworm called red worms.

Compost: - Decayed organic material used as fertilizer for growing plants.

Decomposers: - Organisms which convert organic substances to compost.

Recycling: - The process by which waste materials such as plastic are used to make new products.

 

CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES

Waste, rubbish, trash, garbage or junk, depending on the type of material, is an unwanted or undesired material or substance.

Garbage is classified into two types of materials - biodegradable and non-biodegradable.

Biodegradable Waste

• Biodegradable wastes are naturally broken down into simple materials by small living organisms such as bacteria and fungi that are present in the soil and are known as decomposers.
• Biodegradable wastes are derived from living matter.
• The waste from kitchen is usually biodegradable, such as vegetable and fruit peels, leftover food etc. Paper, dried leaves, dead plants and animals are other examples of biodegradable wastes.

Non-biodegradable Waste

• Non-biodegradable waste is a material that cannot be broken down or decomposed into the soil by the action of decomposers.
• Non-biodegradable waste takes very long time to decompose.
• Plastic containers, plastic bags, broken glassware are examples of non-biodegradable wastes. Some of them can be recycled to produce new things.

 

MANAGEMENT OF BIODEGRADABLE WASTES

Composting

Biodegradable wastes such as dried leaves, vegetable and fruit peels, are buried in a pit deep under the soil. The bacteria and fungi present under the soil break down the waste by feeding upon them and convert them into a dark component called compost. The compost thus obtained can be used as a fertiliser and the nutrients present in the waste are restored back to the soil.

Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is a kind of composting which is done with the help of an earthworm called red worms. These worms act on the waste and degrade then into manure. Vermicompost can be made in 3-4 weeks.

Landfills

Landfill is a low lying open area where the garbage collected from the town is dumped. The non-useful component is segregated from the waste and then buried and covered with a layer of soil. After a landfill is full, it can be developed into a park. Garbage buried inside a landfill decomposes very slowly.

 

MANAGEMENT OF NON-BIODEGRADABLE WASTES

Disposal of non-biodegradable wastes is a big concern as it cannot be decomposed. One of the ways to ways to manage non-biodegradable waste is to practice the concept of 3Rs-

Reuse - When we use things for more than one purpose, we reuse them. Waste can be minimised by reusing things instead of throwing them away.

Recycle - Many things that we use each day, such as paper, can be recycled. They are put through a process that makes it possible to create new materials out of old ones.

Reduce - We can reduce the amount of waste generated by throwing away less. For e.g. We can reduce the use of plastic by using cloth or paper bag instead of a plastic bag for shopping.

 

RECYCLING OF PLASTICS

Excessive use of plastic is a major concern, as it is a non-biodegradable item that cannot be broken down into simpler, harmless substance in nature. This type of material poses a threat to the surroundings since they maintain their form even after many years and do not decay very easily. Lack of proper disposal has made them a threat to the environment.

Burning of plastic bags releases toxic gases in the environment which can cause air pollution.

Plastic bags when thrown carelessly on the streets choke the drains.

All plastic items cannot be recycled. Some kind of plastics can be recycled but not all of them.

The use of plastic bags is banned in some states in India because of its adverse effects on the environment.

 

WAYS TO REDUCE GARBAGE

• Minimise the use of plastic bags. One should use reusable bags such as cloth bag or paper bag as far as possible.
• Recyclable waste should be given to the waste dealer for recycling.
• Kitchen waste can be used for making compost.
• Reuse things whenever possible.

 

SEGREGATION OF WASTE

Green Bins – They are used to store bio-degradable waste.

Blue Bins – They are used to store non bio-degradable waste.

 

INTERESTING FACTS

• The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year.
• Powerful magnets are used at landfills and recycling centres to sort out metal objects.

• Glass never wears out and can be recycled over and over.
• Plastics have numbers on the bottom of them to help recyclers identify which type of plastic the item is made of.
• In the Pacific Ocean, several huge collections of garbage lie suspended in the water.
• Making recycled paper instead of new paper uses 64 percent less energy and uses 58 percent less water.
• We throw around 50 million tonnes of electrical waste globally every year. 
• Glass takes over 1,000,000 (one million) years to decompose in a landfill.
• If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year.
• Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year.