Articles

Think Green, Think Waste Management

by Erich Lawson Sales Representative
Waste management is a trending topic around the world as the urgency of saving the environment has sunk in with numerous natural catastrophes occurring and the obvious degradation of the environment with rising pollution, waste disposal problems, the dangers faced by wildlife, to name a few. As environmentalists take a stand to fight for a better planet, the impetus for taking any concrete action lies with the general public. Inculcating green practices in every aspect of our daily lives will help in adding up for some real concrete efforts at a mass level to curb the rising quantity of waste that gets generated and its adverse effects on the environment.

Turning Waste into Energy

Most of the wet waste that is generated at our houses can be converted into energy by composting. On an average, a person generates at least 4.5 pounds of waste every day, which can be reused for the generation of renewable energy. For instance, 145 million tons of municipal solid waste can be reused to produce 75 billion kilowatt hours of energy, which is adequate to power 650,000 homes every day. This form of energy production has less environmental impact than almost any other source of energy.

Recycling

Recycling is a process used to change waste into new, reusable products to prevent the wastage of useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, cut down on energy usage and, finally, curb the resultant pollution of various forms. Some materials that can be easily and profitably recycled include aluminium, cardboards, paper of certain materials, and some reusable materials from automobiles, plastic, electronic items etc. 

How We Recycle?

The recycling treatment for materials differ as per the nature of the material. For instance, paper is made into pulp to create recycled paper, while aluminum is melted into a huge mass and reused as foil for cans and other uses it can be put to. Some form of recycling can be done at home as well, such as making a compost pit for all the wet waste from the house, including leftover food, beverages, vegetable and fruit peels etc. to create compost, which can be used or even sold as natural fertilizer for plants. 

The first step of recycling begins with segregating waste into dry waste and wet waste. The dry waste can be further broken into plastics, glasses, metal, and electronic items. However, the segregation of dry waste will be done by the waste collectors. You simply have to ensure that you segregate the dry and wet waste and put them up for collection accordingly. 

Benefits of Recycling

Apart from the fact that recycling is good for the environment, it is also economically viable since reusing the waste product means we do not have to buy more substitutes and, secondly, some of the recyclable items can be sold to recycling agents at a price, generating a source of income. Also, often with a little bit of creativity and fine tuning, waste can be made into something beautiful and useful. For instance, recycled paper can be made at home to create beautiful paper mache products such as greeting cards, envelopes, paper, notebooks etc., which look aesthetically pleasing too. 

With rampant consumerism, it is hard to curb wastage; however, something can be done about how we treat waste to save resources.


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About Erich Lawson Junior   Sales Representative

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Joined APSense since, August 27th, 2013, From Pleasanton, United States.

Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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