Waste

Did you know that plastic doesn’t go away for four hundred and fifty years! That is why there is so much plastic polluting the earth and the water. Waste comes in all different form including, solid, liquid, and gas. They all cause serious environmental issues.

Where does it come from?

Waste is created by all lifeforms. Unfortunately the amount or humans there are and our modern industrial ways we create the most pollution. We have created to much waste for the environment to even cope with.

Hazardous waste:

Toxic chemicals and hazardous waste come from industry, agriculture, home, and the environment. The three major types of hazardous waste are: biological, chemical, and radioactive. Biological waste is made up of organic molecules. This specific type of waste can be infections or otherwise hazardous to the health of humans and other organisms. However biological waste does not release greenhouse gases. Chemical wastes are inorganic. Most of the time they are manmade but sometimes are naturally occurring. There are a lot of sources of hazardous chemical waste including batteries, construction debris, natural gas, fossil fuel combustion, industrial waste, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, medical facilities, crude and used oil. Radioactive waste is from nuclear reactors, fuel processing plants, and institutions such as hospitals and research facilities.

Non-hazardous waste:

When solid waste does not pose a threat to the environment or human health.

“WE MADE PLASTIC. WE DEPEND ON IT. NOW WE’RE DROWNING IN IT”

-National Geographic

Landfills:

Before government regulations were put in place for landfills, anything could be buried under the ground at a landfill, some of which are polluting the earth as we speak by releasing toxic chemicals or other hazardous materials into the ground. As the buried trash decomposes it releases methane which pollutes the air and causes even more pollution. When it rains the rain will rain over on top of the landfill and the water will get contaminated. Water will rinse through the chemicals in all of the trash and collect all of the harmful chemicals. This can result in bad contamination of the local groundwater. It sometimes gets so bad that if the contaminated water gets into bodies of water it may harm or even kill the aquatic life.

Land pollution:

Land pollution is the degradation of the Earth’s surface. There are two main causes, one of them is a giant pile of waste also known as a landfill. Land pollution is primarily caused by the improper disposal of waste and the misuse of resources. Because of land pollution, the earth is likely to lose natural habitats or animals.

Some examples of land pollution are:

• Litter on every corner or the side of the road
• Oil Spills
• Illegal dumping in natural habitats
• Debris or damage caused by unsustainable logging practices
• Pesticides and other farming chemicals
• Nuclear accidents or radiation spills

How to reduce waste:

RECYCLE

In most places, there are many recycling bins that are easy to find. When at home try to use as many recyclable containers as possible and make sure to recycle if you are able to! Te recycles bin is usually blue or green but almost always next to the trash can.

DITCH PLASTIC BAGS

One of the easiest ways to reduce waste is to use reusable bags instead of plastic bags while shopping. When you go to the grocery store think about bringing a reusable bag and not relying on the store for plastic bags that are not recyclable. Keeping a bunch of extra bags in the trunk of your car is always a good idea because if you ever forget to bring bags they will be in the trunk of your car.

START RELYING ON REUSABLE CONTAINERS

A good idea for not only keeping food fresh and making it last longer is to buy quality containers that are reusable. You can put things like baking ingredients, cereals, and much more. Another good idea is to buy more food from the farmers market that doesn’t come in an unclosed plastic package.

LEARN TO REPAIR RATHER THAN DISCARD

When an item breaks at your house do you throw it away or do you repair it? The smart thing to do is to repair it. The next time something breaks or a button falls off your shirt think twice and remember to always help the planet.

CANCEL UNNECESSARY MAIL

Do you ever just receive the most random unneeded mail? If you are like most people and do receive unnecessary mail then you should stop what you are doing and cancel the mail. This will help reduce waste because when we usually get junk mail we toss it in the garbage but if we don’t have it anymore then we won’t have to throw it away.

STOP USING DISPOSABLE PLATES

Many people use paper plates because it is much easier and you don’t have to wash as many dishes. This can easily be fixed by just using reusable plates. This is a really easy way to reduce waste and help the earth.

SOURCES:

https://econation.co.nz/waste-and-pollution/

https://sciencing.com/effects-landfills-environment-8662463.html

https://waste4change.com/5-kinds-of-environmental-pollution-caused-by-waste/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reduce-home-waste_n_57912d0be4b0fc06ec5c4b56