Waste Management Blog: The Growing Concern
Waste is a material which is carelessly thrown away as it is no longer considered useful and it has served its purpose. Waste is a matter that occupies space, produces smell, and has weight. But we must not forget the use of animal waste to produce Bio Gas, bagasse being used to make paper (a substitute for paper making from wood) or being fermented to produce alcohol for energy source (a substitute for Coal and Petroleum).
Many scientists believe that if we do not learn to use our resources carefully and reduce waste, we will not be able to survive. There is a close connection between waste, pollution and the damage to the environment which is cause of many serious diseases. Hence there is an urgent need for management of waste. According to wikipedia.com waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste if not properly disposed of can lead to very serious and long lasting implications. Solid wastes are dumped (open dumping) outside the village and city or burnt. In both the cases the result is pollution, scenic beauty of the place is lost, foul smell due to decomposition of biodegradable substances and degradation of soil quality due to non-biodegradable substances.
Biomedical waste the most hazardous waste due to presence of pathogens is thrown at outskirt of the city. E-waste (electronic parts like batteries, computer parts, and unused mobile phones), effluents of industries (with loads of poisonous chemicals and hot water) and poisonous gases from industries, automobiles exhausts, etc. are the major threats to mankind. One of the easiest ways to manage waste is 3-R system- Reduction, Reuse and Recycle. Prevention is better than cure. So we should reduce our use of resources, we can reuse the materials for several times and we can also recover the materials from old articles by recycling.
The major activities under waste management programme are: 1 Waste prevention 2 Waste segregation (biodegradable and non-biodegradable) 3 Recycling 4 Combustion 5 Sanitary landfill 6 Treatment of effluent before discharge 7 Treatment of gaseous waste from chimneys and furnaces from industries. The role of every individual in waste management is of great importance. It is because if every individual contributes substantially the effect will be visible not only at the community, city, state, national level but also at the global level.
Applications: 1 Using carry bags made of paper or cloth instead of polythene 2 Using eco-friendly products e.g. CNG in place of petrol and diesel 3 Using CFC free refrigerator 4 Saving electricity because electricity saved is electricity generated 5 Using rechargeable batteries to reduce metal waste generation 6 Planting more trees to reduce carbon dioxide in atmosphere 7 Having two bins for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. “Waste is misplaced wealth”. So we should not “Waste.” Reduce Reuse Recycle. Save the planet. Keep it clean.