Every one talks of "Throwing Away" the items that have been considered to be no longer useful or needed. Like wrappers, plastic bags, pieces of paper, empty bottles/ jars / cans, used electronic/ electrical items, clothes & other items in use of daily life, the kitchen waste, left overs of food etc. It is called Waste, Garbage, Trash, Refuse, Junk, Rubbish, Scrap etc. One, who carelessly throws things that are considered to be of no use, causes Littering.
The nature takes care of Waste material what is natural ( Biodegradable or Wet Garbage).What we really need to worry about is all that waste ( Non- Degradable or Dry Garbage) created by manmade items. A product does not create waste only when it is thrown away. No matter how small, each manmade item leaves behind a trail of wastes at every stage of its life – as its raw materials are sourced, as it is produced, packaged, transported, consumed and finally discarded/ thrown away.
Garbage Bag indicator of Life Styles
From the scrutiny of type and quantity of garbage generated by a family, one can find out more about the lifestyles / habits of the family – what they drink, eat and waste – than they themselves. The cans / tins, the bottles / jars, the foils, cellophane, the packaged goods with more packaging than what is within, hardly used toys, electronic gadgets & accessories, left overs of foods / snacks of the kids' dinners etc. that are thrown "Away" as waste, are indicative of wasteful nature of their lifestyles, mind-sets and habits.
A lot of that they "Through Away" is because they don't know that much of the stuff is not really needed and has nowhere to go. But they keep buying things they don't always need and resort to throwing them, not thinking where all they end up, just leaving it to luck.
Recycle & Reuse
Most of the items being thrown away by many of the households as waste consist of Paper, Plastic Bags, Packing Material, Foils, used Aluminium Cans, Glass / Plastic Containers, Electrical / Electronic items etc. (Dry Waste) do not get easily or naturally destroyed and would remain just the same for years. As all these items can be Recycled for salvaging and making new products with value addition, they should not be subjected to "Throw Away" and find their way into Dust Bins / Garbage Cans.
All the News Papers, old Note Books & Magazines and used paper should be neatly stacked and stored for selling once a month or so. Similarly, the Plastic Bags, Packing Material, Empty Bottles, Jars & Cans and all other Dry Waste material, instead of putting into the dust bin, should be stored separately in a gunny sack or any other container and handed over once in a fortnight / month to the Person picking up the garbage from the households. The electrical / electronic wastes should be deposited at the designated centres for the purpose. Only the biodegradable wet garbage – Kitchen wastes- should be handed over for daily collection.
Thus the volume of domestic garbage being picked up daily and transported over long distances can be brought down considerably. This also avoids transportation of volumes instead of weight, at heavy costs.
To the extent possible the used items such as glass bottles, jars etc. may be Reused for storing spice powders, nails & pins etc. Even with "Recycling" and "Reuse", there is far too much Waste generation that has no final "Away" to disappear into. What can we do about it?
Reduce
Let us think of the contents of our dustbin and how to avoid some of them & where the others should go and not just thrown away? We must try and stop / reduce waste generation from happening in the first place.by thinking about what we buy and use even before we begin. Do we always really need all that we buy? Even after we buy, what do we get? Packing – all kinds, fancy and fun paper, plastic, cellophane, Styrofoam, foil-layer upon layer, just waiting to be peeled off and thrown away. Are we optimizing the use of what we have and what we consume, before buying new ones or acquiring additional ones? Why not we try to Reduce what we buy and what we use and to be thrown away in the first place?
Think before you Throw Away
Finished with the Chips? Throw away the packet. Toothpaste over? Throw away the Tube. Ballpen won't write? Chuck it away. Then what? Where does it all go? Waste just cannot go away or disappear. It just turns up again – on someone else's doorstep or garden. Why not we think before we throw?
*If we don't need something, it might be still be useful to someone. Give old books, old
toys and old cloths to someone who can use them
*Try finding another use for what you plan to throw. A pencil holder from a can………..
The possibilities are endless.
*Last but not the least; why not try to Reduce, what you buy in the first place?
There is No "AWAY" & Throwing is "No Way"
The fact of life is that all we "Through Away" as waste, ends up ultimately polluting Air, Water &Soil adversely affecting the very "Food Cycle" and Quality of our lives. That is where this "AWAY" ends up finally. The Waste cannot be wished away, because there isn't an "AWAY"
Let us pledge to cut down on Waste, right at the Roots and enter into
3 R Pact – Recycle, Reuse and Reduce
Please Carry A "BAG" (Jute/Cloth). Do not bring A "Carry Bag" (Plastic)
________________________________________________________________________
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment