You might have noticed waste segregation of some form at many places you go to and the same will be applicable to your home and your office. There will be a bin for paper and cardboard at the office and your gym will have mix recyclables bin and even the house will have segregation of waste in different bins. Most of us are not aware about the importance of segregation of waste and we simply follow what we are asked to do. Have you wondered why it is important to put the waste in the right bins?
Legal Requirement
The first and most important reason is that it is legally required. As per rules, it is important that you segregate cardboard, paper, metal, plastic and glass unless it is not feasible for you in a technical or economic manner. It is also important to follow the waste hierarchy where you first reduce, then reuse, recycle and then opt for any other disposal or recovery option. It is important to follow this hierarchy and ensure that the waste is segregated properly. With segregation of waste, it becomes much easier to recycle and this means that less waste will go to landfill. The ultimate beneficiaries are the people and environment. When the waste is properly segregated into different bins, it is easier to dispose or recycle it and this will help improve the environment and benefit the people. There could be hazardous waste which can cause significant long term problems which is why it is important to ensure that the waste is disposed off in the best manner and not mixed with the normal waste which comes out of your office or your house.
Ease of disposal
Further, it is also important to describe the waste which leaves your house or office. You can use a waste transfer documentation and complete it properly. In the document, you will be required to describe the bin of your waste and if you do it with one particular waste and fill it with something else, you are doing it wrong. For example, if you describe the waste in your bin as filled with plastic but it is filled with paper, then it is not correct. You might have to pay a fine or the contractor might refuse to collect the waste. You could also be charged more for it because of your carelessness.
Cost efficiency
When it comes to segregated waste, it is easy to dispose and is also cheaper to dispose because it does not need too much of mechanical sorting as mixed waste does. Segregated waste will make it easier for the people to dispose it off and it will also make it easier for you to follow the disposal hierarchy. The cardboard and paper will be segregated into general waste and its collection as well as disposal is much cheaper than any other waste. It could lead to cost savings for the contractor and might also generate an alternative revenue stream if they decide to sell it.
Jack Martin from Backyard Bins recommends using skip bins to get rid of unused or unwanted garbage when organizing and decluttering your home. This will make it easier for you to segregate the waste and for the contractors to dispose it. There are numerous reasons why you should segregate the waste in your house. It will help save cost and will also protect human health. You can segregate waste in your business by labeling the bins and making it clear to the employees. Proper waste disposal is crucial for every business or a house. It is vital for the protection of the environment and as a responsible citizen of the country, you need to ensure that you dispose off the waste in the right manner.
Importance of waste disposal
- Avoid toxic emissions : You might have thought of burning all the junk. When you burn it, you are not required to pay for the cost of trash removal. However, disposal of waste by burning it can lead to a lot of toxic emissions released in the air and this will eventually harm your body and mind. When you burn plastic, there is a release of harmful gases and it is one thing you should never do. You need to simply dispose the trash properly in order to prevent the gases from entering your environment.
- Stop water pollution : Other than burning, there are a lot of people who dispose of their unwanted items by pouring it down the drain or flushing it. When people are not sure how to deal with something, they tend to flush it down the drain and this leads to pollution in the waterway in your residential community. You should never flush trash down the drain and always look for alternative ways for its disposal.
- Stop the spread of diseases : One of the biggest concerns with improper disposal of waste is that it can lead to numerous diseases. There will be diseases in the environment and since waste is the perfect host for bacteria, it will help bacteria to grow and spread. It will increase the risk of illness amongst people or even animals if they come in contact with the waste. Hence, when you dispose the waste appropriately, you are making a contribution to a healthy and clean environment.
Your loved ones live in your vicinity and one mistake can cause you huge trouble. By simply disposing the waste in an appropriate manner, you can make a huge difference to the society and your environment. All you have to do is remain conscious about the type of waste you put in the bin and segregate the same. Never try to get rid of the waste by burning it or flushing it down the drain. Look for the most convenient and the most appropriate methods of waste disposal in order to ensure that you are doing your best to keep the environment clean and free of germs.
True, let’s do our part to be a responsible human being. Let us save our environment, proper segregation is a huge step and let’s start from there.
You made a good point that documenting my waste disposal will make more systematic and efficient. I’m planning to open a restaurant in the future and because that will deal with so much ingredients on a daily basis, waste disposal will be something I should keep a close eye on. Perhaps hiring a waste stream management disposal is something I should consider later down the line.