How can we avoid sending waste to landfills?
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Vaishali Thakur
There are a lot of items that we use everyday and then get rid of them by throwing them in the garbage. Unfortunately, this results in piles of garbage increasing waste in landfills further causing a number of issues.
Landfill waste poses a huge problem as it has economic and environmental impact and secondly, due to slow decomposition rate which takes thousands of years, several acres of land has already been virtually rendered useless that could have been actually used for setting up new residential colonies or industries. Here are some simple changes you can make to reduce waste in your home:
Save Leftovers for Next Day. Too many people are careless enough to throw away half of a good meal and not save it for later. Eating leftovers more often will save on money and result in less food waste.
Donate Clothes, as throwing away of clothing is one of the biggest contributions we make to landfills today. Instead of throwing away these old clothes, make better use out of it.
Start composting, it is an easy and natural process that takes the remains of plants and kitchen waste and turns it into nutrient rich food which helps your plants grow. It helps you recycle your kitchen waste and reduces the amount of that is sent to landfills that proves safe for the environment.
Start relying on reusable containers. Once you start buying only what you need, take it to the next level by storing food properly, which will extend its life and keep things fresh for as long as possible.
Learn to repair rather than discard.
Ditch the plastic bags and at the very least, stop buying plastic water bottles.
Switch to Rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries will save you money in the long run and keep disposable batteries out of landfills. Disposable batteries can prove very harmful for the environment as chemicals inside the batteries can leak.
Diverting waste away from landfills can help prevent pollution that harms our health and the environment.
Parul
It’s not rocket science; just negligence of common man.
Recycle
Items such as plastic, paper, glass and aluminum cans can easily be recycled. Dispose of them correctly in the recycle bins. You can even have your own recycle bin at home and sensitize your family/society on correct disposal.
Boycott plastic bags
When you go shopping, make use of a reusable bag as opposed to plastic bags. In the UK, over 10 million plastic bags are made annually. Plastic is one of the materials that take thousands of years to decompose so using reusable bags would have a significant impact on the environment.
Composting
You should dispose of organic materials from your kitchen in your garden. Decomposing organic remains can be used as fertilizer instead of being sent to the landfills.
Use rechargeable batteries
Rechargeable batteries are not only cheap but can be used hundreds of times over. Disposable batteries have corrosive chemicals that are toxic to the environment.
Reduce junk mail
You can opt not to receive unwanted mail by contacting the relevant authorities available in your area. This will reduce unnecessary disposal of papers.
Sensitize on benefits of reducing waste
Let others know about ways to reduce waste. You could even participate in pro-recycling talks. Collective effort can make a world of difference.
Food Management
You can reduce the amount of food you throw away by doing the following:
-Food that is left over should not be immediately disposed of. You can combine it with the next meal which may turn out to be an excellent side dish.
-Before shopping, check what you have stored so that you can avoid buying unnecessary food.
-Check for expiration dates on your foods and consume those with a shorter shelf life to avoid disposing of them when they go bad.
-Use measuring equipment when cooking to avoid cooking more food than is necessary.
-Invest in storage containers for refrigeration to keep foods fresher for longer.
Check out this interesting video, with great insights on how the world needs our left over food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyQzUBLK0bo