Proper Trash Management for a Healthier Environment

Management of waste products is a responsibility which starts with you. Proper refuse disposal as well as living in a clean environment and building a cleaner community not only promote good health but create a sustainable environment. As much as it is the role of county governments to eventfully ‘ship’ the waste away, we need to be accountable in the manner that we handle trash.

There are many cases in urban areas where improper waste management has resulted of building pollution of the environment. Take for instance a case where refuse is dumped near water sources. As the refuse piles up, there are chances that the trash (some which might be toxic such as pesticides) will find itself into the water source and thus cause pollution. Also incinerators which are used in burning pharmaceutical and other chemical wastes cause air pollution. Pollutants are harmful to humans are can cause deadly diseases such as cancer.

Exterminating Hazardous Wastes

Residential property may not be much involved in the disposal of hazardous wastes, but businesses which deal with chemicals and other harmful substances such as manufacturing plants, dry cleaners etc., have a duty in ensuring that their waste products are safely disposed. Anything that has potential harm to health is dangerous and needs to be carefully discarded. This is not limited to solid containers and dangerous liquids only, but extends to harmful gaseous emissions especially from manufacturing plants. Examples of such waste includes paints, cleaning solutions, pharmaceuticals, inflammable products such as gasoline, herbicides etc.

The management of such waste products involves the participation of each one involved in the community. There is need to create effective awareness of the risk posed by such waste and also educating every one about the potential health and environmental hazards which can be caused by such products if left unattended.

If you are a property owner and have leased your building or compound to businesses which might be involved in generating such waste matter, you will need to educate and encourage them on the effective and environmental friendly ways through which they card discard their refuse. In most urban set ups, there are specific points where toxic refuse can be dropped. As a landlord you could offer to sponsor the disposal of such toxic waste for you tenant at a fair fee. Anyhow, since we are all involved in this as a community, anyone can voice out about careless disposal of toxic material to local authorities for action.

There is need to encourage people to use less toxic products especially in residential set up. This is because in many residential areas, a lot of vigilance may not be observed and this could put children to risk because they may not know the effects of a toxic can or waste that they came upon. In addition to that, people should also adopt the habit of using the required amount of a product e.g. the required amount of paint for a building to minimize cases of toxic leftovers.

Recycling of Refuse is Environments Friendly.

Not many people know about that garbage which can be easily recycled. Recycling helps clean the environments especially but getting non-biodegradable materials away from the environment. People need to be educated about what can be recycled and that which can so that they can know how to disposed recyclables. In most urban set ups, you will find trash receptacles indicating the trash which you can put certain garbage and what not to put.

Moreover various companies have come up with models where they encourage consumers to recycle the packaging material of the content that they purchased, through giving incentives to those who ‘return’ the wrappers of bottles. This way, people get induced to return those materials which can be recycled for a fee.

Let us all be responsible for a cleaner and safer environment.