Waste Management and Eco-Living

Waste (also known as rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, junk) is unwanted or useless materials. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly. In living organisms, waste is the unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from them (source: Wikipedia).

All over the nation, we are aware that wastes nowadays are seemed to be one of the factors why we are suffering from climate change, floods which leads to destruction of properties, businesses and loss of lives.

As early as 1980s, there have been various studies and suggestions on proper management of waste but as we enter into the new millennium, it became worse. Volume of waste has gone up- over 50% of resources are returned to environment as waste material (streams to roaring rivers). Chemically active wastes create more problems for regulators. Ability of natural system to absorb and assimilate is threatened. Add to that the differing perspective of management.

These factors continuously threaten us and putting us more in danger.

Solution:

·         Low Waste Strategy – this strategy defines continued capability and capacity for the safe, secure and environmentally responsible management and disposal of waste materials.

·         Scrap and Spot – this means we cannot use an old method and apply it to today’s present situation particularly in waste management and flood control systems. Spot some new ways and develop some new strategies that we can apply for today and in the next 15 years.

·         Lean on Nature – when everything turns bad, lean on and adopt our mother nature as a guide. Go back to basics and carefully plan and apply some new trends.

What does nature do? 

·         Processing and recycling the materials in closed loops, evolved over billions of years.

·         Integrated and linked energy and material cycles.

·         Hierarchal arranged in form a web.

This time around, the mantra that everybody is applying to their homes is:

·         Reduce at the start of the process.

·         Reuse during the product development.

·         Recycle at the end of the product life.

·         Final disposal.

Economic efficiency also plays a greater role in reminding us the relationship between monetary values of ends and means. With this in mind, better housekeeping and plant management can be considered as one big factor in solid waste management.

Industrial ecology factors - cradle to grave replaced by cradle to birth, process and product design to be regenerative rather than depletive, follow the transport of energy and material all through industrial, economic, social and environmental system.

All of these along with tons of suggestions and studies around the world would be nothing if we will not try to practice it in our own home. Waste management and eco-living works hand in hand. Together, we will achieve the greater goal of a clean and green future if we know how to manage our own waste and embrace nature’s thousand changing ways.

Citation: Waste Management – An Ecology Way, RN Singh