Nowadays, the global temperature is rising, water levels across the world are rapidly increasing, polar ice caps are melting, and many animals are becoming endangered due to a lack of habitats.
All of these are happening because of environmental issues, but one stands out among others: problematic waste management.
According to experts, humans generate billions of tons of waste every year, affecting the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the land they live in. That being said, everyone shouldn’t only manage it but also think of ways to do this without harming the environment. This is called sustainable waste management.
What Is Sustainable Waste Management?
Sustainable waste management is the process of handling waste materials from their collection, transportation, processing, and disposal, in a way that doesn’t harm and affect the environment and health of everyone. This will make sure that every waste material is being handled properly rather than just dumping it in the landfills.
The main objective of sustainable waste management is to reduce the consumption of natural resources, such as wood and energy sources, reuse all the materials used, and minimize the waste produced as much as possible. As a human, it’s your responsibility to keep the environment safe for present and future generations.
With that said, you might want to learn the effective practices for sustainable waste management:
1. Use Skip Bins
Dealing with waste materials can be overwhelming, especially when you have other waste to address, such as food waste, plastic containers, bottles, hazardous chemicals, packaging materials, and more. In addition, if these waste materials build up around your property, it could harm everyone surrounding you, including your family, neighborhood, and the environment.
For these reasons, it’d be best to use skip bins to help you manage your waste sustainably and effectively. You may call your local provider for more info, but make sure that they have all skip bin sizes that can match your needs.
Skip bins are waste receptacles used to remove massive amounts of waste materials. They often come in different sizes and shapes and depend on your needs.
Also, with a reliable skip bin provider, your waste will be managed effectively and sustainably by experts. They’ll segregate and handle all your trash and ensure that it won’t end up in landfills. Instead, they’ll be processed in a recycling plant.
2. Promote Paperless Working Environment
Since the dawn of digital advancement, devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops have become more functional and beneficial to everyone than ever. However, many businesses are still relying on paper and ink, which is one of the leading waste contributors.
To achieve a paperless working environment, you may start reducing your paperwork by digitizing all your succeeding forms, such as invoices, contracts, and other documents. You may also use scanning devices to transfer all your paper documents to the cloud.
These steps won’t only help you remove tons of waste from your office but also secure your data and improve your productivity rate. Also, doing this to your company will significantly reduce your carbon footprint, making you one of the world’s most sustainable and eco-friendly businesses.
However, there may be times when you have to resort to printing documents, especially if it has legal purposes. So, only print when necessary, and when printing, make sure that the printer is in draft mode to reduce the ink consumption.
3. Donate Anything That’s Still Useful
Donating is one of the best ways to reduce waste and help other people at the same time.
Remember, your waste might be gold to others, especially those in need. So, instead of disposing of valuable things you don’t need, give them to others who could make some use out of them.
In addition, if you have a food business, you may want to try to donate your excess but safe for consumption food to shelters and food banks. If your company is purchasing updated devices, you may donate the old ones to others that may need them.
Furthermore, if you’re planning to renovate your home or office with new furniture, you may donate those to be replaced to other institutions, such as your local school. By donating useful things that you don’t need, tons of waste materials can be saved, leading to a greener home and work environment.
4. Compost Food Waste
Composting is becoming popular with most businesses and homeowners. It allows them to transform their waste, especially food waste and other perishable products, into something beneficial to the environment. You may do this with a compost bin, and you can place this in your break room or cafeteria, where most people eat. This will allow them to participate in the green movement easily.
Composting food waste produces fertile soil for plants.
However, not all food products are eligible for composting. Here are the waste materials you can compost:
- Fruit and vegetable waste
- Coffee grounds, tea bags, and coffee filters
- Bread, cereals, and grains
- Pasta, rice, and other rice-based products
- Paper-based food packaging, such as pizza boxes, paper towels, table napkins, and paper
bags.
And here are the waste materials you shouldn’t include in your compost bin:
- Raw meats, poultry, and seafood
- Greasy food scraps
- Cooking oils
- Milk and other dairy products, such as cheeses and yogurts.
These are the waste you can and can’t be composted. If you include these non-compostable waste materials in your bin, the process may fail and result in nothing but smelly and harmful trash. Also, when composting, make sure that the lid is tightly sealed to prevent insects from ruining your compost.
Final Words
Waste production is one of the primary sources of pollution capable of destroying the entire planet. Because of it, the need for sustainable waste management is becoming more important.
To successfully handle waste sustainably, you’ll need to analyze how you are producing your waste. This will help you come up with a better strategy that will efficiently and effectively combat increasing waste production.
Remember, Earth doesn’t need humans to survive, but humans need the planet to live. So, think about that, and try to look for other ways to make the Earth a better place for future generations.
