The ManicaPost
Abraham Mudefi Focus on Environmental Issues
I would like to thank readers of this column for their positive feedback. Our topic this week is on safe home waste management. Home waste constitutes more than 70 percent of improperly disposed wastes in Zimbabwe.
The hazards of unsafe disposal of home waste include pollution of surface and underground water, air pollution and emission of greenhouse gases. This results in the gradual loss of the aesthetic value of the environment. These forms of pollution lead to sophisticated problems like global warming, flooding and disease outbreaks. To find out more please read below a few tips to managing waste in the home.
Tips to managing waste in the home
In some previous series this column discussed the effects of greenhouse gases. We found out that excessive greenhouse gases cause Global Warming which has catastrophic effects on the well being of human beings. Similarly the indiscreet burning of home waste induces a lot of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The responsibility of reducing global warming is a collective responsibility.
Each household should commit itself to safe home waste management. One of the ways of reducing the effects of environmentally unfriendly waste management systems is sorting waste.
Do not mix home waste in one container. For example all organic waste should be recycled as manure. The waste can be put carefully on a compost heap. Carefully cover with grass and soil so that the heap does not attract flies.
a) Reduce Waste
Remember any waste that is never created has no management costs. One best way of managing household waste is to reduce the waste in the first place. The first way is by reducing paper and boxboard packaging during shopping.
Buy food in large quantities if you can and opt for goods that are packaged in large quantities.
For example instead of buying a 5kg of mealie-meal every week just buy mealie-meal in one 20kg package once every month. It has money implication on it but if we care for our environment we better start considering thinking along these lines especially if we can afford it.
On the till do not grab too many shopping plastic bags than we do not need. Plastic bags cannot be used for a long time. So eventually they find their way to the ground as litter which cannot be decomposed by nature. As much as possible let us buy shopping bags which we can use for a long period of time. That way we spare the environment of pollution.
Consumers should only buy and collect what they really need to use. Some people just like the sight of a full shopping trolley.
On the other hand some people are fond of taking things that they do not really need from friends, at work or from bins. Because this item is not a necessity it is going to be later thrown away recklessly in the environment.
b) Avoid burning waste
Landfills should be discouraged as a way of dumping organic material because they emit greenhouse gases. A safer way is digging all organic material in the garden where it will safely decompose.
Grass and food left overs make very good manure and should not be put in the bin or refuse collection bag. It should be dug at least 30cm from the ground and do not leave a trail of waste leading to the hole. If the hole is shallow dogs will dig it up, this creates a health hazard. Many people are fond of burning paper, grass, plant residues and leaves from the yard. These also produce good manure, yes including paper by the way – paper is wood. With this sort of manure your garden thrives thus anchoring your household food security. Make sure that weeds are dry before they are buried in the soil because they can start growing again giving you more work.
As a general rule avoid the burning of household waste. It adds to the greenhouse gases thereby creating a lot of air pollution and global warming. Only burn if you have to. Air pollution results in health hazard especially in congested residential areas.
Organic material does not pollute the ground and it decomposes thereby completing nature’s recycle of nutrients. The process of burying waste also amounts to recycling. The residual waste is later used again as nutrients to grow food that the household will later consume.
c) Empty your bin regularly
Ensure that your bin or refuse bag is empted regularly. If your area is serviced by the municipality refuse collection truck, make sure that your bin or refuse collection bag is on the road or where it is easily accessible by that service. That way you reduce the amount of waste at your home.
If you have a problem with a bin that regularly overflows please use the hints on management of organic matter discussed above. You will find that you can manage your bin better that way. Your bin will also be free of flies and offensive ardors.
If we recycle our waste as much as possible that means we save and spare the environment. The city council will use fewer resources to collect that waste and it becomes manageable for them to dispose it without excessively polluting the environment.
d) Sewage and used car oil
Sewage bursts are now quite rampant in residential areas. It is not just enough to divert it so that it flows down slope. Because down slope they eventually find their way to the river. In the river sewage causes eutrophication.
This occurs when bacteria from the sewage uses up all the oxygen in the river, depriving the fish and other river animals of oxygen thus resulting in their deaths in astounding numbers. This has happened at Lake Chivero a number of times. So please alert the City Council when sewage pipes burst.
Also ensure that children do not play near this refuse water. To dispose of waste liquids like used car oils, the best way is not pouring it in waste bins or digging it in the ground. The oil eventually finds its way to the underground water. Underground water is polluted this way and it can possibly find its way to our wells and rivers. It does not only become a hazard to our health It also disturbs the life in the river. Livestock that drink water in the rivers are also affected.
Never flush waste hazardous liquids in toilets because they are not broken down into harmless components at the sewage plant. As a result they disturb sewage works and finally find their way to the river.
A case in point is the reports of dying cattle after drinking water from the Sakubva River further downstream. We usually do not think of the far reaching consequences of bad disposal methods. But now we have to be very objective with our waste disposal as it has far reaching effects along the chain. Oil can be used for treating poles. If you do not need it, some other people would be very happy to buy it from you. As mentioned above recycled waste is money saved.
e) Recycle
Another way of reducing waste is recycling it. Do not throw away things unnecessarily find another use or give it to someone who has got a better use for it.
Try to buy goods with the recycle symbol. The process of recycling involves continuous reuse of these products. Let me discuss two forms of recycling. The first involves reusing empty containers in the homes so that the demand for the production of new containers is reduced.
By selling empty bottles for minerals, beer and cooking oil we are also recycling materials that would otherwise be dumped in the environment as waste. In this form of recycling the cycle is completed only when we buy again the products we intend to recycle. For example we follow up the bottle of soft drink by buying the same brand of soft drink. That way the cycle is complete. We should aim to promote products that do not pollute the environment. Products with packaging that eventually finds its way to the environment or dump sites should be avoided if they are options. Some waste is toxic for example used batteries, to get round this buy rechargeable batteries which can be reused over a long period of time should be preferred.
f) Reuse
Try to buy commodities that you can reuse over a long period of time. This reduces the waste that is dumped in the environment.
This reduces demand on manufacturing new ones. A simple example is a reusable shopping bag. Reusable shopping bags last longer and they are a good substitute to plastic bags which cannot be reused many times. That way we cut plastic bag products and hence spare the environment of the current wanton pollution.
Waste reduction conserves the resources for the future generations. This article shows the danger of the unthoughtful disposal of household waste. Uninformed disposal of waste is hazardous to the environment. We have to appreciate that the environment is our habitat and we tap it for food, wealth and a livelihood. So it becomes imperative that we are eco-friendly in the way we manage our waste in the home.
The environment has what is known as a self cleansing capacity. This is its ability to renew itself from pollutants or shocks from outside.
Unfortunately this capacity has been greatly compromised by the appalling rate of pollution of the environment. We have one environment, one country, one life and one opportunity to conserve it sustainably.
Otherwise we leave a toll order for the future generations. So you are urged to start planning on your safe home waste disposal methods for this year. Good luck and get help if you need it.
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