Waste Management: Methods and How You Can Help
- Joanna Xiao
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
What Waste Management Is and Its Importance
Every day, we throw away things without thinking about it—old newspapers, wrappers, bottles, food, and a lot more. But before throwing those things out, have you ever stopped and wondered, Where does the trash go? This introduces a new topic: waste management. Waste management is a way of handling waste and trying to minimize it. It is important because it helps prevent unnecessary waste and protects the environment. In what ways can we manage waste?
Methods of Waste Management
Recycling
Well, there are plenty of methods that people can use to manage waste. One you’ve probably heard of is recycling. Recycling is a process in which old items are turned into new ones, and this is a great method because it saves energy and reduces waste. However, recycling still requires energy, which makes it better to use less and reuse what we already have.
Incineration
Another method of managing waste would be incineration. Incineration is when people burn trash at very high temperatures. This is good because it reduces the amount that ends up in landfills. Landfills are places where we put trash, which can contaminate the soil, making it too harsh to grow plants. Incineration negatively impacts the environment by releasing harmful chemicals into the air. That can deplete our health in so many ways.
Waste-to-Energy
So what’s an alternative for incineration? Waste-to-Energy (WTE) is a method that involves burning non-harmful trash to create energy, such as electricity or steam power. It’s definitely better than putting trash in a landfill, as recent data shows that European countries using this method are seeing good results.
Anaerobic Digestion
Now, another method would be anaerobic digestion, which is another great way to manage waste because it helpfully reuses waste. It’s when bacteria are broken down into things like food waste or manure without oxygen. This creates biogas, something used for energy.
The 5 R’s
Now that we know about all the methods that are used to manage waste, what can you do to help reduce waste and be more sustainable? The 5 R’s of waste management can be incorporated into your everyday life.
Refuse
Say no to things that create waste. Avoid buying unnecessary items that you seriously don’t need. Every time you go to the store, cashiers probably ask you to buy a plastic bag for your items. Refuse it and instead pull out your own reusable tote bag from your backpack. This prevents adding more plastic waste to the environment, and you also save some money. It’s a win-win.
Reduce
Cut down the amount of waste created. Maybe your pantry is full of small bags of snacks, each wrapped in plastic. You can reduce waste by buying larger and bulkier packages to store your smaller portions.
Reuse
Use things again. Your favorite jar of peanut butter is all used up, but the glass jar is still in great condition. Don’t throw it away! Reuse it as a storage container for your peanuts, dried herbs, candy stash, etc.
Repurpose
Make things useful. You have a worn-out t-shirt that you can’t wear anymore. Instead of throwing it out, you can repurpose it as cleaning rags.
Recycle
Process waste so it can be used again in a new form. After using the last bit of your shampoo, you make sure to properly clean it out and then toss it into the recycling bin. You recycle the plastic bottle, which allows it to get sent to recycling facilities where it can be turned into new materials.
Together, we can manage waste effectively to help make our world a better, fresher, and cleaner place!
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