Decomposing organic materials such as food and paper produces methane, which is both toxic and combustible. Disposing of rubbish substances, many people burn rubbish in an incinerator or outside. However, burning rubbish is an environmentally damaging activity that produces harmful chemicals and air pollution as well as greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides into the atmosphere. Fortunately, there are several other options you can explore to safely and responsibly get rid of your waste that doesn’t require burning it.
1) Compost
Composting is a great alternative to burning rubbish, as it doesn’t give off toxic gases and you can use your compost as fertiliser. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a garden or allotment, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to use organic waste as fertilizer. Otherwise, there are plenty of companies that offer home-composting kits. As long as you shred or break down your waste properly and leave enough air in there so everything rots down evenly, you should end up with some lovely soil on which to grow vegetables or other plants. Simply dig a hole (or put it in a bin) – add some newspaper (to help your compost retain moisture), leaves, grass cuttings and kitchen scraps – then cover with dirt when done.
2) Recycling
One of your best options is recycling. The bad news is that some trash doesn’t get recycled and instead ends up in landfills. Recycling generally costs money, but municipalities often offer rebates on recycling bins or waive additional fees if you recycle more than a certain amount every month. If you don’t have space to store extra bins and can’t afford to pay to have another one delivered, it may still be worth taking advantage of these services even if you only put cardboard or paper in your recycling bin most months.
3) Organizing items for reuse by others
Many community organizations rely on local residents to donate old items, either through garage sales, consignment shops or donation centres. These are all great ways to get rid of excess stuff and give it to people who need it. If you’re in charge of organizing donations for your community, keep an eye out for small appliances (which are often heavy, so transporting them can be difficult). For example, a new microwave can cost less than $100 at a second-hand shop and save someone from having to buy one from a grocery store—where they may pay more than double that price!
4) Sell unused things online
If you have any possessions that you no longer want, sell them. You can use sites like eBay or Craigslist to sell your unwanted goods to other people. Selling your used items is a great way to get rid of clutter without burning it, and also provides you with some extra money in your pocket at the end of it all. Just make sure that you take good pictures and provide accurate descriptions of what’s included when selling an item – that way, if there are any complications, users will be able to work out a deal more easily.
5) Repair items instead of throwing them out
Do you ever find yourself throwing out or recycling an item because it’s broken? Instead, why not repair it? Repairs aren’t only easy but can also save you a substantial amount of money, especially if your device is under warranty. Check out websites like iFixit or RepairClinic to learn more about which devices you can fix on your own. If you need help, check out YouTube for a quick tutorial on any DIY project. The bottom line: Don’t throw items away when they break; try to repair them first! Not only will you get back some use from that device but also some extra cash in your pocket—which might come in handy if you plan to buy a brand-new one.
6) Reduce the volume/quantity of items before throwing them away
If your rubbish collection day is Thursday and you have a fair amount of rubbish to throw away, maybe you can make it until Tuesday by either reducing volume or reusing items. For example, if you notice that plastic water bottles are collected separately from other rubbish, then perhaps it’s worth storing them until your collection day. You could also simply be more selective in what you’re throwing away. For example, if there are old magazines on your coffee table but they don’t bring back any memories so there’s no point keeping them, why not put them aside to donate? By being selective with what we throw away we can reduce our overall volumes and increase our chances of delaying waste disposal.
7) Reuse cardboard boxes from deliveries as storage containers
While you may be used to getting rid of household waste by tossing it into a big, colourful bin or bag, different countries have different ways of sorting rubbish. In many places, you’ll find red-lidded bins which are meant for glass items, yellow bins for paper products, green bins for garden-related things and blue bins for metal. If your city doesn’t provide these sorts of bags or recycling containers (or if you live in an apartment) you can find them at any major department store; just make sure that what you put in your bin is recyclable (in most cases) before discarding it. Just remember: when in doubt, check with your local government agency about how to get rid of certain things.
8) Examine ways to separate recyclables into different categories
Many people are under the impression that they can’t recycle anything besides paper and plastic. In fact, you can also recycle glass, metal, and electronics, if you’re careful. You can break up glass into different categories—clear glass (wine bottles), brown glass (beer bottles), amber glass (mason jars)—and recycled with very little processing. Metal is another resource that many people overlook when it comes to recycling; you may think cans are recyclable but those in steel cans still contain trace amounts of aluminium or steel that you must remove before recycling. Electronics like smartphones and laptops need to go through specific processes to prepare them for recycling.
9) Landfill
In some areas, there are so many restrictions on what types of trash you can throw away in the regular trash bins that you need to pay for special bins just to get rid of household rubbish. That’s why it makes sense to find ways to reuse and repurpose things that would otherwise go into a landfill. Not only will you avoid extra charges, but you’ll be doing something good for your community and helping preserve our precious planet’s resources. What follows are 15 ways to dispose of rubbish without burning it. Some of these alternatives may require a little more work than simply throwing something out with your regular garbage, but they’re all still easy enough for anyone to do. Just remember: You don’t have to do everything on this list—just pick one or two options that seem most feasible for you and start from there!
10) Waste Collection Services
Need a reliable and environmentally friendly way to dispose of your rubbish? With services offered by waste collection companies, there’s no need to burn or bury your household junk. From small-scale collections and large industrial installations, these companies will offer up an efficient solution that helps you dispose of rubbish without burning it. Simply call them up, arrange a day and time, and they’ll take care of everything else—including disposing of appropriately in accordance with environmental regulations. This is an especially good option if you’ve got old furniture that still has some value but you can not use longer it.
Conclusion
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