Food waste rotting in landfills generates methane gas emissions, contributing to climate change. To minimize its environmental impact and minimize your impact, make sure your trash is appropriately disposed of.
Check with your city, town, or county sanitation department to see if curbside pickup is available and where hazardous materials such as paint cans, chemical-based products, and used oil should be dumped.
Recycle
Recycling materials is an effective way to decrease landfill waste significantly. But for optimal recycling results, ensure items are placed in their proper bins to avoid contamination that will harm the recycling process. The easiest way is to consult your local recycling guide; it will tell you which items can and cannot be recycled in your area. Non-recyclable items like hoses, cords, clothes hangers, and metal wires known as “tanglers” can clog up machines, stopping them from functioning effectively.
WM’s LampTracker program provides an easy, hassle-free solution for recycling bulbs, batteries, electronics, and mercury-containing items. Click here for more information. Wet or sticky paper may jam up machinery; moving and shipping boxes, as well as juice and milk containers (with non-greasy sides) and pizza boxes, should only be placed in the recycling bin when dry and clean.
Compost
Composting transforms organic material that would otherwise go to waste into an invaluable soil additive called “black gold.” The process occurs naturally with microbes and other soil organisms breaking down leaves and grass clippings into dark, crumbly material with an earthy aroma produced through microorganism decomposition. Compost contains major and minor nutrients that contribute to plant growth and help improve soil structure; composting accelerates this decomposition process while providing valuable products for gardens or landscaping purposes.
For optimal results, the ideal materials include carbon- and nitrogen-rich items. These can consist of things like twigs, branches, and stems; dried leaves; paper, cardboard coffee grounds/tea bags; corn stalks; nutshell shells, egg shells, sawdust pellets, etc… Other helpful include hay straw, wood shavings, etc… Avoid meat scraps, dairy fats/oils which could create unpleasant odors or attract pests/pests.
For optimal compost pile performance, maintain moisture by adding water when necessary and turning with a pitchfork periodically to aerate and mix materials in. Aim to keep an area roughly equivalent to a large garbage can in sunnier climates. At the same time, in colder regions, it may need additional moisture-retaining layers such as dried leaves or grass clippings on top.
Adequately managed compost piles should be completed within three to five months; otherwise, unattended banks could take up to one year for complete decomposition. When finished, they should yield dark brown crumbly material with an earthy smell; materials that fail to break down, such as twigs and fruit pits completely may require either being screened out of the finished compost or put back into another pile where decomposition will continue.
Be sure to site your compost pile away from vegetable gardens or create fences and copper flashing barriers to deter animals that love digging through it, such as raccoons and squirrels. Also, bear in mind that small fruit flies have a habit of congregating around compost piles; to reduce them, consider covering any exposed food scraps with grass clippings, adding compost activators like comfrey leaves or red wigglers (also called red wigglers) into the pile, etc.
Dispose of Hazardous Materials
Everyday household products – including motor oil, large batteries, paints, cleaning chemicals, and old TVs – can become hazardous waste when improperly discarded. To avoid poisoning people and turtles and polluting the environment, these materials must be treated carefully when disposed of, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency works alongside individuals and businesses to ensure proper hazardous waste disposal.
Follow the directions on its label when disposing of products that could be considered hazardous, including those containing dangerous chemicals such as paint. Examples include:
Never mix various products, as this can result in harmful chemical reactions that could cause fires, explosions, or toxic fumes. Furthermore, never dispose of hazardous waste in an uncertified bin as this may leak; always store these items safely away from children and pets.
Suppose your community does not offer collection days for hazardous waste. In that case, another way is to donate these products directly to a company in the area that recycles them and reduces landfill and incinerator output. You can locate such companies by searching online using “how to dispose of hazardous waste + your county name.”
When disposing of items that cannot be donated or recycled, research your county’s waste management laws to understand what can and cannot be thrown in the garbage bin. Every county has its own set of rules regarding disposal; adhering to them will help avoid fines or penalties from authorities.
Recycling hazardous materials is often the preferred means of disposing of them, as this practice brings environmental benefits while reducing our reliance on raw materials and energy use. Recycling also keeps hazardous waste out of landfills and incinerators, where it could potentially harm people and turtles. Unfortunately, however, sometimes long-distance transportation must occur, so dangerous waste must be safely transported during transportation.