Waste Disposal: 5 Reasons Why You Should Separate Recyclable Waste from Non-Recyclable

Today most people are aware of the impact of their waste on the environment. As a result, you will find different bins in most places to help you dispose of your waste in the right bin. It’s essential to pay attention to waste segregation at your home, office, or public places.

In some countries, the authority expects you to segregate paper, plastic, glass, metal, etc., at the source. The law wants you to implement the waste hierarchy, which comprises reduce, reuse, and recycle, as well as other waste recovery and disposal techniques.

Aside from disposing of garbage as per the law, effective waste disposal methods reduce the amount that goes to the landfill. This makes it better for the environment and public health.

The article highlights 5 reasons you should separate your waste into two groups: recyclable and non-recyclable. But first, let’s consider how to identify what goes where.

How to Sort Your Trash

It’s important to place the right item in the right bin. But not everyone understands what should go to the recycling bin and what shouldn’t. Thankfully, mortgagecalculator.org/money-games has several games, including the sort the trash game that can help you separate the recyclable waste from the non-recyclable ad compostable waste.

The recyclables are:

• Plastic or glass bottles and containers
• Paper and cartons
• Food and beverage cans

The no-recyclable are:

• Plastic wraps
• Ceramics and kitchenware
• Paper napkins
• Straws

The compostable items

• Eggshells
• Garden plants
• Fruit or vegetable scraps like banana peels
• Paper coffee filters

5 Reasons You Should Separate Your Waste

1.      Eliminate Contamination

It’s important to separate waste from the source to minimize contamination. That means you should have several bins for different waste. Have a bin for biodegradable kitchen waste, another for recyclable items, and another for non-recyclable.

Although paper and glass are both recyclable, you cannot recycle a smashed bottle. Therefore putting the two in the same bin can contaminate the rest of the recyclable materials. So sort your waste well to reduce contamination and reduce the amount that ends up in the landfill.

2.      Reduce Downcycling

Most waste materials can be reused because separating them from the source retains their integrity or quality. However, recyclable materials lose their quality when they get contaminated and may end up in landfill immediately or sooner. Therefore waste segregation helps keeps the material in use.

3.      Make Better Purchase Decisions

Assessing the amount of waste in the recycling and non-recycling bins at home or the office can help you identify problematic materials. It can also help you make better selections when purchasing items such as coffee cups. Buying single-use coffee cups increases the amount of waste in the non-recyclable bin and what goes to the landfill.

So when buying items, consider whether they are single-use or reusable. It’s better to buy high-quality reusable ones to minimize their potential to get wasted frequently.

4.      Reduce the Waste That Ends Up in the Landfill

Less garbage goes to the landfill when you separate waste from the source and purchase reusable items. You can achieve greater diversion by labeling the bins at home or the office. The labels can also help eliminate contamination so that fewer recyclables are disposed of.

5.      Protect the Environment

There are many ways of polluting the planet, and waste disposal is one of them. Waste materials can be either biodegradable or non-biodegradable. The composted waste primarily generated in the kitchen is biodegradable, but the recyclable and non-recyclable waste is non-biodegradable. However, safely disposing of the latter waste or recycling helps conserve the environment and keeps it free from pollution.

Conclusion

There are endless reasons why you should separate your waste at source. This article has just mentioned 5 of them. Playing the fun game can help you discover what items go to what bin. The goal is to dispose of your waste responsibly and conserve the environment.