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According to estimates, approximately 60 million tonnes of garbage is generated every day in India. To make matters worse, 75% of the garbage, which is around 45 million tonnes, is disposed of in landfills without proper treatment.
If the existing waste generation rate continues, experts believe that India will need close to 66,000 hectares of land for dumping waste.
Moreover, improper solid waste disposal can cause pollution, spread diseases, and pose a risk to public health.
Thus, the current situation is quite alarming, and bettersolid waste managementpractices and innovative solutions are the need of the hour.
In recent years, strong initiatives such asSwachh Bharat Abhiyanin 2014 and improved Municipal Solid Waste Rules 2016 came into effect, aimed at solving the garbage crisis.
However, managing solid waste must begin at the source, at home, and at the individual level. Here are five simple ways to reduce waste at home.
1) Waste Segregation
According to the Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD), municipal solid waste generated in India constitutes around 30-40% of organic waste produced in households.
Additionally, it contains recyclable materials like plastic, glass, and metals. Solid waste disposal of unsegregated waste can put undue pressure on landfills and waste management authorities.
Thus, waste segregation at home is one of the best methods to reduce the burden on those handling the waste.
It is easy to segregate waste at your home. You can use color-coded bins like green, blue, and yellow for waste segregation and identification.
Segregate organic and biodegradable waste, such as food waste and garden waste, in green.
The organic waste can be used for composting. Furthermore, you can use yellow for glass & paper and blue for plastic and non-biodegradable waste.
2) Reuse
You can contribute to better solid waste management by investing in reusable products. When you utilize products that can be used multiple times, it minimizes waste generation and helps in keeping waste away from landfills.
You can take strong measures such as buying only reusable water bottles and shopping bags, using an old toothbrush for cleaning, turning coffee tins into storage containers, etc.
Moreover, there are infinite ways you can reuse waste items creatively. For example, you can use glasses, containers, and paper to make crafts and decorate the home.
3) Recycle
Recycling can be defined as turning any kind of waste into something new or useful. Most often, waste generation cannot be prevented at home.
However, you must know that recycling waste is possible, and it can help save the environment as well as the human population from waste-related negative impacts.
For example, you can recycle a wide range of items such as glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, electronics, etc.
Composting biodegradable waste can also be termed as a form of recycling. So, you can determine how much waste at your home can be recycled and follow recycling.
4) Reduce
Learning how to reduce waste generation at home can go a long way in supporting solid waste disposal and management. Reducing waste is more of an attitude that can be followed while dealing with food, paper, and plastic.
For instance, you can buy or prepare food that will not have leftovers and buy items in bulk and storage in reusable containers, etc.
Also, you can minimize paper use by opting for digital bills, digital documents, etc. When it comes to plastics, there is a strong movement against single-use plastic.
5) Composting
Compostingis one of the best solid waste disposal methods when it comes to households. Experts have estimated that 30% of waste generation can be reduced by using the composting process at homes.
If you are using coloured bins for segregation, as mentioned, it becomes easier to turn food leftovers, fruits and vegetable peels, and garden waste into valuable soil fertilizer.
All you need to do is to prepare the compost pile and allow the living microorganisms to break down the organic waste materials. The compost, once ready, can be used for improving soil quality and plant growth.
Thus, composting is an easy method that enables individuals the best opportunity to do their bit in solving the solid waste disposal crisis in India.
For effective composting, you can useSoilMatefrom Organica Biotech. It helps to decompose the organic waste matter efficiently and naturally.
The fast-acting bacteria decompose a variety of biodegradable waste and accelerate the composting process.
Innovative solutions like SoilMate can attract more people to follow composting as it makes the process hassle-free and makes solid waste disposal easy to handle.
Therefore, use SoilMate to reduce waste at home and pave the way for a garbage-free, green, and healthy India.
Also Read:
- Why Is It Important To Treat Waste On-Site
- Is Your City Marred With Colossal Volumes Of Solid Waste?
- Why Effective Solid Waste Management Is Essential During Coronavirus
- How To Start Composting
