In our everyday activities, we create a lot of waste. Managing waste is in our own hands, and we can learn from people and places that manage their waste well.
We dispose of many items daily, such as:
Often, this waste ends up in garbage piles around our homes, schools, or neighbourhoods.
Unmanaged waste on roadsides can lead to severe issues, such as animals dying from eating plastic mixed with food, harmful gases released by burning plastic, and diseases caused by mosquitoes breeding in wastewater puddles.
The first rule of waste management is to Reduce the amount of waste we create.
The second rule is to Reuse things instead of throwing them away.
Many villages and cities in India have transformed themselves into clean areas through effective waste management.
Located in Arunachal Pradesh, Silluk is known as a zero waste village. It has clean roads with no trash on roadsides, corners, or open spaces, and streets lined with trees.
Separating waste at the source makes it easier to manage and recycle effectively. We use two different coloured dustbins for this purpose:
The green dustbin is used for biodegradable materials that rot easily and mix with the soil, such as:
This waste gets converted into compost, which serves as food for plants and soil organisms.
The blue dustbin is used for non-biodegradable materials that can be collected for recycling, such as:
Recycling allows new objects to be made from these thrown-away materials.
Practice sorting common items:
Note: Sharp or harmful items like broken glass or needles should be wrapped in cloth and paper to protect sanitation workers.
Every individual can contribute to keeping their home, school, neighbourhood, and country clean.