How To Dispose of Your Household Waste and Garbage Safely

With global warming and climate change threatening to wreak havoc in our lives, proper and safe disposal of trash should already be common practice. If you haven’t researched about proper junk removal yet, now is a good time.

Waste disposal can be dangerous, especially if you aren’t well-versed on the proper techniques in accomplishing the task. However, it is never too late to try some safe and eco-friendly practices.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle First!

While the amount of the cluttered items in your house may tempt you to simply throw everything away in one go, you should think about trying the 3 Rs of waste disposal first: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Attempt to reduce the items you need to throw out by trying to reuse some of them. Although they may not be able to serve the same purpose they did when they were in their pristine condition, there are ways that you get to keep them by using them some other way.

Believe it or not, you can recycle common household items, like bits of broken crayon, empty makeup containers, your old running shoes, and even toilets. All you need to do is research and get your resourcefulness and creativity juices flowing.

How to Deal with Various Types of Dangerous Waste

There are several types of dangerous waste in your typical household, but most people don’t know to categorize them properly.

Sharp and pointy trash like needles and razor blades, for example, should not be included in the general waste bin. According to the JoVE Science Education Database, these objects should be stored inside containers that won’t easily get torn and handled separately before being disposed of.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it is important that homeowners read and follow disposal instructions indicated in the labels of the products they buy to avoid untoward incidents.

It is also wise not to put potentially toxic chemicals such as cleaners and bleach in reused food containers. The EPA says leftovers of hazardous household waste should be handled by professionals and stored separately and out of reach of children and pets.

4 Important Tips on Safe Waste Disposal

1. Keep track of the schedule of garbage collection in your neighborhood.

We recommend having a calendar marked with the schedule of waste servicing in your community.

2. You should also have a map to indicates the routes of the garbage trucks.

This way, you won’t have to leave your trash along the curb for too long, avoiding the risk of scavenger animals like rats from scattering them around the neighborhood.

3. Have appropriate labels for your trash bins and educate your family about what should be included in each category.

For example, batteries, acids, and chemicals like asbestos should not be placed in a garbage bin because they are potentially toxic. Old and unwanted books and magazines, on the other hand, can be donated to charity or recycled in a reputable facility.

You may refer to this helpful article from the Eastern Metropolitan Council’s waste education initiative, R-Gang, for more information.

4. Take expert advice seriously and take initiative to deal with waste safely.

Ask around or research online for groups that offer free recycling of trash to reduce the accumulated waste around the world.

Mother Nature has always taken care of us since the day man first walked the Earth—from giving us sustenance to providing shelter. And she is counting on us to return the favor. After all, we owe her that much. How do you plan to help keep the Earth clean? Let us know in the comments.