The Prevention of Improper Waste Management

I. Introduction

Nowadays, we are suffering environmental dilemmas such as global warming, flash

floods and etc. One of the causes of these problems is the misbehavior of the people towards

waste management. Some people are reckless in throwing their garbage. They do not think of the

possible results of their actions on the environment as well as on health.

What is Waste Management?

Waste Management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal, managing and

monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity,

and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or

aesthetics. It is a distinct practice from resource recovery which focuses on delaying the rate of

consumption of natural resources. All waste materials, whether they are solid, liquid, gaseous or

radioactive fall within the remit of waste management. Waste segregation is one of the strategies

of waste management that implies the sorting of wastes due to increasing rate of wastes daily.

When we hear the word “waste management”, the first thing that comes to our mind is the 3R’s

which stands for Reduce,Reuse, and Recycle. All of these can improve the economic and

environmental performance of the people.

Objectives:

 To strengthen the implementation of proper waste management.

 To add knowledge how people can avoid improper waste management.

  To acknowledge people to segregate their waste.

 To give awareness to the people on how the benefits of waste help people.

Statement of the Problem.

The problem of the study is that people do not know to segregate their waste properly.

Based on the records of MMDA, as far as the performance of Metro Manila is concerned, 62%

of the total 1,705 barangays are implementing waste segregation at source. Not does only

improper garbage disposal turns environment into such a nasty place, but it also has a potential

of making us seriously sick.

At the end of this study, researchers must be able to answer the following questions:

1. What are the practices that we can do to prevent waste?

2. What are the benefits we can get from practicing 3R’s?

3. How can improper waste management affect humans and environment?

Thesis Statement

Improper waste management is can be prevented by doing the 3R’s which is

composed of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle that will guarantee us a better future.
 II. Body

A. History of the Problem.

According to a recent study by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we

recycle about 32.5% of our solid waste across various different types of goods. The EPA

explains that we burn and destroy 12.5% solid waste at incineration facilities, emitting harmful
 gases in the atmosphere. The rest of the waste, about 250 million tons of it, ends up in landfills

annually throughout the country. If we could separate and recycle this waste, we could easily

benefit from it.

As stated by the Environmental Protection Agency of US, the most effective way to

reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Making a new product requires a lot of materials

and energy - raw materials must be extracted from the earth, and the product must be fabricated

then transported to wherever it will be sold. As a result, reduction and reuse are the most

effective ways you can save natural resources, protect the environment and save money.

Benefits of Reducing and Reusing

 Prevents pollution caused by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials

 Saves energy

 Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change

 Helps sustain the environment for future generations

 Saves money

 Reduces the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or sent to landfills and incinerators

 Allows products to be used to their fullest extent

Benefits we could get from Recycling:

1. Make money

One of the major benefits of recycling is financial income. We could all find several items

lying around our homes that could be recycled and make money from them. Some such items are
old furniture, old phones, cables, metal furniture, aluminum cans, metal containers, old clothes,

electrical appliances, and more.

2. Conserve resources

Throwing away objects in the dumpster could increase the pressure on mining for new raw

materials. It also wastes the energy such as fuel and other costs associated with mining. Recycling

aluminum cans, steel, copper, and other expensive metals can save costly gas money and mining

expenses, as well as conserve valuable resources.

3. The environmental benefits

Recycling can significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. It can save on non-

reusable resources as well as water and landfill space, and most of all it can save energy. So,

recycling reduces emissions, conserves energy, and reduces pollution.

4. Create more jobs and a stronger economy

The idea of recycling is gaining popularity among individuals and companies more than

ever for both economic and environmental reasons, and jobs in recycling industries are booming.
 B. Extent of the Problem

Human Damage

Consider the majority of the human population where we do not see any scientific waste

management system. Such places may possess a system, but there is no disposal area to be

found.

Those who are at significant risk are:

 Children and those who live near such facilities

 Waste disposal workers

 Employees whose workplaces manufacture or come into contact with waste materials
 Think about the fires at landfills and its effects on us. Whether coming from the air or its

accumulation in our cellars, those landfill gases have been exposed for causing cancer, create

respiratory and visibility problems, and the explosion of cans put people nearby at constant risk.

Additionally, when we come in contact with waste, it causes skin irritation and blood

infections. We also contract diseases from flies which are carriers of illnesses after breeding on

solid waste. With regards to mosquitoes, we know, besides feeding on dead fish, they find

sewage, rainwater, tires, cans and other objects to be ideal breeding grounds. They carry and

spread diseases such as malaria and dengue.

With an abundance of disease-carrying pests, it becomes difficult to be vigilant about

waste management facilities. Despite all efforts, for example, rats continue their massive

infestation on such facilities and sewage systems. They harm crops, spread diseases such as

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Leptospirosis, Rat-bite Fever and Salmonellosis.

Environmental Effects

 Surface water contamination:

Waste that end up in water bodies negatively change the chemical composition of the

water. Technically, this is called water pollution. This will affect all ecosystems existing in the

water. It can also cause harm to animals that drink from such polluted water.

 Soil contamination:
 Hazardous chemicals that get into the soil (contaminants) can harm plants when they take

up the contamination through their roots. If humans eat plants and animals that have been in

contact with such polluted soils, there can be negative impact on their health.

 Pollution:

Bad waste management practices can result in land and air pollution and can cause

respiratory problems and other adverse health effects as contaminants are absorbed from the

lungs into other parts of the body.

 Leachate

Liquid that forms as water trickles through contaminated areas is called Leachate. It

forms very harmful mixture of chemicals that may result in hazardous substances entering

surface water, groundwater or soil.

C. Future and Recommended Solution

So What Do We Do?

If you have heard of something called the “waste hierarchy” you may be wondering what

that means. It is the order of priority of actions to be taken to reduce the amount of waste
generated, and to improve overall waste management processes and programs. The waste

hierarchy consists of 3 R’s as follows.

Reduce- It is easy to understand. If there is less waste, then there is less to recycle or reuse.

Here are some of things you can do to reduce the waste:

1. Print on both sides of the paper to reduce paper wastage.

2. Use electronic mail to reach out to people instead of sending paper mail.

3. Remove your name from the mailing lists that you no longer want to receive.

4. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.

5. Avoid using disposable plates, spoons, glass, cups and napkins. They add to the problem and

result in large amount of waste.

6. Avoid buying items that are over-packaged with foil, paper, and plastic. This excess packaging

goes to waste.

7. Buy durable goods that have long warranty. They generally run longer and save landfill space.

Reuse- is the action or practice of using something again, whether for its original purpose

(conventional reuse) or to fulfil a different function (creative reuse or repurposing).

You may either reuse those items for your own use or donate so that others can use them. You

can reuse below items like:

1. Old jars and pots: Old jars and pots can be used to store items in kitchen. They can also be

used to store loose items together such as computer wires.

2. Tyres: Old tyres can either be sent to recycling station or can be used to make tyre-swing.

3. Used wood: Used wood can be used as firewood or can be used woodcrafts.

4. Newspaper: Old newspapers can be used to pack items when you’re planning to move to

another home or store old items.

5. Envelopes: Old and waste envelopes can be used by children to make short notes.

6. Waste paper: Waste paper can be used to make notes and sketches and can be send to

recycling center when you don’t need them anymore.

Recycle- The last stage of the waste hierarchy is to recycle. To recycle something means that

it will be transformed again into a raw material that can be shaped into a new item.

1. Buy products from market that are made up of recycled materials i.e. the product should

be environment friendly.

2. Buy products that can be recycled such as glass jars.

3. Invent new ways to recycle different items.

4. Avoid buying hazardous materials that could pose difficulty for you to recycle. Buy non-toxic

products, whenever possible.

5. Buy products that have been made from recycled material.

III. Conclusion

Improper waste management is can be prevented by doing the 3R’s which is

composed of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We cannot stop waste production entirely, but

everyone can make a significant contribution. There are benefits we can get from practicing the

3R’s. It saves energy and natural resources, helps to reduce pollution and makes the economy

build stronger. Humans and also the environment can be affected by contaminations that results

to diseases because of improper waste management. There are many things we could reduce,

reuse and recycle. With this the problem of improper waste management can be prevented. It will,

however, take time and a combined effort on the part of many people.
IV. References

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/reduce-reuse-recycle.php

http://environmentalprofessionalsnetwork.com/5-benefits-of-recycling-your-household-trash/

https://www.eschooltoday.com/waste-recycling/effects-of-poor-waste-management.html

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/reduce-reuse-recycle.php

https://www.metropolitantransferstation.com.au/blog/negative-effects-of-improper-waste-

management

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics

BACLARAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

207 Bagong Buhay St. Baclaran,

Parañaque City

“The Prevention of Improper Waste Management”

Research Paper

in

English 10

In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the subject English 10

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Eliza, Louise Nicole Ms. Ma. Luisa C. Asegurado

Soriano, Camila (English Teacher)

Niebres, Ellysa Mae

Abiog, Mhelvin Jay

Plaza, Jocelyn

Enriquez, Mathew

Mendoza, Kimberly

Sangcopan, Rayyan