WASTES AS POLLUTANTS
Wastes frequently contain hazardous pollutants like oils,
chemicals, and ink. These pollutants have the potential to
leach into the soil and harm plants, animals, and humans.
Pollutants from landfills contaminate local groundwater
supplies. Toxic chemicals can accumulate in the aquatic food
web, affecting everything from microscopic algae to fish to
predators like sharks and eagles.
HISTORY OF WASTE
Waste can be generated during raw material extraction, raw
material processing into intermediate and final products, final
product consumption, and other human activities. Residues
recycled or reused at the point of generation are not considered.
Historically, human beings produced very little garbage. In
comparison to today, the world's population at the dawn of human
civilization was quite small, and their impact on natural resources
was negligible. What little waste was generated—primarily human
and animal waste and ash from wood fires—was completely
biodegradable and had little environmental impact. Humans began
to produce more waste as civilizations developed and populations
lived in denser communities and cities. However, most types of
human garbage were reused and recycled until the twentieth
century.
PERCENTAGE OF WASTE
Nationwide, about 40 to 85 percent of the solid wastes generated
is collected while in Metro Manila it is 85 percent. The poorer
areas of cities, municipalities, and rural barangays are typically
unserved or under-served.
RRR
The 3R Initiative seeks to promote the "3Rs" (reduce, reuse, and
recycle) on a global scale in order to create a sustainable material-
cycle society through the efficient use of resources and materials.
The "3Rs" principle refers to the principles of reducing waste,
reusing, and recycling resources and products. Reducing means
choosing to use things with care to reduce the amount of waste
generated. The repeated use of items or parts of items that still
have usable aspects is referred to as reusing. Recycling is the use
of waste as a resource. Waste reduction can be accomplished
more efficiently by focusing on the first of the three Rs, "reduce,"
followed by "reuse," and finally "recycle."
WAYS ON HOW TO SEGRAGATE WASTE.
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid waste management is the collection, treatment, and disposal
of solid waste that has served its purpose or is no longer useful.
Improper municipal solid waste disposal can lead to unsanitary
conditions, which can lead to pollution of the environment and
outbreaks of vector-borne disease—that is, diseases spread by
rodents and insects. Solid-waste management tasks pose complex
technical challenges. They also present a slew of administrative,
economic, and social issues that must be managed and resolved.