Waste Management

9.1 Waste Material

Human activities produce waste every day. The resulting waste needs to be handled properly to take care of the environment. This chapter explains about the types of waste and the proper way to manage waste.

9.1

Waste Material

Waste comes from various sources such as residences, factories, food stalls, markets, agriculture and motor vehicles.

Definition

Waste is the material that is no longer needed and no longer wanted to be kept

Waste Materials

Types of Wastes	Examples
Metals	Scrap metal Food cans Aluminium cans
Plastic	Plastic containers Plastic bags Plastic bottles
Glass	Glass pieces Glass bottles Glass bowls
Paper	Old newspapers Magazines Boxes
Food waste	Bone waste Fruits skins Vegetable waste
Excretory products and faeces	Urine and feces
Toxic waste	Chemical substances Industrial waste Agriculturals waste Aerosol bottles Liquid insecticides Liquid from batteries Smoke vehicles

Biodegradable or Not?

Biodegradable waste	Non-biodegradable waste
Waste that can be decayed by microorganisms in the decomposition process This waste is decomposed by microorganisms and returns as nutrients in the soil Examples: food waste, papers, excretory products and faeces	Waste that cannot be decayed by the microorganims Can cause natural disasters due to the many clogged drains Examples: glass, metal, plastic and toxic waste

Appreciate Our Earth

Non -biodegradable wastes should be used prudently as these wastes will remain in the environment for a long time
The effects of unplanned waste disposal will cause problems such as:

1. Air pollution
2. Water pollution
3. Disease
4. Acid rain
5. Flash floods
6. Destruction of animal and plant habitats

Waste Management Practices

Wrapped and tied neatly
Food waste can decay and be made into compost fertiliser
Non-biodegradable waste must be separated according to their types before disposing
Chemical waste and oil waste must be disposed into special container

3R Practises

R-Reduce	R-Reuse	R-Recycle
Use a recycling bag when shopping at the store	Reuse cans, used bottles and make newspapers as bases and wrappers	Recycling the waste into new products

Planned Management of Waste Materials

Operated by Local Authorities
Waste are collected and sent to the recycling centre
Waste are separated by their type: Recyclable or non -recyclable
Recycled materials will be compressed to be sent to the factories that process waste to be made into new products
Waste that cannot be recycled will be burnt at high temperature in the incinerator then sent to the waste disposal site to be disposed

Quick Notes