Question

List all the wastes that you generate, at home, school or during your trips to other places. Could you very easily reduce the generation of these wastes? Which would be difficult or rather impossible to reduce?

Answer 1

At home	At school	During trips
Vegetable debris	Wafer covers	Carry bags
Old matress	Pastry covers	Mica covers
Waste papers	Plastic bottles	Aluminium foils
Old tv sets	Beverage tine	Tetra packs of juices
Damaged wires	Pencils	Water bottles
Sewage water	Empited pen
Unused plastic drums	Ink bottles

Yes, we can reduce the generation of daily wastes in our life. For example, using jute/cloth bags instead of plastic bags, using the plastic drum as flower pots, etc.

E-wastes and plastic wastes are generally difficult to biodegrade

Answer 2

In our daily activities, we generate a lot of material that we throw away.

1. Waste generated at home: It includes mainly the kitchen waste (spoiled food, vegetable peels, used tea leaves, milk packets, etc.), waste paper and cartons, empty medicine bottles/strips/bubble packs, newspapers, old clothes, broken crockeries, footwear, plastic containers, polythene bags, etc.
2. Waste generated at school: The classroom waste mainly includes paper, chalk pieces, etc.
3. Waste generated at the trip: It includes mainly paper, disposable cups, plates, spoons, plastic envelopes, plastic, and aluminium containers. Etc. Wastes generated can easily be reduced by us through the judicious use of materials and by changing our habits and lifestyles.

All the wastes we generate can be classified into two categories

1. Non-biodegradable
2. Biodegradable

The materials that do not degrade or degrade very slowly in the natural environment conditions are called non-biodegradable, and those substances for which a ‘natural waste treatment mechanism’ exists are referred to as biodegradable. Thus, biodegradable wastes are rapidly decomposed by natural processes, such as the action of microorganisms, and the problem arises only when the amount of these waste substances exceeds the decomposition capacity of nature. However, the nonbiodegradable wastes are difficult to reduce.