Photo: dcdan / Flickr

Have you ever considered where your rubbish goes after you have disposed of it? It has to go somewhere. Even though you might believe your responsibility for your waste ends at your rubbish bin, it may be worth considering the impact of badly processed waste.

Landfills

Whatever you throw away ends up in a landfill. This is a large area of land somewhere outside your town where everyone’s rubbish is piled up or buried. We do not stop producing waste so cities constantly need more land to bury it in. Because the rubbish is not bio-degradable these pieces of land will be toxic for centuries. Pollutants from these sites enter the soil, water table and the atmosphere. So even though you think your waste is not your problem it is contaminating the air you breathe as well as the water and soil that produce your food.

Recycle

One way you can make a difference is by recycling your waste. This is involves separating different materials like paper, plastic, glass and metal and asking your nearest recycling centre to collect it. The centre will send these items for processing so that the materials can be reused.

Reuse

Photo: Stock.Xchng

You can also reduce the need for the endless production of disposal items like plastic shopping bags by reusing the ones you have, or purchasing an eco friendly shopping bag. Some stores sell milk, juice and honey on tap, so you can reuse your old jars instead of buying new ones which will only end up as waste.

Donate

Some of your waste might even be useful to other people. So why not donate unwanted clothes and household items to charity? That way you will reduce your rubbish and help someone in need. Some recycling centres will even collect charity items along with your recycling.

Your waste is your responsibility and the consequences of poor disposal affect you and the future of your children.

Tags: Eco-friendly, shopping bags