Solid Waste Pollution

Garbage piling up along the streets. Who is to blame? These wrong practices of many people are not easy to stop. They throw their garbage anywhere. This is also a common sight in the markets and in front of many residential houses. Countless materials and products ranging from old newspapers, empty cans and bottles, food wastes, packaging materials, plastics, broken glass, metals, blocks of wood and practically any unwanted or discarded materials.

Solid waste pollution is one of the big problems in urban areas, where population is concentrated and human activities are intense. So, how people can solve the problem? Is there really a solution?

Open dumping is most widely practiced disposal system. The practice of open dumping has some consequences which threaten not only the people but also the environment. Such practice results clouds of smoke and provide breeding ground for disease carriers such as flies, mosquito, and rats.

Sanitary landfills are generally adopted as the substitute for open burning. A sanitary landfill is a land waste disposal site where raw trash is put in the ground and covered with fresh layer of soil. By not burning the refuse and covering each day’s fill, odor is seldom a problem. Another problem emanating from this practice is methane production; a highly flammable gas may cause explosions. Also methane seeping through the surface kills vegetation by poisoning the roots.

We have no choice. The best solution is to discipline ourselves not to throw the garbage anywhere. Let’s reduce, reuse and recycle waste.