Protect Your Health with Safe Waste Disposal

Wastes are unwanted materials that emit toxins that are detrimental to the body. Throwing out wastes is not enough in preventing health implications. Proper waste disposal should be practiced not only to protect you from the harsh effects of wastes, but to protect other people and the environment as well. Most of the people do not know how to throw wastes properly. Because of this, some blood-borne diseases, diarrheal diseases and respiratory diseases arise.

Governments in all countries have already instituted environmental measures to reduce the health and environmental effects of wastes. One of this is the use of sanitary landfills to prevent seepage of toxic fluids and substances to the underground water. Safe waste disposal protects public health by reducing land, water and air pollution. The increase in greenhouse gases has been due to improper waste disposal such as burning. Proper waste disposal can also have economic benefits. Composting is one method of waste management which may be used as fertilizers, mitigating the need to buy such.
These are some of the poor practices of people in disposing wastes which can result in health consequences:
• Burning. Burning of wastes emits toxic fumes in the environment, which when inhaled, may cause respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis. Burning is detrimental especially when plastics, rubbers, cans and other substances are burned because this emits noxious smoke and contributes to the increase in greenhouse gases causing warming.
• Overfilling of containers. Overfilling leads to an open bin which promotes escape of toxic materials into the environment.
• Open dumping. Dumping of wastes in lands allow the growth and proliferation of flies, which when comes in contact with foods, may cause diarrheal diseases.
• Throwing out sharps in regular containers. When other people get hold with sharps in the trash bin, needle pricks may occur and may acquire blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. There is also a legal implication of throwing sharps in the trash.
• Burying. When dangerous wastes are buried, chemicals and toxic substances can affect the underground water, plants and the soil.
• Throwing plastics in bodies of water. This creates obstructions in the river or lakes which increases the risk of flooding during heavy rain.

To protect your health from the harsh effects of wastes, safe waste disposal should be implemented such as the following:
• Segregate waste materials according to biodegradable, non-biodegradable, reusable, infectious and hazardous categories. In this way, you can ascertain what container has the harmful wastes to prevent accidental contamination.
• Do not overfill waste cans. Ensure that wastes are contained properly inside trash bins.
• Cover wastes. Do not allow wastes to be exposed to prevent flies and other insects from getting into the trash.
• Consider composting. Composting prevents additional wastes to be thrown, which significantly reduces community wastes and land pollution. Compost can be used as fertilizers in organic yards. You can also try growing your own organic garden.
• Never pour hazardous chemicals in the sink. This may go to the sewerage and seep into underground water. You would not want drinking contaminated water.
• Place wastes a few meters away from the house. This ensures that you are not being contaminated by the hazardous trash.
• Do not keep used batteries, old appliances, car batteries, computers and mobile phones in your home because they emit hazardous chemicals as they stay in the trash. Instead of disposing it in trash, contact local authorities or manufacturers because they have means of disposing it properly.
• Return unused and expired medications to the local pharmacy. Never leave them within children’s reach to prevent accidental ingestion and poisoning.

Proper waste disposal does not only benefit the homeowner, but the whole community as well. Even though wastes are unwanted, we should not just throw them anywhere when we want to get rid of them.