Each household has to deal with the growing amount of trash produced daily. It’s not just an eyesore, but it can also stink up your house if you fail to get rid of it immediately. The fact is, in today’s society, more and more people produce trash without knowing how to manage it.
There’s also a growing tension or guilt about how much trash each household produces each year. According to a study, one person can produce an average of 1.5 tons of trash in a year.
As a piece of advice, reduce waste production. Living an eco-friendly lifestyle can surely help lessen the trash you produce annually. This way, you’re not only getting rid of rubbish, but also the guilt of having a huge trace of carbon footprint.
However, reducing trash seems to be an impossible task at the moment, and going green doesn’t exactly answer the dilemma of how you can easily get rid of the rubbish you already have or will make on average.
On top of this, there’s also the concern for how trash is being disposed of. Is it done responsibly? Does the garbage end up in the ocean? All these questions might concern you if you’re eco-conscious.
So, here are a few things you can do to make it easier for your household:
Smart Rubbish
Almost everyone is a busy bee these days. We all need time for our careers, family, friends, and ourselves. And, time is a limited resource. The job of sorting trash is a tedious process, especially if you’re busy, not to mention confusing!
Now, depending on your lifestyle, your bin might have a combination of a few of these types of garbage. For starters, depending on how they can be recycled, the recycling symbol for plastics can have different meanings.
With this in mind, do you really want to spend so much time going through your trash and trying to figure out how to get it from your house to the dump? It doesn’t sound like a good way to spend one’s limited time, to be honest.
Fortunately, these days, depending on where you live, you can get everything serviced, including trash! We already bring in the trash to our homes by getting all kinds of items delivered. So, it only makes sense that we get our trash delivered out of our homes, too.
There are all kinds of Smart Rubbish services around the world. In Australia, Mobile Skips is a popular Smart Rubbish disposal provider. You can find a Mobile Skip bin hire in Penrith among other areas in Australia. They collect all kinds of trash. Unfortunately, they won’t accept hazardous materials and E-waste.
Still, many people are highly conscious about what happens to their trash, and if it’s being recycled or disposed of in a responsible way. Aside from being an easy fix for getting rid of the trash, it’s good to know that it’s also an eco-friendly option that includes recycling and repurposing.
Take a look at this video to learn more about how to use their services.
Tip: Before you consider which Smart Rubbish service company is for you, it’s necessary to research thoroughly. Several things need consideration, such as price, practice, and limitations of their services. Most importantly, weigh your options!
Compost
If you start a compost pit or bin, the waste you produce in the kitchen can be dealt with. This is an ideal solution if you have a garden or yard but you can also do it indoors.
Before composting, here are a few things you need to consider:
- Bin or pit?
To start composting, you’ll need a place to put your compost in. For outdoors, choose a dry, shady area for your compost pile or bin. If you’re composting indoors, use a specific type of composting bin, which you can DIY or purchase from a hardware or gardening store.
- What to put in?
Here are a few things you need in your compost bin or pit:
- Greens or nitrogen-rich materials – fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, paper tea bags, leaves, plant trimmings, cooked rice, cooked pasta, eggshells, and other similar materials
- Browns or carbon-rich materials – shredded papers, non-glossy cardboard, pinecones, twigs, branches, coffee filters, toilet paper, and other items like these.
- Water – this is important for breaking down the materials you put in the compost.
Take note that the greens and browns in your compost should be equal. Also, you should alternate the layers of greens and browns.
- What not to compost?
Image by Nathan Copley
Remember, not everything can be put into the compost bin or pit. That being said, it’s a good idea to put up this list in your kitchen as a quick reminder:
- Pet waste
- Dead plants or plants with pests
- Twigs and leaves from black walnut trees
- Coal or its ashes
- Yard trimmings with pesticide
- Meat, fish, or bones
- Oil, grease, fats, or lard
- Dairy products
Composting isn’t just a good way to get rid of kitchen scraps, it’s also beneficial for the environment since it’ll enrich the soil. This allows plants to grow healthier by retaining moisture and helping plants avoid pests or diseases. Simultaneously, chemical fertilizers won’t be needed anymore. Best of all, it reduces your carbon footprint.
Yard Sales
Instead of throwing out items that can still be used, you can start a yard sale. By doing so, you’ll also get a few bucks in the process.
You don’t even have to sell single items; you can give them as bundles so you can get rid of them faster.
Break It Down
You want to make sure that the trash bin doesn’t fill up too quickly, so make sure that you keep the rubbish as compact as possible. If you can, use a paper shredder or tear up some pieces of paper.
Some other items can be disassembled to make sure that it takes as little space as possible.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
For you to easily get rid of the trash, you first need to reduce the amount of garbage you produce. This means fewer trips to the bin, so you don’t have to worry about the trash stinking up and cluttering your home.
If the items aren’t too old or damaged, perhaps you or someone else can still find a use for these. Don’t just throw them away, reuse them.
Finally, start recycling by learning more about recyclable materials and the process in your area. For now, let’s start with these easy steps below.
- Don’t take it if you don’t need it: Unnecessary items lying around and an excessive number of the same item will rapidly accumulate if you aren’t careful.
A great example of this is the uncountable number of plastic bags we have in our homes. Keep reusable bags in your car or in your handbag at all times. You’ll never know when you’ll need it.
If you’re being offered freebies, tokens, and other knickknacks that you know you don’t need, simply refuse it in the nicest and respectful way possible.
- No to single-use: Plastic cutlery, paper plates and cups, and plastic food packaging will fill up your bin in no time. Instead, use your own plates, containers, and cutlery. If you want to get food for takeout, you can bring your own containers. This also means cutting down on getting food delivered
This also includes batteries. Switching to rechargeable batteries is a great way to reduce the amount of hazardous waste you produce.
- Donate reusable items regularly: You probably have a pile of clothes you never wear that are still nice and usable. Before they get old, you can choose to donate them. The same goes for other items that you’re thinking of getting rid of. For example, some old furniture might be used or repurposed by someone who wants it.
Don’t hold on to items you don’t love. If you’re not sure about how much you like an item, just put it in a donation box. Also, if you haven’t used it in months, someone else might find it more useful than you.
- Repurpose: Repurposing items is quite trendy these days. It’s also a fun activity, especially if you enjoy arts and crafts. For example, old ladders can be made into nice bookshelves if you’re creative.
However, you don’t have to be a crafty person to repurpose things that might otherwise go in the bin. Jars can simply be washed out and used again to store pens, make-up brushes, or even other food items.
- Get sorting: Don’t just use one bin for everything, but sort things out as you go. To make it as organized as possible, put out several trash cans and label them. Do note that it only takes a second to throw each item in the right bin, in comparison to the tiresome task of going through the trash and sorting it out later on.
If you look into your bin, you can classify the pieces of garbage into these types:
- General rubbish: This is the kind of trash we normally throw out. Household junk, clothes, office materials, furniture, electrical goods, and similar items can be classified as general rubbish.
- Building rubbish: These are items that are normally disposed of after construction. Things like plaster, carpet, steel, and wood are considered building rubbish.
- Green rubbish: Here, we have trash that you’ll find in your yard or backyard. Leaves, branches, and even trees are all called green rubbish.
- Heavy stuff: As for heavy stuff, you can include concrete, soil, sand, and bricks.
- Hazardous waste: Dangerous materials include chemicals, batteries, asbestos, food, paint, biological waste, fuel, oils, and gas bottles.
Remember that sorting will also depend on what your city’s waste department requires. Some would instruct you to separate paper, glass, metal, and plastic.
- Do your research: Most laws about recycling are the same, but it’s important to be informed about all the details. Perhaps some cities are more particular than others.
You’ll have to keep yourself updated on any changes as well. This can be done by going online or making some calls to your city’s waste department.
- Learn more about recyclable materials: After sorting out the general pile of trash that you have, you need to identify which items can be recycled.
- Paper: As long as it hasn’t been used for food, it can be recycled. It must also be free of any other materials, such as string or metal, that might be glued onto it.
- Plastic: If it has a recycling symbol, it’s definitely recyclable. Don’t forget to remove bottle caps.
- Metal: Foil trays, aluminum cans, aerosol cans, and pots and pans are all recyclable. Be sure that they’re all empty. For bigger metal pieces, such as metal furniture, you might want to check with your local waste department first.
As a tip, keep these items in separate and neat piles.
- Get connected with your local recycling services: Most areas have recycling centers and you can schedule a pick-up for the recyclable items you’ve collected and sorted. You can ask your local waste department more about the details. Don’t forget to get your own recycling can or bin.
What Can’t Be Recycled?
There are also several things that you mustn’t include for recycling. Here’s a list of items to keep in mind:
- Solvents, cleaners, oil, paint, etc.
- The cardboard used to store food or greasy contents
- Diapers
- Drinking glasses
- Bags lined with foil
- Boxes for frozen food
- Batteries
- Electronic devices
- Light bulbs
Conclusion
Getting rid of waste is a process that requires time, effort, and research. It’s also a habit that needs to be integrated into our lifestyles, starting with cutting back on our trash production. In short, we don’t need to take out the trash if there’s no trash, to begin with.
But it’s also good to remember that we have other resources that we can avail of, especially if we don’t have the time or if we just can’t be bothered to do it all ourselves. Just remember to do your share of research before deciding on the services to pay for.
Nonetheless, it’s still necessary for all of us to know our trash production and how our actions as a consumer affect the environment. Of course, it doesn’t stop there. Actively changing our habits and dealing with our trash production is the next step.
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