“Waste management is the only way to a cleaner society.” — Anonymous
A city with an area of 2190 sq. km and a population of about 10.18 million generates around 5000 metric tons of solid waste per day. That’s an average of 0.5kg per capita per day.
That is a whooping lot of waste coming out of one city.
If we go back a few years to check the waste generated throughout the years, we can see the trends rising every year.
Looking at this rise, waste management has become a top priority. Without which we will be drowned in heaps of waste lying around our cities.
To carry out waste management successfully we need to know what exactly does it mean. Wikipedia defines waste management as the activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
While this is easier to understand, there are a lot of misconceptions about managing waste. These myths lead to a lot of misunderstandings, which in turn lead to an increase in the waste generated.
To clear our thoughts let us dive into some of the common myths that have become an integral part of the waste management industry.
Let’s get educated and debunk these myths together.
Myth 1: Landfills are the best solution for waste management.
Myth 2: Sustainability is the privilege of the rich.
Myth 3: Eliminating waste is bad on the money front.
Myth 4: The ultimate solution — Recycling.
Myth 5: One person cannot make a difference.
Myth 1: Landfills are the best solution for waste management
The waste that is collected is segregated at designated centres and the recyclable portion of the waste is sent to recycling units.
So, what about the remaining portion?
The waste that is termed as non-recyclable is dumped into far-off empty lands called landfills.
Although this keeps our cities clean from all the waste, it doesn’t treat the waste, it just creates mountains of it.
The heaps of waste laying ground pollute the ground, water, and soil. There is a formation of leachate that drips underground and pollutes underground water.
Additionally, regular fires in landfills pollute the air.
We need creative ways to tackle our waste management problem that doesn’t just shift the waste from one place to another.
At TrashCon we use waste plastics and make strong plywood-like boards which are then turned into beautiful products. This prevents plastics from being dumped into landfills. Watch how we do it and prevent landfills.
Myth 2: Sustainability is the privilege of the rich
Sustainable waste management refers to the collection, transportation, valorization, and disposal of the various types of waste, in a manner that does not jeopardize the environment, human health, or future generations.
It includes any activity involved in the organization of waste management, from production to the final treatment.
As sustainable waste management involves so many aspects and the cost of each is considerably large, it is normal to think that only organizations and individuals with more resources can take this up.
But, if we look at the goal of sustainable waste management which is to reduce the amounts of natural resources consumed, reusing the materials taken from nature, and creating minimal waste, we can find a way to incorporate this into our daily lives.
Individuals and organizations can make do with available resources and manage the waste with the best of their efforts.
For example — By optimizing waste processes, even small hotel operations can adopt recycling programs that are both easy to implement and cost-effective.
As an individual, you can support sustainability by simply preferring recycled products over any other. We can help you shift over to recycled products with our amazing range of products made out of completely recycled plastic waste.
Myth 3: Eliminating waste is bad on the money front
It is a misconception that eliminating waste equals loss of profits.
Although, it is right that eliminating waste requires money to be poured in. But over time after we get a proper analysis of how and why the waste is generated, we can eliminate the waste at its source. Thereby increasing the profits eventually.
Eliminating waste can ultimately benefit the bottom line and save us money.
Myth 4: The ultimate solution — Recycling
Recycling is a valuable and promising process, but the current system is far from perfect.
Several long-range problems need solutions, including the fact that most products are not designed for recycling.
It becomes costly to recover and reprocess materials that are not recyclable.
However, these materials can be subjected to upcycling. In upcycling, the materials are used to make some other products that have value.
Eventually, recycling along with upcycling has the potential to become the ultimate solution.
At TrashCon, we have perfected the ultimate solution — we make strong plywood-like boards that are then converted into any product that you can think of, any product that can be made with wood.
We call these boards WoW Boards, cause wow is the word that can describe your amazement when you have a look at them.
Myth 5: One person cannot make a difference
This saying goes both ways, one person can, as well as cannot make a difference.
If one person is doing his part to manage the waste but the community as a whole isn’t, then collectively there is no waste management happening. But, contrary to this, if the community is invested in waste management and a few individuals are not, then we cannot achieve the goal of complete waste management.
There is no difference when one person does it, but when everyone will, great things are bound to happen.
Get in touch with us and be a part of the difference.
The final word
We are surrounded with waste, with the myths, but moreover, we are surrounded by the solutions to this waste menace.
Taking up the responsibility to know the problem, having the sources to get educated about it, debunk the myths, and get creative with the solutions is the way forward towards a sustainable waste-free future.
However, the focus needs to be more inclined towards educating people about the nuances of waste management. As there may be many more myths that are hampering the success of a good waste management process.
And debunking those myths will take us one step closer to a waste-free society.
