I am writing this post after a gap of more than a month. Over the last month or so, I have got introduced to the idea of “Waste Management” and have been doing some information gathering on the same. For those who have no idea what I am talking about, Waste Management is the collection, processing, recycling, or disposal of waste materials in an eco-friendly manner. Currently, most of the waste produced in our cities are mixed together (dry/wet, bio-degradable/non bio-degradable) and dumped in landfills. There, it is either burnt releasing harmful gases or left to rot or decompose which might take thousands of years (or never in the case of non-bio degradable products). Moreover, we are running out of land to store all our waste.

Normal scene on many roads in India

Improper ways of waste handling have resulted in turning our cities and roads into dump yards which is never a pretty sight. Moreover, all kind of diseases such as cancer, anemia, suppressed immune system are a result of release of poisonous gases and ground water contamination.

However, by using eco-friendly ways of Waste Management, we can reduce the waste going to landfills by as much as 80% (even more in some cases) and save a lot of environmental / health related issues by properly disposing off / recycling the waste materials. Organic waste (food, leaves, peels) can be converted into rich compost. Paper, plastic and glass can be recycled. E-Waste can also be disposed properly without releasing toxic chemicals to the air or soil.

The question all of us need to ask ourselves is, Do we want our children and future generation to live in this environment? Is this the legacy we are going to leave behind for the future generations? The answer is certainly a NO for me, and I am going to continuously share any findings / activities related to the same here.

More posts to follow soon!!