Think about how many people there are in the world, and how much waste each person generates every day. As this adds up, waste production becomes a huge problem over time. Without adequate waste disposal, what would happen to all that waste?
More than 2 billion tonnes of waste2 billion tonnes of waste is generated around the globe each year, with at least 33% of this being disposed of irresponsibly. Whether it’s individual, industrial, or commercial waste, this ever-growing problem can lead to serious consequences.
To help you understand the significance of waste disposal in daily life and especially for businesses, this blog explores 5 reasons why waste disposal is important. We’ll also look into the importance of responsible and appropriate waste disposal methods.
click here – Best NPS Fund Managers: NPS Funds you should invest in
1) Protecting the environment
Without a proper recycling process of waste disposal, different types of non-biodegradable waste can build up, polluting the environment. Hazardous waste can poison water and destroy habitats, killing plants and wildlife, and producing gases that contribute to climate change.
Even non-hazardous waste can pollute the air and water when left to decompose in landfills. Historically, most waste was biodegradable, so burning and burying it didn’t cause too much harm. Nowadays, the abundance of modern synthetic materials doesn’t break down in the same way.
This is why it’s so crucial to use recyclable materials wherever possible, and to ensure that these materials are appropriately recycled after disposal. Businesses and large corporations in particular have a responsibility to manage their excessive waste production properly.
click here – In What Circumstances Do We Need Tooth Filling?
2) Maintaining health and safety
Imagine how horrible life would be if there were no waste disposal options other than littering or landfill. Overflowing bins, unsightly piles of rotting rubbish everywhere – just imagine the smell and what this would do to the air and water quality.
Waste pollution not only damages the environment, but can also be extremely hazardous to human health. From respiratory illnesses to skin diseases, toxic waste can cause a wide range of problems, even leading to conditions such as cancer.
At the very least, waste is an eyesore and a tripping hazard. In the worst cases, improperly managed waste can cause death. This is why local authorities have safe waste collection services in place, and businesses are required to follow health and safety regulations.
3) Complying with legislation
Waste disposal is legally regulated to prevent the aforementioned issues from happening. Individuals are expected to comply with local waste collection procedures, and fly-tipping (unauthorised dumping of waste in public or privately-owned spaces) is against the law.
The laws are even more strict for businesses, who owe their workers and the community surrounding the workplace a duty of care. If you don’t adhere to the rules for the storage, transfer, and disposal of waste, you’re likely to face serious penalties – from large fines to prison time.
Since bigger companies contribute more waste to the problem, they’re also regulated by environmental protection laws that require them to scale back waste production and increase recycling measures. Again, there are legal punishments for not doing so.
4) Keeping costs down
Cutting down waste production saves money – it’s as simple as that. Whether you’re an individual investing in reusable products or a business auditing and streamlining your waste management process, you’ll find that you’re spending much less than before as a result.
Looking more closely into the materials you use, and how you dispose of them when you’re done using them, can help you to identify things that you need to change. Improving the efficiency of their supply chain can help businesses to reduce production costs and increase profits.
Adjusting your waste disposal methods and finding environmentally conscious alternatives can make a huge difference. From eco-friendly skip hire in Chorley to professional skip hire in Preston, making sure that as much of your waste as possible gets recycled is essential.
5) Gaining a good reputation
As shallow as it may sound, environmentally-aware waste disposal makes you appear responsible and respectable. Gone are the days of judging ‘eco-warriors’ for their passion about saving the planet – we’re all aware of the severity of the climate crisis by now.
If you talk the talk about doing more to prevent climate change, you should be walking the walk, too. Prove that you stand behind your morals and truly understand the importance by changing your waste disposal habits in favour of environmentally-friendly options.
Ethical waste management and visible efforts to reduce your carbon footprint are now expected of businesses around the world. Today’s consumers are looking for ‘green’ companies with sustainable policies – and if you’re not one of them, they’ll go to your competitors who are.
What waste disposal methods are there?
Effective waste disposal starts with not only putting rubbish in a bin, but putting it in the right bin, and implementing waste transfer services that can dispose of it appropriately. The most common methods of waste disposal thus far have been:
- Landfill – digging holes in the ground and burying the waste in them.
- Incineration – burning the waste and converting it to heat or steam energy.
As long as there are no toxic by-products, burning waste can still be efficient, as it can be used as a source of energy in place of fossil fuels. That said, recycling is preferable – it’s much safer for people and the environment. Options for waste disposal via recycling include:
- Composting – turning organic waste into nutritious soil for growing plants.
- Local authority collections – from green bins for garden waste to paper, plastic, and glass.
- Recycling centres – people can take most items from electronic waste to old furniture to a local waste management facility themselves.
- Business waste management – professional services hire privately for the proper collection and disposal of large volumes of commercial or industrial waste.
- Commercial or domestic skip hire – from skip hire in Leyland to skip hire in Chorley, individuals or traders can rely on skip providers to take away their larger-than-average volume of waste and recycle as much of it as possible on your behalf.
As you can see, effective waste disposal is incredibly important, and we should all be doing our best to ensure that we dispose of our waste in the most environmentally efficient way.
