“Ignorance is bliss”…isn’t it? Well it certainly is easier to stay ignorant. But unfortunately ignoring a problem won’t make it any less real and it definitely won’t make it go away. It is time to address the waste that we as human beings create every day. Some people more than others, but none the less we are all guilty of adding to our landfills. For too long now people have ignored this problem and the damage it is doing to planet Earth. This globe that we live on is a gift. It is a miracle. We should be grateful for these amazing lives that we live and all that the world has to offer us. But unfortunately the need and want for material goods and packaged foods has led to the suffocation of our planet. So how can we change?

Firstly let’s talk about the effects that waste has on our planet. A lot of the waste that we produce goes to landfill sites and is buried in the ground. Some of the waste will eventually rot, however the majority of waste won’t. In the process it may smell or generate methane gas. Methane gas is explosive and contributes to greenhouse effect. During decomposer of some of the waste, gases are formed that cause pollution. There are problems with other methods of disposing of our waste as well. Incinerating waste can release toxins such as dioxins, from plastic. Gases from incineration may cause air pollution and contribute to acid rain.

When our landfills become full, huge amounts of waste are shipped across the sea to other countries that have more space. A lot of the time however, some of the waste either falls into the ocean or is dumped there intentionally. This of course now causes huge problems for our ocean wild life. Animals in the sea consume the waste and eventually die from not being able to digest the plastics or metals. The oceans habitats are destroyed, leaving sea life nowhere safe to live. A lot of animals also become trapped in the waste or become hurt from being in contact with it.

Throwing things away wastes resources. It wastes the raw materials and energy used in making the items and it wastes money. Reducing waste means less resources and energy used, it saves money and most importantly it means less environmental impact. We can all easily reduce our waste and there are many different ways in which you can.

The three main steps to remember when trying to create less waste is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Try to do these three steps in order. Reduce: buy and consume less so there is less waste to deal with in the first place. Reuse: reuse anything that you can. Perhaps you could upcycle an item and create a new use for it. Recycle: finally if you have any waste that you could not avoid creating and could not find a use for, recycle it.

Here is a list of just some of the simple things you can do to try and reduce your waste to help to save our planet:

  • Get to know the rules of recycling
  • Ditch the plastic bags
  • Make a meal plan so you don’t waste food
  • Start relying on reusable containers
  • Start composting
  • Learn to repair rather than discard
  • Cancel unnecessary mail
  • Stop using disposable plates
  • Don’t buy food in plastic packaging
  • Carry your own re-usable cutlery and straw

I hope that this article has been insightful for you. Together we can save our planet. 🌎🌍🌏

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