Submerged Lands

When we talk about the ways of disposing waste, there are several simple ways to do this:

Burying

For things you want to get rid of or don’t want to see anymore. One of the oldest ways to do is to bury them. Like old books, old coins, old furniture, not counting old memories of course. Long time ago, people thought it was proper for such things to go to earth as the saying “ash to ash dust to dust” goes. And it was not long ago when people started to learn about the danger of burying things. When the “things” decompose, chemicals are also released at the same time. These chemicals can be harmful, when they are released to the soil, they are absorbed by the plants and by climbing up the ladder in the food chain, and they reach human beings eventually. 

Burning

Another good way to dispose of waste is to burn it. Fire has a mysterious purifying power; no one can resist the pleasure of seeing things turn into ashes. Fire has been the totem of various tribes and it has also been used in some rituals. It has once been a religion in some ancient tribes. But in the modern world, burning can have adverse effects. Burning produces carbon dioxide, adding more pressure to the now already overloaded carbon dioxide level on Earth. Burning releases harmful chemicals into the atmosphere, as a result, the furnaces built for burning waste have their chimneys standing higher and higher in the air, trying to match the churches built in Gothic style. 

Decomposing

Decomposing waste by bacteria is not a new idea. When people discovered the power of bacteria long time ago, they have used them in various areas, in wars, in medicine, in food and also in disposing waste. Back in 2008, a sixteen-year old young man won a scholarship and a prize for discovering plastic-eating bacteria. This may not be a break through, but we are well aware that further studies in this area is appreciated and supported by everyone.

While we try all our efforts to recycle, reuse and dispose of waste, why not create less waste? When we go into a supermarket, we see stacks and stacks of products, food, tools, stationeries, skin care, anything you can name. Are they all equally essential to us? Lots of products on sale are just for passing time, you won’t miss anything if you don’t buy them.  If you are careful enough, by looking at the description on the package, you may find warnings posted on the labels like toxic, danger, flammable etc. Why spend your money on dangerous goods? Be a wise customer. 

To help our planet become a healthier, safer place to live and breathe, it will take all of us working together to accomplish this enormous task. We can all do our share when we work together to develop better habits.

There is one material that is impossible to forego, but we can limit its use: Paper. Paper is ubiquitous, be it offices, schools or home. One good piece of advice is to use paper that has recycle label on it. There are various types of paper that are recyclable; some of the paper that is recyclable is printer paper (colored or non-colored), glossy paper (but not waxy), envelops, cardstock, newspapers, magazines, books, and sticky notes.  Printers and computers can be used for parts and you may even be able to get a handsome amount for them if you take your old electronics to a repair shop.

Even though it is much easier to recycle paper and there are many kinds as well, we should all think about ways to minimize its use. Sending electronic memorandums for example is a good way to cut down on paper use in offices. Eliminating duplicated files, and converting used papers into scratch paper is another good way towards a more efficient community.  After the paper is used, never throw it away in trash can. It takes about 60-70% of energy to recycle paper than it does to make new paper. The paper that is thrown away in trash is gone forever, it is never reused. Be sure to throw paper away in recycling bins. To make this task convenient, you may put recycle bins (that are very cheaply bought from your nearest recycling facility) in every room/office.

Plastic bags…Yes they are convenient and readily available but one of the best things you can do for the environment is NOT to use them. Plastic bags are very hard to recycle and not all plastic bags are recyclable because of the material or dye they contain. The only plastic bags that are recyclable are the ones clearly marked (and are high in price as well).  When they are not recycled, they end up in landfills or the ocean. Plastic bags are one of the materials that photo-degrade. They are slowly degraded by sunlight and heat and become smaller and smaller until they are finally broken down into very small pieces which can contaminate water and soil. This makes our water and soil unhealthy. One thing that a person may do to help the environment is carry a few cloths bag for groceries. It’s easier than it looks and very efficient in the long run. But if you must use plastic bags, please use the ones marked by the recycle symbol.

Most things we use in our daily life are recyclable. It takes a little effort at first but once you get into the habit of doing it, it will come naturally. We owe this much to our environment. Using it luxuriously and vainly will deplete it of its resources and our generations to come would suffer. Let’s be a better citizen and buy a recycle bin today!