Waste: Why The Worry? December 1st, 2013: Solid Waste and Recycling Workshop KKU Students and Kok Si Community More People = More Trash Global population growth Increased Consumption of Goods Increased Amount of Waste The Three “R’s” Reduce: Simple ways to reduce our waste Turn off the lights! Turn off the water! Reuse: Is your trash reusable? Reuse plastic bags next time you go shopping, or use a cloth bag every time Cans, boxes and other containers can be used for storage of many things! Recycle: Lots of everyday items are made out of reusable materials Sorting Our Waste Burnables: What is safe for the burn pile? Kitchen waste, cloth, paper, wood, food, egg cartons, cigarette packs Non-burnables: Keep away from the burn pile! Metal, glass, plastic, light bulbs, motor oils, detergents, batteries, pesticide containers, styrofoam Recyclables: Use me again! Plastic, aluminum, steel, glass, paper This means our attitudes and approaches to waste disposal must change. Past and current waste disposal methods are centered around landfills and incinerators, but thoughts on these are changing.   So, what’s the worry with…? Landfills: Toxins: Hazardous waste in landfills harms our soil, groundwater, and air, becoming much more persistent environmental hazards. These result in foul odors and ugly sites. Costs: Landfills are expensive and pose problems for future generations. Waste breaks down in landfills very slowly, and therefore are a concern for future generations - our kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Aesthetics: Trash buildup is ugly! Incineration: Smoke: Burning trash = health concerns for those exposed to the smoke, especially among the elderly and youth populations. Exposure to smoke can cause health concerns from headaches and rashes to heart disease and cancers. Chemicals: Burning certain types of trash can release very dangerous substances into the air. These settle on crops, streams, and lakes. Then these dangerous substances enter our food chain and damage our immune systems, harm our lives and cause cancers. Waste Buildup: Attracts animals such as flies, rats, and other creatures that spread dangerous diseases like Dengue and Cholera Wet waste can decompose and release bad odors Scrap metals and other waste can be sharp and are dangerous to have around our homes and living environments Following the three “R’s”…we can: Reduce harm to the environment! By reusing, we produce less waste, which means less contamination Financially gain! Many recyclables are returnables that can be exchanged for Baht Better our community’s health! The more we reuse, the less we waste This means decreased health hazards and less work in disposal methods Less odors, less litter How can I reduce the amount of non-burnables I accumulate?   PAPER > PLASTIC Buy boxes, not bottles Opt for cardboard/paper packaging over plastic bags/bottles GLASS > PLASTIC Things in glass containers can be reused for other household items. Buy these instead, reuse them, and reduce your waste! JUST SAY NO to plastic when you’re not going to use it Plastic straws, bags, forks, spoons are convenient but harmful. If you don’t need it, don’t take it.