You don't have to be Superman to Save the Earth : Thing You Should Know

Yes, Probably you think if my thread was boring since almost (probably) every days you see banner, poster or TV commercials wrote the "Save the Earth" or "Green Living" campaign.

I am not researching but probably more to keep simply concluded if we can Help to save the Earth by doing small things from our home.

Sorry If my English was Bad. So, Here we Go.

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10 Stuffs you should not just simply “throw to the garbage”

Probably you’ll think “it was only throwing trashes and I dumped it at the trash bin. How could it be more complicated?” well, the truth was not all trashes could just simply throw to the garbage bin. Some of them could even dangerous if you throw it without special precautions.

1. Batteries
Unused batteries are including into dangerous and toxic type of materials since it was contains dangerous metals such as mercury, manganese, cadmium, nickel, lead and lithium. Even when they couldn’t used to start your electronic devices those batteries still contains dangerous chemical mentioned above. This was applied for all types of batteries include occasional electronic devices batteries (AA types, AAA types, etc.), your watch batteries, lithium batteries and rechargeable batteries.



If watch them closely you will find a cross trash-bin logo (or written) on every type of batteries. It was sign not to simply throw these kinds of trashes into the trash-bin. The chemicals contains in the batteries could be absorb by the soils and mix with the water in it. If this keep going over and over then it will make the water we use become toxic, in really gives serious impact to human health.

So, where we must dispose it? Not every countries has their own disposal for these kind of trashes (batteries) but we could also try to sort and put it in one place then give to people usually collect these kinds of trashes. Whatever you do, do not throw it and mix with others trashes.

Here is a simple caution and note from the DC Department of Public Works.

• Do not put batteries into your regular or bulk trash collection.
• Take these batteries to the Ft. Totten Transfer Station on the Thursday/Saturday schedule on the HHW page.
• Save your batteries for special Household Hazardous Waste drop-off events.

2. Neon lights

Light or electric lamp has lots of types. Light bulb and halogen light are the type you could throw to the trash-bin since they aren’t contains any dangerous chemicals. But, you should put in a box or wrapped it with papers if the lights are in broken/break condition to make sure it would be harmless for everyone.

On the contrary, neon’s or fluorescent light type (Compact Fluorescent Lamp -CFL Type) are contains dangerous chemical. It was forbidden to throw it in trashcan or garbage dump. The reason was because when the glasses break it will release and spread mercury. You could throw this kind of lights to a nearest dangerous waste center.


What Should I Do if a CFL Breaks in My Home? (DC Department of Public Works)

• Do not inhale the vapor
• Do not use a vacuum for cleanup
• Sweep the pieces together with a brush or broom, not with your hand
• Clean up glass with a wet rag or towl and place the towel, along with the pieces, into a sealed plastic bag.
• Bring that sealed bag to us on Saturday at Ft. Totten Transfer Station for proper disposal.

Proper Disposal of a CFL Lightbulb (DC Department of Public Works)

• Do not put your used CFL bulbs into your regular or bulk trash collection.
• Take your bulbs to the Ft. Totten Transfer Station on the Thursday/Saturday schedule on the HHW page.
• Save your bulbs for special Household Hazardous Waste drop-off events.
• Look for retailers of CFL bulbs who accept small quantities of bulbs at certain locations (Home Depot, Lowes and Ace Hardware may have a location near you).

3. Pharmaceuticals Products

When you have expired pharmaceuticals (medicines) or unused one then you should never throw it to the garbage can. Not only the chemicals could give negative impact for your environment, wrong peoples who found it also could use the medicines. Here is what you should do when you have those expired or unused medicines:

• If the medicines was expired, then you could collect it and give it to the nearest pharmaceutical stores or hospitals. Here the expired medicines would be dispose in a safe ways.
• For unused medicines (not expired), you could donate them in charity events that usually held free medicines and free medications. But you should make sure the medicines you will donate are in proper and good conditions (Sealed, Not Expired and Not Broken).
• You could use unused vitamins as fertilizer. If it still in a capsule then you should remove it, if it still in a tablet form then you should break it into small pieces and simply pour it to the plant soils.

How You Can Help (DC Department of Public Works)

• Take unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers.
• Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter and put them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, further ensuring that the drugs are not diverted or accidentally ingested by children or pets.
• Throw these containers in the trash or recycling cart.
• Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the accompanying patient information specifically instructs it is safe to do so.
• Return unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs to pharmaceutical take-back locations that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for safe disposal.

4. Aerosol cans (spray)

Nowadays, lots of products packed in spray-can such as pest control, hairspray, paint and air freshener. These kinds of products always have pressed-propellant that contains dangerous chemicals. That is why we could just throw it to the trashcan.



Most of the aerosol cans was also easily to burns and explode when meet high impact or in a high temperatures. Some of the country still burns their garbage, could you imagine those thing explode when you burning you own trashes?


5. Electronics

Electronic trashes such as unused TV’s, broken DVD’s, digital cameras, computer parts, radio, chargers and others shouldn’t ended in the public waste and dump. These kinds of electronic trashes were should kept in our own barn or you could give it to a repairman so they could properly dispose or recycle it.



Electronic trashes and wastes are highly contains dangerous materials such as cadmium and tin. Electronic wastes were the biggest water and soil pollutant. This kind of wastes makes the water and soil contaminated with highly dangerous materials that become toxic for human, animals and plants.

6. Hairs

I know it was odd to read it. The reason why I put hairs is not because they were dangerous, but because it was more useful to used than throwing them to the trashcan.

Did you know if unused hairs were very useful? Don’t throw it easily, in fact you better collect and recycle it. An unused hair contains high Nitrogen that’s why it way better to become fertilizers than becomes trashes. According to Vlatcho D. Zheljazkov (US Mississippi State University researcher), applying 5% - 10% hairs to compost could increase the plant productivity up to 10%.

7. Paints

Paint cans or other things contaminated with paint are easily to burns. Oil base paints, varnishes and paint diluents are includes into toxic wastes. They are also contain chemicals that could dangerous our environment and health.

Simply donate the unused paint to schools or even your neighborhood. This way you could save your environment and helps other in the same time.



How You Can Help (DC Department of Public Works)

• Save money (and the nuisance of disposing of excess paint) on your next painting project by consulting with your retailer to get a better estimate of what you will need. Also, most people may not realize that they can usually return full, unused containers of paint to the retailer for refund (check at the time of purchase).
• Store unused portions for future projects or touchup by placing a sheet of plastic wrap across the opening before sealing and store cans upside down to keep paint fresh.
• Donate or exchange paint with friends, neighbors, charities and churches
• Do not put your partially-used cans of solvent- or oil-based (alkyd) paint or spray cans into your regular or bulk trash collection.
• Take these cans to the Ft. Totten Transfer Station on the Thursday/Saturday schedule on the HHW page.
• Save your cans for special Household Hazardous Waste drop-off events.

8. Fertilizers and Herbicides

Using high contains chemical in fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides was horrible for your environment. That’s why it was recommended to replace the old chemicals fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides with the natural eco friendly kinds. But there will be a time we forced to use the chemical type and when you do just make sure you don’t dispose the wastes into a garbage dump.

Contained chemicals was obviously includes into the toxic wastes. The best way to handle it was to give someone who needs it (so they can use it) or put on the dangerous wastes center near you place.


9. Home Cleaner Products

Never ever throw a home cleaner products package (usually bottles) in the garbage dump. The products (mostly) contain lots of dangerous chemicals. These kinds of products also could make the piping line rusted because the corrosion effect from the products.

They are also highly flammable. That’s why it was recommended to empty the container before you throw it to the garbage dump. Once again, try to find a local nearest dangerous waste center and put the emptied container there.


10. Cosmetics and Makeup Tools

Several cosmetic products were still contained highly dangerous chemical such as Mercury. The worst of all these chemicals wasn’t easily sorted and ravel with water. These cosmetic products could easily contaminate water beneath the soils.

Empty makeup tools and cosmetic container shouldn’t also easily put on the trashcan. We need to bring it to places known for recycling these kinds of products.

Several major cosmetic manufacturers such as Aveda and MAC are creating program to recycle their unused cosmetic and they were responsible to recycle it in a safe ways. You should check if your cosmetic manufacturers were held the same programs.

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Hopefully this thread could be useful for all of us.
if this thread was a re-post i don't mind to deleted by the Administrator.

No One Can be Superman, But Everyone can do Super Things.
If you have other suggestions or Tips, please join me by reply to this thread.

Thank you for reading and Take Care Guys.

 

Thanks for sharing The part about the hair was particularly interesting.

Unfortunately, not only countries have facilities for recycling the aforementioned, so these get thrown with everything else....

 

Thanks for this informative post, your post is really interesting with some grammar errors that are forgivable. You are right, we don’t need to be superhuman to save the earth. We can do our share by simply disposing off our wastes properly and not abusing natural resources. Simple acts of caring for the environment can build up and go a long way toward saving the earth.

 

I agree. Hope there are some alternative things to do with the hair rather than juat being throwed out to the garbage can.

gree

 

Thank you gor your comment. Hehehe... Sorry my english, hope everyone could get the point.

Please do share for anything else you could come up with.