Effective waste management is an aspect that we as responsible citizens should never overlook. It is important to know the best waste management practices for your apartment. Poor segregation and disposal of waste is one of the major contributors to environmental pollution. Excessive dumping of waste in landfills will cause soil and groundwater contamination, which is harmful to humans and the environment we live in. Furthermore, the best way to reduce waste is to stop producing waste. We should regulate our purchasing habits and spread more awareness about the right waste disposal techniques. 

Together, let us reduce, reuse and recycle waste to make our planet a better place to live in.

What is Waste Segregation & Why is it Important?

In 2016, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change revised Solid Waste Management Rules, whereby it mandated segregation of waste at the source itself. According to this new rule, waste segregation is the responsibility of the waste generator. Waste segregation involves the separation of daily household waste into different bins depending on their category, such as wet waste and dry waste. Waste segregation helps in the easier disposal and recycling of waste materials. 

To understand this process better, let us now learn about the categories of waste produced in a housing society.

Wet Waste

Wet waste refers to items like food waste, plants and other all waste materials which are biodegradable. Most of the wet waste comes from kitchen waste, which includes fruit & vegetable peels, tea & coffee residues, decayed food, and meat waste. Some apartments will have an in-house composting unit to recycle wet waste. 

Dry Waste 

Dry waste refers to non-biodegradable waste materials such as plastic, paper, glass, metal, clothes, and thermocol. Any waste particles which do not decay in the soil is termed as dry waste. 

Non-biodegradable waste can be classified as: 

• E-waste: Electronic waste comprises batteries, wires, electrical parts, mobiles, computer parts, bulbs, tube lights, etc. 
• Recyclable waste: Plastic, paper, glass, metal, etc are materials that can be recycled 
• Toxic waste: Pesticides, fertilizers, chemicals, medicines, used syringes, broken glass, etc 

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Due to the increasing amount of electronic and plastic waste, we must make conscious efforts to turn waste into wealth by following the 3R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We can encourage our apartment communities to take part in this green initiative. 

• Reduce the amount of waste you produce by consuming less
• Reuse waste as much as you can consider donating them to others
• Recycle items by giving them to any recycling organization 

Steps to Practice Proper Waste Management at Apartment

Now that you have a good understanding of waste segregation and the different types of waste produced in your household, let us discuss what are the best waste management practices you can follow in your apartment. 

• Keep separate coloured bins for dry waste and wet waste 
• Use garbage bags or covers to avoid spilling and leakage in the bins 
• Wash off food items from plastic food containers & wrappers before disposing
• Never store wet waste for more than one day 
• Discard sanitary waste neatly wrapped in paper 
• Keep broken glass materials and other sharp objects separately in a transparent polythene cover
• Encourage your neighbours, garbage collectors and housemaids to follow these practices to keep your surroundings clean
• Reuse plastic bags for grocery shopping or carry a cloth bag
• Consider recycling the kitchen and garden waste to make compost which can be used as organic fertilizer for your plants 

On a simpler note, being aware and responsible towards the environment is quite an important way of living life and when its done collectively, it can bring some interesting changes. Some of the luxury gated communities in the metropolitan cities of India are legit following these amendments are playing their part effectively. Its important to know if you are in a correct society that adds value to the environment.