The Problem With Today's Rubbish
Reducing the hazardous waste in the
Worlds landfills starts at home. Millions of households are producing
billions of pounds of solid waste. Products used every day in our homes
leach hazardous chemicals after entering landfills. There are a number of
simple steps that average consumer can take to limit the damage that many
of these toxic materials are doing to the environment.
Political Issue
The rubbish situation has become a
big concern in cities all around the country and not only is this a
political issue, but it is also a problem that has caught the attention of
the general population. We all realise there is a growing problem but
nobody likes to admit that their rubbish is contributing to the problem.
Mountains
Many councils have already started a
recycling program to deal with the growing mountains of paper, plastic,
glass, etc. Although it takes a bit of effort on the part of the public to
sort and separate their rubbish, people are now beginning to realise that
the future of our environment is at stake.
Batteries Are A Problem
One household product that is causing
a problem these days is throwaway batteries. Each year in the UK we throw
away 10.000 tons of alkaline batteries. These AA, C and D cells that power
electronic toys and games, portable audio equipment and a wide range of
other gadgets comprise 20% of the household hazardous materials present
around the country in our landfill sites.
When a battery in one of the products
we use fails, we simply run out and buy a replacement. The dead battery
ends up in the rubbish and no one thinks about where it goes and what
happens to it after the rubbish is picked up.
Sealed inside these alkaline cells
are harmful materials which are not encountered by consumers during normal
use. However, when the batteries enter a landfill, the casings can be
crushed, or can easily degrade, which causes mercury and other toxins to
leach into the environment.
The problem of batteries in landfills
is one of the easiest to solve. Using rechargeable power can significantly
reduce the number of batteries which end up in landfills. Rechargeable
batteries can be used again and again, up to 1,000 times. One rechargeable
cell can replace up to 300 throwaway batteries, keeping the landfill free
not only from the batteries themselves, but also from the paper and
plastic materials that are used to package them.
There are a number of manufacturers
in the country today who deal in rechargeable products and some of them
have a number of programs already in place to ensure that rechargeable
batteries never enter a landfill at all. For example, one of the largest
manufacturers of rechargeable products is now offering a lifetime
replacement guarantee on all round cells. If the product ever fails to
accept or hold a charge, the company will promptly replace it and recycle
the used cell.
Environmental agency
If you have an environmental agency
in your area, you might like to work on this issue with them, or perhaps
they already have a program set up to dispose of used batteries. As a
concerned citizen, your suggestions and input will be invaluable to them
as they attempt to come up with some solutions.
For your convenience,
we have prepared a list of search terms used in order of popularity,
to find more pages on this subject:
Searches completed in December 2004
Count Search Term
2793 rubbish
1552 rubbish removal
543 rubbish dump
446 dumps rubbish
320 rubbish and garbage removal
238 rubbish chute
204 rubbish bin
148 rubbish container
93 pure rubbish
92 gi rubbish
90 collection rubbish
88 compactor rubbish
70 bag rubbish
70 rubbish handling equipment
69 disposal rubbish
53 household rubbish removal bridgend
42 picture rubbish
41 nj removal rubbish
33 life modern rubbish
33 rubbish truck
31 dump meridell rubbish
30 street rubbish
29 clearance collection hire rubbish skip
29 rubbish removal new york
28 g i rubbish
27 compactor history rubbish
25 angeles los rubbish
25 birmingham disposal in rubbish
25 new removal rubbish services york
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