Educating Ourselves
Balloons
Balloons may be festive for celebrations but they are a hazard to environment. Balloons can kill animals when ingested such as sea turtles, birds and even whales and dolphins will ingest the balloons and their strings. Balloon releases contribute to this growing problem. Learn why balloons can be a risk and some other interesting facts.
Medical Waste
Poor management of health care waste potentially exposes health care workers, waste handlers, patients and communities to infection, toxic effects and injuries, and risks polluting the environment. It is essential that all medical waste materials are segregated at the point of generation, appropriately treated and disposed of in a safe and environmentally way. Thoughts of medical waste beckon images of red bio-hazard bags of potentially dangerous materials. Medical waste is solid waste created by diagnosing, treating or immunizing people or animals. It can also be the product of the research and testing of biological products. This term is defined specifically by the Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988. This definition includes, but is not limited to:
Plastics
Plastic pollution occurs in many forms, including but not limited to littering, marine debris (man-made waste that has been released into a lakes, oceans, and interior waterways), microplastic water pollution, synthetic clothing fiber and plastic netting. A large percentage of plastic produced each year is used to make single-use, disposable packaging items or products which will get permanently thrown out. Often, consumers of the various types of plastics mainly use them for one purpose and then discard or recycle them.
As per the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2011 plastics contributed to over 12% of municipal solid waste. As a comparison, in the 1960s, plastics contributed to less than 1% of municipal solid waste.
The 4 R's
Every year, Americans throw away 50 billion food and drink cans, 27 billion glass bottles and jars, and 65 million plastic and metal jar and can covers. More than 30% of our waste is packaging materials. Where does it all go? Some 85% of our garbage is sent to a dump, or landfill, where it can take from 100 to 400 years for things like cloth and aluminum to decompose. Glass has been found in perfect condition after 4,000 years in the earth!
We are quickly running out of space. It's time to learn the 4 R's of the environment: Reduce, Reuse, Refuse and Recycle. Then practice what you preach: do not buy things you do not need, items that come in wasteful packaging or that cannot be recycled. Reduce and Refuse whatever you can.