If you have not yet adopted recycling at home, it is best to start as soon as possible. This is one of the best ways to help the environment and preserve the planet that we will leave behind for generations to come.
The amount of household waste generated daily by families has increased in Brazil and worldwide. It is essential that everyone takes care of recycling in their own home, in addition to teaching children good habits, in the name of sustainability.
So, so that you can have a clear conscience when doing your part, we have prepared this article with tips for recycling garbage in your home. Check out!
1. Make the most of organic waste
All that biological material, whether of vegetable or animal origin, that needs to be discarded is called organic waste. It includes peels of fruits, vegetables and eggs, the remains of uneaten or expired food, coffee grounds, etc.
So, what to do to produce less organic waste and avoid waste? We can do a lot, believe me. Here are some suggestions:
- Schedule shopping in the supermarket well, to avoid buying in excess and having to discard products that expire before they are consumed;
- Observe the correct way to store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, so that they last longer;
- Freeze in daily portions what will not be consumed in the short term;
- Use creativity to prepare recipes using stems, leaves and peels of vegetables;
- Calculate well the amount of food needed for a meal and learn to enjoy the leftovers, creating new dishes the next day;
- Learn how to make domestic compost, to transform organic waste into biofertilizer and fertilize your pots, gardens and plant beds.
2. Separate dry waste by the type of materials
And that material that has no animal or plant origin? This is dry or inorganic waste, which is produced by the action of man and not by nature. This type includes materials such as:
- Plastic;
- Aluminum;
- Glass;
- Paper and cardboard;
- Fabrics;
- Metals.
The least you can do at home is to separate organic and inorganic waste into two different bins. This is already a little help for the staff of sorting recycling centers and landfills.
However, the ideal is to have containers in different colors to discard each type of waste. Observe the colors of the bins corresponding to each material:
- Plastic: red;
- Glass: green;
- Paper and cardboard: blue;
- Wood: black;
- Metal: yellow;
White is for hospital supplies and purple is for radioactive products. However, with others, you won’t have to worry about recycling at home, as hospital waste is not part of household waste.
An important recommendation is to wash recyclable packaging, such as milk cartons and pet bottles, and let it dry well before placing it in containers. This prevents bad smell and contamination of other materials.
And why not put creativity to work and take advantage of recyclable materials for craft work? On the internet, there are a multitude of tutorials teaching you how to use glasses, milk cartons, pet bottles, cardboard packaging and many other materials. In addition to preserving nature, you have a source of extra income to reinforce your budget.
3. Be very careful when disposing of hazardous waste
Some materials involve risks for those who handle them, but, above all, for nature. This is the case of batteries, electronic objects, broken glass, chemicals, lamps, medicines, etc.
When it comes to shards of glass, it is recommended to place the pieces in pet bottles or wrap them in several layers of newspapers, to prevent cuts in those who will have to deal with the collected materials. In fact, in addition to the cuts, an even greater risk caused by glass in nature is fires. A ray of sunlight falling on a small shard can generate a spark and cause a tragedy.
The lamps also require greater care, as some, such as LED and fluorescent lamps, contain heavy metals and gases that contaminate nature. The right thing to do is ask the electrical supply stores for instructions on the collection points, or take them directly to the recycling centers in your city.
The same care must be taken with batteries, batteries, wires, chargers and electronic objects: look for stores that sell such products and request proper disposal. The large supermarket chains already offer containers to receive batteries and used batteries.
As for electronic objects, there are recycling companies that collect material for recycling in their own homes. A quick search on the internet will list some of them in your city or nearby.
Residues of chemicals and medicines are a great risk to the environment, as they contain elements that are toxic and harmful to human health and nature. Good pharmacies receive medicines that are out of date or that will no longer be used.
Are you going to paint the house? Calculate the amount of ink needed. If left over, make a donation to friends or someone in the neighborhood. Still left? Never throw in the sewer. Leave the can open until dry and mix with sand before disposing.
4. Adopt and teach children sustainable attitudes
Children’s education for sustainability needs to start as soon as possible. Teach through good examples, such as:
- resist excessive consumerism, buy only what is necessary;
- avoid plastic bags as much as possible, adopt cloth or reusable bags to go to the supermarket;
- prefer natural or biodegradable products for your home;
- try to repair what has broken, instead of discarding and buying a new device;
- use creativity to reform and customize clothes for the next season;
- teach detachment and show your children the importance of donating clothes and toys to needy families.
We hope that our article is an incentive for you to start recycling at home today. If everyone does their part, our heritage for the next generations will be a cleaner and healthier planet.