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 The quantity of household and commercial waste disposed of annually by local authorities and private firms is huge. The cost of disposing of this waste is a drain on the resources of local authorities in terms of landfall sites, transport and manpower, and there is the loss to the economy of the valuable materials which are dumped. Vegetable peelings, tea leaves, garden refuse and small quantities of shredded and soaked newspapers can be composted for use as a valuable garden fertiliser. Other materials which can be recycled or reused are car tyres, household equipment such as old pots, washing machines, fridges, wood, etc.
Despite the work of local authorities, a large portion of the country's waste ends up as unsightly litter on the streets, roadsides, open countryside and waterways. The cost of cleaning up litter is considerable. It costs nine times more to sweep up a tonne of litter from the streets compared with collecting it from households. One survey in Great Britain showed that 94% of households would be prepared to sort their rubbish for recycling if they were supported by their council.
 We've all been in the grocery store, at one time or another, and been asked, "Paper or plastic?" Do you remember which you chose? Moreover, why did you make that particular choice? And, was it an informed decision?
Paper comes from trees, and the pulpwood tree industry is large. It begins with logging, where select trees are found, marked, and felled. After they're cut, roads are built into the forest on which the large machinery, used to load and transport the wood, can be moved. This process creates a tremendous scar in the forests natural habitat(s), for both plant and animal. It can take over a century for nature to recover from even a small logging operation.
When paper is thrown away, it can go to one of two places: The landfill or the recycling centre. If it goes to the landfill, it will decay in time. If it is recycled, the paper will go through a lengthy process of disintegration and renewal. When paper first reaches the recycling centre, it must be returned to the state of pulp by using many different chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium silicate. These chemicals will bleach and disperse the pulp fibers. The fibers are then run through cleaning and screening sequences which remove any contaminants. The pulp must then be washed with clean water to remove ink particles that were removed from the paper by the chemical process.
 Plastic comes from oil, and the oil industry is no small operation. In many places around the world, and in the U.S., sites exist where the geologic conditions are such that a gas and oil concentration has been trapped. Upon location of these traps, a hole is drilled and a pipe rammed into the oil deposit. The oil is pushed to the surface due to pressure in its chamber, and also from the weight of earth above. The oil drilling operation, itself, has become a rather small and sterile undertaking.
Like paper, when plastic has been used, it can go to one of two places: The landfill or the recycling centre. In a landfill, plastics make up 7% of the waste by weight, and 18% by volume. Of the 44,100 million pounds of plastic products made each year, 26,700 million pounds ends up as municipal solid waste. As landfill usage decreases each year, it is becoming more popular to incinerate our garbage. Today, with the requirement of emission controls on smoke stacks, burning garbage is 99.9% cleaner than in days of yore. About 10% of all garbage is burned, of this, plastic makes up, as previously stated 18%.
 In our era of ecological and environmental awakening, the question of paper or plastic bags should be taken, and considered seriously. Everyone uses bags; Everybody has this choice. Why do we have a choice? It is a question of environmental impact, and it should be the responsibility of us all to make the most ecologically aware, and sound decision.
- Begin by understanding the value of the waste which you put in your dustbin.
- If there is no collection point, help set up one through a local community or other voluntary group. Recycling banks or resource recovery centres for the collection of a number of materials, e.g. glass, paper, cans and textiles, are feasible and desirable.
- Draw up a directory of locations for recycling materials in your area and distribute it widely.
- Try to create a market for recycled products by buying them where possible, in preference to those made from raw materials. Where there is none available, ask for them.
Courtesy: Rachel Decker and Anders Graff
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