Waste Management and the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Non-renewable are the sources that cannot be renewed and available in limited quantities. Examples include coal, oil, and natural gas. As petrol, diesel and coal are non-renewable material we have to use them carefully. Apart from this, use of such resources increase air pollution by emitting smoke.

Hence it is always best to reduce the usage of coal, petrol and diesel. This is achieved by car-pooling or using public transport and by using bicycles to travel short distances.

Reduce in its original sense means to limit the usage.

But in environmental sense reduce also has another meaning.

It means in the process of producing any product, the raw material used should be in such a way that it produces less waste.

Reuse: it is using of a product multiple times. The product is used directly without any treatment. Any item in good condition can be reused.

By reusing we can reduce municipal wastage and reduce environmental strain.

The correct hierarchy of the process is reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reduce: means in the process of producing any product, the raw material used should be in such a way that it produces less waste.

Reuse: it is a using of a product multiple times. For example milk bottles in which milk is served can be used daily to serve milk.

Recycle: it is complete conversion of a product into the state of raw material.

Many of the environmental problems are caused due to the harmful effects of fossil fuels. Climate change, air pollution, oil spills, and acid rain etc. result from our dependence on fossil fuels. Apart from this extensive use of fossil fuels result in their depletion. Hence there is an immediate need to search for the alternative fuels.

Example solar energy can be utilised to produce electricity instead of coal because solar energy is abundant source of energy.

It is always necessary to reduce the waste to keep environment safe from pollution

It can be achieved by many ways. Some of them according to the options given are

Switching to reusable products like milk bottles instead of packets so that the bottles can be used multiple times, reducing municipal waste.

Buying items with less packaging as it obvious that more packaging produces more wastage.

Buying bulk products is another important solution to reduce waste because individual packing requires more packaging when compared to bulk packaging.

Biogas which is also called as Gobar gas is obtained from organic waste. Biogas is a gaseous fuel which is a mixture of different gases that are formed by break down of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste or food waste are used for the production of biogas.

• Reuse: It is using a product multiple times. The product is used directly without any treatment. Any item in good condition can be reused.
  
• By reusing we can reduce municipal wastage and so reducing environmental strain.
  

Recycling is a process by which wastes are converted into reusable products, thereby reducing the usage of raw material and energy and controlling air water and soil pollution.

Among the given options paper is recyclable material.

Flyash is a byproduct of coal combustion in power plants. It is widely used in construction as a cement substitute, in brick manufacturing, and for land reclamation or road base construction.

Tin cans are frequently repurposed in DIY projects to create decorative or functional lamps due to their shape and material properties. Tyres are more commonly used for furniture or planters.

Deforestation is the permanent removal of trees to make room for something besides forest. This can include clearing the land for agriculture or grazing, or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing.

Tyres are made of thick rubbers and polymers and once they get wasted by friction and travelling through cars, they have the capacity to be reused in making shoes and chappals for daily wear and thereby disposing of the waste in an efficient manner.

The Environment Protection act was protective legislation enacted by the parliament in the year 1986, to combat environmental degradation and to lay down rules and regulation for use of the environment and natural resources and to provide liability and penalty for the violators. It seeks to provide the protection and improvement of the environment and other such related matters comprehensively.

Plastic is a non-biodegradable material. It cannot be disposed of naturally in the environment by the actions of microorganisms. It lasts longer in the environment and harm it while polluting land and water bodies.

Landfill is the place where garbage go when we throw things away.

It is a site used to dump the garbage by burial. It is the oldest method of garbage treatment.

Other names for landfill include tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump or dumping ground.

According to various environmental reports regarding plastic waste management in India, the recycling rate is estimated to be quite high, often cited around 80 percent due to the informal waste collection sector.

Nek Chand is famous for creating the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, which is constructed entirely from industrial and home waste, including broken crockery, bottles, and other discarded materials.