Guide to good practices to optimize your bin!
The best waste is the one that does not exist. Did you know that in Europe, each of us throws away more than 500 kg of waste per year?
But waste also produces waste! Indeed, garbage indisputably entails costs:
The cost of collection and transport;
Pollution caused by road traffic: consumption of diesel or other energies, exhaust gases, etc.;
Landfilling, which has an influence on the degradation of landscapes and causes soil and water pollution, but also the energy required for disposal and the toxic gases that are emitted into the atmosphere. The same for incineration;
Some waste is even exported for disposal by other nations;
…
The first step in good waste management is knowing how to identify it. Several kinds of waste are to be sorted into five categories:
Plastic, packaging, cans and bottles;
Biodegradable waste (fruits, vegetables, peelings, weeds, leftover meals, coffee grounds, etc.);
Papers, envelopes and boxes;
Glasses (jars, wine bottles, etc.);
Residual waste, that which cannot be placed in the other categories.
The second step is to choose the right trash can:
How much waste do you sort?
How much waste do you collect per category?
Choose a trash can that suits your household. Do you live alone or accompanied? A trash can that is too big is not ideal because you will have to change the bags regularly because of the smells.
A 10 to 30 liter bin will suffice for a family of up to 3 people but no more. Adapt the size to the number of people.
Adapt the bin to the room. A bathroom trash can doesn't have to be as big as a kitchen trash can.
The best way is to equip yourself with a bin for residual packaging, a bin for paper and cardboard, as well as three recycling bins: packaging, glass and peelings. Dare the colors to sort! For example :
A gray bin for residual packaging;
A green bin for compost
A blue bin for packaging, plastic bottles, cans, bricks and spray cans;
A red bin for glass
A yellow bin for paper and cardboard.
However, let’s not forget that there are alternatives to many types of waste. Sorting your waste is unfortunately not enough, you have to adopt new habits. For this, it is recommended to follow the “3 Rs” rule.
Reduce the amount of waste – by trying to buy as much as possible in bulk, for example;
Reuse packaging and objects as much as possible;
Recycle products that can be recycled
Preventing the production of waste is the key and it is by changing our consumption habits that we will achieve these objectives!
And you ? Do you sort your waste?
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