Question

What is the impact of garbage on the environment?

Answer 1

There are several harmful impacts of garbage on the environment. Garbage is the major cause of land or soil pollution. Hence, garbage is to be managed properly if not managed they can cause disastrous problems.

Complete answer:
Impact of garbage on the environment –
The waste produced by humans harms the environment in different ways. This is because there is no proper way of disposing or recycling the garbage in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Some of how garbage affects the environment are as below –
a. Climate change: The unsafe disposal of garbage is one of the contributing factors to climate change. The most common way of disposing of garbage is in landfills. Landfills are known to produce methane gas which harms the climate. Burning of this garbage in landfills also causes the release of carbon dioxide that heats our planet leading to rising temperatures and melting of ice caps.
b. Wildlife threat: Garbage poses a serious threat to animals. This is because their habitats are contaminated. If the animals consume that garbage, they could fall sick and die. Plants cannot thrive in polluted soil. This results in a disrupted sphere of life.
c. Water quality reduced: If the garbage is mixed with water then it contaminates the water bodies and makes it unfit for human consumption. Not only this, but this water is not safe for animals too. It disrupts the aquatic flora and fauna. The aquatic ecosystem is disrupted because the contamination of water harms the aquatic animals. They cannot breathe in contaminated water. Also, if it enters their food chain it might cause them harm.

Note: The harmful impacts of the garbage on the environment are innumerable. Hence, the need of the hour is to find ways for the reduction of the garbage. The most efficient way for it is, the concept of reuse, reduce, recycle. Moreover, the use of eco-friendly items should be encouraged, which can be decomposed in the environment. Safe disposal methods should be devised where the practice of dumping the garbage just anywhere is discouraged.