Question

What is the impact of waste accumulation on the environment and your health?

Answer 1

Wastes are unwanted and discarded materials produced by human society. Household activities, agricultural activities, industrial activities, hospitals, educational institutions, mining operations, and so on all generate waste.

Complete answer:
Massive industrialization, increasing urbanisation, advanced agricultural technology, and changing life patterns have resulted in massive waste production. Improper waste disposal causes numerous ecological and social issues, such as waste accumulation in densely populated areas, disposal of urban sewage and industrial wastes discharged into rivers, and so on affecting soil, water and air pollution. Chemical, biological, and explosive wastes endanger the lives of humans, plants, and animals in the short and long term.

Impact on Health:
Solid waste dumping is hazardous to human health. Solid waste is thought to be linked to approximate twenty-five human diseases. Due to the dumping of waste in open areas, the number of rats and flies has increased, and they are the carriers of other organisms responsible for several dreaded diseases.

Diseases such as dysentery and diarrhoea are spread by flies that carry pathogenic organisms. It is estimated that one cubic foot of garbage produces approximately 70,000 flies. Dumping solid waste has a number of negative effects on all components of an ecosystem, as well as on the aesthetic sense.

The following are some of the consequences of waste accumulation:

1. Landscape Degradation: It is common practice to discard plastic bags, containers, vegetables, fruit peels, cans, and other items in the open without considering the consequences. We must be fully aware that improper waste disposal degrades the beauty of the landscape.

2. Pollution:
   The majority of wastes contain organic compounds, a variety of inorganic minerals, and other hazardous materials that pollute the environment and cause:
   1. Degradation of land,
   2. Pollution of drinking water,
   3. Destruction of aquatic life,
   4. Degradation of ground and surface water used for irrigation and industry
   5. Improper waste disposal causes soil, air, and water pollution.

Note:
i) Reduce the amount of material in the cycle at the start to reduce the amount of waste that can be generated.
ii) REUSE is the second action. Reusing or even "re-purposing" anything means that it is not sent to the "waste" mass and also prevents it from entering the cycle of whatever it is that would have been obtained for the purpose.
iii) RECYCLING should only be used as a last option. It does contribute to waste reduction by serving as a resource for new products. It is, however, the most energy-intensive and difficult of the three sustainable options.