What Is Domestic Waste?
Domestic waste is the rubbish thrown away by households every day. It includes food scraps, plastic bags, bottles, paper, glass, old clothes and broken items. As the population grows and people buy more goods, the amount of household waste keeps rising. Managing this waste well is an important part of caring for the environment.
Key idea
Waste can be sorted into organic (food and garden waste that rots) and inorganic (plastic, glass and metal that do not rot easily).
Problems Caused by Waste
If rubbish is not managed properly, it causes serious problems:
- Pollution – waste dirties the land, rivers and air.
- Disease – rotting rubbish attracts flies, rats and mosquitoes that spread illness.
- Bad smell and ugly surroundings – piles of rubbish spoil the area.
- Flooding – plastic and rubbish block drains, so water cannot flow away.
Most household waste is collected and buried in a landfill (rubbish dump). Landfills fill up quickly and can leak dirty liquid into the soil and water, so we must reduce the waste we send there.
The 3Rs
The best way to manage waste is the 3Rs: Reduce (use less and avoid single-use items), Reuse (use things again, like refilling bottles) and Recycle (turn old materials into new products).
Example
Sorting waste into separate bins – paper, plastic, glass and food – lets useful materials be recycled instead of being buried in a landfill.
Remember
- Domestic waste = rubbish from homes.
- Poor waste management causes pollution, disease and flooding.
- Practise the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.