Types of Waste and Their Processing

Waste is often regarded as goods or leftovers that are no longer used, and therefore considered useless. However, if processed properly, waste that has been thrown away can still be made into something useful according to its type. Piling up too much waste will cause a foul smell and contribute to global warming. For this reason, it would be better if waste were made into something useful.

Waste is the leftover discarded material that is no longer used, such as food wrappers, drink bottles and broken used items. Waste is considered useless, so it is simply thrown away and piles up, often causing floods and foul smells. In addition, many people still cannot distinguish between waste that can be processed and waste that cannot; if many people could distinguish the types of waste, it would reduce global warming, which increasingly threatens the earth, and prevent floods.  

Waste is also divided into several types; first, waste is classified by its source. Classified by source, the first type is natural waste. Examples of natural waste are leaves fallen from trees, animal carcasses and animal droppings. Natural waste is usually processed by burning. The second type by source is consumption waste; an example of consumption waste is leftover food.

Next are the types of waste classified by their nature, namely inorganic and organic. Examples of organic waste are things that rot easily, such as  food scraps, vegetables, dry leaves, and so on. Organic waste can be used to make compost fertiliser for plants. The second type classified by nature is inorganic. Examples of inorganic waste are plastic, food packaging containers, paper, plastic toys, glass drink bottles, cans, and wood. Inorganic waste consists of items that are hard to process. Because inorganic waste is hard to process, it can be put to further use by being resold or turned into other forms; for example, unused plastic can be reprocessed into toys. Unused bottles can be turned into pots for plants.

Waste can also be classified by form, namely solid, liquid and many others. The first type classified by form is solid waste; examples of solid waste are  kitchen waste, garden waste, plastic, metal and glass. Solid waste can be classified as inorganic waste because it is hard to process. However, some solid waste is classified as organic waste, for example leftover vegetables, animals, paper, pieces of wood from household items, and pieces of twigs and grass.

The next type of waste by form is liquid waste; examples of this waste are used liquid leftovers such as black wastewater produced through drainage outlets. Other examples of liquid waste are liquids produced from discarded leftovers in the kitchen, bathroom and washing areas in liquid form, such as laundry soap.

By knowing the types of waste and how to process them, the benefit is that we can prevent waste from piling up, and thus prevent floods and reduce global warming. In addition, piles of waste give rise to health problems because they attract flies that cause dangerous diseases or rats that can also cause disease. Piles of waste can also reduce tourist appeal, because they make visitors uncomfortable and the tourist area becomes unattractive to visit. As a result the number of tourist visits declines, which means the country's foreign exchange earnings also decline, which would certainly harm the country.

To prevent waste from piling up, waste processing such as recycling can be done by turning waste that can still be used into goods of another form. This can be done especially for waste that is hard to process, or inorganic, such as plastic waste, plastic wrappers and drink bottles. An example is collecting used paper, magazines, and newspapers to be made into other items, or collecting leftover cans or glass bottles to be turned into other goods.

Preventing waste from piling up can also be done by reducing waste, for example bringing your own shopping bag to reduce plastic bag waste used to wrap purchases, because plastic is waste that is hard to process. Second, buying refill packs of shampoo and soap instead of buying a new bottle each time it runs out. Third, buying milk, dry food, detergent, and so on in large packs so that they last a long time. The third way to prevent waste from piling up is to use items that can still be used, for example using clothes for handicrafts and using used plastic bottles as containers for kitchen spices and drinks. By preventing waste from piling up, we can help eliminate floods and global warming.

Koran Mata Banua

https://matabanua.co.id/2021/04/05/e-paper-harian-pagi-mata-banua-senin-5-april-2021/