Waste disposal
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Written by Worawit Pit
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Friday, 15 February 2008 |
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Waste is an unavoidable by-product of human existence. The problem is that there is much too much of it. Even the smallest household produces a staggering abundance. How you get rid of it depends on where you live. In Germany, residents are required by law to separate rubbish. In the United States, recycling mandates vary from city to city, state to state. In a high-rise building, residents are likely to rely on a combination of the chute, waste disposer, incinerator and bin. Homeowners tend to use trash compactors, waste disposers and dustbins. The enlightended, with a garden or field, recycle via a bonfire and a properly built compost heap.
Waste-disposal Units
An electric waste-disposal unit fitted underneath the sink waste outlet will noisily chomp food scraps, including bones, fruit stones, cardboard egg cartons and waxed food boxes. Everything is washed down with continuous cold water and converted into a fine slush that goes into the drains. Waste disposers use little electricity and require little maintenance. Their noise does increase with age, but running time is generally quite short.
There are two basic models: with a continuous feed the machine is always open, controlled by a switch on the wall; a batch-feed is safer for small children and prevents teaspoon from going down the spout, but it is costlier – waste goes in and a safety and stops the grind. Waste disposers should not be used with a septic tank system.
TRASH COMPACTORS
These machines reduce rubbish to less than one-quarter of its bulk and compress it into tidy square bundles wrapped in paper sacks inside a removable container that pulls down or pulls out. Compactors come in sizes that allow them to squeeze under the worktop and take up no more room than a stack of drawers. Homeowners with large families or a lot of household rubbish like them. Compactors are generally used to compress non-biodegradables and modern packaging materials such as cardboard wrapping and plastic containers.
They can play a role in recycling if filled with one category of garbage, just aluminium cans or newspapers for instance compressing and reducing their volume until they can be collected.
Environmentalists disdain them due to the length of time it takes for compacted waste to decompose. They can be expensive, require special paper bags, and can contribute to kitchen smells. Their loads, while compact, tend to be extraordinarily heavy to lift. The best models are activated only when the drawer is pushed in, and come with a charcoal filter (to minimize and localize odours) and a safety lock.
INCINERATORS
These are best limited to commercial use or rural areas where refuse collection is uncertain and air pollution not a problem. Electric and gas incinerators are bulky, expensive and seldom cost effective to install, and they need a flue. They burn 90 per cent of household waste to a fine ash suitable for the garden.
RECYCLING
You can feel properly virtuous if you recycle. Many households are already required to separate waste into four broad categories paper, biodegradables, glass and metals and many more local authorities are considering mandatory recycling policies.
The key element to separating rubbish is having the room to do so. You need designated places to store recyclables. First, find out what the most convenient recycling mode is where you live. The waste may be collected on a designated day, or you might have to take it to a depot.
Stacks of newspapers and boxes of glass grow heavy quickly. It’s wise to dump recyclables into mobile containers close to the door. Sensible and affordable storage alternatives include cupboards with adjustable shelves for non-odorous items such as glass or newspaper, or a pantry closet. Many homeowners opt for plastic bags or bins fitted with wheels and a hinged or flap down lid, each allocated to one category of rubbish. These can be stored in the garage, back porch or yard. Costlier and harder to keep pristine are series of hatches in the kitchen that discharge waste directly into dustbins in a vented area (basement, garage, outside); the advantage is that you have no need of indoor bins.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 25 February 2008 )
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