Types of Waste

What Is It
In some parts of Cagayan de Oro, flooding is expected whenever
there is strong rain and winds. The aftermath of the flooding will have
exposed another problem: poor waste management and the clean-up of
the streets due to garbage carelessly thrown everywhere. Read the article
below to know more about it.
Waste is anything that we get rid of, throw away or do not use.
While some items inarguably cannot be used again, many are tossed
before their time. Today, waste is a huge problem, affecting every part of
our environment, from our waterways to our atmosphere, our grassy
fields to our forests, our plants to people. Waste are broken down into
four parts as written below.

Four Different Types of Waste Generated by Humans

1. Liquid Waste

Liquid waste is commonly found both in households as well as in

industries. This waste includes dirty water, organic liquids, wash water, waste
detergents and even rainwater.

Waste water may also contain organic substances and nutrients that are
of value to agriculture, or may be hazardous die to the chemicals or pathogens
it contains like liquid waste blood from hospitals.

2. SolidWaste
Solid waste can include a variety of items found in your household along
with commercial and industrial locations.

• Plastic waste – This consists of bags, containers, jars, bottles and many
other products that can be found in your household. Plastic is not
biodegradable, but many types of plastic can be recycled.
• Paper/card waste – This includes packaging materials, newspapers,
cardboards and other products.
• Tins and metals – appliances, product packaging, paint cans
• Ceramics and glass – figurines, jalousie, wine or liquor bottles. Glass
can be recycled indefinitely.

3. OrganicWaste
Organic waste is another common household. All food waste such
as raw peelings and stems, garden waste such as grass clippings,
branches and leaves; manure and rotten meat are classified as organic
waste. Over time, organic waste is turned into manure by microorganisms.
However, this does not mean that you can dispose them anywhere.
Organic waste in landfills causes the release of greenhouse gases like
methane, so it must never be simply discarded with general waste.

4. Hazardous Waste
These wastes CANNOT be disposed of in regular garbage. Any
product which is labeled WARNING, CAUTION, POISONOUS, TOXIC,
FLAMMABLE, CORROSIVE,
REACTIVE or EXPLOSIVE should be considered hazardous. For
example, buried wastes can filter down through the soil and contaminate
groundwater. Plumbing systems can be damaged when corrosive
chemicals are put down the drain. Burning hazardous wastes simply
distributes them over a larger area and releases them into the air. Pouring
hazardous liquids on the ground can poison soil, plants and water.

Examples of theses wastes are batteries, fluorescent bulbs, electronics

and small appliances, oil, gasoline, and auto fluids.
Activity #1: How Humans Generate Waste
Directions: Look around your house or your neighborhood. On the first
column, list down the different waste in the household or your
neighborhood. On the second column, write how humans generate these.

Page | 5
Types of List of How Humans
Waste Items Generate These
Waste
Liqu
id Ex: used cooking oil We use cooking oil for
frying our food

Soli
d

Organic

Hazardous
Activity #2: Research Activity
Direction: Using different resources (internet, books, TV
documentaries, Youtube videos, newspapers, etc), find out different countries’
waste management strategy. Fill out the last column with the advantages of the
programs. Fill out the guide question below.
Page | 6
Country Waste Management Advantages
Program
Example: Methane Recovery From Methane gases from the
Waste Management landfills are being
Philippines Project converted into electricity.

Sweden

Germany

South Korea

Singapore

Netherlands

▪ What country do you like best with regards to their waste management
program? Why?

LESSON 2: IMPACTS OF WASTE TO HUMAN HEALTH AND THE

ENVIRONMENT
The waste humans generate has been detrimental to the environment for quite
some time now. Humans are generating too much trash and cannot deal with it
in a sustainable way. Waste that is not biodegradable and cannot be properly
be recycled is filling our oceans and landfills, thus killing wildlife animals. If we
are not careful, it will soon be the reason of our demise.

At the end of this lesson, we will tackle how waste affects people’s health
and the environment.
 What Is It

Page | 7

We currently experience a growing problem on plastic and other waste.

Health impacts of Improper Waste Disposal

Modernization and progress has had its share of disadvantages and

one of the main aspects of concern is the pollution it is causing to the earth
– be it land, air, and water. With increase in the global population and the
rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise in the
amount of waste being generated daily by each household. This waste is
ultimately thrown into municipal waste collection centers from where it is
collected by the area municipalities to be further thrown into the landfills
and dumps. However, either due to less resources or inefficient practices,
not all of this waste gets collected and transported to the final dumpsites.
If at this stage the management and disposal is improperly done, it can
cause serious impacts on health and problems to the surrounding
environment.

Waste that is not properly managed, especially excretions and other

liquid and solid waste from households and the community, are a serious
health hazard and lead to the spread of infectious diseases. Unattended
waste lying around attracts flies, rats, and other creatures that in turn
spread disease. Normally it is the wet waste that decomposes and
releases a bad odor. This leads to unhygienic conditions and thereby to a
rise in the health problems.
 Disposal of hospital and other medical waste also requires special
attention since this can create major health hazards. This waste
generated from the hospitals, health care centers, medical laboratories,
and research centers such as discarded syringe needles, bandages,
swabs, plasters, and other types of infectious waste are often disposed
with the regular non-infectious waste.

Environmental impacts of Improper Waste Disposal

Methane – a big factor of Climate Change
A major environmental concern is gas release by decomposing garbage.
Methane is a by-product of the anaerobic respiration of bacteria, and these bacteria
thrive on landfills with high amounts of moisture. A second problem with these gases
is their contribution to the enhanced Page | 8
greenhouse gas effect and climate change. Methane comes from two main
sources: biological and geological. Biological methane can be released
from decay of organic waste, whereas geological sources include natural
seeps from fossil fuels and leaks from natural gas and coal mining
operations.

Loss of Biodiversity
Demands for new landfill sites results in the clearing of large
amounts of vegetation adn alterations to the natural environment. This can
displace hundreds and thousands of species which live in the surrounding
habitat. Over time, excessive land clearing can result in extinction of many
species and a significant loss of biodiversity.

Pollution
If a landfill site is not properly managed, a toxic pollutant known as
leachate can escape into the surrounding groundwater, causing
environmental problems for plants and animal living nearby. Leachate is
a liquid pollutant caused by waste breaking down that contains high levels
of heavy metals, chemical compounds, pesticides, and solvents which
filter down into the bottom of a landfill site. The growing level of waste
generation can increase the risk of leachate production.

How can we eliminate waste and help the environment?

We can help by learning about and practicing the three R’s of waste
management: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Practicing all three of these
activities every day is not only important for a healthy environment, but it
can also be fun too. Everyone can become a key player in making our
world a safe and healthy place.
REDUCE
Reducing waste is a matter of planning ahead. In the case of food, for
example, there are many ways to reduce waste.
Only buy what you need
Bring your water bottle to school/anywhere you go rather than buying
water that comes in plastic bottles.
Bring your eco bag, lunch box, and food containers when buying
food from carenderias or restaurants.
You can then use your garden to grow food, and avoid
having to buy fruits and vegetables that come in
packaging.

REUSE
Shop secondhand. It helps others make money off their unwanted
items. At the same time, it keeps old items out of the landfill and
saves the resources and energy needed to make new ones.
Be creative. For example: turning unused mason jars into decorative Page | 9
ornaments at home, sew some old jeans into an apron, etc.
Turn used paper into art supplies or scrap paper for making shopping lists.

RECYCLE
Don’t just toss everything in the trash. Lots of things (like cans,
bottles, paper, and cardboard) can be remade into either the same kind of
thing or new products. Making new items from recycled ones also takes
less energy and fewer resources than making products from brand new
materials.

Here is a list of things you may be able to recycle

Aluminum cans
Cardboard
Electronic equipment
Glass (particularly bottles and jars)
Magazines/Newspaper
Metal
Paper
Plastic Bags & Bottles
Steel Cans
What I Have Learned

Activity #3: Journal Writing Page | 10

Directions: Learn the value of your thoughts! Answer the following
questions like you write on your diary or journal. Write your thoughts in
more five sentences or more. Expound your ideas and be creative. Write
legibly. You may use another sheet of paper.

1. Why is it important to reduce, reuse, and recycle?

2.What are the five ways our house or school could start recycling?

3.How could saving the environment make people healthier?

4.How can you teach people about proper waste segregation?

5.What policies could our city or municipality make to encourage waste
segregation?

What I Can Do

Activity #4: Ecobrick Making Page | 11

Directions: You are going to make an Ecobrick using PET bottles with
loose non- biodegradable waste. The bigger bottle, the more points you
gain. Make sure to use existing non-biodegradable waste for this project.
Used Follow the directions below. Pass it to your science teacher within
the deadline set.

What is an EcoBrick?

An Ecobrick is a plastic bottle stuffed tightly with clean and dry

nonrecyclable materials. EcoBrick is a suitable building block for any
construction such as garden spaces, walls, and full scale buildings. These
bottles have been used around the world for over 20 years as an insulative
building brick. EcoBricks are also used to make colorful furniture.
 EcoBrick is a sustainable way to reuse non-biodegradable plastic
waste to keep plastic out of the ecosystem and prevents the contamination
of the environment. Making EcoBricks is not encouraging the use of plastic
but rather temporarily storing them as we humans, figure out a way to cut
plastic out of our lives altogether.
Doing EcoBricks is simply forming a habit of rather than throwing our
garbage in the trash can, just put it in a disposable bottle. This is an easy
way to make a small impact.

Materials:

1L or 1.5L PET bottle

Long stick (wooden)
Dry non-biodegradable
waste

SUMMARY

Waste is anything that we get rid

of, throw away or do not use.
There are four types of waste,
namely: solid, liquid,
hazardous, and organic The
waste humans generate has been detrimental to the environment for quite some
time now. Humans are generating too Page | 12
much trash and cannot deal with it in a sustainable way. Waste that
is not biodegradable and cannot be properly be recycled is filling our
oceans and landfills, thus killing wildlife animals. If we are not
careful, it will soon be the reason of our demise.
We may imagine our impacts as ‘human-in-nature’—polluting
oceans, stripping mountains—but don’t forget, nature is also present
within daily human life. Even in our urban spaces, nature is
embedded all around us, from the cotton in our clothes to the wood
in our furniture.
Though we people have caused grave imbalances in nature that
now threaten us, we believe that people also have the capacity to
make meaningful change for or only home and all those who share
it. Let’s not forget that we are all deeply interconnected with nature,
and that we, too, can be heroes for the planet in our own ways!
ANSWER ACTIVITY 1-3. USE 1 WHOLE SHEET OF PAPER.