Conscious Disposal: Minimize Waste, Mitigate Risk, and Alleviate Guilt!

The impact of our waste disposal practices on the environment cannot be overstated. With landfills brimming and oceans suffused with plastic, the repercussions of irresponsible waste management are profound. While segregation will greatly help us in the preservation of our environment, there is another thing that we can do to help ourselves and the other creatures that we coexist with. This is adopting conscious disposal practices – or thoughtfully and responsibly handling waste.

A critical facet of conscious disposal involves ensuring that garbage is destroyed before it is discarded to ensure that it will not harm the environment. We have heard of the news about a turtle getting stuck from 6-pack rings, and raccoons stuck in a soup can, and we have seen how broken shards would wound and injure scavenging stray cats. These are just few of the things we should consider when disposing of our waste.

Conscious disposal also includes reducing the amount of waste we generate, repurposing scraps, minimizing packaging, reusing items, and opting for products with minimal environmental impact. These can significantly reduce waste that ends up in landfills and oceans. Here are some examples of conscious disposal practices that we can start doing at home and even introduce to our family members, particularly our children:

Flatten cans and containers and wrap broken glass waste

Make sure to flatten used cans that used to serve as food containers, as they can attract scavenging animals. This will prevent animals and wildlife from getting stuck in them. Small animals that get stuck in cans, if not helped, end up starving to death.

It would also be very responsible to wrap broken glass waste to ensure that nothing, particularly small scavenging animals such as raccoons, cats, and other stray animals, gets harmed when scavenging.

Cut plastic bags and opt for reusable bags
Snip plastic bags before disposal to prevent wildlife, like turtles and sea life, from getting trapped. It would also be better to use reusable shopping bags instead to reduce the need for single-use plastic bags, which often end up in the ocean. Turtles and other sea life usually mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and can end up ingesting them.

Dispose of medications safely
Medicine boxes or packaging sometimes provide guidelines for the safe disposal of medications to prevent them from contaminating water sources. Follow those guidelines or research on how to safely dispose your medications.

Choose refillable products and use natural or organic cleaning products
As much as possible, choose products that offer a refilling option to reduce packaging waste. The internet is a perfect source of knowledge about natural and organic cleaning products. Consider exploring these practices, and not only will you help environmental preservation, but you might also save some cash!

Recycle Electronics
Properly recycle old electronics to recover valuable materials and prevent harmful substances from entering the environment. Consider looking for local shops that buy or accept broken or electronic material parts, as they know how to reuse and properly dispose of electronics.

Minimize food waste
Did you know that you can make broth out of vegetable scraps? Learn how to repurpose vegetable scraps and turn them into vegetable stock, natural food dye, or fertilizers, and maybe, even profit from them.

Reuse and repurpose scraps as wildlife/animal shelter

Reusing scraps as wildlife shelters is a sustainable and eco-friendly practice that can benefit both the environment and local wildlife populations. By repurposing materials that would otherwise be discarded, such as wood, branches, or even old furniture, into shelters for wildlife. Old wooden pallets can be stacked or arranged to create simple shelters for small mammals like squirrels or birds. Tree branches and logs can be piled together to form brush piles, which offer cover and nesting sites for a variety of animals, including insects, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Even old tires can be filled with soil to create artificial burrows for animals like foxes or rabbits. This can also be a fun and creative way to engage with nature and promote conservation efforts in your community.

Conclusion

These practices of conscious disposal are vital for our coexistence with other species on Earth. Animals, like us, simply seek survival and do not require much, just a safe space to find food or shelter. Even if we cannot directly care for them, we can still consider them in our actions. Adopting these practices demonstrates respect for the habitats and lives of wildlife that share our planet. Also, with technology readily accessible, anyone can engage in these practices without needing a degree or investing significant time, effort, and money.