Because they end up in the trash. Garbage problem
We talked about the chaos at Pechatniki in the spring of this year. Let us remind you that a huge landfill was discovered right on the banks of the Moscow River, opposite Kolomenskoye. As it quickly turned out, it was illegal. Someone is very arrogant without any permitting documents fenced off a piece of land and began using it as a training ground for various waste: both solid and food. Then, in the spring, a rather big scandal broke out. Inspection bodies, government representatives and eco-activists descended on the trash heap. They stopped dumping garbage. The garbage dump was ordered to be liquidated. True, the culprits of its occurrence were not found. In any case, their names were never revealed to the public.
But after almost six months, it turned out that no one even thought about cleaning up the trash heap. Now it already resembles a mountain from which you can admire the architectural monuments of Kolomna Park.
Over the summer, a whole plantation appeared on a pile of garbage. bottom layer constantly smoldering, creating a fetid, but still warm microclimate for tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, pumpkins and even watermelons (the striped ones, however, look completely unpresentable, some kind of shriveled freaks)! Nobody planted them here on purpose. The seeds just sprouted, which, along with food waste ended up in the trash heap.
Volunteers collected part of the harvest and, having effectively arranged the vegetables in baskets, dragged it to the Moscow City Duma.
But the deputies did not come to us,” the volunteers sigh sadly.
I also collected a small collection of fruits from the trash heap and submitted them for examination (see “Research Results”). By the way, the garbage plantation has already been chosen by local grannies. One collected vegetables into a cart and took them to the metro. Sell, then? “Everything from my own garden, son...”
RESEARCH RESULTS
When I came home with a package of suspicious fruits, my wife was somewhat surprised to learn that I work time I was at the trash heap and collected tomatoes among the mountains of garbage.
I understand that you are the breadwinner in the family, but...
“This is for examination,” I explained importantly.
Over the next couple of days, I monotonously called laboratories asking them to test the vegetables for at least nitrates. Made 15 or even 20 calls. Not at all!
We do not deal in landfill products! - the specialists answered me categorically.
In one of the offices they even disdained to touch the watermelon that I had carefully picked from the trash heap in Pechatniki.
Some still agreed to carry out the examination, but asked to wait two weeks. During this time, date palms will probably grow in the landfill.
OPINION OF A NERD
Eating is prohibited
Growing vegetables next to industrial waste absorb harmful substances, explained “KP” agronomist-breeder Mikhail Vorobiev. - Including heavy metals. Zinc, lead, copper and others. If there is some kind of chemical nearby, tomatoes can accumulate, for example, arsenic. The fact that all this grew in a landfill is not surprising. In the Moscow region you can grow 30 types of watermelons. So why shouldn't one of them grow in the open sun in a landfill? Moreover, in the capital the climate is milder than in the Moscow region.
More and more often in modern society environmental issues are raised. This and widespread air pollution industrial waste and gases, and pollution of water bodies, as well as the problem of garbage and waste disposal.
There is too much human waste
Human life activity is closely related to the emergence of decay products, food and industrial waste. Some of them must be subjected to the right way processing, otherwise they may cause serious harm to the environment. In addition, the decay time of many materials exceeds 100 years. Active pollution of the planet and garbage has led to global changes- destruction of the environment for the existence of living organisms.
Garbage removal, especially from waste, is becoming an increasing problem of our time. None of the developed and developing countries cannot boast of an established waste disposal system. Today, only 60% of waste gets a second life through recycling, so where should the remaining 40% go? Burning or burying is not particularly advisable, which complicates an already tense situation.
Where should waste go?
The problem of waste disposal concerns absolutely all types of waste: from household to chemical. Moreover, many of them have hazardous decomposition products, which significantly complicates processing methods. As garbage decomposes, it releases alcohols and aldehydes, which then seep into the soil, residential buildings and into the air. Already polluted suffers another invasion toxic substances. And this happens not just once a year, but every day and in many places.
Garbage is acquiring frightening proportions, because every day the amount of unprocessed waste is only increasing, and no one can give clear instructions to combat this problem. In Italy, for example, several cities are already simply littered with unrecycled waste. The problem of garbage is most acute in cities such as Naples and Palermo. In order to somehow free up living natural space for themselves, residents burn garbage directly on central squares cities. It’s scary to say what’s happening on the outskirts of these cities. Foul fumes swirl in the air and pollute the already terrible air.
Hazardous and non-hazardous waste must not be mixed
The problem of waste pollution begins with the manufacturer of the product. At the production site, it is necessary to draw up a document that clearly states instructions for disposal. Hazardous waste must never be mixed with non-hazardous waste. Mixing of this kind threatens with unpredictable and health-threatening consequences. For example, loved by many energy saving light bulbs must be disposed of according to type hazardous waste, i.e. in a place specialized for this. This type of light bulb contains mercury; even a small release of it into the atmosphere poses serious problems for the safety of people and organisms.
Next, the problem of garbage moves towards the resident and the state. Agree, not every user of a battery or the same light bulb will worry about where he will throw this waste. The garbage is mixed into containers and then into special machines. This is in best case scenario. If the work of organizations that remove garbage is suddenly disrupted, a very noticeable problem arises: the city is suffocating in its waste. Remember the picture that takes place in new year holidays. Landfills are overflowing, and if it were not for the fresh frosty air, it would be easy to suffocate from the smell of rotting food.
Where to start solving the problem
The problem of garbage pollution often has no solution due to poor disposal systems, lack of proper disposal sites or plants, and companies doing such dirty work. The most effective, but at the same time labor-intensive process is the redistribution of waste to recycling or for use as fertilizer. The method is especially relevant for countries with developed industry. Some garbage, under this policy, is burned in furnaces to generate energy. In addition, recycling waste material into such new products ultimately reduces government production costs and at the same time solves the problem of garbage pollution. For example, producing paper from waste paper requires much less energy and water. Thanks to this solution, it becomes possible to solve not only the problem of garbage pollution, but also to rid the atmosphere of excess greenhouse gases.
Pollution of the planet's waters
Ecological problem garbage affects not only land, but even the oceans. Plastic waste fill the water space more and more. The area is garbage dump larger than the area of the United States. The most large cluster debris spotted off the California coast. This is the world's largest pile of household waste weighing about 100 million tons. Garbage floats at a depth of up to 10 m in the most various forms: from toothpicks and bottles to shipwrecks. All the garbage carried by the current forms a kind of water dump. For the first time an environmental problem in water space was discovered in 1997. Location - North Pacific Spiral. This accumulation is associated with the circulation of waters, bringing a variety of garbage. According to scientists, such a waste site causes the death of about 100 thousand birds a year. In addition, when plastic reacts, it releases harmful substances, which then reach people with caught fish. The existence of a floating landfill once again reminds us that the problem of garbage has long gone beyond the borders of states and has become global in nature.
Russia's "garbage" problem
Unfortunately, at present, the problem of recycling especially affects Russia and the former Soviet republics. The approach to waste collection is much different from European methods. Abroad, it is customary to separate waste according to the type of waste. You will inevitably be fined if you throw metal or plastic into a glass container. This makes it much easier to recycle, but recycling ends with the removal of various types of waste to a landfill. Huge hundreds of hectares of contaminated land become uninhabitable and emit harmful odors.
We are very far from solving the problem
It is not clear why measures are not being taken to more rationally dispose of waste. After all, someday, or rather very soon, there will not be enough space on Earth for all the heaps of unprocessed garbage. Instead, more and more products are being created from chemical materials, which do not decay on their own, but when decomposed after hundreds of years they destroy environment. Why not stop producing polymers in the form of commonplace polyethylene? Previously, they made do with ordinary paper, which decomposed perfectly in natural conditions and did not harm nature.
“Did you throw the trash in the trash?”
Considering the problem of recycling, it is worth saying that little depends on the average person. For the cleanliness of the city or the whole country streamlined removal, sorting and processing are required garbage waste. First of all, there must be production that involves almost complete processing of unusable raw materials. However, you should not litter on already polluted streets. Dispose of waste in the appropriate places to contribute your small and possible share to the cleanliness of the environment.
Drawing-symbol “Garbage problem”
Waste recycling was first started in Great Britain 200 years ago. Over the past sixty years, the world community has begun to understand the seriousness of such a crisis for the planet as a whole. To attract the attention of the population to this pressing issue, there is a “garbage problem” symbol in publicly accessible places, on packaging, and on consumer goods. It represents 3 cyclic arrows closed in a triangle in a clockwise direction. Most often green, sometimes black.
The symbol “garbage problem” was introduced into use by ecologists in the 70s of the 20th century to designate containers and packaging material that have a long decomposition period in nature, and also as a reflection of the need industrial processing garbage. This sign was invented in 1970 by student Gary Anderson.
A “garbage problem” symbol on a product may also mean that it is made from recycled waste. Then three arrows closed in a triangle are placed inside the circle. Often such a sign can be seen on products made of paper or cardboard. Some interpretations of the symbol were specially created for various industrial groups and are required to be applied to products.