Question

(i) Name other types of solid wastes in addition to our household waste.

(ii) Which solid waste is generated every day from your house and school?

(iii) List some problems caused by biodegradable wastes if not managed properly.

Answer 1

(i)

Household waste:

• Household waste is considered domestic waste.
• This includes waste material like vegetable peels, fruits, papers, clothes, leather, glass bottles, pen refills, insecticide, shampoo bottles, etc.

Other types of waste:

Hospital waste:

• Hospital waste is generated from the hospitals.
• Hospital waste examples are discarded drugs, anatomical structures of humans and animals, broken glass, syringes, gloves, etc.

Agriculture waste:

• Agriculture wastes are the wastes generated due to agricultural activities.
• Agriculture wastes example is livestock wastes, pesticides, residues of crops, sawdust, etc.

Industrial waste:

• Industrial waste is the waste generated from several industries.
• Industrial wastes example is chemicals, concrete, sludge, radioactive wastes, metals, etc.

(ii)

Solid waste:

• Solid waste includes unwanted or discarded products that are solid in nature.
• Solid wastes can be segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable before discarding them.

Examples of solid wastes generated every day from the house and school are:

• Pen refills, old or broken plastic bottles, broken glasses, polythene bags, packages of food items, paper, metal articles, etc.

(iii)

Biodegradable waste:

• Biodegradable wastes can be broken down into simple harmless components by the action of the microorganisms like fungi and bacteria.
• The decomposition of this waste releases nutrients that can be reused.

Problems caused by mismanagement of biodegradable waste:

Health hazards:

• Biodegradable wastes get accumulated becoming a site of breeding germs, flies, and mosquitoes.
• Biodegradable wastes accumulation causes the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera in humans. This affects other organisms as well, like animals and birds.

Pollution:

• Biodegradable wastes that are not disposed of properly can leak into natural ecosystems. For example, rainfall can take the waste away into a natural water body and contaminate it.

Foul smell:

• Biodegradable wastes which are not decomposed properly cause the release of gases that produces a foul smell. This is not only unpleasant aesthetically but also causes the pollution of the surrounding environment.