But why compost? Landfills and incarceration could be a way to get rid of yard waste, but why bother with composting?  Even though there are government agencies and private companies that collect wastes from homes and industries, landfills and incinerators are not always the best options.

Putting decomposing materials in landfills would be a waste of space and unnecessary.  Yard wastes in landfill produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas that has the potential to explode.  For example in Asia, Latin America and Africa, 40 % of methane emissions or about 37 million metric tons come from landfills.

Incineration or burning is also not a great option. It could result to air pollution, burning yard leaves are even said to have an effect on people’s breathing and even increase the risk of asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and allergies.  In the United States, there are some states that have implemented a ban on burning leaves and other yard wastes. Environmental problems in Asia or any part of globe could really affect other parts of the globe.

To reduce wastes being produced, government agencies are encouraging home owners to do composting at home.  For example, in the United States, Illinois are not collecting any yard wastes.  This regulation is to encourage homeowners to recycle and start composting.

Organic materials can be used as fertilizers to enrich the soil, this is used as composting.  With composting organic materials are sued like yard trimmings, food wastes and animal wastes or manure.  Some would even add bulking agents like wood chips that would hasten the breakdown of organic materials.

What is so good about composting?  Here are some composting benefits:

• The use compost is proved to be better is preventing plant diseases and pests. Using organic materials to enrich the soil is definitely better than using chemical fertilizers.  Using chemical fertilizers could have some effects on crops which could have an effect on the consumer’s health.

• The use of organic fertilizers could also promote higher crop yield and effectively resolve soil problems after being dumped by hazardous wastes.  They can effectively remove oil, grease and heavy metals caused by stormwater runoff.

• They are also proven to be more cost efficient compared with other pollution resolution technologies.

Farmers find compost to be very important with their crops and their yield.  Landscapers also use compost for areas that they are landscaping like golf courses and athletic fields.  They are also great for parks, median strips and other recreational areas.  Homeowners also find compost great for their backyards and vegetable patches at home.

Compost as waste management is a great way to help the environment and reduce wastes.  They also offer economic benefits since they are low-cost alternatives compared to other soil amendments.  They are also a more cost-efficient method of revamping or remediating contaminated soil by different pollutants.

Humans naturally know what to do with their waste as evidenced by the instituted waste management systems in the pre-modern and modern forms. However, along with global industrialization and population explosion, waste production blew out of proportion, endangering the environment and threatening humans and other living things. With the environmental issues raised here and there, there seems to be a need to remind humans of the importance of waste management.

Education and awareness campaigns play a great part here. Not all people after all are aware that the one piece of waste material they are sending to landfills or incinerators constitutes a greater threat to the environment. Presently, calls to recycle and waste reduction are widely active. And various projects and campaigns are launched everyday, adding more noise to the earlier advocacies on proper waste management.

The good news is that a good number of the population is increasingly becoming aware of the importance of waste management and is getting involved. However, more need to be tapped. There are still who remain passive. This segment of the population probably knows that proper waste management benefits the Earth and consequently everyone and everything living in it. But only vaguely. The finer and more intricate details are probably not known to them.

Waste does a lot of things. When brought to the landfills, they emit greenhouse gas in the form of methane. Although methane can be used to make energy, it is generally hazardous to health. Wastes buried in landfills also tend to leach chemicals that can contaminate groundwater. Wastes can be incinerated, though. The problem with incinerators, however, is that they also produce greenhouse gas and other forms of toxin such as dioxin. Dioxin is found to cause cancer. Whether waste is brought to a landfill or incinerator, it seems like it is a potential source of pollution and threat to health.

Although indirectly, waste causes resource depletion. This is due to the common buying pattern: buy, throw, and then buy again. As the waste piles up high, the demand for more products also rises, almost exhausting the natural resources. This has a spiral effect, mainly involving threats to biodiversity, deforestation, pollution, and other environmental problems.

Waste management can be part of the solution in two ways: one is through waste reduction, and two through recycling. Consistent waste reduction and recycling activities mean there will be less waste materials to be sent to landfills and incinerators. As such, the emission of greenhouse gas and other forms of pollutant will be reduced by a large percentage. Reusing and recycling of used items will also result in less production of new products. And this helps in the conservation of natural resources.

There is a great need in understanding the importance of waste management because unless it is acknowledged by all people, waste management efforts will not progress to further heights.

Improper disposing of electronic waste could be dangerous since they are made of materials that can be very hazardous.  Electronic materials like computers, televisions, batteries and similar items could cause lead and other chemical contamination on soil and water supply.  These e-toxic components could actually come from the heavy metals, cables and plastic used to create the computers.

Electronic wastes that are not properly distributed have detrimental effects on the environment and human health.  Electronic and electrical wastes produce leachates, especially those that are brought to landfills.  They can cause acidification and chemical contamination of the soil.   They can also cause serious problems to bodies of water where e-waste was dispose.  Acids and sludges can be found in rivers and other bodies of water.

When e-wastes are burned, they produce serious environmental problems.  They release toxic fumes and gases. Landfills that have electronic wastes dumped are very susceptible to uncontrolled fires.  Metals and other chemical substances could be very toxic when exposed to fire and hear.  Landfills and incinerators are strictly monitored by government agencies to ensure that these dangers would not happen to communities surrounding the community.

Government agencies are implementing stricter rules about e-waste disposal.  A kind of waste management strategy would be the use of EPR or extended product responsibility.  In this regulation, the manufacturer would be responsible in collecting and disposing products used by the customers.

Because consumer have to idea on how to manage their wastes, about 75 % of their electronic items are stored because they have no idea what to with it.  They get stored in their garages, offices or warehouses.

There are methods on how consumers could handle their e-waste without compromising the environment:

• Always be aware on the regulations covering e-waste disposal.

• In the first place, shopping green would help you be more environment-friendly.  You could always ask the manufacturers about the “green” component of their products.  There are also third party firms that would label or evaluate electronic items for being environmentally safe.  You could always look for their logos and ratings.

• Re-use or resell your e-wastes, especially if they are still working.  Even if they are not really state of the art technology, there are some people would still be able to use and benefit from them.

• You could look for recycling centers in your area that would readily buy your electrical items.

• You could always donate old but still working electronic wastes like old television set or desktop.

E-waste management is not just a problem of the government or the manufacturer nor the responsibility of the environmentalists.  It is a social issue and everybody would get affected on the long run.  So everybody should participate in addressing this concern.