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In our time of lightning-fast technological development and one-time consumption, waste separation is a very popular problem. Few people understand what exactly needs to be done and how important and necessary it is, although quite a few have heard. We are learning more and more about floating garbage islands in the Pacific Ocean, multi-tiered dumps of equipment in African countries, and simply, when leaving the city, we see not endless green expanses, but mountains of garbage. A good example is the social video “ Do not throw garbage ”. The well-known Danish theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr spoke on this issue as follows: . " The intensification of industry, the rise in temperature on Earth, the accelerated consumption of natural resources, the increase in the number of poor and hungry makes us wonder if we are doing the right thing and what will be left after us ...

Waste management in Russia

The existing waste management system in Russia at this stage of development, which is mainly focused on their burial ( disposal ), is very imperfect, since it leads to environmental pollution and, as a result, a decrease in living standards. On December 29, 2014, Federal Law No. 458-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Production and Consumption Waste”” was adopted. The main positive aspect of these changes is the term "Waste Utilization", which means " the use of waste for the production of goods (products), performance of work, provision of services, including the reuse of waste, including the reuse of waste for its intended purpose (recycling), their return into the production cycle after appropriate preparation (regeneration), as well as the extraction of useful components for their reuse (recovery). Thus, the state realized the importance of reusing waste ( recycle ).

Why not burn garbage? Indeed, in this way its volume is significantly reduced, and the costs are much less than for sorting and processing. Plus, from waste, which is used as a fuel during combustion ( energy recover ), you can produce steam, which is used to save natural energy. The problem is that heat treatment does not solve the problem of eliminating toxic substances - they are transformed and often become even more toxic than before burning. Pollutants in waste incineration emissions include: dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, naphthalenes, chlorobenzenes, aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals (including mercury, cadmium, lead). These substances do not decompose and are capable of accumulating in living organisms; some of them cause oncological diseases and destroy the human hormonal system. Other substances such as sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂ ) together with fine particulate matter cause respiratory diseases. If you think about it, with all the development of the latest technologies, genetic and chemical medicine, now try to find at least one completely healthy person. And there are more pharmacies in the city than grocery stores.

Recycling and recycling of waste

This means looking for other ways to dispose of the exorbitant amount of waste fueled by population growth and consumption. One option that has long been used in developed countries is waste sorting and recycling . Separation of waste is the process of separating one type of product from another depending on its origin. Generally, waste is divided into the following categories:

• organic (food, drinks, other things made from natural materials);
• plastic (there are several types of plastic in this category);
• metal (including foil);
• glass;
• waste paper;
• toxic waste (batteries, mercury lamps, accumulators, electronics, etc.).

This separation allows the waste to be recycled and reused. This means that your water bottle will not go to a landfill in the Pacific Islands, but will be re-launched into production (they can make containers, a jacket, a toy, etc. out of it). For proper separation of waste, you need to sort them according to the markings on the packaging (see the article Mysterious signs on packages: how to figure it out ). This method allows not only to save natural resources, reduce emissions into the atmosphere, reduce the size of landfills and the amount of rotting garbage on Earth, but also save the lives of thousands of animals that eat garbage.

Foreign experience in waste processing

The idea of ​​recycling for the first time in documented history appeared at the beginning of the last millennium in Japan. At the moment, 83% of all glass is processed there, up to 80% of metal and up to 60% of waste paper (technically, the maximum possible is 65%). However, plastic bottles are only 40% recycled, and this is the reason for the battle for the "harvest" of garbage.

In Europe, they became interested in waste recycling in 1630, where the first paper and fabric processing plant was opened. In 1895, New York City residents were ordered to separate waste. Two years later, the world's first waste processing plant was launched here. But still, the most ardent waste disposers are the inhabitants of Germany, who since 1991 began to use the “Green Dot” (“Der Grüne Punkt”) pictogram on packages, indicating that the container will be recycled in the future. For consumers, this meant the following: "The way to sort the garbage can be determined by the pictograms shown on the packaging." Producers, by purchasing a Green Dot license, pay in advance the statutory taxes for waste recycling, and due to this, they are released from the obligation to take back the used packaging without additional payment. This function is taken over by the company "Green Point".

This system not only made it possible to reduce the amount of garbage produced, but also to make money on the cleansing of the planets. Other European countries followed Germany, where now people pay incredible fines for improper sorting, and throwing all the garbage in bulk into a bin for them is as wild as washing bottles after use and storing them for recycling. In many EU countries, there are waste sorting instructions that detail which container to send to and how to properly dispose of packaging with several components (for example, a juice box - cardboard, aluminum, plastic).

The system of fines extends not only to the sorting of waste, but also to its scattering in public places. For irresponsible citizens, there is a “garbage police” and a system of fines: a cigarette butt will cost 20 euros, chewing gum stuck no matter where - 35 euros, and a TV set secretly thrown away will have to pay up to 300 euros. In 2012, fifteen households in Dubai received brand new iPads as a gift from the local government - thus the municipality rewarded the most active participants in the household waste sorting initiative - "My City, My Environment" (My city, my living environment). “This is our way of encouraging the public to educate themselves on how to dispose of waste wisely. The My City, My Environment project has become very successful. It is unbelievable how enthusiastic the participants have embraced the proposed household waste disposal facility in just six months,” said Abdulmajid Saifi, Director of the Waste Management Department. He noted that waste disposal and recycling of secondary raw materials are key issues for every modern city.

Recycling is not a panacea

Of course, garbage separation is not a way out of this difficult situation. As you can see in the figure, recycling ( recycle ) takes only 4th place in terms of efficiency. You need to start by giving up unnecessary purchases ( refuse ). When purchasing any thing or product in a supermarket, you should first of all think about whether you really need it and whether you can properly dispose of it (this mainly concerns packaging). The next stage - reduce - is the reduction of consumption to a comfortable minimum. This also includes energy savings . Further - reuse - reuse of resources and objects in the household, for interior decoration, transfer to others in need, as well as just careful attitude to things. Only after that comes recycling ( recycle ), and after it - the most inefficient methods already mentioned: obtaining energy from waste ( recover ) and their placement/burial ( disposal ).

Our strength lies in our daily actions

The garbage problem seems insignificant when we evaluate our garbage bag. But think how many of the same people live on the planet. There are now more than 7 billion of them. It is estimated that each person "produces", so to speak, about 200-250 kilograms of various household waste per year. Every day, millions (!) of students, office workers buy coffee in cups (plastic and paper), and after 5 minutes this cup flies into the trash can. How many pizzas are delivered every minute! How much takeaway food is bought in plastic containers! If you just imagine all this in your head, it even becomes scary where we will live in ten years - after all, garbage will occupy the territory of forests, where trees could grow that give us oxygen and are home to birds and other animals.

We can all make a difference. And the excuses “I sort the garbage, but my neighbor doesn’t” should not stop anyone. It is not politicians who change history, but the people whose values ​​they embody . Only demand determines supply. And if the consciousness of the population grows, the authorities will have no other choice but to change the situation. What we can really do now is to show our civic activism in this matter and hand over the separated waste to recycling centers, tell others the necessary information. But above all, wherever you can, refuse unnecessary purchases (bags in stores, products in plastic containers, unnecessary decorative elements, etc.). As Mahatma Gandhi bequeathed, "YOU must become the change that you want to see in the world .
I believe that common sense and the desire to make the world a better place will certainly prevail over laziness and old habits and we will all be able to enjoy clean air, birdsong and walks through the forest with our healthy children!

When writing the article, the following sources of information were used:

• " Waste sorting in Russia " (ztbo.ru)
• “ Dubai residents were awarded iPads for sorting garbage ” (qwas.ru)
• " Der Grüne Punkt (The Green Dot) " (sites.google.com)
• " Foreign experience - collection and separation of garbage " (bid.ru)
• " On Introducing into the Federal Law "On Production and Consumption Wastes" " (consultant.ru)

See also anekdotig:

• Article: " How to prepare recyclables for recycling ."
• Article: " Mysterious signs on packages: how to figure it out ."

• Photo article: " 7 Days of Garbage in the Photographs of Gregg Segal ".
• Video: Documentary "Trashed" with Jeremy Irons .
• Video: " History of Things" with Annie Leonard .