RUBBISH

Rubbish is any waste material; refuse or litter and unfortunately, it is a huge problem on our planet right now as the population increases and as our society has transformed into a "single-use and throw away" society. We are the only creatures in the history of our planet that creates rubbish that is not readily returned to our environment. In fact it, our rubbish actually harms our environment, affecting both the plants and animals that live there, and us.

Rubbish causes three main types of pollution: Air pollution, Water pollution and Land pollution. We send more and more rubbish "away" to landfill every year. Unfortunately, there is no "away", everything ends up somewhere and we are all responsible. And the bad news is that just about everything we do can cause pollution. The good news is that in most cases, there are relatively easy ways to reduce or even stop the pollution.

The three R’s – REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE – all help to cut down on the amount of rubbish we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy. Plus, the three R’s save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills. Siting a new landfill has become difficult and more expensive due to environmental regulations and public opposition.

We should also add a fourth R to this: REFUSE! Refuse to buy items that are non-recyclable, harmful to the environment, or made by manufacturers who are using methods that are harmful to the environment.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.