You might've already heard somewhere that inorganic waste might take up to 500 years to decompose and that it’s bad for us and the environment. But, do you know what is inorganic waste itself? How can we differentiate between inorganic and organic waste?
Well, the most obvious difference is that the former comes from minerals, while the latter comes from living organisms like plants or animals. This difference in origins characterizes the nature of these two types of waste.
Inorganic matters only take little to no effect from microorganisms in the decomposition process. That's why they take a very long time to disintegrate. Meanwhile, organic materials are biodegradable. It means that they are capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms so they can decay.
Some examples of inorganic waste are aluminum cans, spoons, plastics, and glass. And a few instances of organic waste are paper, cardboard, and food remains.
Okay, now we know what inorganic and organic waste are. Then what? Well, now that we're able to differentiate our waste, we can also separate our treatment to them so they have minimal effect on the environment.
While organic waste is relatively safer to the environment and easier to dispose of, inorganic waste takes forever to decay so disposing of it can be a challenge. That’s why the best thing to do is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. While the triad has become a somewhat overused slogan, it is still the way to go if you want to help save the planet.
You can start with small things like using eco-friendly alternatives for things you use every day, bringing reusable water bottles, and disposing of your inorganic garbage to recycling services or facilities.
Yes, we know that it is impossible to go completely zero-waste. We know. But understanding waste could be the first of many steps that we can do to safeguard the environment. So what’s the next step, then? Stay tuned to our blogs and follow our social media accounts to learn more about it and let's work together to create a better future!
