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Waste Separation Exercise

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Notes

BIODEGRADABLE WASTE:-
A biodegradable material or substance can be defined as a material which can be decomposed easily by bacteria or any other natural organisms and not being the part of pollution.

Biodegradable wastes are the waste materials which are and can be easily degraded by natural factors like microbes (e.g. bacteria, fungi and few other), abiotic components like temperature, UV, oxygen, etc. few examples of such wastes are kitchen wastes, food materials, and other natural wastes. Microorganisms and other abiotic elements worktogether break down complex substances into simple organic matters which finally suspend and disappear into the soil. The whole process is natural which can be fast or slow. So, the environmental issues and risks caused by biodegradable wastes are very low.

Examples of biodegradable.

But the giant dumping of waste can increase some threats to life sooner or later. To prevent this, some people practice known as composting. In composting, the biodegradable wastes are dumped into a big pit and covered for a time period. During this the action of microbes, they will decompose and will be used as compost for cultivation purpose. This will reduce the quantity of waste at landfills.
 
NON-BIODEGRADABLE WASTE:-
Waste which cannot be decomposed or degrade by the biological process is known as “Non-biodegradable wastes”. Most of them include inorganic waste is non-biodegradable.

What does Non-biodegradable mean?

A Non-Biodegradable material can be defined as a type of material which cannot be broken down by natural organisms and serve as a source of pollution.

Unlike biodegradable wastes, non-biodegradable wastes cannot be easily taken care of. Non-biodegradable wastes are those which cannot be decomposed or degraded by natural agents. They remain on earth for thousands of years without any degradation or decomposition. Therefore, the threat caused by them is also more dangerous. An example is the plastic which is usually used in almost every area. To give these plastics a long-lasting outcome, better quality plastics are being used. This made them more temperature resilient and tougher even after the use. Other cases are cans, metals, and chemicals for agricultural and industrial uses. They are the chief causes of air, water and soil pollution and diseases like cancer.

Since non-biodegradable wastes are not at all Eco-friendly, they need to be replaced or substituted. As a part of the growth of alternatives, scientists have brought forward many innovative ideas like biodegradable plastics, etc. They combined some biodegradable materials with plastics and made them easily and speedily degradable. But this is quite a costly procedure. Non-biodegradable wastes which can be recycled and can be used again are known as “Recyclable waste” and those which cannot be used again are known as “Non-recyclable waste”
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