Waste management is something that every household, business, education and medical institutions should learn or implement. In the United States, a study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that an American would produce about .75 tons of waste every year. About 90 % or 325-375 million tons of toxic wastes are being dumped by industrialized countries every year. United Nations received reports of waste management problems from about 60 % of countries in the 1992 Earth Summit.
It is not about just the environment that we would have to worry about. Wastes not properly disposed can cause huge health risks to people or communities surrounding the area where the wastes were disposed. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that there are five million fatalities every year because of not properly disposing wastes.
Improper waste disposal could increase dangers of increasing vermin and pests. They could spread in the community, a common disease called dengue brought by mosquito bites is very dangerous disease often times associated with stagnant water and piles of garden wastes. People could also be vulnerable to leptospirosis or infection that you could get from vermin urine and feces. Litters like broken glasses or scrap of metals can also cause tetanus.
Another danger about improper waste management, would be hazardous materials and poison which could affect the environment and the community. Medical or health care wastes can have radioactive isotopes which could get into water and result into polluted bodies of water where your kids swim. Aside from health care wastes, human wastes can also be very dangerous when disposed improperly, especially if they come from people who are suffering from certain diseases. This could also contaminate sources of water.
Unkempt yards and streets could also give an impression about the people who live in the area. It could affect the economy of the community, it is unlikely that entrepreneurs would like to invest in a community that does not invite security and safety.
Most people think that waste management is all about spending sizeable amount. Actually, it does not have to be like that. Not managing and dumping wastes irresponsibly tends to be more costly. Think about the loss of income from not trying to save on equipment and appliances.
Disposing hazardous wastes is another major problem. Hazardous wastes are actually very much present in our household. According to U.S. EPA, there are about 1.8 million tons of household hazardous waste being disposed every year. And most homeowners are not even conscious that they are storing hazardous chemicals in their cupboards.
Waste management could actually be summed up in three simple words: reduce, reuse and recycle. In United Kingdom, the country’s recycling efforts was able to help reduce 10-15 million tonnes of CO2 emission every year. Homeowners and other institutions could start by segregating trash, monitoring quantities and kinds of wastes being disposed, and making sure that they are being transported out of your site properly.
Waste management training could be given to employees, workers and staff. Having a waste management plan and people committed in carrying it out, will make the plan successful.
A massive central Texas wildfire roared through ranchland and
suburbs Monday, destroying nearly 500 homes — a state record for a
single fire — as Gov. Rick Perry appealed for federal assistance to fight at least 63 blazes throughout the drought-dried state.
The pine forests of central and eastern Texas, the northern panhandle and the southern Houston
suburbs have been hit by scores of fires that have destroyed 1,091
homes and consumed 3.6 million acres, roughly the size of Connecticut,
since the fire season began in November. As the fires worsened this
weekend, a woman and her 18-month-old died Sunday in a burning mobile
home in Gregg County in eastern Texas.
On Monday, wind gusts generated by Tropical Storm Lee — which flooded
some areas along the Gulf Coast — turned devilish in several parts of
Texas and fanned the state's largest and most destructive fire in
Bastrop County, about 30 miles east of Austin
The fast-moving, uncontrolled blaze — burning in heat and wind
conditions so severe that firefighters were unable to mount a land
attack — forced about 5,000 evacuations and charred at least 25,000
acres, Texas Forest Service officials said. Plumes of smoke hovered over
the county seat, a town of about 8,000 along the Colorado River.
Perry, a Republican presidential candidate, cut short a campaign trip to
South Carolina to go to Bastrop on Monday. He said officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were expected to arrive in Texas as soon as Wednesday.
"I don't think we've ever seen a wildfire season like this" since the
1980s, Perry said after surveying the Bastrop fire by helicopter. "We've
got a long way to go to get this thing contained."
Gary Bonnette was visiting family in San Antonio on Sunday afternoon
when he heard of the wildfire. Bonnette, 59, a district court bailiff,
rushed back to his home near Bastrop, nestled among loblolly pines.
But the fire was faster, racing across seven miles in 40 minutes and
devouring everything in its path, including his 1970s Polynesian-themed
subdivision, Tahitian Village.
By the time Bonnette arrived, the blaze had leveled his $195,000 dream
home on Manawianui Drive and was threatening his $67,000 rental home
nearby.
"It almost feels like the whole state of Texas is on fire now," Bonnette said.
In Bastrop, more than 250 fire personnel were on hand, with planes and helicopters dumping water from above.
"There's practically a fleet of aircraft in the air," said Jan Amen, a
forest service spokeswoman in Bastrop. "Problem is, we have to share
them with other fires because there's so many burning in the area."
Officials in the Austin area called for help from all volunteer
firefighters and were expecting added fire crews and equipment from as
far as California.
"We have exhausted our resources," said Melanie Spradling, a spokeswoman
for the Texas Forest Service based in the eastern city of Lufkin.
Ed Brown, a forest service spokesman in the Houston area, said Tropical
Storm Lee had done more harm than good, dropping little rain and
whipping up winds statewide.
"All the hardwood trees are shedding leaves, a lot of the oak trees are
drying and the pine trees, the needles are turning sort of a yellowish
tint. They're drought-stressed," Brown said. "The fires get into the
roots because they're so dry."
The drought has also made it tough for helicopter crews to find water to douse the flames, he said.
"Most of your ponds, creeks and rivers are down to a trickle," he said.
Julie Hart, a Bastrop City Council member who runs a bed-and-breakfast
in town, said residents knew dry conditions in recent years would lead
to fires. They watched reports about California wildfires last year and
held their breath, she said. They figured firefighters could minimize
the damage by using the river and highways to contain the blazes.
"The thing that's scary about this one is it's moving so quickly and
it's jumped highways and rivers," she said. "No one's sure where it's
going to go. The winds are 20 to 30 mph and everywhere you look, there's
smoke."
Flames even engulfed the banks of the Colorado River in Bastrop on
Monday, making it difficult for firefighters to retrieve water, she
said.
At Vandegrift High School, one of four temporary shelters for evacuees,
about 200 people claimed pallet beds on the gym floor and waited for
officials to post a "street sheet" detailing which homes were damaged
and destroyed.
"We have a lot of people who are very anxious," said Tom Davis, a spokesman for the American Red Cross of Central Texas staffing the shelter.
Bonnette was staying at Hart's bed-and-breakfast on Monday, the Magnolia
Inn on Main. He said he hoped to return to his neighborhood soon to see
the damage. All he could see from a distance late Monday was a column
of white smoke. Occasionally the smoke turned black, and Bonnette sensed
that another home had burned.
"I really wish that we had had the resources to fight this type of fire," he said. "There's no end in sight right now."
molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com