This is also known as domestic or residential waste. This is the waste generated in our homes due to our daily activities such as cooking, use of packaged items, toiletries, paper, electronics, etc.

1. Recyclable waste
   a. Plastic waste:
   1. It includes bags, jars, bottles, etc.
   2. Plastic waste has proved to be a bigger curse than a boon for our environment.

   b. Paper waste:

   1. It includes old newspapers, packaging material, cardboard, etc.
   2. This waste needs to be stored separately and sent to recycling centers. You can try paper recycling at your home too. Pulp made from old newspapers, paper bags, and other paper wastes can be converted into handmade paper, toys, containers, etc. This is known as papier mache art.
2. Organic waste
   a. Food waste:
   1. It includes all the waste generated in the kitchen like vegetable and fruit peels, food gone bad, tea leaves waste, etc.

   b. Green or garden waste:

   1. In includes leaves, dead flowers, etc.,
   2. This waste is collected and used in composting.
3. Hazardous waste
   a. It includes batteries, bulbs, pesticides, insecticides, medical waste, etc.
   b. These can be handed over at appropriate collection points for proper disposal.
4. E-waste
   a. It includes electrical appliances, old computer parts, mobile phones, etc.
   b. These can be sold, donated, or given to e-waste collectors.

Industrial activities involve manufacturing from various raw materials and consumables such as fuel, chemicals, etc. Not all the raw materials and consumables are fully utilized. The leftovers are a waste that is categorized as: 

1. Chemical Waste:
   a. It is generated by factories, textile processing centers, warehouses, etc.
2. Solid Waste:
   a. It includes paper, cardboard, plastic, packaging material, wood, scrap metal, etc.

Solid waste, also known as trash or garbage, consists of everyday items discarded by the public, institutions and generated by civil activities.

1. Institutional waste:
   Municipal corporations handle waste generated by institutional centers like schools, colleges, offices, prisons, markets, etc. These solid wastes include paper, plastic, food, wood, metal, cardboard. Activities like cleaning streets, sewerage, maintenance of parks, and water treatment plants also generate solid waste.
2. Construction & Demolition waste:
   It includes debris of leftover construction material like bricks, cement, dust, etc.

3. Medical waste:
   It includes wastes contaminated by blood, body fluids, and other infectious and hazardous wastes.

The basic approach to waste management is to reduce, reuse and recycle. You can look around in your house, school, society and start categorizing things that should be reused and recycled to reduce waste generation. Let’s look at this approach in detail.

• Minimizing Waste:

Waste reduction can be done in the following ways:

• Reduce the amount of plastic in packaging by using cotton bags,
• Eat homemade food, and to avoid using single-use bags in packaging,
• Try composting from organic waste. Vermicomposting is getting quite popular for converting organic waste to manure with the use of earthworms.

• Recovery & Recycling:

It involves recovering or extracting useful materials from the waste. Waste items such as aluminum cans, paper, cardboard, plastic bags, bottles are all recoverable. These are recycled to produce new products. 

Some interesting facts about recycling:

• Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 117 trees and 7000 gallons of water.
• Recycling 1 glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours.
• Recycling 1 ton of plastic wastes is equivalent to saving 1000-2000 gallons of petrol.
• New aluminum cans made from used cans utilizes 95% less energy.

• Incineration (Burning)

Wastes such as wood and other organic material are disposed of by controlled burning at high temperatures, called combustion. The waste is reduced to ash and produces gases. The gases are treated to reduce toxicity before releasing into the environment.

The ash, thus produced, is also used to make specialized bricks and other insulating material. Plants are being set up to use the heat generated by burning waste to generate electricity at many garbage sites.

• Landfills

Wastes not amenable to recycling or recovery are dumped in landfills, located at sites far-off from the cities and towns operating under strict laws. Layers of soil are added over the waste to prevent water contamination and contact with air.

• Public awareness

Raising public awareness about the benefits of waste management is key to protecting our health and the environment. Swachh Bharat Mission or Clean India Mission, a countrywide campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2014, helped create mass awareness towards waste management.

Waste is a byproduct of human activities that has become a menace now. A scientific approach to waste management will go a long way in making our cities green, clean, and healthy. This is one of the most relevant and burning issues of our times, and we all should actively follow the formula of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ to protect our environment.

1. What is garbage or waste (examples of garbage)?

Ans. After use, materials discarded by humans – food scraps, plastic bags, packaging material, etc., are considered garbage or waste.

2. What is Waste Management?

Ans. Waste management is the proper collection, transportation, and disposal of waste materials.

3. What are the different types of wastes/garbage?

Ans. Wastes are broadly classified as – Household waste, Industrial waste, Other solid waste (like medical waste), construction waste, etc.

4. What are the different types of waste disposal methods?

Ans. Types of waste disposal methods are Recycling, composting (vermicomposting), incineration, landfills, etc.

5. How can we reduce waste?

Ans.

• Encourage use of reusable bags
• Reduce usage of plastic
• Avoid purchasing pre-packaged fruits and vegetables (in plastic)
• Adopt the practice of composting/vermicomposting of kitchen/garden waste.