Back to: Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 6th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Reusing the Waste
Humans produce a lot of waste that pollutes the environment and harms the planet. This chapter tells us about the ways in which we can reuse and recycle the waste we produce. This will help us save the environment from pollution and create a better world for ourselves,
Recycling Waste
We can save our valuable resources by reusing waste. We should reuse waste instead of burning it because that causes pollution. The process by which we make waste reusable is called ‘recycling’. Various kinds of wastes – sewage, paper, garbage, industrial chemicals, etc. can be recycled for beneficial use.
Recycling is not very expensive. After the material has been collected from the consumers, it must be cleaned, sold to an industry and transported, re-manufactured and sold once again to consumers.
European countries have established bottle banks into which used bottles can be returned for reuse. In recycling glass bottles, the broken glass is re-melted in furnaces and then shaped into new bottles or other objects. This helps us conserve our resources.
Half the world’s waste consists of paper. If we use recycled paper, we can save our forests. Many countries import waste paper and re-pulp it and then reuse it for newspapers, books, etc.
The Dangers of Plastic
Plastic scraps can be recycled and shaped into different objects. We can recycle plastic waste and make durable fencing and save timber. But plastic products are not good for health. We should use jute or cloth bags to avoid the dangers of plastic bags.
Careless dumping of plastics is very dangerous because they are not biodegradable. Certain poisonous chemicals also leak from plastic and get into water making it unfit for use. Carelessly thrown plastics blow around in the surroundings, get into soil, choke drains and waterways, and kill animals that eat them by mistake. They can also be collected and illegally sold back into the market, causing serious health risks.
Metal is the most important product that can be recycled easily.
Efforts Being Made in India
In India, efforts are being made to re-utilise and recycle waste through treatment plants in many parts of the country. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) at Nagpur is involved in developing technologies for the treatment and utilization of waste-water. One purifying plant in Gujarat is able to treat many litres of waste daily and generate energy from it.
But there is a lot of waste material that we do not reuse yet. Our population is growing at a fast rate, but our resources are very limited. Recycling the waste material saves money and helps the environment. The three R’s of the modern world are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. So, recycling will save our lives from the dangers of pollution and also save our valuable resources.
Conclusion
Reusing and recycling waste will help us reduce pollution and save the environment. It is very important to save the planet and ourselves from the dangerous effects of population. We must therefore try our best to reduce, recycle and reuse waste.
