Appropriate disposal of waste is one of the ways of protecting the environment. The Government has, in the recent past, upped measures that promote hygiene both in public places and homes.

In most neighborhoods, residents are obliged to pay a monthly fee to have their garbage collected and ferried to dumping sites. However, the problem is that the garbage is not sorted. It contains both recyclable and non-recyclable trash, some of which is hazardous to the environment while the other may be put to good use, but once mixed, it only hurts the environment.

There is a lot of waste that can be turned into something productive if managed well.  For instance, available are technologies that can turn waste into energy, something the country is already doing, albeit on a small scale.  The most dangerous of the waste is the metallic and plastic objects that are not only hazardous to the environment, but to both human and animal life, if disposed carelessly.

At the moment, the general public may not be aware of the advantages that come a long with the sorting of garbage. To reverse this trend, action must be taken. The Government, media and other stakeholders dealing in environmental matters, should embark on a major public awareness campaign to sensitize the population on how to best manage their waste. People should not only learn how to separate their waste, but also pick up the habit of doing so. It is to everyone’s benefit that we protect our environment.

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