How to Compare Waste Disposal Methods
In order to compare waste disposal methods, you must first identify the criteria that is most important to you in your evaluation. If you are passionate about environmental issues, you should choose waste disposal methods that cause the least harm to the planet. If you are primarily concerned about cost, you should choose the waste disposal method that causes you to incur the least expense. If your main consideration is simplicity, you should choose the method that is easiest for you to implement. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
-
-
1
Assess the availability of waste disposal methods at your home or office. If your municipality offers free weekly curbside pickup of recyclables, then you have no legitimate reason not to sort your solid waste and recycle appropriate items. If you live in a remote area with neither trash nor recycling service, then it is probably equally inconvenient to place your recyclables in the trash as it is to sort them and bring them to the recycling station.
-
2
Evaluate the waste disposal methods available to you to determine their environmental impact, their cost and the amount of time they involve. Quantify the differences by evaluating the carbon footprint of the available waste disposal methods, if possible, as well as the monetary cost and the amount of time each method requires of you. Decide which of these criteria is most important to you and, if there is a substantial difference such as a time consuming protocol for the recycling, decide whether your predilections are strong enough to justify this added cost or inconvenience.
-
-
3
Weigh additional variables, such as whether recycling pickup in your neighborhood is intermittent and whether you have the space to store your recycling between pickup dates. When deciding whether to compost your food scraps or throw them away, consider whether you have a garden area where you can compost, and whether you can develop a strategy to control rodents. Also consider whether your municipality has specific rules and regulations for disposing of solid waste, such as fining people who place recyclables in the trash.
-
1
