Green waste
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Green waste, also known as "biological waste", is any organic waste that can be composted. It is most usually composed of refuse from gardens such as grass clippings or leaves, and domestic or industrial kitchen wastes. Green waste does not include things such as dried leaves, pine straw, or hay. Such materials are rich in carbon and considered "brown wastes," while green wastes contain high concentrations of nitrogen. Green waste can be used to increase the efficiency of many composting operations and can be added to soil to sustain local nutrient cycling.
Collection of green waste
Green waste can be collected via
A variety of apps are now available to guide individuals and businesses in recycling efforts. These apps can help locate recycling centers, inform about recyclable materials in local areas, and facilitate the donation or exchange of unwanted items. [3]
Pello System
A technology that monitors the fill level of trash cans, provides real-time information on the dumpsters' contents and location, identifies contamination, and sends pickup alerts. This system aims to streamline waste management and reduce unnecessary garbage truck dispatches, thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion.[3]
Pneumatic Waste Pipes
Installed below public waste containers, these pipes transport waste directly to processing centers, reducing the need for traditional trash pickup. This system decreases the number of garbage trucks on roads, minimizing emissions and potential environmental health hazards from overflowing dumpsters.[3]
Uses
Green waste can be used to improve the quality and sustainability of industrially manufactured topsoils and the sanitariness and efficiency of sewage disposal.[4][5] Green wastes like agricultural wastes can also be converted to human edible foods by making leaf protein concentrate.[6]
Manufactured topsoils
Green waste is an integral part of many
Sewage disposal
Green waste can also be mixed with sewage wastes and composted, providing a safe, environmentally sustainable option for sewage disposal.[5] Co-composting green and sewage wastes eliminates the risk that pathogens and pollutants contained in sewage wastes might pose to the environment.[5] Utilization of green waste to dispose of sewage wastes not only decreases the amount of sewage incinerated and dumped each year, it also facilitates the cycling of organic wastes back into the environment. The co-composted remains of these organic wastes can be safely employed for use in agriculture.[5] This process decreases the amount of trash being dumped into landfills and other trash repositories and allows for the complete cycling of organic nutrients through the environment.
Renewable energy
Soil health
Green waste composting has also been linked to suppression of soil borne diseases such as damping off and root rots that affect large agricultural and horticultural ventures like greenhouses and large-scale farms.[7] This disease suppressive quality has positive implications for lesser-developed nations that do not have the technology or resources to purchase expensive fertilizers.
Addition of composts that contain residues and particles of heavy metals to soil can raise the soil's heavy metal content and increase the probability of these metals to transfer into crop plants.[8] When biological, or green waste is added to these soil samples, plant uptake of heavy metal has been shown to decrease crop uptake of metals compared to other types of compost composed of things such as sewage sludge.[8] This can protect consumers and the environment from biomagnification caused by long-term accumulation of heavy metal particles within the soil and plant life of an area.[8]
See also
References
- ^ ISSN 0921-3449.
- ^ "Green Gold Collection Day | The Samajh". The Samajh. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "6 Smart Waste Management Technologies Emerging in 2024 | RTS". Recycle Track Systems. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- ^ PMID 19539464.
- ^ ISSN 0964-8305.
- ISSN 2673-8783.
- S2CID 85270472.
- ^ PMID 18691760.