10 Best Waste Management Practices for Your Apartment in Bangladesh

Effective waste management is essential for maintaining a clean and sustainable living environment in your apartment.

Dealing with daily waste production at home can be exhausting sometimes. But if you have a proper waste management practice, it can make the task effortless.

So, what are the best waste management practices for your apartment? There are plenty of practices that you can follow. But you can start with the basic practices, like:

• Creating separate bins
• Making fertilizer from waste
• Recycle plastic materials and utensils.
• Returning glass bottles
• Maintenance of waste storage

Besides these basic practices, other effective practices include attending public recycling events, learning how to dispose of hazardous materials, etc. Keep on reading to get into a detailed discussion.

10 Best Waste Management Practices for Your Apartment

With some effort and creativity, practicing waste management in your apartment becomes easy. Here are some best practices that you can follow:

• Create Separate Bins

There are various kinds of waste in our apartment, which we can classify into two categories: dry waste and wet waste.

Dry wastes are papers, tissue papers, glass, dust, metal, plastic, packaging materials, etc. In contrast, food scraps, wasted foods, rotten fruits, yard waste, meat, etc. are classified as wet waste produced at home.

Make separate bins for dry and wet waste. Make sure you put a label on the bin or choose two different vibrant colors to distinguish between the bins.

• Use Reusable Recycling Bins

We often throw away the plastic or bucket that we have been using for a long time to hold trash. Instead of throwing it away and increasing waste, wash it and use it again as a recycle bin.

To reduce the cleaning of the bin, always use a polybag. First, store the waste in the polybag (especially wet waste), tie a knot on the bag, and then throw it into the bin.

If you want to change the recycle bin due to size or breakage, you can use the old one for a DIY project or as a planting pot.

• Use Waste as Compost

For a gardener and plant lover, this is a perfect practice for waste management in apartments. If you have a garden or even a single plant, you can make two bins for wet waste.

Some of the wet waste, like vegetable peels, is a great nutrient-rich fertilizer for plants. You can leave the vegetable peel over the ground of the plant, and it will boost the greenery of your garden. This way, you can also reduce spending on fertilizers frequently.

• Proper Disposal of Hazardous Waste

We may have some hazardous waste, like chemicals, batteries, and electronics. This type of waste needs special disposal methods. Generally, hardware stores should take in waste like batteries and electronics. And lawn centers and auto repair shops accept chemical waste.

If none of these facilities are available in your city, you should pack hazardous waste separately and talk to your local waste collector.

• Go for Waste Reduction at Your Apartment

There are some effective ways to reduce waste production at home. For example —

• Reduce food waste. Before you cook, plan your meals, and if you have leftovers, store them properly to prevent them from spoiling.
• Another waste reduction practice is using cloth napkins to clean instead of paper towels.
• Buy products that come with minimal packaging.
• Instead of paying bills with a paper receipt, go for online payments to reduce paper waste.

• Disposal of Bulk Waste Items

If you have bulk waste items like old or broken furniture, don’t throw them in the street. Talk to your household garbage collection service members; they will suggest the best solution.

You can also visit your nearby furniture shops, wood shops, or sawmills to see if they accept furniture waste.

• Recycle Plastic Materials and Sell

We all have waste like plastic bottles, soft drink cans, aluminum plates, and other utensils. Instead of throwing them away, you can recycle these materials and sell them to plastic scrap buyers.

You can also earn a little by following this practice of waste management. To recycle these items, you can create a small space in your kitchen to keep them out of sight.

• Return the Glass Bottle

Instead of recycling or throwing away glass bottle waste, consider returning it to the shop where you bought it. If not all types of glass containers can be returned in your area, you can at least return the beverage containers.

• Attend Public Recycling Sites

Look to see if your apartment complex or nearby neighborhood has a centralized location where you can sort recyclables into different bins.

You can also search online for the closest permanent recycling center operated by your waste management service. These accept a wider variety of waste items.

• Maintenance and Storage of waste

This is also related to waste management in apartments. To prevent odors and attract pests, you need to have a maintenance and storage waste routine. For instance —

• Cleaning Containers

Consider washing bins weekly with hot, soapy water to kill bacteria and remove food and odors that attract pests. For compost bins, frequent rinsing is a must to help control smells, especially in the summer.

If washing doesn’t help, you can use a disinfectant for your convenience. Make sure you let the bin dry or wipe off excess water before using it again.

• Pest Prevention

The key rule is to take out trash frequently to avoid overflow. Choose garbage-picking services that pick up trash at least three times a week.

In case it’s inconvenient to take out trash often, choose bins with lids. Otherwise, you may notice mini-rodents as guests near your bin.

Conclusion

You now know the best waste management practices for your apartment. The Department of Environment in Dhaka and in your respective area may have guidelines on waste management practices.

Due to a lack of awareness about waste management in Bangladesh, we are impacting the environment daily. That’s why it’s necessary to practice waste management.

The above practices are basic ways of dealing with day-to-day household waste. Reduce your environmental impact by following these tips, and also let your neighbors know about the importance of waste management at home.