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What is Household Waste?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Household waste is waste which is generated in the day to day operations of a household. It can include everything from lawn clippings to burned out light bulbs. Many movements designed to get people thinking about environmentally friendly living have focused on this type of waste as something which can be easily manipulated to make a difference in the environment.

A busy household can generate a great deal of waste, and the amount of household waste can increase radically in developed nations which rely heavily on packaging for a wide variety of products. Historically, people disposed of their waste by burying or burning it, but these methods became impractical once human populations started exploding, resulting in the development of land fills, disposal sites where collected waste from a large area is buried.

Glass bottles can be recycled.
Glass bottles can be recycled.

One of the issues with household waste is that not all of it is, in fact, waste, and people can radically reduce the amount of stuff which gets thrown away by thinking before tossing something in the garbage. Many communities have recycling programs which accept paper, glass, bottles, cans, and numerous other items which can be broken down and reused. Other things considered “waste” may be useful to others, such as outmoded couches which get tossed to the curb instead of being donated to organizations which could sell or use the furniture.

Household waste is generally collected and taken to a central facility.
Household waste is generally collected and taken to a central facility.

Items like food scraps and lawn clippings can be composted instead of being thrown away, cutting down on waste and directly contributing to the health of the environment by reclaiming nutrients. Other types of household waste, like dead batteries, are actually hazardous, and they need to be disposed of in special facilities, rather than being tossed in the trash.

Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.
Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.

In cities, people are usually required to pay for household waste collection, with the cost being billed on the basis of how many cans of garbage a house or building generates. People or their landlords are required to subscribe to garbage services so that they don't hoard garbage and cause a nuisance. In rural areas, people may have the option of subscribing to a waste management company, or they can take waste materials directly to a dump.

Paper accounts for over 50% of all recycled products.
Paper accounts for over 50% of all recycled products.

People are sometimes surprised when they start keeping track of the amount of waste they really generate. Even people who think that they have a comparatively small amount of garbage can find that they create a lot of waste. Logging household waste by weighing or charting it for several months can sometimes be an eye opening experience and an interesting science fair project.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a HomeQuestionsAnswered researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a HomeQuestionsAnswered researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Lord5637

Always try to minimize the waste. Don't buy things you won't use. Buying such useless items creates more junk at our home. We usually hire the services of "Junk It," but each time we try to reduce the junk we put in our trash can.

anon931176

I am very confused. I want to divide my garbage into different bags but I can't find good way or strategy to do it!

aaaCookie

Household hazardous waste can be especially hard to get rid of properly, but many communities offer special events to collect these...in my own town I believe it happens once a year. Other reusable things are also easier to dispose of than you might think- charities often have lots of information about what you can do to donate anything from clothing to cars, and often with a tax write off of some kind as well.

anon141708

nice, but nothing about household waste management is mentioned in detail.

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    • Glass bottles can be recycled.
      By: Elnur
      Glass bottles can be recycled.
    • Household waste is generally collected and taken to a central facility.
      By: Goss Vitalij
      Household waste is generally collected and taken to a central facility.
    • Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.
      By: Moultipix
      Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.
    • Paper accounts for over 50% of all recycled products.
      By: JRB
      Paper accounts for over 50% of all recycled products.
    • Household waste is generated in the day to day operations of a household.
      By: Aleš Nowák
      Household waste is generated in the day to day operations of a household.
    • Studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency reveal that the average citizen produces 1,600 pounds of trash annually.
      By: smuay
      Studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency reveal that the average citizen produces 1,600 pounds of trash annually.