Improper waste disposal wreaks havoc on our planet as well as future generations of human beings. Though it might seem efficient to dispose of undesired items and substances in dumpsters, garbage cans, drains, landfills or hidden spaces, doing so often compromises the integrity of the environment. The failure to dispose of waste in the proper manner will inevitably hurt our pocketbooks as well. Taxes will rise across posterity as taxpayers are forced to rectify sites that have been compromised by the failure to properly maintain the land and water around us.

An estimated 15 percent of all items disposed in a given year are hazardous. Take a close look at our environment and you’ll notice that our rivers, lakes, oceans and numerous other sites have already been poisoned. Thousands of aquatic animals wash up on the shore each year due to the public’s general failure to eliminate waste in an environmentally conscious manner. Plenty of marine and amphibious creatures display signs of mutation for the same reason. This has to stop. Let’s take a look at exactly how improper waste disposal threatens our surroundings.

The Contamination of Surface Water

When waste reaches water bodies, it alters the water’s chemical composition. Such harm is typically referred to as water pollution. This contamination negatively impacts all of the ecosystems within the water. Even animals that rely on the water for drinking water will suffer health consequences from consuming polluted water. Furthermore, consider the predicament that contaminated water poses for humanity. Water is the “new oil” because of its scarcity. The bottom line is that human life can’t survive on planet Earth unless there is an abundance of clean water.

Leachate

Water that moves through contaminated spaces creates a liquid referred to as Leachate. It creates a toxic mix of nasty chemicals that often results in harmful substances reaching the groundwater, surface water and/or soil.

The Contamination of Soil

Improper waste disposal often leads to a leaking of hazardous chemicals into the soil. Such contamination stunts plant growth and even kills some plants as they pull up poisoned soil directly through their roots. This has a domino affect when human beings and animals consume the compromised plants. In a nutshell, the haphazard disposal of waste has the potential to threaten our food supply.

Air Pollution

Poor waste management practices create pollution in the land as well as the surrounding air. Those who breathe in polluted air suffer negative health effects as the contaminants sucked into the lungs quickly spread to other body sites.

Mind Your Disposal of Household Products

Household cleaners, lawn care products, medicines, paint, automobile fluids and beauty products all have the potential to harm the environment. The manner in which you disposes of these items is critically important. Do not throw them in the trash as their presence threatens the well-being of those who remove your junk and garbage. It is critically important that we all make an effort to prevent hazardous waste from reaching landfills. As noted above, hazardous waste that is improperly disposed has the potential to reach the groundwater that we all rely upon for drinking and bathing.

Do not make the mistake of flushing hazardous liquids down the toilet, drain or sink. Such hazardous fluids will move through your local sewage system and end up in treatment plants that are incapable of handling such waste. You might be tempted to dump such fluids into storm drains or in remote areas. This is also a grave mistake as the harmful liquids will inevitably reach local waterways and eventually travel to lakes, beaches and even the Pacific Ocean.

Contact the professionals at Junk King.  We are able to help you dispose of your waste in an environmentally friendly way.