Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Green Living has several aspects

Lets talk about our homes. Our trash that goes in the can or recycling is waste we have no choice but to face. Whether it’s hauling the trash cans to the sidewalk, bringing recycling to a center–it’s a mass of garbage that we have to contend with. Liquid waste, on the other hand, simply gets rinsed down the drain and it’s “bye-bye never have to think about you again.” It’s a much more expedient process–one that’s hidden from the eyes of any sanitation departments–and one that can wreak waves of environmental chaos, not to mention what it can do to your pipes. We often don’t realize the harm we are doing by what we rinse down our kitchen sinks, bath and shower drains, and even what we flush down our toilets. But another area of concern is kitchen waste–namely fats, oils and greases which can not only clog pipes, but are terrible for sewage systems. According to the Watership Environment Foundation (WEF), sewer overflows and backups can cause health hazards, damage home interiors, and threaten the environment. An increasingly common cause of overflows is sewer pipes blocked by grease–this results in raw sewage overflowing in your home or your neighbor’s home; An expensive and unpleasant cleanup that often must be paid for by you, the homeowner; Raw sewage overflowing into parks, yards, and streets; Potential contact with disease-causing organisms; and an increase in operation and maintenance costs for local sewer departments, which causes higher sewer bills for customers.

12 comments:

  1. I try to be eco-friendly by taking really quick showers.

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  2. Good thing i don't dispose of grease down the drain

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  3. Damn my 15-mins long showers sound less exciting :)

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  4. I store used cooking oil in a metal can, and take it to the recycling center after I change my car's oil.
    But definitely save your bacon grease, and other animal fats! That stuff can be used for lots of cooking methods.

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  5. i dispose of the easy stuff like newspapers and some bottles but everything else goes in the trash

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  6. There's no easy way to be environmentally friendly. Have you considered blogging about composting?

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  7. i red it two times already, post new stuff!

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  8. Yeah, I try not to throw any oils or fats (basically anything not soluble in water) down the drain.

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