Why Is Waste Management Important?
Waste management is important because improperly stored refuse can cause health, safety and economic problems. All living organisms create waste, but humans create far more waste than other species. To prevent damaging the Earth’s ecosystems and maintain a high quality of life for the planet’s inhabitants, humans must manage and store their waste efficiently and safely.
Human beings have been practicing primitive waste management techniques for thousands of years. Early humans simply dug a hole and buried their refuse and trash. This was an effective technique for these early people because their population was relatively small, and they did not produce as much garbage as modern humans do. Burying the trash helps to prevent bugs and rodents from becoming a nuisance and spreading diseases.
In the modern world, humans cannot simply bury their trash. While primitive humans produced very little waste, and that which was produced would biodegrade quickly, modern humans produce large amounts of waste, much of which is not biodegradable. Additionally, many types of garbage may be damaging to the soil, ground water and surrounding habitat. To address this problem, modern waste management professionals place garbage in lined holes and use bacteria to help facilitate rapid decomposition of the garbage.
