Environmental problems are one of the biggest problems in every country, because people produce a lot of waste and don’t know how to solve it. Moreover, household waste, which is actually not very visible when using it, looks a bit, but if you look at the many people living in an area, the household waste that looks a little earlier can become a lot. I took data that the amount of household waste in Indonesia in 2022 is 58.8% of its use and that is the biggest waste problem compared to other waste. There are many types of household waste that we often encounter or use, namely:
- Used Cooking Oil
This household waste may seem trivial because it will not be visible if it is disposed of with other waste. It’s just that, throwing used cooking oil carelessly can cause great harm to the environment, such as soil and water pollution. Maybe the used cooking oil that you throw away is not much. However, did you know that the volume of used cooking oil in Indonesia can reach 1.1 million tons per year? Imagine if this much used cooking oil was just thrown away and polluted our land and waters. Therefore, managing used cooking oil properly reduces the contribution of environmental pollution. How to manage used cooking oil is easy. Instead of throwing it down the sink, collect the oil in a bottle. When there is a lot of it, distribute it to collectors of used cooking oil, such as the Buy used cooking oil platform which will later be used to make biodiesel.
- Used Washing Water
Used Washing Water Used washing water is the most volume of household waste. Just count how many liters of water you need to wash, whereas every house must wash it almost every day. Instead of just throwing away used washing water which will eventually pollute the water, you can implement a wastewater treatment system. You do this by flowing the used washing water into a holding tank that is equipped with a filtering system. You can later reuse the filtered water for washing vehicles, watering plants, or flushing toilets. Apart from applying the methods for dealing with household waste above, you can also try to make laundry waste not harmful to the environment.
- Food Leftovers.
Household waste in the form of leftovers or stale food, including organic waste. Even though it smells and is disgusting, spoiled food will become a treasure that can fertilize the soil. You can turn leftover food into organic fertilizer. An easy, practical and odorless way is to use the Takakura method. All you need to do is throw the trash into a special basket that already contains husks and decomposing bacteria.
- Plastic waste
Example Household waste in the form of plastic waste is a big problem for the environment. The reason is, this type of waste takes hundreds of years to decompose completely. The way to manage it is to reuse the plastic that is at home, both plastic bottles and plastic bags.
- Used clothes
Household waste in the form of used clothes, including those that can be recycled. For clothing that is still usable, you can donate it to a donation distribution agency or directly deliver it to an orphanage. Meanwhile, you can use clothes that are not suitable for use as rags or craft items.
- Newspapers and Magazines
Managing household waste in the form of newspapers, magazines, books, and even used cardboard boxes is relatively easy. You only need to collect it and then sell it to collectors or distribute it to paper-based recycling craftsmen.
The impact of household waste can affect environmental pollution such as decreasing water quality, it will affect public health so that the economy will also be hampered. However, if we examine more deeply, household waste can actually have a positive impact, by utilizing the waste to sell it at the Garbage Bank, or by making a craft with various creativity, and this can actually add to the economy. The regulations governing the environment, especially the management of household waste or waste, are regulated by government regulation Number 81 of 2012 concerning Management of Household Waste and Household-like Waste. This study aims to examine and determine the impact of household waste on the economy.
Therefore we have to be smarter in dealing with this problem. In fact, if we are good at dealing with existing problems, it can make it easier for the government to deal with problems regarding the environment, especially household waste. I also suggest holding outreach to the community, especially housewives, regarding how to manage household waste.
By: Vitriana Putri Pamungkas
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