Give reasons for the following :
(a) Broken glass utensils are a kind of non-
degradable waste.
(b) Landfills are coming up fast near large cities.
(c) Why is municipal sewage first separated into
egradable and non-degradable wastes ?
Answers
Answer :-
(a) Broken glass utensils are a kind of non-degradable waste as they cannot be decomposed and broken down by living micro-organisms. These need to be disposed off in deep dug out pits so that they do not cause any harm. However, sometimes broken glass in large quantities can be used in glass industries after melting them.
(b) Landfills are coming up fast near large cities due to huge population growth and lack of using efficient and safe disposal method. As construction activities are very active, new colonies are being raised and construction units have become very active. These produce large quantities of waste stones, pebbles, broken bricks and wood waste. Mostly, these are used as landfills. One can see heaps of landfills in the suburbs.
(c) Municipal sewage is first separated into degradable and non-degradable wastes because degradable wastes can be broken down into non-toxic waste in septic tanks, while non-degradable waste needs to be dumped or buried at safe places to avoid any hazardous effects.