Pollution can take many forms.

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the ground where we grow our food, and even the increasing noise we hear every dayall contribute to health problems and a lower quality of life.

Air Pollution in Power Stations

Land Pollution In Iran

Seabed pollution

Example of Chemical water pollution

Air Pollution In China

W An example of water pollution

Pesticides Fertilizers / Nutrient Pollution Oil, Gasoline and Additives Mining Sediment Chemical and Industrial Processes Plastics Personal Care Products, Household Cleaning Products, and Pharmaceuticals Sewage Carbon Dioxide Heat Noise

Carbon Dioxide- Oil and chemical industries Combustion of fuels in automobiles, jet planes etc. The increasing number of power plants and manufacturing units or industries

Carbon Monoxide

Sulfur dioxide

Nitrogen Dioxide

Increase in urbanization. Construction uses up forestland. More constructions means increase in demand for raw materials like timber. This leads to the exploitation and destruction of forests. If there is more demand for water. Reservoirs are built leading to the loss of land. Increase in agricultural land. As the human population grew there was a greater demand for food. This caused more land allocated to agriculture. Forests were cut down for this purpose. Domestic waste. Every single day, tons and tons of domestic waste is dumped ranging from huge pieces of rubbish such as unused refrigerator to fish bones. If all these wastes are not disposed of properly, the damage they can do to the environment and humankind can be devastating. Agricultural activities. Besides domestic waste, pesticides and herbicides used by farmers to increase crop yields also pollute the land when they are washed into the soil.

Industrial activities. Industrial activities also are a contributing factor to land pollution. For example, in open cast mining, huge holes are dug in the ground and these form dangerously deep mining pools. Heaps of mining waste are left behind and these waste often contain several poisonous substances that will contaminate the soil

Spread of disease: Drinking polluted water can cause cholera or typhoid infections, along with diarrhea. water & land Harms the food chain: Toxins within water can harm aquatic organisms, thus breaking a link in the food chain.- water

Flooding: The erosion of soil into waterways causes flooding, especially with heavy rainfall - water Heart or lung disorders are under additional risk especially for the old ones. air pollution
Have harmful effects on natural ecosystems- All three

You can practice reduction by selecting products that do not have to be added to landfills or the waste stream in general In some cases, you are able to fully preventing the extra production of rubbish. Such as try not to use plastic bags. You can also try not to buy product that contains a lot of packaging and wrappings. Make smart decision when you are shopping . This is the best way to reduce the amount of rubbish. 4R is how you can make a difference by REDUCING the waste that you, your home, school or business generates. This REDUCES the load on local governments handling waste as well as preventing garbage from being dumped in sensitive environments, blocking drains and spreading disease.

Many items found around the home can be used for different purposes. So before you throw those items away, think about how they can be reused. Below are some suggestions of how to reuse those everyday bits and pieces Carrier bags and twist ties Envelopes Jars and pots Newspaper, cardboard and bubble wrap Old clothes Packaging Scrap paper Tires Used wood

Carrier bags and twist ties. Carrier bags can be reused in the shops or as bin bags around the house. Paper bags make useful wrapping paper and twist ties can be used to secure loose items together, such as computer wires.

Envelopes

By sticking labels over the address you can reuse envelopes. Alternatively, old envelopes can be used as scrap paper to make notes on. Jars and pots. By cleaning glass jars and small pots, you can use them as small containers to store odds and ends. Newspaper, cardboard and bubble wrap Make useful packing material when moving house or to store items. Old clothes can be made into other textile items such as cushion covers or teapot cozies. Packaging Such as foil and egg cartons can be donated to schools and nurseries, where they can be use in art and craft projects.

Scrap paper Can be used to make notes and sketches. Dont forget to recycle it when you no longer need it.

Tires Old tires can be given to your local petrol station where they will be recycled. Or you could make a tire-swing by tying a strong rope around a tire and attaching it to a tree.

Used wood Can be used in woodcrafts for making objects such as a spice rack or a bird table. Alternatively it could be used as firewood

Old Electrical Equipment Donate old electrical equipment to schools or community centers so that others can reuse them.

Donate Old Clothes and Books Other people can reuse your unwanted clothes and books when you donate them to charity shops.

Car-boot Sale Have a car-boot sale and get rid of some unwanted items. Other people may find a use for them, plus it gives you the opportunity to earn some extra cash.

Rechargeable Batteries Rechargeable batteries can be reused many times before they need throwing away, opposed to regular batteries that create unnecessary waste.

Build a Compost Bin You can reuse many waste items, such as eggshells and old tea bags, using a compost bin. This waste then degrades and turns into compost that can be used to help your garden grow.

Grass Cycling After mowing your lawn, instead of throwing the grass cuttings away, leave them in your garden. The nutrients from the cuttings go back into the soil and act as a fertilizer

Recycling is processing used materials (waste) into new products

To prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) It can be done by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink" waste hierarchy. There are some ISO standards relating to recycling such as ISO 15270:2008 for plastics waste and ISO 14001:2004 for environmental management control of recycling practice Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics. Although similar in effect, the composting or other reuse of biodegradable waste such as food or garden waste is not typically considered recycling.

Taken and adapted from Wikipedia

What you done to the box? Just throw it away ?

Some of us might just dump the box into rubbish bin !

So, please think before you throw, you might make a difference

Helps in extending the depleting of natural resources

Local authorities are able to cut down cost of rubbish managing

Able to save the environment, and maintain the balance ecosystems

We can have a cleaner and a more wonderful environment

Prevent dangerous diseases, such as dengue, malaria and etc.

The good news is that you can make a DIFFERENCE simply by practicing the 4Rs, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
With some simple steps and changes in lifestyle you can help preserve our natural resources, reduce pollution and make the world a better place to live in for yourself and future generation. Your future generation depends on you.

Taken and adapted from : Back to Clean Up Sri Lanka