We all live in an environment which includes living and non-living things along with the natural forces. Living things not only live in the environment but interact with it as well. They affect the environment and are affected by the environment. The place in which we live consists of air, water, land, animals, plants and the microorganisms. They all are a part of the environment. We are dependent on our environment to fulfill our various needs like oxygen, food and shelter etc. We must keep our environment neat and clean to live a healthy life.
A Clean Environment
To stay healthy, we need a neat and clean environment. For a healthy life, we need two things i.e. sanitation and hygiene.
- Hygiene means a practice that we follow to stay healthy and clean.
- Sanitation means the measures we adopt for improving and protecting the health and our surroundings.
Every household generates waste or garbage. We should take care not to throw waste or garbage anywhere. Dirty surroundings result in the growth of germs that causes diseases like cholera, dengue, typhoid, etc. Dirty and stagnant water is the breeding place for mosquitoes which causes malaria.
Disposal of Waste
Proper disposal of waste is necessary to keep our environment clean. Wastewater from our houses and factories should go through a proper drainage system and should be treated well before dumping it into the water bodies such as sea or ocean.
Solid waste from households such as vegetable peels, plastic bags, waste paper, etc. should be thrown in covered garbage bins. Throwing of these solid wastes out of houses in open area can cause piling of waste which attracts germs and flies and spread diseases also. Open dumping of waste may cause pollution like- land, air and water pollution.
- Waste material such as fruits and vegetable peels decomposes easily so they are called biodegradable.
- Many things like plastic, glasses etc. do not decompose. These are called non-biodegradable material.
The Three R’s
Our waste management affects the environment and environment, in turn, affects us. The waste we create has to be carefully managed and disposed of so that it does not harm our environment and our health. Practicing of three R’s will help us keep our surrounding clean and healthy.
1. Reduce
Reducing waste means to use fewer resources. Usage of water and power wisely can be done when we save electricity by not using it unnecessarily and save water by closing water tap when not in use.
2. Reuse
Reusing means using things again.
- We can carry old plastic, cloth or jute bags when we go for shopping to reuse them.
- Glass or plastic containers in which we buy things can be used to store other things at home.
- Things can be donated to the people who could use them in its original form.
3. Recycle
Recycling is treating or processing material in a certain way so that it can be used again. Many things like paper, glass, plastic, aluminum etc. can be recycled to make useful things out of them.
Benefits of Recycling
- Recycling paper helps us reducing deforestation. We need to cut fewer trees to make papers. Hence we can save our environment by cutting fewer trees.
- We can save energy so that it can be utilized later.
- We can save the environment by reducing the amount of waste produced by the factories.
Steps to keep our environment clean and healthy
Recap
- The place in which we live consists of air, water, land, animals, plants and the microorganisms. They all are a part of the environment.
- Hygiene means a practice that we follow to stay healthy and clean.
- Sanitation means the measures we adopt for improving and protecting the health and our surroundings.
- Practicing of three R’s will help us keep our surrounding clean and healthy.
- Three R’s are- Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.
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