It’s convenient to say that taking a poop is a natural process that everyone has to deal with every day, even for animals. Normally, people would flush their poop away down the toilet hoping they wouldn’t have to see and deal with it ever again. Who would want to deal with something that’s dirty and useless anyway? However, little do most people realize is that what their flushing down the toilet can actually be a big value to the environment, even how much it may stink. There are several ways that show recycling human waste can be a useful in a person’s lifestyle and for the future.
One way that human waste can be useful is to help sustain farming. The term “humanure” refers to human waste that is recycled, and which can be later used for gardening or agricultural purposes. Scientists have discovered that human feces are the only true man-made fertilizer. Besides using animal dung, humanure is the next best thing to use. Joseph Jenkins, the author of The Humanure Handbook, explains the process on how recycling human waste can be used as fertilizer. According to Jenkins, the process starts off by using a bucket that’s essentially five gallons deep, instead of a toilet. After doing one’s business, sawdust, a powdery particle of wood produced by sawing, is sprinkled on the feces to prevent odor, add carbon, and absorb liquids. Humanure can then be poured into compost bins, where it decomposes and cures from bacteria after one to two years. After that time, what’s left is nothing but purely organic matter that is similar to dirt, which then can be used. Also, in some areas of Zimbabwe, some locals use a special compost toilet called Fossa Alterna. This toilet is three meters deep that is dug into the ground. When it is filled, they...
... middle of paper ...
...er, it can be really resourceful for the environment. From it being used in farms, art, natural gases, or even food, it can be really depended on to go green since there will always be an unlimited amount. So just think, the next time poop is being flushed down the toilet, it’s good to remember that it can be used to change a person’s life.
Works Cited
Emily, Beament. "Biogas from human waste." Independent green living
(2010): n. pag. Web. 23 Jun 2011.
Jenkins, Joseph. The Humanure Handbook. 3rd. Grove City, PA: Jospeh
Jenkins Inc., 2005. Print.
"Steak Made from Human Excrement: Is It Safe?." LiveScience (2011): n.
pag. Web. 23 Jun 2011.
Ward, Ossian. "Santiago Sierra: interview." Art (2007): n. pag. Web. 23
Jun 2011.
West, Larry. "San Antonio Plans to Convert Human Waste to Energy."
Environmental Issues (2011): n. pag. Web. 23 Jun 2011.
We need to stay away from the landfills as much as we can so eventually we can get rid of them all together. The benefits of compost include increased soil organic matter content, nutrients for plant growth, replacement of peat moss in potting media, reduced erosion, plant disease resistance, weed suppression and generally improved plant vigor (Barlaz 62). Instead of taking grass clippings to the trash people can leave them laying in the yard to decompose or they can use them to help make their compost. People can even make their own composting bins to use at their homes. There are several reasons why people should compost. If people start composting they can keep their garbage, yard trimmings or leaves from getting to the landfills. Which in turn will keep those things from getting in our water or water supplies. If these things get in our waterways or water treatment facilities it just makes more work for other people. Also by composting people will help their plants look healthier. Sharon Durham talks about manure, composting and how it effects the soil in her article, “Improving on a Time-Tested Technique.” Durham says, “Composting results in stabilization of nitrogen in organic form for use in soil” (20). The soil the plant is grown in will be better and help the plants produce better if you are growing food. “Compost may even be tailor-made to reduce phosphorus availability and
The majority of people waste food on a daily basis. In fact, in the U.S. alone there is an estimate that over half of the food produced goes uneaten; meanwhile there are people who are in need of food, and it ultimately goes to waste (Dockterman). For example, in his essay, “On Dumpster Diving,” author Lars Eighner writes about his experiences of dumpster diving with his pet dog, during his years of homelessness. According to Eighner, much of the food and materials he came across in the dumpsters were in usable shape, and many items were new. Clearly there needs to be a change in American food waste, in current and, hopefully not so much in, future generations.
For most of America, recycling has become a way of life. For some, it is a valiant effort to take charge of our waste and do what is right for the environment and for future generations. For others, it is a forced mentality by government agencies or private businesses who attempt to prove their value by self-promoting their commitment to environmental responsibility. Recycling, in theory, is a positive effort; however, massive recycling programs are not the answer. Recycling programs in general lack an intelligent way to a means, since the costs and environmental burden may outweigh the desired result. Recyclers should only focus on materials that they can process in a cost effective way, and consumers should focus
Imagine yourself in the middle of a rainforest, listen to the sounds around you, smell the fresh air, hear the wildlife; take that image and get rid of the trees around you, the sounds of wildlife, and the smell of fresh air. Instead of a rainforest you are now in the middle of a seemingly endless sea of trash and waste. The fresh scent in the air gone, the sprawling land of greenery and trees gone, and the sounds of the forest is reduced to the sound of heavy machinery trying vainly to reduce trash into smaller more compact waste.
She suggests that Americans should reduce their overconsumption of such commodities since they are overburdening the non-biodegradable waste load in the garbage collection facilities. It is surprising to note that every Americans disposes more than four pounds of trash on a daily basis (Royte, 2005).
I am not a big earth first person but I do believe in recycling because I work at a local recycling center and I think recycling is a good thing. In fact I think everyone should recycle to make the earth a better place as a whole. A few good reasons why recycling is a good this is, the more people recycle, the less room is filled in landfills. Also, when people recycle they are reusing materials, therefore saving resources. Another good reason is that when you recycle often times you get paid back the C.R.V. that you already paid for in the grocery store.
Do you hate seeing litter on the streets, or seeing and smelling heaps of garbage sitting, and rotting away? Humans recycling more will help to reduce this. We throw many things that can be recycled. Recycling glass, plastics, paper, and metals will reduce solid waste dumped into the ecosystem daily. “96 percent of U.S. plastic, and 50 percent of its paper, goes into landfills. Mexico, not exactly a bastion of environmental awareness, recycles more glass than the U.S.” (Alice Horrigan 1). That’s 96 percent of the millions of tons of plastic, which will outlive most of us in a landfill that we could recycle and keep it out of our landfill. Paper is made from trees, if we recycle it, we can decrease our rate of ugly deforestation and the destruction of animal habitats. When paper gets to the landfill, it is guaranteed to get wet. The wetness and decomposition of paper atracts mold spores, which produce an odor and are potentially bad for your health. Also k...
Our world is getting to the point to where we will be surrounded by trash. There are hazards happening because of the excess trash, which could have been recycled. Although the government is not doing their best to make these hazards stop, surprisingly it is the non-governed organizations that are trying to make the difference. Proven studies and facts have been made about these issues, so people should take this into consideration and start recycling more. Recycling is a beneficial process that is not required globally like it should be because citizens are uneducated on the process and what it can do. People who are not recycling do not know the hazards they are causing everywhere.
...mproper way of disposing of waste and other materials. Littering not only impacts our environment but also many animals. Even though many people see littering being done they do not do anything to prevent this. One thing that may occur is that many of these wastes that are improperly disposed of finds its way to the ocean or other places. This is something that can be very dangerous for many aquatic creatures because they could think that it is food and this would cause them to choke on it and eventually die. A lot of people litter because they really have no idea of the damage that they are causing our environment. Another reason why people do this is because they are too lazy to dispose the materials into a proper trash can. Most of the litter that is being thrown on the ground eventually goes and finds its way into the sewers and goes into the oceans and lakes.
Most importantly, it saves lives. We should all learn the importance of recycling. For example, some sea lions won?t get stuck in plastics if we recycle. We would also breathe better air. We can recycle and aluminum can and put it back on the shelf for something useful. If we just leave it in the landfill, it?ll decompose and it?ll be of no use. It?ll also reduce pollution or else it?ll make a new one.
made from oil and natural gas. Using plastics to replace packaging materials such as metal
More often than not landfills are used to hold human waste. Landfills are mainly made up of the food humans eat, food animals eat, papers and bones. According to
People should know the negative impact throwing away a water bottle or newspaper, purchasing meat from the grocery store or consuming gasoline has on the environment, and many do not. By informing society about how their decisions affect the environment, we can help save our planet and change our attitude toward the land we live on, the water we drink and the air we breathe” and truly show respect for the stuff that we depend on. The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid waste each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and the environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet.
Preserving the environment is very important. One way that would be possible is by recycling. Recycling is the recovery and reprocessing of waste materials for use in new products. There are important environmental and economic benefits connected with recycling. Common materials that are recycled consist of aluminum cans, glass, paper, wood, and plastic (“Recycling”). Cleveland, Ohio joined the ranks of requiring recycling and also fines the homeowners for not disposing of waste correctly or leaving cans out too early or too long (McElroy 1). Michele McCay says that recycling is one of the easiest, most tangible ways of taking action for the planet (par. 1). If that is the case, why is it not required in all states? Recycling should be mandatory because it saves natural resources, it conserves energy, and it reduces pollution.
Many people assume that the environment is not in danger. They believe that as technology advances, we do not need to worry about renewing natural resources, recycling, and finding new ways to produce energy. They state that one person in the world does not make a large difference. In reality, each individual's contribution greatly affects our environment. Our natural resources are slowly disappearing, and we must work together to save them and the Earth from ruin.