Simple Things You Can Do To Reduce Pollution

Despite advances in technology and quality of life, we are challenged by the problem of pollution which is a by-product of human activities. To deal with this problem head on, we collectively need to change our behaviours and attitudes to make this planet a healthier place to live. There is a spectrum of different ways pollutants enter into our environment and it can be stopped by several ways. However, we as individuals can bring some slight changes in our lifestyles to prevent pollution. Following are some of the things that we can do on individual and community level to reduce pollution.

1. Use Public Transport

Cars are responsible for 80% of the urban air pollution. Using public transport will not only result in less traffic but also help in mitigating air pollution and making the urban air cleaner and healthier for the city dwellers. Last but not the least, it is cheaper and reduces fuel consumption.

2. Keep Your Vehicles Tuned

Keeping vehicles appropriately monitored by an expert is always a great idea. Problematic engines or gas converters can lead to the emissions of harmful gases from the vehicular exhaust and pollute the atmosphere. Therefore, one must try to be a responsible citizen and keep the vehicle tuned to avoid harmful gaseous emissions that pollute the air

3. Avoid Firecrackers

Fireworks are the pretty pollutants whose usage is rampant around the world on celebrations and inaugural events. However, little attention is given to the air pollution they cause in the atmosphere. Especially during winters, they leave a hazy atmosphere of smog (smoke + fog) which is extremely dangerous for health when inhaled. Therefore, avoid fireworks and explore healthier ways to celebrate.

4. Plant Trees

Planting trees is the cheapest and most convenient thing you can do to reduce pollution. They emit fresh oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In addition, they intercept many harmful pollutants through stomata on their leaf surfaces making the air cleaner and more refreshing.

5. Avoid Packaged Food

The next time you go to grocery store, buy vegetables and fruits that are unpackaged. Packaging waste accounts for half of the municipal solid waste in cities around the world. Taking your own grocery bag to carry fruits and vegetables can greatly help minimize pollution caused by packaging materials.

6. Buy Organic Food

Going organic is one of the ideal ways to protect not only your but planet’s health as well. Inorganic food production is responsible for contaminating soil and water bodies because of excessive use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Buying organic will encourage food supply chains to shift towards organic food production and help make the planet a safer place to live.

7. Get Indoor Plants

There is a wide variety of indoor air purifying plants that can help mitigate indoor air pollution. Some of the plants include rubber plant, snake plant, airplant etc that will not only absorb indoor pollutants but also uplift your mood with their refreshing colours and fragrance.

8. Home Composting

Composting at home is one of the finest ways to reduce pollution caused by solid food waste. All you need to do is dig a small ditch at a corner in your garden and toss all the kitchen waste in the ditch and cover it with soil. The waste will keep decomposing and turn into nutrient rich compost.

9. Try Gardening Techniques

Gardening at homes and using the kitchen waste as nutrients can be used to grow naturally occurring microorganisms that break down contaminants and remove pollution from the soil. This requires appropriate care of your garden soil through turning and tilling to allow aerobic processes and to maintain the right temperature, nutrients, and optimal amount of oxygen in the soil.

10. Adopt 3R Principle

It is the principle of Reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce the amount of waste produced. Reuse the things that can survive for a longer period. Recycle the materials that can be reprocessed and used as a raw material for remanufacturing.

11. Use Rechargeable Batteries

As discussed earlier in 3R principle, try to use reusable rechargeable batteries instead of single use batteries. Batteries contain harmful chemical materials and when disposed of to oceans and landfills they release toxic chemicals to environment threatening life both on land and water. Therefore, rechargeable batteries must be used as they can last for a longer time period.

12. Dispose Car Fuel Carefully

Don’t drain the oil spills from your car into water drain. Instead use soil, or dry cement and spread it over the oil. They act as a sponge and soak oil Then dispose the oil laden soil or cement in a dump.

13. Take Pride in Second-hand

It takes a lot of energy and processing raw material to produce a finished product. Therefore, to reduce the pollution caused by processing, feel pride in using second-hand products such as crockery, shoes, bags or machinery.

14. Use Cloth Bags

Plastic is one of the most found pollutant in the oceans and is responsible for killing many fish. To curtail plastic usage, cloth bags should be used because of their durability and biodegradability.

15. Buy Pre-loved Clothes

Landfills around the world are receiving fabric waste in large amounts more than ever. Thanks to fast fashion, people only wear a clothe once or twice and throw it out. However, we need to change our behaviour towards clothing and buy durable and long-lasting fabrics. Moreover, it should be encouraged to buy pre-loved clothing and restyling old clothes.

16. Transition from Linear to Circular Economy

We live in an everchanging world with new problems arising every other day. The status quo is linear economy in which raw material is mined which is then used to create a product that is thrown after its consumption. It is high time that we transition to Circular Economy, in which the raw material is recycled rather than wasted. We should support and encourage start-ups that are working towards recycling the waste of one industry to be used as raw material for the other.

17. Buy Re-furbished Machinery

Mechanical waste is ending up in landfills around the world and polluting the environment. It is high time that we encourage using re-furbished machineries which is not only cheap but also help in mitigating hazardous wastes due to mechanical waste.

18. Teach Resource Recovery

Early childhood education is something that stays with children for the rest of their life. The concept of resource recovery like reuse of waste materials should be taught to kids in schools. This knowledge base through hands on learning will influence kids to think bigger and develop more innovative ideas to tackle the problem of pollution when the grow up.

19. Be Minimalistic

Teach yourself to be minimalistic when ging for shopping. Buy only those things that you direly need. Using as less stuff as possible and try to share things among your family and friends rather than owning things individually.

20. Avoid Single Use Plastic

We love snacking on a crisp bag, or a chocolate bar wrapped in plastic or a pack of biscuits. Little do we realize how big is the adverse impact of single use plastics on soil and water bodies. Developing a habit of eating fresh food rather than snacking on processed fruits is not only going to be healthy but also better for the planet. Pollution by single-use plastic is something we can control, and it is solely possible by changing our consumer habits.

21. Appropriate Use of Washing Machines

To avoid pollution in water, turn on the clothe washing machines or a dishwasher only when they are full. This will ensure the optimal use of energy and detergents for washing purposes.

22. Buy Eco-friendly Washing Products

Detergents contain harmful chemical that cause water pollution and kill aquatic life. Therefore, avoid buying products that contain hazardous and dangerous chemicals like phosphates. Choose companies that sell eco-friendly washing products that are biodegradable and effective for cleaning as well. These are a bit expensive but better for the planet’s health.

23. Careful Disposal of Medicines or Medical Waste

Never dump any sort of oral or topical medicines directly into the water bodies or down the flush. They contain harmful chemicals that may get ingested by fish or taken up by plants causing them to die. Medicines might contain hormones disruptors that might be taken up by livestock drinking water from the streams and cause a variety of health problems among them. Dispose off medical waste like urine bags, dialysis bags or any type of first aid waste into normal bins. They should be transported carefully to the nearest medical waste treatment centre.

24. Fund Environmental Charities

Keep supporting and encouraging your local environmental charities for pollution prevention either monetarily or by word of mouth by giving awareness to the people about increasing environmental pollution and how environmental charities can help prevent pollution.

25. Take Part in Clean-up Drives

Charity begins at home. Be the change you want to see. Organize people around you to go for clean ups of the beaches or tourist parks and involve children in such activities to inspire them. Take collective action with the communities to set an example.