Biodegradable And Non-Biodegradable Waste
Transcript
00:00Hi kids, today we will learn about biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, so let's start.
00:13All the waste we generate from our households, factories, and farms can be categorized as
00:20either biodegradable or non-biodegradable waste.
00:26Let's first learn what is biodegradable waste.
00:31The waste material that can be broken down in weeks or months by natural agents like
00:37water, oxygen, UV rays of the sun, acid rains, bacteria, and other micro and macro organisms
00:49into very simple compounds, that is, they dissolve and ultimately becomes part of the
00:56soil, are known as biodegradable waste.
01:02Example, if you throw some food waste in the soil and let it stay there for a few days
01:09or weeks, you will not find it there anymore, as it ultimately gets dissolved and becomes
01:16part of the soil, that is, it breaks down into simpler substances, and these simpler
01:24compounds are actually nutrients that add to the nutritive value of the soil and make
01:31the soil fertile.
01:37Different types of waste takes different amount of time to break down.
01:42All types of waste that break down in weeks or months and becomes part of the soil are
01:48known as biodegradable waste, and such wastes are no threat to the environment.
01:58Our kitchen waste is most common example of biodegradable waste.
02:06Other examples of biodegradable waste are kitchen food waste, manure, sewage waste,
02:13slaughterhouse waste, and paper waste.
02:19Biodegradable waste can be used in many ways.
02:24Biodegradable waste can be used for making compost, which is an organic manure.
02:32Biodegradable waste is used for making a source of energy, which is known as biogas.
02:38In the absence of oxygen, biodegradable waste decays and produces a gas called methane,
02:46which is used as fuel through various biogas plants, and this biogas can be used as a normal
02:55fuel for heating, cooking, and even generating electricity.
03:00So kids, we learned what are the biodegradable wastes and their uses.
03:10Now we will learn what are non-biodegradable wastes.
03:16The waste that cannot break down into simpler molecules by various natural agents, and even
03:23hundreds of years, is called as non-biodegradable waste.
03:30Non-biodegradable materials do not react with anything or dissolve in any medium.
03:37That is, these kinds of wastes are not affected by any harsh weather conditions like humidity,
03:47pressure, and temperature.
03:51So these wastes do not contribute to environment, but are just increasing the size of huge wastelands.
04:01And also, the plastic, which is the biggest non-biodegradable waste today, is hazardous
04:07to the environment as firstly it takes hundreds of years to break down.
04:14And when it starts to break down, it releases toxic chemicals that goes in the soil as well
04:21as in the air, and also goes to the water through soil.
04:27So it causes air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution.
04:36So non-biodegradable waste cannot break down and just increases the size of huge wastelands.
04:46So we should recycle them, that is, we should try to reuse them as much as possible.
04:53Like, plastic waste can be sent to the plastic recycle center where it is molded again to
04:59make new objects.
05:03Non-biodegradable objects include aluminum cans, glasses, plastic products, metal scrap,
05:11and bottles.
05:16So kids, we should always be knowing which kind of material are biodegradable and what
05:22kind of wastes are non-biodegradable, so that we always prefer to use biodegradable
05:30material and save our Earth from pollution and dirty, filthy sites.
05:38Let's learn what we can do to save our Earth from the big waste sites.
05:43Always remember, cleaning and protecting our Earth starts from our home.
05:50So we should reduce the use of non-biodegradable materials so that less non-biodegradable waste
05:58is generated.
06:00And also, keep different types of waste in different bins.
06:06And then, different types of waste should be collected separately or sorted later on.
06:13And then each type of waste should be sent to the appropriate recycling center.
06:20We should use our waste as much as we can to produce something useful from it, like
06:27compost and biogas from biodegradable waste, recycle plastic for making new plastic objects,
06:38recycle paper to make new paper from it.
06:44Municipal waste can be sent to incineration plants that produces energy from the waste.
06:53Chemicals and other hazardous waste should be treated before dumping them in the ground,
07:00and there are many and much more advanced waste management techniques that we will learn
07:05later on.
07:07So kids, today we learned a lot about biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
07:16Now you may go ahead and take a quiz to learn more.
07:20Bye-bye!