Protecting water resources may not be at the top of mind as you are taking out your recycling each week, but reducing and disposing of waste properly is key to pollution prevention of both groundwater and surface water resources.
Check out these points from One Water Indiana’s new infographic about the benefits of reducing waste!
1. Reduced Environmental Pollution
When we reduce waste, we are not only reducing the potential for pollution on our neighborhood streets, but we decrease the amount of waste sent to the landfill. If household hazardous waste (for example paint, cleaners, and electronics) ends up at improperly managed landfills, ground and surface water plus the surrounding land and air can become polluted. If you do produce household hazardous waste, make sure to take it to an approved drop off location such as the FREE Indianapolis Tox Drop!
2. Natural Resource Conservation
By reducing our use of items such as single-use plastic or fast fashion clothing, we reduce the natural resources used in processing new products. Recycling and disposing of these items also keeps contaminants such as microplastics out of our water resources.
3. Increase Environmental Awareness
Speaking up to your family, friends, or customers about your efforts to reduce waste and dispose of it properly is key to behavior change. When we support other businesses and individual who make this effort, we help protect our communities for years to come!
4. Environmental Disaster Risk Reduction
Industrial contamination may be a lesser known “environmental disaster”, but communities around the country are suffering from impacts of historic large-scale pollution. Reducing waste and disposing of products properly helps prevent these types of disasters both big and small.
Let’s keep our water, air, and land clean by taking a moment to think about our purchases and remembering to dispose of waste properly!
Find more infographics at https://onewater.igws.iu.edu/.
