Everyday we throw away general items such as food and packaging and don’t really have to worry about how we throw it away. Although, there are some items that cause safety hazards if not thrown away in a specific way and correctly. Items like glass, nappies and needles are some of those items.
How to throw away glass and mirrors:
If you have shattered glass such as a glass cup or bowl and there aren’t massive shards of glass, using gloves to protect your hands, pick up the pieces of glass and wrap them in newspaper. Then put the glass wrapped with newspaper into a bag or small box to seal it. This protects your family and rubbish collectors from glass falling out and cutting them. Do not place this in the recycling bin, instead thrown it away in the normal trash bin. If you put broken glass into the recycling bin, it will endanger the works that sort the recycling material.
If you have bigger pieces of glass like a window or broken mirror, tape the large pieces with duct tape so that the glass doesn’t cut anyone as you move it and thrown it away. Also, duct tape the glass with a cross going through the middle of it so that it is more resistant in the trash.
If the glass is undamaged and intact you can put it in the recycling bin. However, not all glass is able to be recycled. Glass that cannot be recycled include: Drinking glasses, ceramics, oven-proof glass, china, light globes, windows and windscreens, mirrors, and laboratory glass. Other than these, most glass can be recycled.
How to throw away nappies properly:
Nappies can take 500 years to break down in landfill if they aren’t eco-friendly. However, nappies can never be placed in the recycling bin. Instead, put excess solid waste into the toilet and flash it. Then wrap the nappy up in a tight ball and throw it in a rubbish bin. NEVER flash a nappy down the toilet. It is a good idea to have a separate bin for all your nappies that has a bin liner/ garbage bag to catch the nappies in.
How to throw away needles correctly:
When getting rid of needles at home you need to be very careful. DO NOT put needles in a regular rubbish bin or in recycling bins. When disposing of needles, you need to go to your local pharmacist and get a small box that is called a Sharps container. This box is specifically used to throw away sharp needles, syringes, lancets and clippers. When your sharp container is three fourths the way full, you need to safely close the container and take it to your local pharmacy for disposable.
Remember, safely disposing of these objects in the correct way protects not only your family from harm but also the public.