What is organic and inorganic garbage: examples

When we speak of “garbage” we refer to any waste, that is, to any unwanted material or set of them, generally in a solid state, although they can also be found in the liquid and gaseous states, which has its origin in different human activities or animals that produce waste that is intended to be disposed of. This garbage is normally deposited in specific places destined for its collection, such as containers, after which it will end up in landfills.

Now, the term “garbage” is very broad, because as we have just mentioned, we call any waste material that way. The composition of this waste depends on the quality of life and the economic activity of the area where it is generated. But not everything is as bad as it seems so far, since many components of the waste that are generated are profitable and have value for recycling processes . For example, here we explain the recycling process of a plastic bottle .

Delving into the types of garbage we were talking about, these can be classified according to their composition and origin. According to its composition, the garbage is basically classified into organic garbage and inorganic garbage , which we will talk about below, in the following sections.

If we refer to the origin of the garbage , the waste can be considered as:

• Domestic waste: all those that are produced in homes from the activities that take place in them. It also includes electronic waste and electrical appliances, clothing, furniture …
• Commercial waste: generated by the activities carried out in the different businesses.
• Industrial waste: from industrial activity such as manufacturing, transformation, consumption, cleaning or maintenance.
• Hospital waste: which is generally considered hazardous waste.
• Space debris or space debris: made up of objects and pieces of artificial materials of human origin without use that are in the Earth’s orbit. In this other article we talk more about Space Pollution .
• Construction waste: construction waste, which also includes demolition waste.

When we talk about organic waste we are talking about those residues of biological origin , that is, that have their origin in living beings, or those resulting from all the processing of food products. Although they can be more unpleasant to our senses, due to their decomposition, it is true that they are much less problematic for the environment because they are biodegradable waste and can be decomposed without too much difficulty. It is for this reason that they are usually used in the production of fertilizers or compost used in gardening.

There are different types and examples of organic waste and some of them are:

• Food remains such as egg or fruit shells , seeds, oil, bones, food in bad condition, vegetables …
• Paper and cardboard, napkins, paper towels.
• Garden debris from plant pruning, such as leaves or branches.
• Animal body waste such as hair, nails, feathers, excrement …
• Cotton and clothing made from it, gauze.
• Garments made from fur.
• Remains of dead animals.

On the contrary, inorganic waste refers to waste whose origin is not biological . It is these residues that can be very damaging to the environment, since they are made with synthetic elements and are much more difficult to degrade. For this reason, they remain in the environment unchanged for much longer with the consequent pollution problems that they can generate.

It should be noted that in many cases inorganic waste can be reused or recycled. However, the other part of inorganic waste is not recyclable, so the only way to treat it so that it does not harm the environment is to confine it in suitable containers. The main responsible for this type of garbage are large industries, although households also generate it, but in much smaller quantities.

If there were many cases of organic garbage, of inorganic garbage there are also numerous examples. Some of the clearest examples of inorganic trash are as follows:

• Glass objects, such as bottles, crystals …
• Plastic containers and objects .
• Aluminum cans, such as soda or canning cans.
• PVC materials.
• Batteries
• Sanitary or hospital waste, such as cotton gauze, plastic syringes. As we discussed earlier, due to the danger of these compounds, regardless of whether they are composed of organic materials or not, they are considered inorganic waste.
• Screens.
• Batteries
• Home appliances.
• Furniture.
• Tires
• Polyethylene bags.
• Aerosol sprays.
• X-rays.
• CD.

In this other AgroCorrn article we offer more information about inorganic garbage with examples for children .

If you want to read more articles similar to What is organic and inorganic waste: examples , we recommend that you enter our Recycling and waste management category .