What is organic waste and examples - Summary

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Have you ever wondered why recycling organic waste is so important? Organic waste is those that decompose naturally, but if this waste ends up in landfills, instead of in specialized plants that treat this waste, when decomposing they generate methane (greenhouse gas), since the temperature conditions, Humidity and ventilation do not help these to decompose optimally. In addition, they not only generate methane, but also occupy space and make the process of separation from the rest of the waste more difficult.
If you want to know more about what is organic waste and examples Of this, among other aspects, do not stop reading this interesting article by Green Ecologist in which we will explain it to you in detail.

What is organic waste

Waste can be divided into organic and inorganic waste.

  • Organic waste or organic garbage is composed of all those waste of biological origin, that is, that at some point they were alive or were part of some living being and whose nature has not undergone any type of transformation. In addition, the decomposition process of these residues is carried out quickly.
  • However, those who are inorganic waste They come from chemical materials or substances that do not originate in living beings, some of them are glass, plastic and metal, among others. Contrary to what happens with organic waste, the decomposition processes of inorganic waste require more time, even thousands of years, and their recycling is more complex. Here you can learn more about inorganic garbage: what it is and examples.

To learn more about these concepts, we encourage you to read these other articles on the Difference between organic and inorganic garbage and the Types of garbage.

Examples of organic waste

Organic waste or organic waste can come from different sources, from private homes, such as houses or apartments, commercial places where products are made from living beings of animal or plant origin, or also from public services. These are some examples of garbage or organic waste.

In the first place we will talk about those of domestic origin, that is, those organic waste that we produce in our home. Among them they can be differentiated in:

  • Organic fraction (FO): refers to the remains that originate in the process of cooking, handling or making food products. For example, the skin of fruits, remains of nuts, bones of fish or meat bones, shells of eggs, corks or kitchen paper.
  • Vegetable fraction (FV): are all those small-sized, non-woody plant debris that come from gardening. Some examples are weeds, dry leaves, dry roots, or small branches.
  • Pruning residues: those remains of plant origin from pruning carried out on a larger scale, such as large amounts of earth, trunks or branches.

Second is the organic waste of commercial origin. These are all the waste that originates in the hospitality industry, with all the food that is left on the plates or is in bad condition, or in supermarkets, since there is a lot of food that must be thrown away because it is expired. Other remains of commercial origin are produced in herbalists, nurseries and flower shops, among others.

Also exist organic remains from services municipal, such as the maintenance of public parks and gardens, social or student dining rooms and public events such as festivals or fairs.

Finally, we will talk about organic waste from industries, that is, the waste generated by all the large food production and handling surfaces. For example, in the meat industry, some parts of the animals are thrown away that cannot be used for human consumption or other benefits.

Other examples of organic waste They can proceed as a product of the metabolism of a living being, or simply be part of a living being, some examples are: excrement, urine, nails, hooves, hair or shedding of skin, among others.

What to do with organic waste

If you do not know what to do with organic waste, in this section we will explain it to you.

  • It all starts at home, first you will have to separate all organic waste. Are you wondering what the color of the organic garbage container is? Take note that these residues must be deposited in the brown container, which is the recycling container for organic waste and, therefore, in which nothing else has to be thrown away. This is the way to recycle organic waste outside the home, that is, have a company specializing in it take care of the process. To make it easier for you to separate this garbage from the rest to throw it where it belongs, here we tell you How to separate the garbage.
  • Once the organic waste is in the corresponding brown recycling container, it is transported to a plant where the humidity, temperature and ventilation conditions will make the composting process possible for turn organic waste into compost. All thanks to the activity of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, which thanks to the optimal conditions of the recycling plant they carry out the decomposition process on the waste. This process lasts from 10 to 16 weeks. Compost is a product that can be used as compost, and it does not pollute.
  • Did you know that you can recycle organic waste yourself at home and produce your own compost? For this you need a compost bin or home composter, which will help you maintain optimal conditions in it so that composting is carried out efficiently. Fruit and vegetable scraps are optimal for composting at home, as they have a rapid decomposition process. Here you can learn about How to make homemade compost.

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

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