Color-Coded Dustbins have an important part in waste management. Despite raising awareness of a sustainable lifestyle, there are many people who randomly mix every type of waste in a single bin and throw it in a dump yard.
But, in fact, this is not at all eco-friendly way. Organic waste, recyclable materials, and biowaste shouldn’t be mixed. When we aim for greener and cleaner surroundings, we should consider waste management and segregation as a vital part of our daily routine. Here is where color-coded dustbins come in handy for us.
In this blog post, let us look at what benefits these color-coded dustbins offer and how to use them.
Why Should We Need Color-Coded Dustbins?
The concept of different colored dustbins basically helps in waste segregation. According to Waste Management Rules, 2016, waste segregators must separate wastage into three categories: dry, wet, and hazardous. Just like different types of recycle bins, they created different types of colored dustbins.
Waste management and recycling companies encounter a broad range of materials when collecting, disposing of, or recycling waste. There are numerous options for gathering various types of trash. However, a well-defined system, such as color-coding dustbins, assists in understanding what’s inside each trash can and keeps workers safe as they work in these sectors.
This is why the government of India has provided strict guidelines for color-coded dustbins. Along with helping them recognize what might be in those dustbins, these colored dustbins help them handle each bin according to their color.
For example, recycling materials can be quickly sent to the recycling facilities, and it will help them separate the things that cannot be recycled easily.
Different Colors of Dustbins and Their Utilities
There are different colors of bins which are used for different purposes. Depending on the municipality authorities, these colors may differ from one place to another. However, the following colors are commonly used.
1. Red Color-Coded Dustbins
These are used for hazardous waste. Biomedical waste, such as cotton bandages or anything containing human fluids, should be separated and disposed of using the red dustbin. It could potentially include human fluids. This dustbin is ideal for getting rid of our old masks.
The red dustbins are also ideal for getting rid of sharp objects like broken glass and needles because they are not designed for waste workers to manually contact them. Also, general household trash that is unsuitable for the recycling or organics bins should be placed in the red dustbin.
2. Green Color-Coded Dustbins
These green dustbins are used for wet waste. Vegetable scraps and fruit scraps can be thrown in compostable bins. However, if you don’t have compostable bins, you can dump them in green dustbins. You can also dump animal products, coconut shells, etc, in these bins, along with kitchen scraps. These bins are most commonly seen on the road.
To keep odors contained, the top of the majority of these dustbins has a covered lid. Different vegetable peelings and scraps are disposed of in green dustbins. The dustbin holes are sealed because breathing in these odors can seriously harm your health.
3. Blue Dustbins
Blue Dustbins are also seen as very common and are used to collect dry wastes. They are used to get rid of garbage that doesn’t biodegrade. The materials inside the blue dustbins are collected for recycling.
This explains why you’ve probably noticed the majority of municipal employees moving around with the blue dustbins to gather household rubbish. As the waste inside the blue dustbins goes for recycling, you shouldn’t put any damp scraps on them.
4. Yellow Dustbin
These are used for biochemical wastage. In the medical and healthcare industries, such as hospitals, yellow dustbins are frequently used to hold potentially contagious objects that may have come into contact with chemicals. Items such as gloves, aprons, masks, bandages, plasters, empty saline bags, and wipes are frequently disposed of in yellow dustbins.
Benefits of Using Color-Coded Dustbins
- These dustbins promote waste segregation.
- Harmful non-biodegradable items can be separated before they contaminate the environment.
- It reduces contamination. For example, food wastage can contaminate recyclable VHS tapes when mixed together. When you separate both, you make it easy to recycle.
- It simplifies waste collection for the workers.
- It also raises awareness and reduces the environmental impact of poor waste segregation.
- It is an eco-friendly method to dump waste.
Conclusion
Color-coded Dustbins encourage environmentally conscious behaviors and sustainable waste management techniques. These bins enable people to actively participate in resource conservation, pollution reduction, and protecting the environment for future generations by simplifying the waste sorting process.
When we throw the waste in these color-coded dustbins, we can quickly achieve a cleaner and greener environment around us.
