Inorganic material. It is one that is not made of carbon and is not manufactured by living beings, but by nature (in chemical reactions). They are small and simple molecules, such as salts, minerals, chlorides, etc.
Summary
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- 1 Composition
- 2 inorganic waste
- 1 Reuse and recycling
- 3 External links
- 4 Sources
Composition
Inorganic matter, unlike organic matter, does not present physiological functions, that is, it neither metabolizes nor reproduces, as manifested in the case of minerals. Minerals are complex chemical compounds made up of chemical elements. For example, calcite is a very common mineral in limestone rocks that is made up of carbon , oxygen and calcium . All living beings are made up of a mixture of organic and inorganic matter . Both are necessary because they play a fundamental role in our life.
Plants make organic matter from inorganic matter, in a process called photosynthesis . Animals and fungi transform the organic matter of plants to produce our own inorganic matter. We are not able to transform organic matter from inorganic matter.
- Inorganic matter is found in minerals such as water, salts, and carbon dioxide.
- Organic matter can be found in roots, animals, dead organisms, food remains, etc.
Inorganic waste
They are the ones that due to their chemical characteristics suffer a very slow natural decomposition. Many of them are of natural origin, but they are not biodegradable, for example plastic containers. They are generally recycled through artificial and mechanical methods, such as cans, glass, plastics, and rubber. In many cases its transformation or recycling is impossible; This occurs with the styrofoam, which will continue to be present on the planet in 500 years. Others, like plias, are dangerous and polluting.
In general, our household inorganic waste is made up of: paper and cardboard, plastics, metals, elements of sanitary control (diapers, sanitary napkins, cotton, etc.), glass, and others (wood, rags, leather, rubber, batteries).
As responsible consumers, we can reduce the amount of household waste through two simple actions:
- Avoid buying unnecessary items.
- Avoiding the purchase of items that have many disposable or non-reusable packaging and containers (Styrofoam trays, plastic bags, etc.)
When we go shopping at the store or supermarket, we can ask ourselves the following questions:
- Do i really need this item?
- Can I buy the same item without so much packaging?
- What use can I give to the container that contains it? …
This simple exercise makes man more conscious and responsible as a consumer.
Reuse and recycling
There is another action that can be carried out both in homes and schools, and it is to classify organic waste to see how each of them can be managed separately. For this we need 5 cardboard boxes of approximately 30 cm by 40 cm base by 30 cm high, each for a type of waste, divided as follows:
- Paper and cardboard: they must be arranged flat because they take up more space when they are wrinkled; the boxes can be disassembled and flattened.
- Plastics – Containers can be cut to fit one inside the other and save space; the bags can be flattened and folded.
- Metals: to deposit clean tin or aluminum cans and metal objects.
- Glass: we place the containers clean and tidy, without breaking them.
- Various: batteries, woods, rags, leather, rubber, etc.
In this way, various objectives can be achieved:
- Recognize the waste we generate, its quality and quantity.
- Handle inorganic wastes after adequate separation.
- Realize which articles are unnecessary and which can be useful and recyclable to us.
- Contribute to the selection work carried out in the municipal garbage dumps.
The waste, when found separately, is clean and easy to handle, does not generate contamination. What contaminates is the mixture of waste when it is placed in one place, for example in a single bag. By having organic matter (husks, grass, food scraps) mixed with inorganic matter ( plastics , diapers , etc.), the death of living organisms occurs and pollution, diseases and bad odor begin to be created. Therefore, if we reduce the quantity and classify, we will be able to manage inorganic waste from our home, thus helping to avoid contamination.
