Garbage, Trash and Refuse

Garbage should not be left out. In addition to the odors that can be given off by garbage, it can also attract pests such as insects, mice, and rats. Not only are these pests not very sanitary, but they can also be powerful allergens that may trigger allergies or asthma attacks. Examples of allergens from pests drawn to garbage include cockroaches (in one study up to 60 percent of people with asthma tested positive to cockroach allergen¹) and urine from mice or rats. Because garbage can be moist, it provides a fertile breeding ground for mold, which can trigger allergies and asthma attacks if they get into the air. Between 10 percent and 32 percent of all people with asthma are sensitive to fungal allergens, both indoors and outdoors.²

To reduce the amount of garbage, buy only what you need and use what you buy. Try to buy items that are in containers that can easily be recycled such as glass or aluminum. If that is not possible, buy only things in plastic containers that have a #1 or a #2 code in the triangle on the bottom of the container since most communities do not recycle other plastics. For wet garbage such as peelings off of carrots, buy or build a compost bin and begin putting things like that in there. Otherwise, chop them up in a garbage disposal or see if thefamily pet is interested in eating them. Even though something like carrot peelings in a newspaper is technically biodegradable, there is so much trash in landfills items like these are not breaking down. Urban archeologists who have gone into landfills have found carrot peelings in newspapers over twenty years old and still been able to read the print on the newspapers. Therefore, by throwing things like these out in the garbage, you are just contributing to the solid waste problem as well as drawing pests such as insects or rodents or growing mold.

References

1. Jones AP. Asthma and domestic air quality. Soc. Sci Med. 1998;47(6):755-764.

2. Trudeau WL, Fernández-Caldas E. Identifying and measuring indoor biologic agents. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1994;2(2):393-400.