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These DON'T belong in your Trash Bin! Dispose of certain wastes carefully.

  • Jun 8
  • 2 min read

Thousands of people around the world dispose of their garbage without much thought. While habitually disposing of your trash whenever you can may be a better alternative to littering, many people do not realize that certain types of trash require special attention. Overlooking the dangers of throwing away particularly hazardous items, such as batteries, electronics, cooking oil, and sharp objects, could lead to hazardous situations and environmental damage.

 

The primary offenders when it comes to waste that people mistakenly believe are safe to dispose of are used electronic products and batteries. These objects have high concentrations of toxic substances, including lead, mercury, and cadmium. When these are introduced into the environment, they can seep into the ground, polluting water, and disrupt ecosystems. Cooking oil also requires special attention, rather than dumping it down the drain as many might. Because it solidifies as it cools, it can clog sewage systems and pipes in municipal areas and pollute aquatic ecosystems. Finally, sharps, or objects that have the potential to pierce garbage bags or skin (such as needles and glassware), also pose significant harm when disposed of improperly. When thrown away carelessly, sharps can cause serious physical harm to those who handle waste bags and great inconvenience if they rupture a bag. Many people mindlessly throw away these objects, unaware of the negative consequences they have.

 

There are many small lifestyle changes that can be made to ensure these waste products have minimal impact on the environment and the health of our city. For electronic waste, action should be taken to ensure proper recycling at e-waste collection points recommended by the National Environmental Agency. When you must dispose of cooking oil, pouring it into a separate container and disposing of it separately can prevent clogging of drains and the oil from entering the ocean. In the case that you have to dispose of sharps, such as glass fragments and syringes, the NUS Department of Medicine encourages the use of puncture-resistant containers and the avoidance of filling waste bins containing sharps beyond 3/4ths full. By implementing these habits, the well-being of workers, city infrastructure, and the environment can be improved and reinforced.


Writer: Spencer White

Published: 08/06/2026


References:

How to Deal with Old Technology. (2019, November 5). School of Medicine | West Virginia University. https://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/News/Story?headline=how-to-deal-with-old-technology

Cunningham, K. (2023, July 18). Greased up: cooking oil can’t go down the drain – so how do you dispose of it? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jul/19/how-to-dispose-of-cooking-oil-australia-cant-go-down-sink

Yeo, S. B., Yock Young, D., & Department of Medicine. (2019). Safe handling and disposal of sharps (003 ed., pp. 1–3) [Standard Operating Procedure]. https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/medi/doc/safety/SOP-Medicine-07v3%20handle%20&%20disposal%20sharps.pdf

 
 
 

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