How can we make the Big Clean Up environment- and human-friendly?
As the traditional Big Clean Up day, to be held this Saturday 28 April approaches, as it falls on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Head of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), Assoc. Prof. Ivars Vanadziņš urges not to forget about your personal safety and to think of environmentally friendly utilisation of waste collected. For participants of the Big Clean Up it is important to wear suitable clothing, think of safe lifting of heavy objects, know how to identify hazardous wastes and organise proper disposal of such.
"Take proper care of yourself and wear suitable outdoor clothing, have a good pair of work gloves and waterproof footwear”, I. Vanadziņš stresses the importance of personal safety. "These things are of importance not to injure yourself, e.g. with syringes which might be potentially infected. The carriers of various dangerous infectious diseases may remain in the surrounding environment for several days or even a week. If you sustain such an injury, you should go to the nearest emergency service to treat the wound and to be instructed what future measures are required.”
“It is important to think of your health and to lift heavy trash bags correctly – keep your back straight and balance your weight on both legs not to injure your back”, I. Vanadziņš reminds of the proper heavy weight lifting technique.
"During the Big Clean Up we remove from the surrounding environment various objects which do not belong there, among them also hazardous wastes, e.g. car batteries, paints, chemical substances and asbestos waste. In case the packaging of the object is still there and contains hazardous waste symbols – orange background pictograms, red outlined diamond-shaped white signs containing an exclamation mark or other warning signs, such substances have to be collected as hazardous wastes, by informing the responsible municipality or the State Environmental Service. The mobile application Vides SOS which was created for the needs of those taking part in the Big Clean Up is a useful tool for reporting the locations of hazardous waste.”
"I would like people to treat asbestos waste that is still found in the environment with due caution. In the majority of cases these are roofing slates found disposed in a forest or a meadow. Asbestos is a carcinogen and may cause lung and other forms of cancer in a long-term perspective. When collecting these wastes, it is important not to break up such roofing sheets or other asbestos materials in order not to breathe in asbestos fibres.”
"I would like to especially invite those taking part in the event, not to get too enthusiastic about burning all types of waste and, if there is such a necessity, burn only biodegradable waste – old leaves, twigs. Do not burn plastic, pieces of furniture, particle boards, roofing sheets, as it will cause fumes containing hazardous chemical substances.”
