Kidsters

By Liberty A. Pinili

HAVE you ever wondered why malls put at least two trash cans in one corner—one labeled “biodegradable” and the other “non-biodegradable”?

Biodegradable and non-biodegradable are actually two different kinds of garbage.

Biodegradable materials are those that rot, like all kinds of food, paper, animal poop, plant leaves and other parts of plants and trees. Non-biodegradable wastes are those that do no rot like plastic, glass and metal.

Biodegradable stuff can be made into fertilizers to fatten the soil and make plants grow better. Non-biodegradable stuff can be reused or made into other useful things. For example, softdrink bottles can be cleaned and refilled or they can be smashed and heated up to make new bottles.

Houses like yours and mine should also separate these different kinds of garbage. We should have two trash cans, one for biodegradable and the other for non-biodegradable trash. You can put labels and signs on each and tell your little sister and brother where to throw different kinds of stuff.

If you want to make some money that you can put in your money box or bank, you can also collect the newspapers that mom and dad had finished reading and other used paper (including used notebooks and books). You can bring your collection of old newspapers and used paper on the first Saturday of the month to SM City or to the nearest junk shop—a store that buys old or used stuff like damaged stereos, household machines, boxes and even cars. The price per kilo of old newspapers and paper may not be much, but the more paper you have the more money you make.