The benefits of using energy-saving lamps can hardly be overestimated - they last for years and are relatively inexpensive. However, it must be remembered that it is dangerous to throw away such devices with regular garbage: they contain mercury. Therefore, lamps should be stored only in special containers, from where they are then taken away for disposal according to strictly established rules.

"Time bomb

On average, one energy-saving lamp contains 3-5 mg of mercury. And this, as doctors assure, is quite enough for even an adult to get poisoned in the body. “True, it will not be immediate, but “slow-acting”: weakness, headache, dizziness. The fact is that mercury is a very heavy metal, spreading throughout the apartment, it does not disappear anywhere, it settles on the walls. And if you inhale these vapors for a long time, the risk of developing various diseases, and mainly cancer, increases,” states head physician of Samara polyclinic No. 15 Lidiya Fedoseeva.

How can such a danger be avoided?

According to experts, everything is simple: you need to throw away “used” lamps in specialized places and under no circumstances store them at home - in a closet or on a balcony.

In recent years, many Russian cities have begun to install special bins for mercury-containing devices in large shopping centers and specialized stores. Thus, according to officials, dozens of points for collecting old lamps have been organized in Samara and Tolyatti alone. City authorities and management companies are responsible for their installation.

Dangerous "glasses"

Mercury-containing light bulbs are collected from receptacles and transported to recycling sites. There, with the help of chemicals, the toxic substance contained in them is converted into waste of a lower hazard class. As reported by the regional Ministry of Forestry, Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Management, the capacity of specialized enterprises for processing such devices in the Samara region is more than enough. True, only 40% of all waste is recycled.

This is understandable: Samara residents are in no hurry to transport mercury lamps into special containers and throw burnt-out devices into the nearest trash can.

What to do if you suddenly break an energy-saving lamp

Wear rubber gloves and pick up the shards with newspaper, and remove the smallest pieces with sticky tape. Never use a vacuum cleaner for this purpose! Place the collected mixture in an airtight jar. Open the windows wide to ventilate the room well. Wash the floor. When leaving the room, take off your shoes, then wash them and bring them onto the balcony. When finished, take a shower using a washcloth and soap.

“And so mercury contaminates food waste in tanks, which dogs then drag from there, spreading it throughout the city. Homeless people can also pull food from containers that were located next to broken lamps. For them it’s just glass,” says ecologist, chairman of the central council of the Russian Green League Sergei Simak.

By the way, in his opinion, mercury energy-saving lamps are a thing of the past. Today LED lamps are coming to the fore. They have no known drawbacks today, except for one - high price.

“LED lamps save 10 times energy, they are absolutely harmless, there is nothing in them that could cause harmful effects, as in mercury lamps. These lamps are safer than even incandescent lamps containing tungsten, the production of which seriously pollutes the environment,” the ecologist concluded.

Battery, give up

Conventional batteries are no less dangerous for the environment. Tin, mercury, zinc, magnesium, nickel, cadmium, lead - all these heavy metals are contained in ordinary AA and AAA batteries. Environmentalists have calculated that one AA battery pollutes about 20 square meters of soil!

Now the situation has begun to change for the better. Residents of Samara can return used batteries for recycling at points located in IKEA, Sem+ya and Eldorado stores. All collected elements are sent to a specialized enterprise in Chelyabinsk, where they are recycled.

Despite the fact that we live in a world with highly developed technologies, many of us continue to believe in various superstitions and signs. You cannot take out the trash at night - a similar statement can be heard from people from completely different social groups. But not everyone knows why this ban exists. Perhaps in this way people are trying to veil their own laziness? Or are there more serious reasons and it’s worth sticking to the sign? Let's try to understand why you can't take out the trash at night.

Why don't people throw out trash after sunset?

This sign is especially popular among males who like to “hide behind” it. After all, no one wants to drag themselves to the dumpster after a hard day at work. However, you should not attack men, accusing them of laziness, because the sign has logical explanations. When it gets dark, the streets of big cities become unsafe. It is at this time that thrill-seekers come out, and just give them a reason to get involved in a skirmish and then start a fight.

Modern interpretation

In modern society, you don’t have to be a superstitious person to refuse to take the trash out of your apartment in the dark. As already mentioned, at night there is a greater chance of finding yourself in an unpleasant situation that could end in tragedy. In the dark, the risk of being robbed and beaten increases significantly.

As a rule, in the entrances of high-rise buildings there is very poor lighting (if there is any at all), so you can twist your ankle, and when you go outside, you can end up, for example, in dog excrement. But the worst thing is that stray dogs often gather near garbage containers, gather in packs and become very aggressive.

There are less dangerous reasons why it is better not to reach for the trash can in the evening. For example, going out into the street, there is a chance to meet a drunk neighbor who, after a quarrel with his missus, decided to go outside and let off steam. You can get under his arm and a fight will break out.

When sending your husband to take out the trash, remember that his friends can be relaxing in the yard, in the company of whom he can easily go on a binge. In the company of friends, the sea is knee-deep, and even the fact that you have to get up early for work tomorrow is not a hindrance.

Also, at night, when you run out for a “minute” with a trash can, the risk of catching a cold increases, which will make unwanted changes to your plans.

Folk signs

From time immemorial, our ancestors knew why it was forbidden to take out the trash at night. They believed that such a harmless and even useful task should be left for the morning, since rags or rags thrown out after sunset could provoke unwanted gossip. It is believed that a person unknowingly washes dirty laundry in public.

This folk sign has a logical explanation. Neighbors who observe a person taking some kind of waste to a landfill at night may consider him a bad owner. After all, it turns out that he is not able to cope with all his responsibilities during the day. After such people, unflattering things are said, and then on the bench the neighbors “grind all the bones.” Perhaps someone who takes out the trash in the dark will be suspected of something, thinking that the person is trying to hide something, get rid of something.

From an esoteric point of view

Almost every nation has a belief that the house has its own spirit protectors. Among the Slavs these are brownies. They not only protect the family from all kinds of evil spirits, but also create comfort indoors and concentrate favorable energy. These creatures are very fond of order and are offended by owners who were unable to throw out the contents of the trash can during the day. They may even leave the house or apartment if they consider the person to be a slob. However, this is not the only mystical reason why you should not take out the trash at night.

Witches and wizards who practice black magic often use things that have been thrown away by people after sunset. They are capable of inflicting a curse or severe damage on an object found in the trash, and then tossing it to their victim. You will not suspect anything, and in the meantime your health will begin to deteriorate.

According to Feng Shui

Eastern sages also know why you should not take out the trash at night. According to Feng Shui, throwing out the contents of the trash can after sunset is a sign of material difficulties. There will be no money in the house for a long time. Yin is the energy of the night, implying peace and quiet, and yang is the energy of the day, it is characterized by movement, success and production. All household garbage is a product of yang energy. By getting rid of it at night, you mix the energies, which leads to an imbalance (qi).

By throwing away trash after sunset, a person takes out of his home an energy particle that belongs to all family members. Overnight it regenerates and causes serious damage to your vital energy. As a result, the family begins to experience malaise, lack of money and positive emotions. Throw out the trash only in the morning, and you will not lose the energy of happiness, wealth and health.

Instead of a conclusion

I would like to note that any sign can be interpreted in different ways. To believe or not to believe is an individual matter. The Church, for example, considers any superstition sinful. The famous humorist writer Mikhail Zadornov noted during his speech: “I know only one sign: if you don’t take out the trash in the evening, the house will smell bad in the morning.”

Explanations of the signs why you should not throw out garbage at night

So that there is always money in the house
Feng Shui practitioners advise throwing away trash before the sun sets. And they tie it to the financial situation at home. The point is that the powers of day and night play two opposing roles - yang and yin. Leaving the house with a package after sunset, we invade the yin energy, which is a state of peace and silence. And actually rubbish is yang, what is called daytime energy. It turns out that the energies diverge and the natural flow of qi is disrupted. The night is given to a person for other things and this is not a trip to the garbage chute.

So that there are no rumors
This is the opinion of grandmothers who are far from eastern practices. And there is a lot of truth in this too. A person who lives an honest life will never hide his trash while others sleep.

So as not to worry about yourself and your loved ones
There is a type of bad people who actively practice black magic. Everyone knows that things have part of the energy of their owners. And even through discarded objects you can gain influence on a person. Things taken out at night can serve the recent owner badly. Don’t think that someone will specifically covet your trash (although this can happen!), but even in passing, objects that fall into the wrong hands can turn into a sad story. Now you know, Why can't you throw out trash at night?

Let's throw away old things. Which is correct?

It’s better to understand that even if you throw away your things during daylight hours, it makes sense to clean or wash them in advance (if you think they might still be used). As for clothes or household utensils, it doesn’t hurt to place them in a salty solution for a couple of hours (just add table salt or sea salt to the water). It is clear that no one wants to bother with something that goes to the trash, but this will largely protect you from energy interference from the outside. Of course, the easiest option is to rip and cut the clothes, break the cups and bowls (if you decide that your belongings will no longer serve anyone).

So, you've collected a bunch of junk and decided to make room in the house for everything new. Sort your things, a bag with clothes, dishes, newspapers and books. We throw everything away without regret.

We wash clothes, immerse them in salt water,
Keep the dishes in salt water,
Jewelry and accessories MUST be kept in a salt solution.

But if you really don’t want to waste time on what you consider to be worn out items, at least raise a lit candle over the trash can, repeating to yourself and out loud the following words: “By the fire of the candle and with God’s help, I rid these items of my energy, I thank them for the benefit and absolutely let go. Amen".

The same ritual can be performed using smoldering incense or a sonorous bell, while pronouncing the text according to the situation, depending on your items. Be sure to voice your intention. This is extremely necessary.

Garbage. It would seem that something could be more trivial. What's so special about ordinary garbage? It seems like nothing special. However, there are a lot of signs associated with garbage. Garbage comes in different forms. This includes food waste, and the dust that we sweep out, and all kinds of cans, and old things that have served their time. In general, you can’t list everything. But if you get rid of garbage incorrectly, you can get into a lot of problems, and you won’t even know where all this came from.

When can you take out the trash?

You cannot take out the trash after sunset. Perhaps this is the only sign that everyone knows. This is where all our knowledge in this direction ends. There are several explanations for this sign. Firstly, it is believed that if you take out the trash after sunset, then all kinds of gossip will constantly circulate about you. In the old days, neighbors' eyes kept a watchful eye on everything that happened outside their home. Usually we tried to finish everything before dark, and then just rested. And if you take out the trash when it’s already dark, then this gives your neighbors a reason to gossip about what a bad housewife you are. And what was she doing so interestingly all day that she didn’t even have time to take out the trash? She probably does everything very slowly. This is still happening today. True, in multi-story buildings it is much more difficult to keep an eye on your neighbors, because no one has windows overlooking the garbage chute. Another explanation emphasizes that by taking out the trash after sunset, you are also taking money out of your home. Well, the third explanation for this sign is associated with the forces of light that come to everyone as soon as it gets dark outside. If they come and see that the house is dirty, they may not come back. This means you may lose their help, which is very often needed.

What not to do

You can't throw garbage in a public place - you'll get into trouble. It is no secret to many people that with the help of garbage you can cause a variety of types of damage. An ill-wisher lives next to you. And then he saw how you poured out your garbage. He can pick it up, or part of this garbage, recite the desired spell on it, and throw it under your door. If you touch it with your hand, you will receive everything you wished for. Therefore, if you don’t know what to do in such cases, then follow the simplest rules. Try not to touch such debris with your bare hands, even to avoid getting dust on your hands. Wear gloves. Don't step over trash that's thrown at you. Collect everything carefully in a newspaper, take it out into the yard and burn it. While the garbage is burning, constantly read any prayer you know. Then they won't be able to harm you.

Don’t throw technical garbage and slop into the same bucket - money will slip out of your hands. We are now taught that we need to sort garbage. There are special garbage containers in the yards, which are designed separately for plastic, separately for food waste, and so on. Today there are industries that are capable of processing all this waste. Therefore, they will earn money, not you. But this is only for those who live in the city. And for those who live in the village, separately collected food waste is an opportunity to feed the animals you keep. If you do not collect food waste separately, you will have to spend more on food for animals and birds. So the money leaves our hands.

While cleaning

If you leave trash on the floor while cleaning, you will marry a pockmarked man. Today this sign is rarely relevant anymore. How did you choose your wife before? They came to visit and saw how clean the house was. If it’s clean, it means the girl will be a good housewife. And if not, then why is such a housewife needed? Not everyone wants to marry a pockmarked guy either, so he could marry a lazy woman. In general, the sign was invented in order to teach young girls how to run a house well. Everyone wanted her husband to be handsome and to have love for the rest of her life.

Sign associated with animals and garbage

The pig collects various garbage in its mouth and carries it to where it sleeps - to cold weather. Everyone knows that animals, like a barometer, sense any changes in the weather. That’s why they try to insulate the place where they will sleep. Moreover, there is no doubt that the colder weather will come at night. Pigs usually begin to insulate their place five to six hours before the weather changes. Therefore, there is no need to be angry with them for putting into their mouths what is not needed. But take a closer look, think about it, maybe you should heat your house better.

Moved to a new house - take the trash with you

When moving to a new house, they take the garbage with them - otherwise there will be no life in the new place. This sign has its own special meaning, and more than one. If you leave garbage in the old place, then those who move into the house will remember for a long time that you left behind garbage. In their reasoning, they can even go so far as to suggest that you thus wanted to convey all your troubles to them. You won't know about it. But you will have to wash the bones for a long time. And thought, as you know, is material, which means it will definitely affect you sooner or later. If you throw away trash near your former home, you may be harmed by neighbors who are jealous of you. If there are none, then another law will apply. If you were happy in your old home, then along with the garbage you give up this happiness. This means that it is not known how your future life will turn out in a new place. If you want to get away from something bad, leave the trash there, but so that no one sees it. But if you consider yourself a happy person, then collect all the garbage, take it with you and throw it away near your new home. Then your happiness will move with you.

Agree that there are few people who want to part with what is dear to them. But if you don’t know these signs, you can lose a lot. Family, love, children are the most sacred things. So maybe we shouldn’t brush aside what we don’t know. Live as our ancestors advise us, and you will be happy all your life.

You've probably heard a warning from your friends that you shouldn't throw away used batteries anywhere.

Is this true or is it just a myth among environmentalists? Let's look at two points of view on this problem.

Battery damage

How can an ordinary battery harm humans and the environment, especially if it has already exhausted its lifespan? Why do people sort garbage and what to do with such household waste?

TV remote controls or old electronic alarm clocks contain the well-known finger or little finger batteries. Many of them have the symbol of a crossed out trash container.

It means that you should not throw this battery into a regular trash bin. This is the manufacturer's official warning.

To understand why, you need to understand how these devices work.

How does the battery work?

Each such product has two electrodes:

• cathode

• anode

The electrodes are immersed in an electrically conductive liquid - electrolyte. This electrolyte may be dry, but the essence does not change.

The anode material oxidizes when interacting with the electrolyte. Electrons are released and accumulate at the cathode.

The chemical reaction of oxidation reduction creates a directed flow of electrons from one electrode to another. This is the electric current that is needed to operate the remote control, alarm clock, or even a Tesla car.

Dangerous and toxic substances

At the same time, depending on its type, many elements are hidden under the battery case: lithium, lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, zinc, manganese.

Lithium, zinc and manganese are relatively safe. As for zinc, its content in small power sources is even greater than in the ore from which it is extracted.

But mercury is an extremely dangerous substance that causes poisoning.

Cadmium is a carcinogen that settles in the human kidneys, liver and thyroid gland. It affects the functioning of every organ in the body.

Lead directly affects reproductive health.

True, modern models do not have such a number of toxic components. In phones, smartphones, etc. Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries are mostly used. It is not they that pose the danger, but nickel-cadmium ones.

Where to throw it away

It turns out that each battery contains a little poison. What happens to this poison after the food source ends up in the trash?

There are two ways:

• dump

• incinerator

If a battery is burned, all toxic substances and dioxides will immediately end up in the atmosphere. You need to burn it wisely, at a temperature of 1200 degrees, using special cleaning equipment.

It costs about 800 million euros to build such a plant. Therefore, they are rarely found anywhere.

In a landfill, it takes about 100 years for a battery to completely decompose. In fact, not a single power source produced in the world has been subjected to one hundred percent decomposition. But sometimes it takes only 6-7 weeks for the top layer to collapse from corrosion.

After which, metals begin to poison the soil, groundwater, and reservoirs that we use for fishing and drinking water supply.

According to environmentalists, one single AA battery can contaminate approximately 20 m2 of soil or 400 liters of drinking water.

And on this soil fruits and vegetables can be grown in the future. Moreover, contact between even a very discharged battery and foil from a chocolate bar can cause heating.

That's why large landfills are burning one after another. It is not necessary to set them on fire on purpose.

Disposal of energy-saving lamps

The same pollution occurs if you throw away a smartphone battery, an energy-saving or fluorescent light bulb.

Of course, such light bulbs save money, but that’s definitely not the environment.

By the way, recycling of mercury-containing lamps is the direct responsibility of management companies and homeowners associations.

Require them to place containers within walking distance of your home.

They must do this by law.

In many European countries the following principle applies: “He who pollutes pays.”

Therefore, recycling and disposing of old batteries is a headache for manufacturers and importers.

They initially include the cost of collection and disposal in the price.

Our legislators also want to come to the same rules of the game in this market in the near future.

Of course, all of the above does not mean that from one AA battery, every living thing within a radius of 20m will immediately die.

But more than 7 billion people live on earth. Most of them use a variety of different power sources every day.

In Moscow alone, several tens of millions of such products end up in landfills every year. Toxins from them will accumulate in living organisms, increasing the risk of developing cancer and other serious diseases, not only in us, but also in our descendants.

Where can I throw it away?

What then should be done with batteries and other hazardous waste? Recycle!

Why produce something anew if you can use old things and save raw materials. This is quite reasonable.

Of course, you can’t actually create new batteries from old ones in a factory.

But at the end you can get ingots of zinc, lead, cadmium, copper, and iron. And only then these materials will be used for new production.

In Russia there is currently one widely known similar plant in Chelyabinsk.

But it can't handle measly hundreds or even thousands of batteries. He needs tons, tens, hundreds of tons. But they are not there.

Therefore, the plant is still on the verge of breaking even. Recycling technology is very expensive.

Battery cells are sorted and sent to a crusher.

Almost immediately, the first important element - iron - is extracted from them.

It is deposited on magnetic tape, after which it is collected and sold to iron and steel enterprises.

It is impossible to isolate the remaining parts mechanically. Chemistry comes to the rescue. The acid dissolves the mixture, and in the crystallizer the graphite, manganese and zinc are separated from each other.

They are packaged and sent to production.

Recycling 1 kg of batteries costs more than 100 rubles. At the same time, it is difficult to sell recyclable materials.

For example, recycled zinc costs 1.5 times more than virgin zinc. Which is why it is not in demand.

You can find out where the best place to return used batteries is on the website RecycleMap.ru. IKEA stores also accept old batteries.

By handing over batteries to collection points, many are confident that in this way they are personally saving air, soil and water, not only for themselves, but also for future generations.

Why you can throw batteries in the trash

Well, now, a few words about the opponents of such categorical measures regarding batteries outlined above.

Many are inclined to consider them mostly myths and misconceptions exaggerated by environmentalists, in order to obtain additional information. financing for their projects and production related to them.

Firstly, you need to clearly understand that current sources are:

The primary ones include saline and alkaline. Their charge is enough for one time, after which they are mercilessly thrown away.

Secondaries can be recharged hundreds of times. These are nickel-cadmium, lithium-ion, nickel-manganese batteries.

They are thrown away after a long period of use. The icon of a crossed out trash can is almost always printed on batteries.

But on simple batteries, you can often not find it. It is battery models that are rich in heavy metals that environmentalists scare us with - lead and cadmium.

By and large, disposable batteries do not use hazardous metals. All environmentalists scare us with the terrible cadmium and its consequences, but there is no cadmium there!

Moreover, a significant part of its compounds are almost insoluble, which means they will slowly turn into sedimentary rocks.

Since the 60s of the last century, mercury has generally stopped being placed inside these products. But the horror stories remain.

What is there? Coal, a little zinc, saline solution, alkali.

Although alkalis are harmful to our mucous membranes, they do not have any particular impact on the environment. Moreover, in the acidic environment of general waste.

By the way, alkaline batteries are the same as alkaline ones, do not be confused.

That’s why people massively throw these AA, AAA and the like batteries into the trash. Without worrying at all about killing innocent hedgehogs and trees in the forest as a result of his actions.

Read on Ru.Wikihow.com which batteries can be thrown away and which ones cannot.

And the pollution figure of 20 m2 from one battery is not entirely clear. It is reprinted from article to article, but where did it come from? "British scientists" calculated it?

Why not 15m2 or 25m2? How does soil composition and soil type affect this area? Just questions, but even environmentalists don’t have concrete answers to them, just propaganda.