UNGS 1201: Waste Management at home

NAME: SITI MARYAM BARI'AH BINTI OTHMAN

MATRIC NO.: 2017158

In this world, everyone is responsible for their own doing. With that, we must remember that every step we choose to take will come with consequences.

During the time to gather at home with the whole family, as a daily routine, I would be at the kitchen to do the dishwashing and clean up the leftover after dinner time. Before leaving the kitchen, to settle up, I will tie up the garbage bag and put it outside of the house. 

As having to do it as a routine, I realize that the garbage bag we had would be filled with waste in different materials all together such as food waste, food containers and wrappers, cans and bottles. Sometimes, I would wonder how all of the waste that was mixed up together will be processed or brought to landfills in that condition. Besides, it is undeniable that I felt really guilty for ignoring to do it in the right way. For example, as I know about the 3R concept that could be adopted to have the waste managed better rather than mixing all the waste in a bag, but I did not apply any of it.

For some reason, I find it is hard to apply what is not part of the common practice in the community. When what is being told by the act of the community becomes a virtue, I tend to conclude that the way our community lives now is just how it should be. In common time, I saw a lot of mixed up garbage piled up at our community garbage house.

However, one day, I realized that what is a common practice is not always the right way to follow. When I was given awareness on how bad a small step we take such as to mixed up garbage, could bring a huge impact on the environment entirely, I realize that the responsibility to preserve the environment is to be held by everyone.

I realize that changes could not happen if there is no one to take the lead. As a student that has been given a bucket of awareness on the importance of preserving and taking good care of the environment, I realize that action towards changes should start from me. For example, to start separating organic waste such as food waste aside from other waste in the garbage. This action seems like a small step to take, but eventually, I believe that the process is more important than focusing on the outcomes.

Besides, as a Muslim, we were entitled with the responsibility as a khalifah. With that, I realize that there is no one else who should be appointed to have a bigger responsibility than others. It is an obligation toward all Muslims who have the knowledge and are aware about what they should do in order to maintain the sustainability that is still available today and preserve it for our next generations.

It is also the same goes to this situation, as to how Islam obliged the believer to apply what they learn in their life. As in the Arabic saying, knowledge without practice is like a tree without fruits. Related to that, I realize that today's generations should start even a small act within each individual to have an initiative to be taken in order to have a goal to allow a treasure to be inherited to our children in the next generation. This action not only would allow us to prepare a good place for them to grow, but it also allows us to fulfill the requirement that Islam has obliged us to preserved the necessities of human existence based on Maqasid Shariah.