Three important days for nature: how everyone can contribute to the preservation of a clean Earth, forests and water

These days reflect the importance of our planet’s natural resources and ecosystems, and so that we can enjoy the cleanest possible environment, experts remind us of what pollutes it the most and how to protect ourselves from it.

Every spring, when the weather warms up, many people go for a walk in the forests, lakeside, educational trails and similar corners of the awakening nature. Unfortunately, many people have to see completely unwanted objects in nature every year – mountains of old tires, no longer needed refrigerators, furniture or bags with other waste.

Personal archive photo/Asta Pakštaitė-Marcinkienė

According to Asta Pakštaitė-Marcinkienė, director of the Association of Producers and Importers, forests are an important source of life for our planet’s ecosystem, as they regulate the composition of the air, maintain the water cycle and are home to millions of species, but environmental polluters do not care about all of this.

“Although information is constantly provided to residents and business representatives, there are still people every year who drag old tires, bumpers and other used car parts into the dumps in the spring, which is very harmful to the environment. Once in the environment, used shock absorbers, batteries, fuel and oil filters become an extremely large source of pollution due to the heavy metals and corrosive substances they contain.

Tires do not decompose for more than a hundred years, and all this time they are an eyesore, and they often become the cause of fires. Adding hazardous waste costs money, and if a person wants to avoid it, the forest, unfortunately, usually becomes a landfill for such waste”, said A. Pakštaitė-Marcinkienė.

Waste oil is particularly polluting

Speaking about the danger of car waste to the environment, A. Pakštaitė-Marcinkienė singled out used car engine, gearbox and lubricating oil. It is considered one of the most dangerous sources of pollution – just one liter of oil can contaminate a million liters of water and huge areas of land.

Every year there are those who in the spring drag old tires, bumpers and other worn-out car parts into a frenzy.

“Although the harmfulness of waste oil is quite widely known, only less than a third of old oil is formally collected and recycled. All other parts are illegally burned or dumped somewhere. Oil that pollutes the environment can also escape from unserviceable vehicles left unattended.

Therefore, it is very important to report when you find a car that is no longer running, and when choosing a car service where you plan to change the oil, check whether it operates legally and does not hide the scope of its activities”, said A. Pakšaitė-Marcinkienė.

E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams worldwide, and forests, unfortunately, still often host these end-of-life items.

“In Lithuania, it has been possible for a long time to order the free removal of used large household appliances from any corner of the country, but for some reason, some people are determined to drag even the heaviest refrigerators into the forest. This is very bad, because pollution from electronics and batteries, as well as car waste, has long-term negative consequences for nature and human health.

Personal archive photo/Veronika Masalienė

When various appliances and household appliances are improperly disassembled and disassembled, they release particularly harmful substances into the environment: heavy metals, plastics, ozone-depleting gases (freons), lead and cadmium, which can damage the nervous system and brain. What’s more, depleted, cracked, broken or otherwise mechanically damaged batteries can catch fire and explode,” said Veronika Masalienė, Director of the Organization of Electronics Manufacturers and Importers.

New opportunities lie in waste

V.Masalienė also reminded that the World Earth Day, celebrated on March 20, coincides with the spring equinox and symbolizes the beginning of a new life and new opportunities, and they can be given even to electronics, batteries, car waste, you just need to direct them to legal and sustainable sources operating waste managers.

Waste handlers operating according to the highest standards can reuse car body parts, engines and their parts, lights, mirrors, rims, gearboxes, radiators, interior and other parts. Aluminum rims, axles, handles and other metal parts can be melted down, the metal can be reused, and the oil can be recycled an unlimited number of times.

Sustainable waste handlers can prepare old electronics and household appliances for reuse. The following valuable materials can also be recovered from waste electronics and batteries and used for new products: gold, silver, platinum, copper, aluminum, iron, lithium, cobalt.

You can find the nearest collection point for unwanted electronics, household appliances, batteries, accumulators or find out where to apply for free waste removal with the “I care about tomorrow” project. on the website.

Electronic waste, batteries and accumulators are also collected every year throughout Lithuania, in various educational institutions, communities and companies of the country during the environmental protection project “We Sort”.

Information on where to apply for the removal of an Unfit for Use Vehicle (ENTV) and to report ENTPs left in common areas and illegal vehicle wreckers can be found here.

It is possible to check whether the car service you are using has declared its activities for environmental protection here.