Garbage and trash are two American words that are used to indicate waste materials. People use these two words interchangeably and do not realise that these have different connotations.
Garbage and trash are distinctively different from each other, and anyone can categorise waste material into these two categories after knowing the disparities completely.
Key Takeaways
- Garbage refers to food waste and biodegradable materials, whereas trash refers to non-biodegradable waste.
- Garbage is wet and decomposes quickly, while trash is dry and takes longer.
- Garbage is collected more frequently than trash.
Garbage vs Trash
The difference between garbage and trash is that garbage is organic waste materials that come from the kitchen and bathroom, and any other waste materials are trash. Trash is not organic. Garbage is mostly soggy and clammy, whereas trash is mostly dry and subjected to recycling.
Garbage is waste material that mainly generates in the kitchen and bathroom. Food waste, paper waste, and everything come under garbage. Garbage is always organic and can be recycled by composting.
Garbage disposal is done by City Sanitation Department and Waste Control Department.
Trash is not organic, and it is applicable for recycling. Trash is dry and comes from any other place, excluding the kitchen and bathroom. Anything that has lost its ability to accomplish its purpose can be noted as trash.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Garbage | Trash |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Garbage is wet waste that comes from the kitchen and bathroom. | Trash is dry waste that can come from any other room except the kitchen and bathroom. |
| State | Garbage is mostly wet. | Trash is dry waste material. |
| Originate | Garbage is originated in the kitchen and bathroom. | Trash comes from any other room of a house except the kitchen and bathroom. |
| Type | Garbage is mostly organic. Things like food waste, rotten vegetables, offal, and entrails of animals used for food. | Trash is any other waste thing. Anything that is broken or torn and unable to be used further. It can be furniture, clothes, or plastic items. |
| Disposal | Garbage gets picked up by garbage trucks. | Trash is supposed to be disposed of personally to the proper facility. |
What is Garbage?
The garbage of a household is produced from the kitchen and bathroom. These organic waste materials can be composted to make the soil fertilised and rich with nutrients that make the plants healthy.
Garbage is mostly soggy, wet and clammy. The garbage from the kitchen can be used as fertiliser for the soil and plants.
Waste from the kitchen, like food waste, rotten fruits and vegetables, offal, and entrails of animals used for food, tissues and paper towel, come under garbage. Tissues and paper towels from the bathroom are also called garbage.
Garbage is unwanted waste material. People do not want garbage in their homes. Garbage is the leftovers after something has been used to its fullest.
Garbage is picked up by garbage trucks, and the disposal of it is done by the authorities of the states, such as the City Sanitation Department and Waste Control Department.
What is Trash?
Probably the best way to define trash is by using the famous idiom, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. One person can throw something, thinking it is trash, and another person can make wonderful things out of it.
Trash can be reused and recycled.
Trash is any waste that comes from any room of a household except the kitchen or bathroom. Trash is things that have lost the ability to fulfil their purposes.
Trash is broken or torn things, such as furniture, clothes, plastic commodities, tyres, twigs etc. Even after trash loses its actual purpose, it can be recycled and used further.
Trash is dry and not organic. Trash can be recycled. And people should recycle for a healthy environment. It is important to recycle, and disposal of trash can be done personally or by hiring people.
It is vital to unload trash in the proper facilities. Sometimes, Public Works authorities collect household trash.
Main Differences Between Garbage and Trash
- Firstly and most importantly, garbage is wet waste that comes from the kitchen and bathroom. It is mostly organic. Trash, on the other hand, is dry waste that can come from any other room except the kitchen and bathroom.
- Being organic, garbage is mostly wet, damp and soggy. But trash is dry waste materials and stuff.
- Waste materials that come from the kitchen and bathroom are called garbage. And trash comes from any other room of a house except the kitchen and bathroom. Any other waste material from other rooms can be classified as trash.
- As said before, garbage is mostly organic that comes from the kitchen. Everything comes under garbage because of food waste, rotten fruits and vegetables, offal, and entrails of animals used for food. On the other hand, trash is not organic, and any waste material can be marked as trash. Anything which is broken, damaged or torn is called trash. Anything that has lost its functionality is called trash. Things like furniture, clothes and plastic come under this category.
- Disposal of garbage happens by authorities like the City Sanitation Department and Waste Control Department after the garbage gets picked up by garbage trucks. Trash is supposed to be disposed of personally or by hired contractors at the proper facility.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MolaBwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA133&dq=Garbage+and+Trash&ots=tRx3vClL4m&sig=G2NnKSJ3NVlceyQ9XmrJteCIrQ0
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7958605/
Last Updated : 28 June, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
The article provides clear and concise definitions and differences between garbage and trash, which is essential knowledge for waste management. It’s crucial to understand the distinctions between the two categories for proper disposal and recycling.