recycling in North Carolina
Bottles, straws, handbags, disposable cutlery and polystyrene takeaway containers – plastic products have become so omnipresent in our daily lives that we barely notice them. However, they cause considerable damage to the environment and increase polution. Indeed, plastic products generally take 1,000 years to decompose and manufacturing them consumes most of the world’s oil. To overcome this, the junk disposal and waste management experts at Dumpster Rental Near Me Summerfield offer some useful tips that each of us can implement to help reduce the number of plastic waste.

1 – Quite simply, say no to plastics

This involves learning to refuse plastic things that you don’t need. Whether it’s a pen, straw, toothbrush or personalized plastic bag from a store or other free plastic items that stores give you, know that they are only used to attract consumers. Most of the time, we don’t think twice before accepting them. However, every time we accept these items, we create demand to manufacture more.

2 – Buy in bulk

When you go shopping, consider choosing to buy groceries and other essential products in bulk, so you will need less dumpster rental services to discard your junk in the future. In case you can’t do this at your local store, find other suppliers. If you do not want to change supplier, other alternatives exist. For example, you can bring your own jar to the ice cream parlor, your own bag to the bakery or bring your own bottles to the cellar or brewery.

3 – Replace disposable products with reusable products

To reduce plastic waste, you should use reusable products, rather than disposable plastic items. Indeed, reuse saves more time and money, but also saves the energy and resources necessary to manufacture more disposable items. To do this, bring your own tote bags to the grocery store. Use old glass jars to buy anything wet like oil, sauces, shampoo and liquid soap. Put anything dry like cereal, sugar, flour or salt in a cloth bag. When you go out to eat, you can also bring your own utensils instead of using disposable plastic utensils.

4 – Think about recycling

It’s not about prioritizing recycling, but rather about preventing unnecessary items from entering your life. Indeed, you should know that the plastics found in recycling units are not really “recycled”, but rather “downcycled”, that is to say, they lose their value when they are recycled. However, other materials such as glass, aluminum and paper can be recycled endlessly without their quality degrading. For this reason, it is advisable to only recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse. What you must remember: to summarize, there are simple ways to reduce the use of plastic in your daily life. Here are some best practices:
  • Instead of using plastic containers, opt for reusable glass or stainless steel packaging
  • When ordering takeout, remember to ask the restaurant not to send you plastic cutlery or straws
  • Choose bulk products like bars of soap and shampoo instead of buying their liquid equivalents in plastic bottles
  • When purchasing items online, consider asking the seller to ship them together in boxes. You can also choose to only buy from sites that use recyclable materials

Houston Waste Management

Author: firmvoic

Houston Dumpster Rentals

Houston residents use dumpster rentals to discard their junk in bulk. This is good waste management, but the question is where does all this waste go? To the landfill

Access to the landfill should be facilitated by a well-developed road. It is advisable to have a two-lane road with a minimum width of 7.5 m. Drainage must be careful to avoid the risk of flooding during rainy periods.

This is an important point given the frequent dumpster rental traffic. In the event that the traffic is between 25 to 50 trips per day, a compacted and neat dirt road may be suitable. For higher traffic, an asphalt or concrete pavement is warranted.

A fence surrounding the site secures the facilities and controls access. Two entrances, one main and the other emergency, must be provided on the site, preferably opposite one another. The main entrance is located upstream of the prevailing winds reaching the landfill in order to limit the inconvenience related to the smells of fresh waste.

A checkpoint must regulate the circulation of dumpsters there and a weighing station must assess waste dumping. It is a wooden, steel or concrete platform mounted on a structure associated with a scale allowing trucks of 30 to 60 tonnes to be weighed, before and after spills.

Other buildings are also being built on the site to accommodate administrative services (offices, laboratories, canteens, etc.) and technical services (maintenance and depots for site equipment, leachate and gas treatment plant, etc).

A ring ditch of the landfill is made in order to collect all the rainwater that has fallen outside the developed area to accommodate the waste and route it to the natural hydrographic network after minor treatment to remove the pollutants linked to the operation. site (oils, organic matter, suspended matter, etc.). In this sense, it is necessary to provide a cleaning station for the wheels of vehicles leaving the site.

Finally, we also emphasize the need to provide piezometric wells surrounding the site in order to control the level and quality of the water in the aquifers in the basement of the landfill. Eventually, in order to confirm the absence of impact of the landfill on the environment, air quality and surface water analysis stations will be set up near the site, both downstream and upstream.

The development of a landfill

The Houston facilities that have been described are essential due to their reassuring nature aimed at isolating the waste, and the dumpster flows it generates, from their environment. However, the climate in Texas, and more particularly the water balance, is an important parameter which conditions the biological activity of a landfill and consequently the means to be implemented in order to limit the impact on the environment.

Consequently, the methodology for producing the basic waterproofing and the cover of the landfill can be reduced when the biological activity which develops within the waste is negligible throughout the year: absence of production of leachate and emissions of polluting gases at concentrations below the strictest international standards for public health.

In order to enable residents and businesses to bring waste to Houston landfills, two categories of landfills can, with little means, satisfy these restrictive conditions.

The first category, of the fossilized dry landfill type, is possible in areas with a negative water balance (evapotranspiration is greater than rainfall). Rainwater cannot penetrate deeply. The landfill therefore does not have enough water to develop biological activity. The second category, of the intermediate crustal discharge type, is possible when the calculated balance is positive but the precipitation is occasional and heavy.

Best Waste Management

With certain precautions, it is possible to reduce the production of leachate so as to no longer have a negative impact on the quality of the water table. In both cases, the purpose of the cover developments will be to limit, during storms, percolation and hypodermic flows through the waste.

Explicitly, the climatic conditions in Houston and Texas must induce a significant loss of moisture in the waste and in situ pilot tests must demonstrate that the facilities and the burial method envisaged do not induce any biological activity, or at most negligible.

Based on observations in Cleveland regarding waste management practices,, the whole point of waste management in a city such as Cleveland is to succeed in combining the efficiency of public authorities, while relying on the involvement of the already existing population.

It is about combining technical development and confidence in local players. As it stands, municipalities seek to take effective action, relying on waste management indicators provided by developed countries. However, in view of the differences in the context, this objective is impossible to achieve in the medium term.

On the other hand, American cities are now seeking to reconnect with the practice of recycling and the daily handling of waste by the population using bins and dumpster rentals. Why then seek to eliminate this participation in North America when we are trying to reinstate it elsewhere?

Finally, the fierce fight waged against the illegal practices of recyclers is futile in the short term, in an urban context where a large part of the population lives in conditions of poverty and where informality represents more than half of economic activities. .

Therefore, Cleveland and its American counterparts may seek to take advantage of elements perceived to be weaknesses, by moving directly from self-management of waste to shared management, without even going through the public management system.

The transition from the first to the second and, finally, to the third system requires a series of long and costly adaptations to put in place. To move from a self-management system to that of public management, a significant financial investment is needed to modernize the infrastructure, using dumpster near me services and other junk disposal operations.

This effort has already been largely achieved in Cleveland with the upgrading, between 2000 and 2010, of the five controlled landfills. The transition from one system to another is done, however, by losing an important asset of the self-management system: the involvement of the population.

However, this involvement of the population is essential for the establishment of a shared waste management system. The generalization of household waste recycling is based most of the time on selective collection at source. It therefore implies a sharing of tasks between the public authorities which ensure the collection, transport, treatment and recovery of waste, and the population which is responsible for preliminary sorting.

This involvement of the population still exists in the self-management system. It is gradually eradicated during the transition to the public management system. The challenge of the transition to the third system is to maintain the technical improvement resulting from the public management system, while recovering the factor of involvement of the population from the self-management system.

There is therefore a major interest in leading the modernization of infrastructure and the stimulation of the culture of recycling at the same time, in order to move directly from the self-management system to the shared management system while reducing overall pollution.

This change would make it possible to target financial investments directly on infrastructures allowing the recycling of waste. Above all, it would make it possible to take advantage of an already existing competence in waste handling on the part of the population. It would also be possible to rely on the intermediary network of recyclers, in order to improve waste management while improving their working conditions.

It is obviously necessary to change the conditions for handling waste by recyclers, in order to limit the spread of risks. The direct transition to the third system would then be facilitated by the fact that there is not yet any disdain for the waste object.

Support for informal recycling and dumpster rental circuits would then be an asset for local public authorities. It is in this perspective that a number of municipalities are already working in Cleveland, and the surrounding counties.

The public authorities could not remain indifferent to the seriousness of the situation highlighted above and this is when the public authorities. Texans felt challenged, that local authorities were all naturally” asked to actively participate in this new policy of waste disposal. It follows that indifference, neglect or excessive outrage reflected the obvious sign of insufficient policy or adequate legal instruments.

In addition, with this new waste management law, we went from a almost avowed lack of interest in a policy that aims above all enterprising and ambitious. The Ministry of the Environment introduced a law which is part of a comprehensive waste elimination policy, requiring local communities to be the main players in this new regulation.

Its objectives are to prevent or reduce the production and harmfulness of waste, to organize the transport of waste and dispose of it at a distance and in volume, to promote recovery by reuse or recycling in distance and in volume, to only landfill ultimate waste from year 2025, to provide information to the public on the effects on the environment and health public.

The measures taken in application of this law must, when they concern waste, take into account the objectives of the Texas law relating to the elimination of waste and the recovery of materials ; these objectives being, to prevent or reduce the production and harmfulness of waste, organize their transport and limit it in terms of distance and volume, providing information to the public on production operations and waste disposal and recovery of waste.

This waste law sets deadlines: it stipulates that waste disposal facilities by storage will not be authorized to receive only ultimate waste. Consequently, the landfills will only be authorized for waste ultimate. In short, all solid waste must be recycled and reused for energetic purposes. Only ultimate waste can be stored in centers storage.

Ultimate is within the meaning of this law, a waste resulting or not from the treatment of waste and which is no longer likely to be treated under the conditions techniques and economics of the moment, in particular by extraction of the recoverable or reducing its polluting or dangerous nature.

For example, a pot of yoghurt is considered as ultimate waste to the extent where it cannot be valued. Tomorrow it can either be recovered or be cremated, if downstream there are obviously recovery or elimination channels. Through therefore, in this context, it will no longer be defined as ultimate waste.

Finally, within three years from the publication of the new law relating to plans for the elimination of household and similar waste, each department must have and follow a waste disposal plan household and similar. The law is certainly now the text of benchmark for waste disposal and classified facilities for environmental protection in Texas. But strengthening the organization of elimination of waste goes through the establishment of a waste disposal plan.

So the plan for departmental household waste disposal is a programming tool and guidance to translate at the local level the objectives provided for by the this law. Projects responding to the plan are emerging but Texas has taken delay in setting up waste disposal equipment. What are the reasons?

For household waste, plans will be drawn up at the county level; for industrial waste,they will be at the state level. While federal plans can be established by the minister responsible for the environment, for certain categories of hazardous waste.

They are defined in a list drawn up by decree in the Council of State because of their degree of harmfulness or their particular treatment and of storage, regarding environmental protection and waste disposal in Texas.

Two Types of Pollution

Author: firmvoic

Pollution can take all kinds of shapes and forms, some more or less pernicious than others, some more or less visible or well-know. Here we will talk about two specific types of pollution, domestic pollution and diffuse pollution.

Domestic pollution: how to avoid it

Domestic pollution can be up to 100 times greater than that from the outside. Fortunately, there are simple and effective ways to limit it. To combat domestic pollution, cacti are one of the most often used depolluting plants.

What are the causes of household pollution?

The main causes of household pollution are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are combinations of carbon atoms with other elements: hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, etc. They are released in the form of gas or vapor by the solvents contained in the painting of the walls, the varnish of wood, pesticides or even cleaning products. Combustions (chimney, stove, etc.) also produce it.

The impact of household pollution on health

Cancers, respiratory diseases … Many VOCs are very dangerous for your health, even fatal, like the famous carbon monoxide (CO). This gas, resulting from incomplete combustion, is mainly released by boilers in poor operating condition.

Avoiding household pollution: effective techniques

It is advisable to prefer organic products to products overloaded with solvents, as far as painting or cleaning products are concerned. It is necessary to fight against the heat and humidity which favor the release of VOCs inside houses. Finally, it is recommended to regularly open the windows to ventilate all the rooms in your place, and to have the boilers and stoves checked regularly.

Bio-purification by depolluting plants

The principle of bio-purification is to purify an environment using living beings, in this case, depolluting plants. Such plants capture pollutants and release oxygen into the home. There are many types, the best known being the cactus, azalea and Boston fern.

Each plant acts against different pollutants, so it is necessary to inquire before making a choice. The Boston fern, for example, helps fight against carbon monoxide.

Diffuse pollution

The absence of a buffer zone between the cultivated part of a field and the nearby watercourses is an aggravated cause of diffuse pollution.

Diffuse pollution is pollution due to multiple releases of pollutants in time and space. Unlike accidental pollution, which occurs locally, punctually and often massively, diffuse pollution is hardly visible. Its effect on the environment is nonetheless noticeable by the experts.

Water pollution by nitrates and pesticides from agriculture is an example of diffuse pollution: it occurs throughout the country, from year to year and greatly affects the quality of water and ecosystems.

Special features of diffuse pollution

The fight against this type of pollution, as well as the identification and responsibility of polluters, is made particularly difficult by the multiplicity, and often discretion, of the sources of contamination.

It is clear that better waste management solutions, prevention and more public awareness are needed so that the above types of pollution can be reduced. As these types of pollution are mostly invisible until it is too late, they must be considered and fought.


A new study finds coastal waters and water supplies along a fifth of U.S. coasts are vulnerable to pollution from hidden underground water transfers between oceans and land. Study maps show hidden water pollution in U.S. coastal areas. There is a difference between the East Coast and West Coast pollution though. It is interesting to note that the East Coast and the West Coast of the United States are as similar as they are different. This ambiguity is no more apparent than in these two distinct regions and they are largely responsible for the diversity and unique makeup of the country’s inhabitants.

The Supreme Court case and the petition from the East Coast states underscores one clear fact: air pollution regulations, including for climate change, boil down to the problem of coal. Coal is by far the most polluting form of power generation used in the U.S. and Midwestern and Appalachian states depend disproportionately on coal power.

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment into the atmosphere. Ever since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, America has had much trouble with environmental issues, air pollution in particular.

The pollution off the United States East Coast is rising. Great swirls of pollution cover the northeastern United States and parts of Canada in a true-color Terra MODIS image recently acquired. While clouds in such image appear solidly white, the pollution is a murky, semi-transparent gray that makes indistinct the image’s geographic and aquatic scenery.

The type of pollution that can be found at the East Coast Beaches such as Myrtle Beach is alarming. Although the New York-New Jersey coast was cleaned up recently, South Carolina suffers from extreme pollution. Companies such Dumpster Rental Services, Myrtle Beach are trying to help by renting dumpsters to the residents, but more work is needed to boost our commitment in recycling and avoiding wastage.

The East Coast states, including New York and Connecticut, have for more than 15 years been subject to stricter air pollution requirements than many other parts of the country. Pollution over United States East Coast is critical. Air quality across the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States is less than ideal in late June 2019. Much of the pollution is likely smoke from forest fires in the West and fires in Canada’s prairie provinces to the north.

Looking at a light Pollution map of the USA might be chilling to some. The dark areas are the best place to view the stars, milky way, and deep space objects. As can be seen from such light pollution map of the United States most of the light pollution is in the eastern half of the US. There is also a band of light pollution along the west coast.

Along the East Coast Greenway, 50 key rivers total over 7,000 miles. All of the original 13 colonies are on the East Coast. Pennsylvania doesn’t directly touch the coast, but the Delaware River does. Up until the emergence of railroads in the 1830’s, rivers and other waterways were the most commonly used way to travel long distances in the U.S.

Priorities are required for the coastal ecosystem study. The committee began its work by identifying the most significant issues confronting coastal environments. This assessment was based on the collective experience of committee members as well as perspectives gained from background documents. The recently completed Regional Marine Research Plans does not paint a reassuring picture of pollution on the East Coast.

In a paper about airports, air pollution and contemporaneous health (NBER Working Paper No. 17684), authors Wolfram Schlenker and Reed Walker show how runway traffic congestion from East Coast airports influences runway congestion on the West Coast, subsequently increasing pollution levels in areas surrounding California airports. They find that these East Coast pollutants affect the entire country.

How To Sell Your House Fast

Author: firmvoic

big house in chicagoSometimes people need to sell their house fast, but it is easier said than done. It could be because they are moving to a bigger house, and they need the cash for their downpayment as soon as possible. Or it could just be that tehy have a large debt that requires a rapid settlement.

Whatever the reason, trying to sell a home is not as simple as putting up signboards that your property is for sale. You cannot just wait for buyers to come to you. As a homeowner, you have to do what it takes for your house to land on someone who has the means to pay for it and take care of it for the years to come.

Whether you are ready to move to a bigger home or downsize to a smaller place, the process of selling a house definitely requires a lot of hard work–more than you anticipated. But as what Kale Realty says, working with real estate agents will take some pressure off your back.

The more effort you pour into selling your house, such as making repairs and finding an agent to list your property, the more you will increase the chances of attracting serious house buyers. Below are some of the recommendations you can follow to ensure that you sell your house fast.

Review Your Agent’s Online Marketing

Most homebuyers head on to the internet to hunt the house they want to buy. But they will never visit the property if your listing is not compelling. When it comes to real estate, you need to stage and present your property well. That way, buyers are more enticed to check out the property. Kale Realty brokers typically recommend at least six professional-looking photos.

Post A Video

You have probably seen videos like this on Youtube where people show their viewers around their house. Selling a house follows the same principle. When you provide a walkthrough on your home, telling prospective buyers about the best features of the home and the parts of the property your family loves the most, buyers will tend to feel a sense of attachment to the property. Buyers like to know its owners once loved that home.

Stage The Exterior

Once your property is on the broker’s listing, people tend to check the house themselves first before setting an appointment for a house viewing. They often get in their cars and drive by the address. The exterior of the home can leave an excellent first impression and compel buyers to look inside the property.

Obviously both the inside and outside of your house should be as clean as possible, as this will affect the price directly. Make sure there is no garbage or waste materials of any kind in or around your house. If necessary rent a dumpster for a short period of time, so you can remove all the objects or junk that should not be there.

Work with your agent or broker to educate yourself about the type of sale, condition, and prices of the other homes your property is up against. Attend as many open houses as you can because these houses are most likely what your prospective buyer is also going to look at. This will help you make sure that when the buyers start comparing, your home can compete.

chicago buildings
If you’ve been planning on switching careers and getting your real estate license, there are some pointers you should be familiar with before taking this huge leap of faith.

While it is true that the real estate industry is exciting and can possibly bring in a high level of income, there are some realities and day-to-day experiences you need to be prepared for.

Here are some of the things you should expect and be ready for.

You Need To Master Planning

At times, when newly licensed agents fail, it is usually because they failed to prepare themselves for that period between passing their exam and getting their first commission. To avoid this from happening, you need to make a solid plan. This includes setting goals, developing a strong marketing plan and other activities that can help you target your goals.

You need to plan how you will be spending your first paycheck wisely if you are paid on a commission basis. As soon as you get the money, make sure to set aside an amount to help you save up for a needy day. You can never be too sure and it really pays to be prepared.

You Need To Get Licensed

To become a real estate agent, you need to get your license. The only way to do that is to get licensed for the profession. There are some colleges that offer short curriculum for this, while others opt to acquire the knowledge by paying for online courses.

These pre-licensing programs are designed to help you find a brokerage to partner with and to pass the exam with flying colors. However, you must check the state law in regards to acquiring a real estate license.

For example, in Chicago, Illinois, a career in real estate always begins with a broker’s license. Once you have this, you have to look for a managing broker like Kale Realty to sponsor you for two to three years. After this period, you may obtain a Managing Broker’s License if you wish to open your own office.

You Should Have Another Source of Income

Think about getting a part-time job when you decide to pursue this career. Between the period of time for earning a license and getting a commission check from the brokerage you have partnered with, it is likely that you will not be receiving any money. So having another source of income should help cover your day-to-day expenses.

If you are already thinking about getting a real estate license within the next year or two, start saving up as much as you can. Always put a small amount of money aside monthly to ensure that you can pay for your bills and cover other expenses for a couple of months while you wait for your commission or your first payday as a real estate agent.

You Are Your Own Boss

The broker you are working for will likely keep an eye on your performance, but for the most part, being a real estate agent is being your own boss. The responsibilities are not like those found on the typical company structure, so it is up to you to stay disciplined and to take control of your career.

Find ways to stay motivated. Try to set small yet achievable targets, and work your way up. Small goals like these will help you gain small successes that can aid your positivity in this profession. Moreover, smaller failures are not as difficult to get over with.

You Need To Build Your Contact List

You do not have to be the best in the business to become successful. Sometimes, knowing the right people will lead you to the top of the game. As early as possible, start building your database of contacts and do not fall back from communicating with them. It is important that you introduce yourself as a real estate agent when meeting new acquaintances. Do not oversell yourself but merely suggest that you can help out if they need assistance in finding or selling a property in the market.

As you pile up the people on your list, make sure to include their full name, email, home and mobile number, employer and occupation, and birth dates. It will also be a plus if you can get their home or work address. You can even add them to their social media accounts. Just make sure that you have a separate business account to show your professionalism.

As soon as you start getting some traction and your commission checks are coming in, slowly let go of your second source of income. That way you can focus a lot your time to becoming the best agent you can be.

Things move much too fast for you to serve your list of clients effectively and work another job. You need to show up in the office every day and you need to be marketing every single day. When it comes to the business of real estate, you have to fully commit your time and effort to succeed.

What is VPS hosting?

Author: firmvoic

VPS servers
VPS is an acronym for Virtual Private Server. VPS hosting stands to be one of the most prominent hosting services you can pick for your website. This type of hosting uses virtualization technology to furnish you with devoted (private) resources on a server with various clients.

It is more stable and safer than shared hosting where you don’t get a steadfast server space. But, it’s littler-scale and less expensive than leasing an entire server.

VPS hosting is generally picked by site administrators who have medium-level traffic that surpasses the parameters of shared hosting plans yet at the same time don’t need the resources of a dedicated server.

There is a wide range of advantages that join VPS hosting. You will have server level customization, which shared hosting does not have. You will likewise have server level programming, for example, OS, cPanel, and light. This kind of programming is essential, particularly on the off chance that you are endeavoring to advance your online business.

The price of utilizing VPS is quite reasonable and does not cost so much as dedicated hosting. There are various mainstream features, huge numbers of which can assist you in doing the advancement that you need to do in positively no time at all. You will likewise get the help you want along the way.

A significant number of the VPS hosting plans will offer you loads of support so that on the off chance that you are having any problems, you can have them settled without waiting. This is something worth being thankful for in light of the fact that you never know when an issue may emerge and you would require some help, which would be accessible to you.

This kind of hosting enables you to acquire control and access to your server however without paying about as much as you would need to with devoted hosting. You can set aside extra cash while likewise utilizing a server that gives you more control, which is something you may have needed for a long time now.

VPS hosting is a perfect option if you are searching for more control without spending more cash. It is a reasonable server choice that will give you the necessary features you need. Each time you need support, you can get it and there are various plans you can pick too.

How does VPS hosting work?

A server is a PC on which your web has in storage the records and databases required for your site. At whatever point an online guest needs to get to your site, their program sends a demand to your server and it exchanges the fundamental documents through the web. VPS hosting gives you a virtual server that reenacts a physical server, nonetheless, truly, the machine is shared among a few clients.

Utilizing virtualization technology, your hosting supplier introduces a virtual layer over the Operating System (OS) of the server. This layer separates the server into allotments and enables every client to introduce their own particular OS and programming.

In this way, a virtual private server (VPS) is both virtual and private since you have fial control. It is isolated from other server clients on the OS level. Indeed, VPS technology is like making segments without anyone else PC when you need to run in excess of one OSs (e.g. Windows and Linux) without a reboot.

Running a VPS gives you a chance to set up your site inside a safe compartment with ensured assets (memory, circle space, CPU centers, and so on.) you don’t need to impart to different clients. With efficient VPS hosting, you have a similar root-level access as though you leased a dedicated server, yet at a much lower cost.


Many webmasters dread Google penalty. But what exactly is a Google penalty?

A Google penalty refers to the negative impact on a site’s search based on the search algorithm updates by Google. The penalty is often a result of black-hat SEO techniques or a by-product of an algorithm update. Aside from the well-established bots, Google has teams of search engineers who are tasked to review different websites and penalize their rankings when necessary.

One of the most talked about event was the release of the Penguin update. Sites across the web have taken a rank hit called “Manual Action Penalty,” which means “if your site has been hit, it is now your job to fix the problem.” This penalty is often presented when the site appears to be manipulated unnaturally to rank high in the search results.

Once hit, you will receive a message describing the penalty which could either be Site-wide Match or Partial Match. The first penalty description means the entire site has been affected while the latter indicates there are only some pages that got penalized.

In you using an SEO agency to help determine the problem, here are the five main causes that they will look into to get your site fixed.

1. Unnatural Links

Google can detect patterns of unnatural, deceptive, manipulative or artificial links. If a site has participated in buying links and other link schemes to manipulate PageRank, then this could be the cause of the site’s Manual Action Penalty.

There is a way to reverse this penalty. Webmasters must first read the Webmaster Guidelines on linking. Next, he or she must identify the unnatural links that violated the guidelines and correct the problem by removing them or changing the link attribute to rel=”nofollow”.

2. User-Generated Spam

The user-generated spam is caused by users leaving comments, signing up to guestbook pages, creating user profiles and dropping links in a particular site that has not been maintained. That is a standard penalty among sites with forums.

It is imperative that you understand the guidelines on this penalty and follow the necessary steps to reverse the violation by identifying and correcting the following:

  • The pages on your site where users have added some irrelevant content
  • Gibberish texts, off-topic links and commercial usernames such as “discount cleaning home”
  • Spam comments or forum posts with unrelated content
  • Implement measures to prevent user-generated spamming

3. Hacked Site

Data theft, malware, abuse of user information and security compromise, some factors can lead to a Google penalty. Webmasters who encounter this problem will experience a significant setback of search engine ranking. When you receive this penalty from Google, you must request for a review to reverse the penalty. But before you do so, here are some of the prerequisites you need to take:

  • Verify your ownership in the search console
  • Clean your site and remove all traces of the hacker’s vandalism
  • Check and correct your site vulnerability and security
  • Publish your cleaned site again on the web

4. Cloaking and Sneaky Redirects

When you receive the manual action penalty, you need to check any sneaky redirects or cloaking on your site. That means your users may be seeing a different page than Google saw. Below is a recommended action provided by Google:

  • Use the tool “Fetch as Google” in the Search Console to fetch pages from the affected area of your site
  • Compare the fetched visuals by Google to the content users typically see by visiting the page
  • Check the URLs on your site to see if there are any redirects

5. Thin Content

When a human reviewer from Google has determined that your site has not complied with their Quality Guidelines, your rank can seriously demote. The factors that caused this penalty are usually shallow pages automatically generated content, thin, affiliate pages or low-quality blog posts. You can follow the steps below to classify and fix the violation on your site:

  • Check for thin content pages that contain affiliate links on your site
  • Find the contents of your site that duplicates another content in the web
  • Get rid of automatically generated content
  • Improve the overall content

If you happen to get a Manual Action Penalty from Google, there is still an opportunity for you to clean up your site and fall back in line with the Webmaster Guidelines.

As long as you cautiously monitor the status of your site and follow the recommended course of action from Google, you can still fully recover from the sudden drop in your site rankings. Just pay close attention to the updates to avoid similar problems in the future.