Waste is the ultimate by-product of human activities, and improper management of this waste is one of the leading causes of environmental pollution. Waste generation increases with population expansion and economic development. Find out in this article the importance of waste management, solutions for sustainable waste disposal, and how you can contribute. Happy reading, and stay with eco wow life!
With increasing urbanization, waste management is a major global issue that every county governments face daily. Currently, the overproduction of waste has been causing undesirable impacts on our environment.
Waste management needs to be taken to the next level. What are sustainable Waste Management Solutions? Let’s have a quick read on this waste management issue-
Pollution to solution; Waste generation creates environmental pollution, need to find a solution
Waste is categorized as an unavoidable by-product of human activities, and improper management of this waste is one of the leading causes of environmental pollution. Waste generation increases with population expansion and economic development.
The collection and dumping of municipal solid waste are the most pressing problems of modern city life, which has assumed most significance in the current past. With the increasing urbanization, issues are becoming acute and call for immediate and concerted action.
That is why we need to go for innovative waste management solutions that meet high sustainability and profitability standards.
Contribution; Individual contribution as waste management solution/ waste management solution by individual contribution
The current situation of waste management makes the earth vulnerable to the effects of climate change; that’s why we have a lot to do immediately to seek our existence & better place for our future generation.
i. Boycott single-use plastic materials: This is the most severe cause of world pollution; millions of plastic single-use plastic materials are thrown away by people every day that can get mixed with the food-chain and enter the human body, causing diseases and, eventually, deaths. Please don’t become the reason for our death. Plastic pollution in the earth’s environment continues unabated, raising severe threats to human and animal health as we yet to reduce its production and safe management. So, try to buy things with less packaging. Besides, buying food in bulk means less packaging and less waste.
ii. Eat Healthy & Reduce Food Waste: We need to think about eating healthier. We have to buy more nutritious foods that don’t require as much disposable waste in packaging. If we reuse old shopping bags and containers for maximum efficiency, and better yet, cloth bags. Need to avoid buying fast food; take out as often either.
Food is the item that we often just carelessly waste a significant amount of it. Each year, a massive percentage of our purchased food is left uneaten. Instead of merely throwing away food, make decent use out of it. Even if we kept just a tiny percentage of our uneaten food and gave it, millions of needy people would be fed.
iii. Reuse: Go shopping with an old bag; this bag can replace hundreds of plastic bags that will end up in landfills. Use empty bottles in household uses as oil and vinegar dispensers. Reuse your daily use materials for better energy consumption.
iv. Recycle: Don’t try to throw away old glass bottles or aluminum cans. The practice of reusing & recycling should promote. Try to purchase Items made from Recycled Products; consider buying items made from recycled products to help the environment make it clean and green. You can also contribute to reducing landfills. Your example of behavior change could be replicated by your friends, family, and relatives, and they will even start buying items made from recycled products.
v. Composting: Composting is an easy and natural process that takes plants, and kitchen waste remains and turns it into nutrient-rich food, helping your plants grow. Compost is an organic material that has been collected together and decomposed. Composting enables you to recycle your kitchen waste and reduce the amount sent to landfills that prove safe for the environment.
Definition; what is all about Waste Management Solutions?
There are many types of waste we can consider: those are municipal (household, commercial and demolition waste), biomedical, electronic (e-waste), hazardous (industrial), radioactive, etc. And waste management includes collecting, transporting, valorising, and disposing of this waste. More broadly, it consists of any activity involved in waste management organisation from production to final treatment.
The fundamental principles of waste management are:
1. Waste pyramid, referring to the “3Rs rule” Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, waste prevention, and minimization, is the most required goal, though it turns to “5Rs” concept now
2. Extended producer responsibility, additional to all the environmental costs to the market price of a product, including end-of-life disposal.
3. The polluter pays concept, requiring that a waste generator pays for the appropriate disposition of the waste.
Methods; Waste disposal methods
Each type of waste corresponds to the management process. To correctly manage waste, pre-sorting is essential. This sorting permits the separation of recyclable from non-recyclable waste, and afterward, the energy recovery.
Waste management techniques include:
- Landfills
- Incineration
- Recycling
- Biological reprocessing
- Waste collection
- Energy recovery
Benefits; waste management benefits
Sustainable waste management is a vital concept of the circular economy and offers many opportunities:
Economic:
Waste management involves the collection, sorting, treating, recycling, and then adequately facilitated, providing a source of energy and resources. Therefore, it has vast economic potential that needs to be leveraged by public and private entities..
Social:
Besides creating jobs, improved waste management indicates an enhanced life condition for local populations by better hygiene and reducing health risks related to illegal dumping and inadequate waste collection.
Environmental:
The significant advantage of sustainable waste management is reducing the environmental effect by improving air and water conditions and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing food waste also helps lessen the higher environmental cost of producing more.
Challenges; Challenges & way ahead
Hazard
While endorsing recycling, the first one is to ensure both consumers and recyclers are protected from toxic and dangerous materials that can be found in waste.
High costs
Moreover, this cannot be seen as a profitable short-term investment as it requires a lot of money to implement sustainable waste management strategies.
Quality of recycled products
Downcycling, the recycling procedure that turns waste into substandard products, can cause a problem regarding the condition of secondary products.
Waste is the ultimate by-product of human activities, and improper management of this waste is one of the leading causes of environmental pollution. Waste generation increases with population expansion and economic development.
I hope you have some idea in this article about the importance of Waste Management Solutions, solutions for sustainable waste disposal, and how you can contribute. Happy reading, and stay with eco wow life!