Disposal Waste

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Disposal waste

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In recent times, there has been much concern about the
influence of large amount of disposing waste. Hoornweg and BhadaTata state that 1.3 billion tonnes of solid waste per year have been
generated by cities around the world. And this figure is predicted to
reach to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025. (2012, p. foreword). Most of
those are Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). The increase of huge
quantity of waste results in environmental impacts and also
economic effects; the depletion of natural resources, drained
energy, water consumption, GHG gas, to the economic costs.
Disposing waste has been variously classified according to their
types. However, this essay will focus on Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW) and will first define the term MSW and then outline some of
the impacts associated with disposing waste and include some of
the possible managements that have been suggested for this
problem.
Municipal solid waste covers household waste including waste
generated by small business (OECD, cited in Hoornweg and BhadaTata, 2012, p.4).
For example, Biodegradable waste: food waste, green waste.
Recyclable material: paper, glass, bottles, metals, certain plastics,
fabrics.
Electrical and electronic waste (WEEE): electrical appliances, TVs,
computers, screens.(Staff of the Renewable Information Team, 2007,
p.14). It could be said that MSW is everyday waste.
Disposing waste massively harms to environment. Waste
creation drains a huge number of natural resources. According to
Giljum et al., (2008); Chalmin and Gaillochet, (2009), cited in
Zaman, Lehmann (2013, p.124), a great deal of natural resources
are consumed daily.
120-130 billion tonnes of those raw materials are used for new
products and generate approximately 3.4 to 4 billion tonnes of
municipal solid waste every year.
Moreover, large amount of energy is also consumed. Zaman
and Lehmann (2013, p.129-130,) claim that energy is utilized to
create a new product more than when the product is used in its
lifespan. The guides network team observes that the producing of 1
tin consumes energy equivalent to power a television for 3 hours
and recycle paper spends less 70% of energy compare with creating
the new one from raw sources (2003-2014).
Furthermore, wastes that leaved in water can cause water
pollution. Buxton and Kolpin (2002) prove that wastes, which end up
in water significantly alter the chemical composition of the water.
Obviously, water is not the unlimited resource. Zaman, Lehmann
(2013, p.130) point out that an enormous amount of fresh water is

an important part of raw materials procession that used to produce
new products.
In addition, according to FAO, cited in Kirby, (2013), food
wastes in all cities around the world total 1.3 billion tonnes annually.
Toepfer shows that the disposal of waste can produce a great deal of
methane; the most meaning GHG gas released while the
degradation of organics matter in the landfills and also create
carbon dioxide with other forms of waste disposal (2004). These two
GHGs gas extremely cause the global climate change.
Apart from the environmental effects, disposal waste; only
food matter is estimated the direct cost that goes to waste about
$750 billion per year. This exclude wasted fish and seafood. (FAO,
cited in Kirby, (2013)
The popular principle of managing municipal solid waste is
3Rs; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Dhaka gives the meaning of 3Rs
‘Reducing means choosing to use items with care to reduce the
amount of waste generated. Reusing involves the repeated use of
items or parts of items, which still have usable aspects. Recycling
means the use of waste itself as resources’ (2009). It has been
universal accepted in this period of time to deal with waste problem.
Environmental Services Seminole County Government (2014)
suggest that the first choice is Reduce, while the better way to
manage waste is Reuse, and then the good way is Recycle. It could
be said that Reduce is the first step of dealing the waste problem;
stop creating the waste at the first place.
In this paper, I have attempted to indicate the effects of
disposing Municipal solid waste to the environment and economic
and also to offer possible solutions called 3Rs. The issue has been
considered at the nation level to the international cooperation such
as (UNEP) The United Nations Environment Programme. But without
the individual awareness, the problem seems to be more severe and
the solutions could not be effective. The environmental impact could
be catastrophic.

References
Buxton.T and Kolpin. D, 2002. Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and
Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams. [Online]
2002:1-2. Available from: http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/
[Accessed 7th June 2014].
Dhaka, 2009 Department of Environment Ministry of Environment
and Forests Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

National 3R Strategy for Waste Management. [Online] 2009: 6-7.
Available from:
http://www.wasteconcern.org/Publication/draft_national_3R_strategy.
pdf
[Accessed 7th June 2014].
Environmental Services Seminole County Government, 2014. The 3
R's of Solid Waste. [Online]. Available from:
http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/envsrvs/solidwaste/3rs.aspx
[Accessed 8th June 2014].
Green Choices Team, 2009. Waste reduction. [Online]. Available
from: http://www.greenchoices.org/about/who-we-are [Accessed 7th
June 2014].

Hoornweg. D and Bhada-Tata. P, March 2012. WHAT A WASTE A
Global Review of Solid.[Online] 2012; no.15: foreword-4.
Available from:
http://www.wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/
WDSP/IB/2012/07/25/000333037_20120725004131/Rendered/PDF/6
81350WP0REVIS0at0a0Waste20120Final.pdf [Accessed 7th June
2014].
Kirby. A, 2013. Food waste worsens GHG emissions – FAO. [Online].
Available from: http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/2013/09/foodwaste-worsens-ghg-emissions-fao/ [Accessed 7th June 2014].
Staff of the Renewable Information Team, 2007. Methodology for
Allocating Municipal Solid Waste
to Biogenic and Non-Biogenic Energy. [Online]. Available from:
http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/historical/msw.pdf
[Accessed 7th June 2014].
The guide network team, 2003-2014. Why recycling is important .
[Online]. Available from: http://www.recyclingguide.org.uk/facts.html [Accessed 7th June 2014].
Toepfer. K, 2004 Vital Waste Graphic United Nations Environment
Programme. [Online] 2004: 41-42. Available from:
http://www.grid.unep.ch/waste/html_file/42-43_climate_change.html
[Accessed 7th June 2014].
Zaman. A.U. , Lehmann. S ,2013. The zero waste index: a
performance measurement tool for waste management systems in
a ‘zero waste city’. [Online] 2013; 50: 124-130. Available from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0
95965261200635X

[Accessed 7th June 2014].

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