Robert Swan who was the first person to walk to both poles once said, ” the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”. When we were told to write a post on recycling or waste management we couldn’t resist remembering Robert Swan’s words. They remind us of how carelessly we are handling our home.
What is waste management?
Waste management includes activities and actions required that need to manage waste from the start to the final disposal. Within this start-stop, the process includes a number of steps like a collection of the waste, transportation of the waste treatment of the waste, and correct disposal of the waste. The correct performance of all the steps with supervision makes it a waste management procedure.
What are the types of waste?
Waste is of different types for example solid, liquid, or gas in which each type requires a different method of disposal and management. Basically, waste management deals with any type of waste that may be from industrial areas or that may be a biological waste or a simple household waste. You must also know that in some of the cases the waste that is generated poses threat to human health. Waste management is basically intense to reduce the evil effects of waste on human health, our environment, or aesthetics.
It is a well-known fact that proper management of waste is very very important in order to build a sustainable and healthy city but it is unfortunate to know that this basic necessity still remains a challenge for many developing countries as well as cities. It is also a fact that an effective method of waste management is heavy on the pocket which usually comprises 20 to 50% of the municipal budget hence operating these essential Municipal services requires a well-developed system that is efficient, sustainable, and socially supported by the people. A very large portion of waste management has to deal with the MSW or Municipal solid waste. This type of waste is basically what is generated by the households or the industries or by the commercial activities.
Liquid waste – a Big Concern
Where we have already discussed MSW it is also important to know that liquid waste is also an essential category as far as Waste Management is concerned because of the difficulty it poses in the management of it. In contrast to solid waste, it is not so easy to just pick up the liquid waste and dispose of it. Liquid waste spreads out and if brought in contact with other sources of liquid can easily pollute them as well hence maximizing the threat it poses to the environment. Another concerning fact about it is that such waste also soaks into soil and groundwater which then pollutes the food that we grow in that soil and the water that we drink.
When you write a post on recycling or waste management we need to know some Waste disposal methods as well:-
- Recycling: About recycling, we can say that it concerns first, directly using a used product again for example used clothing and using functioning parts that have been removed from a used vehicle. Second is material recycling which is actually the raw material from the waste for example production of new glass from its fragments. The third one is downcycling which actually refers to the transformation of waste into a material of lower quality in comparison to the material that was initially used.
- Incineration: it is a very innovative method as in this one the combustible waste that is generated in households and waste wood which cannot be recycled actually undergo thermal treatment in the incineration plants for the waste wood furniture in order to allow them to release the heat in the process which is actually used to generate electricity and heat buildings.
- Collection and Logistics: it is important to know that the waste management sector has a lot many different specialized actors who basically include the collection of waste from the source like industry or households, a suitable transportation medium, intermediate storage, and a secure handover in order to dispose of waste. No matter what cases you are dealing with, smooth Logistics are the precondition for any efficient management of waste, and also in the situation of hazardous waste, the handover must be documented.
When the thought of why not write a post on recycling or waste management came to our mind we made sure to present to you every essential information regarding the topic. Hope it helped.