The common excuse people give for indiscriminately throwing trash on the road is the fallacy of the environment taking care of itself. A typical example is the statement, “the rain will carry it away”. As interesting as it sounds, this reflects how much they know about responsible waste management.
Indiscriminate waste disposal, mainly plastic waste, affects all of us negatively. It blocks soil porosity, disturbs microbial activities in the soil, and the leaching of toxic dyes contaminates foodstuff. It also stops drainages, amongst other impacts etc. A typical example is plastic waste; The nylon and PET bottles dropped indiscriminately take a long time to be broken down, roll into drains and sometimes run off to larger water bodies. Poor waste management also has negative impacts on infrastructural development; drainage blockages. These blockages in the drains obstruct the free flow of water, resulting in flooding that could destroy lives and properties. However, waste in the larger water bodies disrupts the aquatic habitat, becoming death traps for animals through ingestion.
According to “Global Waste Initiative, 50 by 2050 For Africa towards a global impact”, launched during the just concluded COP27, African waste contributes 20% to global methane emissions. Also, Africa has less than a 10% municipal solid waste recycling rate. It is expected to generate 1 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste by 2050, resulting in an estimated material loss of over $60 billion by 2050. This shows that there is vast potential for proper waste management.
Proper waste management should be everyone’s priority, as the benefits of this decision outlive us. We can manage waste by appropriately disposing of it from home by categorising domestic waste based on paper, metals, glass, plastic and organic wastes. Categorising wastes enhances the recycling and upcycling processes. Also, other valuable products like methane can be recovered from organic waste and used in cooking. Waste can also be used to generate energy. The waste-to-energy method involves burning the waste, usually wood, paper, plastics and other energy-rich materials. The heat of the combustion is channelled to a boiler, and the steam generated is used to turn a turbine to generate electricity.
There are various opportunities to repurpose materials and energy applications in waste management. It helps to conserve energy and reduce industrial carbon-foot prints. This bright side of effectively managing waste generated is one to look forward to and invest in. The revenue acquired beyond the environmental benefits is worth this adventure. The waste management industry creates countless job opportunities and room for new industries to thrive. Also, reducing pollution and greenhouse emissions results in improved environmental conditions that benefit all of us. Dispose of waste responsibly!