Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
How to turn the tide on waste
HUMANITY generates between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste a year. To put that into perspective, enough to go around the globe eight times.
When improperly managed, much of that refuse emits greenhouse gases or poisonous chemicals. This damages ecosystems, inflicts disease and threatens economic prosperity, disproportionately harming women and youth.
On March 30, the world marked International Day of Zero Waste.
The observance, led by the UN Environment Programme (Unep) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), highlighted the importance of proper waste management. It also focused on ways to rein in the conspicuous consumption that is feeding the waste crisis.
“Overconsumption is killing us. Humanity needs an intervention,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Improving collection, recycling and other forms of sound waste management remain a priority. But to solve the waste crisis, humanity must treat waste as a resource.
Resources should be reused or recovered as much as possible, and products should be designed to be durable and require fewer and low-impact materials.
Eight ways provided by the UN Environment Programme to embrace a zero-waste approach:
1. Combat food waste
About 19% of food is wasted annually despite 783 million people going hungry. Around 8 to 10% of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of food that is, ultimately, squandered.
There are lots of ways to turn the tide. Municipalities can promote urban agriculture and use food waste in animal husbandry, farming, greenspace maintenance and more. They can also fund food waste composting schemes, segregate food waste at source and ban food from dumpsites. As a consumer you can:
◆ Buy only what you need.
◆ Embrace less appealing but perfectly edible fruits and vegetables.
◆ Store food more wisely, use leftovers, and compost food scraps instead of throwing them away.
◆ Donate food before it goes bad.
2. Take on textile waste
Less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new items, resulting in more than $100 billion (R1.8 trillion) in annual material value loss. The textiles industry also uses the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools of water every year.
To counter that, brands and retailers can offer more circular business models and products that last longer and can be remade, governments can provide infrastructure for collecting and sorting used textiles, communicators, including influencers and brand managers, can shift fashion’s marketing narrative and consumers can assess if their purchases are necessary.
“Zero waste makes sense on every level,” says Michal Mlynár, the UN-Habitat acting executive director.
“By retaining materials within the economy and enhancing waste management practices, we bring benefits to our economies, our societies, our planet and ourselves.”
3. Avoid electronic waste
Electronics, from computers to phones, are clogging dumpsites across the world as manufacturers encourage consumers to purchase new devices.
Through robust policymaking, governments can encourage consumers to keep their products for longer while pushing manufacturers to offer repair services, a change that would bring a host of economic benefits.
They can also implement extended producer responsibility, a policy that can ensure producers of material goods are responsible for the management and treatment of waste.
“As the world drowns in waste, humanity must act,” says Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, the director of Unep’s Industry and Economy Division. “We have the solutions to solve the waste pollution crisis. We just need commitment, collaboration and investment from governments, businesses and individuals to implement them.”
4. Reduce resource use in products
Raw material use has more than tripled over the past 50 years.
Producers can follow nationally determined eco-design to reduce energy and resource use while minimising hazardous chemicals in production. The standards also ensure products are durable, repairable and recyclable.
This should be part of a larger effort to design products through what is known as the lifecycle approach. This entails reducing resource use and emissions to the environment throughout all stages of a product’s life.
5. Crack down on plastic pollution
Plastics are commonly used in electronics, textiles and single-use products. Some 85% of single-use plastic bottles, containers and packaging end up in landfills or are mismanaged. Plastic does not biodegrade, so it contributes to health impacts as microplastics infiltrate food and water sources.
In addition to phasing out single-use plastics and improving waste management, establishing a global monitoring system can help end plastic pollution.
6. Take on hazardous waste
Chemicals are prevalent in daily life – electronics can contain mercury, cosmetics may have lead and cleaning supplies often have organic pollutants. Chemical and hazardous waste require specialised treatment and disposal.
Citizens can educate themselves about substances and waste types that are restricted or banned and demand that governments and industries remove them from the global market.
7. Rethink how cities are designed and managed
By 2050, 68% of the world is expected to live in cities. Investing in energy-efficient buildings leads to long-term reductions in construction and demolition, which generate significant amounts of waste and account for 37% of greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Bolster waste management through investment and training
Globally, around 25% of waste is uncollected, while 39% is not managed in controlled facilities. Global waste management incurs a net cost of $361 billion annually. By ending uncontrolled disposal, reducing waste generation, and increasing recycling, governments can generate an annual net gain of $108.1bn by 2050. |