OUR GARBAGE,

OUR FUTURE, AND

OUR SOLUTION.
Matthew Porter
1/27/16
DO you remember the last time you
threw something in the trash? Maybe the last thing
you disposed of was recycled, like a plastic bottle or
a soda can. Either option requires a long process to
keep the trash from building up in our homes and
streets. This is called waste management. In San
Diego, with a population of about 1.3 million people,
910,000 tons of trash are disposed of each year (SD
Environmental Services, 2015)! Currently, waste
management services (the people who come and get
your trash) in countries like the U.S. are doing very
well to dispose of trash in
environmentally friendly and
efficient ways. Unfortunately,
however, this is not the case for
many places around the world.
Read more to find out about the current
issues regarding waste management
today, and how your community
needs you to make a solution.

SO,
WHATS
THE ISSUE?
Waste management is very healthy
and good for a community if it is done correctly;
however, it can become a major issue to nations
across the globe when it is done poorly. An example
of this is especially present in Beirut, the capital city
of Lebanon. During the summer of 2015, it faced a
crisis which involved an overflowing landfill; this

led to massive amounts of garbage in the streets and

homes of Beiruts citizens (DW, 2015). The same
source reported this: Household waste has
remained uncollected for weeks in the Middle
Eastern city after authorities closed an overflowing
landfill site without finding an alternative place to
dump the trash (2015). Take a moment to think
about that. Imagine your own street flooded with
mountains of trash! Unfortunately, its not only
Lebanon that is contributing to this global issue.
Every single area of civilization on earth has
improvements to make on their waste management
methods. For example, in 2005, the United States
only
recycled
45.7% of
their
257
MILLION tons of
waste
(EPA,
2015).
Fortunately, The U.S. has
very strict
rules for creating landfills, so that
the trash we dump doesnt affect the people
or the
environment around it (at least not for a while).
Many other
countries, however, dont have the same rules, or
else cant enforce them. Aside from that, the
overproduction of waste is another outstanding
problem for any government. World Bank urban
development specialist Dan Hoornweg and two
colleagues concluded that By 2100...the growing
global urban population will be producing three

times as much waste as it does today. That level of

waste carries serious consequences physical and
fiscal for cities around the world (World Bank,
2013).
Sadly, too many people are simply not recycling
what they can, and are ignoring the consequences
that will occur. In this modern era, every person and
every government is accountable for their part in
the global struggle of over-wasting and undermanaging that
waste.

WHY IS
THIS
STILL
GOING
ON?
There are many
challenges faced by
waste management
systems throughout
the world. In 2011,
The UN Sustainable
Development
organization held a meeting which summarized
these barriers: At that point, there was Substantial
population growth in urban areas, lack of legislation
for long term planning, inadequate storage, a lack of
proper disposal, and an insufficient knowledge of
basic principles. (2011). The bottom line here is
that ineffective waste management is being
prolonged by the peoples unawareness about
disposal, their lack of resources to do it right, and a
government which either will not or cannot help the
situation. Although that explains most of the
difficulty involved with appropriate disposal, there
is another organization which sheds light on some
other key issues. In 1996, the Global Development
Research Center (GDRC) presented a document
about the waste management in developing
countries. The document, written by Hisashi Ogawa,
addresses financial, technical, and social
constraints: there typically is a lack of human
resources at both the national and local levels with
technical expertise necessary for solid waste

management planning and operation. Simply put,

this means that there arent enough people who are
educated in waste disposal, and so the public WM
cannot use them for work. Ogawa continues, saying,
In general, solid waste management is given a very
low priority in developing countries. As a result,
very limited funds are provided to the solid waste
management sector. Because of the low priority of
waste management, governments are pushing it
aside and giving it very little
funding. Lastly, Ogawa
comments on some of the
social issues: The social status
of solid waste management
workers is generally low in
both developed and developing
countries, but more so in
developing countries. This is
important because it tends to
lead to the disrespect for the
work and in turn produces low
working ethics of laborers and
poor quality of their work
(Ogawa, 1996). Now, we know
that poor work ethic has
actually been another factor in
the problem of poor waste
management.
As for the huge amount of
trash we throw away as a
human race, we have only ourselves to blame.
...rising from more than 3.5 million tonnes per day
in 2010 to more than 6 million tonnes per day by
2025, the waste from cities alone is already enough
to fill a line of trash trucks 5,000 kilometers long
every day (World Bank, 2013). Plain and simple,
many people are not conserving or reusing enough
materials. Thats just it, this problem is ultimately
prolonged by the irresponsibility of everyone
involved.

THIS HURTS OUR

ENVIRONMENT.
Oftentimes, a faulty waste management system
leads to an incredible impact on our natural
environment, both globally and locally. Although
modern landfills are said to be 100% sanitary and
harmless, the Toxics Action Center says differently.

The EPA says that all landfills eventually leak, so

claims that state of the art technology, will protect
our groundwater and our communities by waste
industry representatives are never true (2015).
These
threats are very dangerous for both the local people
and for the environment. Not only that, when the
environment is damaged, it tends to affect all of the
life in our world. The United Nations

municipal waste management service has capacity

to collect just 60 percent of the trash (DW, 2015).
Whole communities are not the
only thing being affected! The personal health of
any person from around the world could be tainted
with a simple bath or seafood cuisine. As stated by
the GRIDA center, a partner of the UNEP, The
health of animals and humans are affected when
they drink or bathe in contaminated water. In
addition
aquatic

Environmental Program (UNEP) describes the

hazard perfectly, saying, Poor waste management ranging from non-existing collection systems to
ineffective disposal - causes air pollution, water and
soil contamination. (n.d.). Here, The UN is
explaining the consequences of poor waste
management.

organisms, like fish and shellfish, can accumulate

and concentrate contaminants in their bodies (Grid
Arendal, n.d.). What more could encourage change?
The amount of potential dangers from these things
should motivate governments and organizations
alike to prioritize this conflict.

SO SORRY, BUT IT
AFFECTS YOU TOO!

YES, THERE ARE

SOLUTIONS!

If trash overflows, like in Lebanon, the result is

absolutely detrimental to that community. The
people in Beirut, Lebanon are not alone in this
epidemic: In Dhaka in Bangladesh, garbage is a
major problem. It lines the streets outside of
houses, parks and even hospitals and schools. The

do is work together
In 2013, The World Bank posted an excerpt from
the book, Waste Production Must Peak This
Century: "Through a move towards stable or
declining populations, denser and better-managed
cities consuming fewer resources, and greater equity
and use of technology, we can bring peak waste
forward and down. The environmental, economic
and social benefits would be enormous."
In an article released by the UN Environmental
Program, it is stated that The solution, in the first
place, is the minimization of waste. Where waste
cannot be avoided, recovery of materials and energy
from waste as well as remanufacturing and recycling
waste into usable products should be the second
option (UNEP, n.d.). This makes you, as well as
every person around you, accountable for efficient
habits.

More SOLUTIONS
JUST FOR YOU
It may not be evident in your own neighborhood,
but waste management is a topic that requires much
more attention from the general public. Lets say
that every person gave more concern to what they
did with their trash. New and more effective groups
would probably be formed to help enforce waste
management as a priority, not only in the actions of
individuals, but in the actions of whole nations. This
consists of all of us. The best thing that the teenager
can do is help make this topic more popular by
making others aware of the issue. The best thing
parents and other adults can do is to ensure that
their children, friends, and even coworkers, learn a
new fact about all of this. Doing these things might
just help unify communities against the danger that
awaits. Overall, remember that the solution to all of
this starts with the awareness of you and those
around you about garbage! From there, all we can

importance
work.

of

to

contribute
to
a
common global
solution:
The
good habits and effective

LASTLY
When you look at the fact that the people of the
world are making the problem, its easily
understood who needs to fix that problem. Its a
vicious cycle that requires a stop at some point.
From the overflowing landfills in third world
countries to the nasty waters in any other nation,
trash is going too far. The most relatable part about
all of this is that no one person can say they dont
contribute to the problem thats just the reality
we never will stop. Thats perfectly fine, as long as
everyone can find a way to help keep their world
sanitary and safe for the future. So go, get on
Facebook, your E-mail, or simply tell a friend,
Listen to what I learned today Thats the
beginning of a new start.