Saudi Arabia has been witnessing rapid industrialization, high population growth rate and fast urbanization which have resulted in increased levels of pollution and waste. Solid waste management is becoming a big challenge for the government and local bodies with each passing day. With population of around 35 million, Saudi Arabia generates more than 15 million tons of solid waste per year. The per capita waste generation is estimated at 1.5 to 1.8 kg per person per day.
Solid waste generation in the three largest cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam – exceeds 6 million tons per annum which gives an indication of the magnitude of the problem faced by civic bodies. More than 75 percent of the population is concentrated in urban areas which make it necessary for the government to initiate measures to improve recycling and waste management scenario in the country.
In Saudi Arabia, municipal solid waste is collected from individual or community bins and disposed of in landfills or dumpsites. Saudi waste management system is characterized by lack of waste disposal and tipping fees. Recycling, reuse and energy recovery is still at an early stage, although they are getting increased attention. Waste sorting and recycling are driven by an active informal sector. Recycling rate ranges from 10-15%, mainly due to the presence of the informal sector which extracts paper, metals and plastics from municipal waste.
Recycling activities are mostly manual and labor intensive. Composting is also gaining increased interest in Saudi Arabia due to the high organic content of MSW (around 40%). Efforts are also underway to deploy waste-to-energy technologies in the Kingdom. All activities related to waste management are coordinated and financed by the government.
The Saudi government is aware of the critical demand for waste management solutions, and is investing heavily in solving this problem. The 2017 national budget allocated SR 54 billion for the municipal services sector, which includes water drainage and waste disposal. The Saudi government is making concerted efforts to improve recycling and waste disposal activities. Saudi visa for qualified waste management professionals will also go a long way in improving waste management situation in the country.
Waste is an inevitable aspect of being human in today’s world — or so most people believe. But what if we told you that reducing and even eliminating waste is possible? All we have to do to get to that point is convince a few key industry sectors to start doing things a bit differently. Basically, we need to transition to a circular economy model.
If you’ve never heard of the term, we can’t blame you. Most people don’t go around researching the economic system they live in — let alone alternative methods of production. Still, learning about circular economy is a great way to introduce other concepts — like Zero Waste manufacturing.
Of course, before we can do all that, we have to be aware of the system we currently have. With that in mind, let’s start by talking about the cause of the waste accumulation we are dealing with today.
Is Linear Economy Outdated?
Most people know that the amount of waste production and accumulation we are fighting against was ultimately caused by our economic system. The principles of linear economy are fairly simple. We take what we need from nature, and we transform these raw materials into products, which we dispose of when they’re no longer of use. Proponents of this system assumed that the planet is capable of providing infinite resources and regenerating an infinite amount of waste.
As we now know, that is simply not the case. So the system’s goal of maximizing production and sales has become impossible to envision without also seeing the eventual consequences.
After all, to keep production cycles going, we also need to create demand. That’s why many commodities we buy nowadays fall apart so quickly. The sooner your shirt rips open at the seams, the sooner you’ll go looking for a new one. But before we start pointing fingers at the fast fashion industry, remember that the system affects all commercial enterprises.
Is There a Different Kind of Approach We Can Opt for?
The excessive production and turnover of commodities we see in the linear economy are all but guaranteed to produce an enormous amount of waste. But as any waste management expert will tell you — it’s never too late to veer toward another approach.
In recent years, many people have been considering the benefits of transitioning to a zero waste lifestyle. Basically, rather than throwing their used up and damaged items, the goal of Zero Waste is to find a way to use them again. Whether it’s composting, making bags out of ripped jeans, or turning broken pans into planters — people are having to be creative with items they would have otherwise tossed in the trash.
But while most people are familiar with the philosophy in general, not many are aware of who started Zero Waste. Believe it or not, the phrase was coined in the ‘80s. However, Daniel Knapp, one of the first people who formulated the idea of total recycling, didn’t just talk the talk. Instead, he and his wife founded a salvaging market, Urban Ore, to focus on diverting waste from their local landfill and reusing it within the community.
Over the years, their ideas inspired many others to look for ways to reduce their waste production. Eventually, those principles reached the waste management industry and society at large. All through the ‘90s and early ‘00s, “no waste” slogans were everywhere. But where did all that activism lead?
The Birth of Circular Economy
The idea of a cyclical system of production is certainly older than the modern Zero Waste philosophy. However, the concept of a circular economy wasn’t mentioned until 1988. Even then, shifting perspectives around the subject of waste production and management certainly helped popularize the idea.
Ultimately, the philosophies behind these two concepts are closely aligned. Both aim to reduce and eventually eliminate the production of waste. Unlike the linear approach we discussed earlier, circular economy is all about letting the Earth recover and minimizing the amount of raw resources we take from it. But in addition to benefiting the planet, the principles of sustainable production also need to benefit businesses.
After all, rather than paying for raw materials that are directly taken from nature, circular economy advocates for reusing and recycling already-processed materials. That should reduce the cost of production — in theory. Unfortunately, recycling technology is still too expensive for some businesses to invest in. So how can we, as consumers, nudge them in the right direction?
How Do We Start Transitioning to Circular Economy?
On an individual level, one thing we can all do is check our consumption habits. Don’t just throw out old items if you don’t have to. Instead, learn how to mend and transform objects into items you can keep using and loving.
Additionally, you can transition to shopping from sustainable local businesses. Ultimately, the cost of shipping is much greater than you might think. If nothing else, shopping locally tends to have a lower carbon footprint.
These individual decisions should eventually influence businesses to reduce the number of commodities they produce in the first place. But there’s one more thing we can do to prompt the industry to change its ways. Namely, we can influence policies with our vote.
Getting people to participate in this as a political movement is the best way to put pressure on companies. If there are laws and sanctions in place to regulate the production of commodities and waste, businesses will have to adjust their habits.
Can We Achieve Zero Waste Manufacturing?
As we have previously stated, all we need to transition to Zero Waste manufacturing is a few key industry sectors. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, these sectors should be steel, plastic, and aluminum manufacturing, as well as cement and food industries. By getting these five sectors to reuse materials during the production process in the factory, we could cut carbon emissions by 3.7 billion tons by 2050.
Best of all, the emerging models of circular economy will not only stimulate business growth but also create many new job opportunities. So the sooner we take that leap, the sooner our planet can start recovering.
With population of approximately 2.1 million, waste management is one of the most serious challenges confronting the local authorities. The daily solid waste generation across Gaza is more than 1300 tons which is characterized by per capita waste generation of 0.35 to 1.0 kg. Scarcity of waste disposal sites coupled with huge increase in waste generation is leading to serious environmental and human health impacts on the population.
The severity of the crisis is a direct consequence of continuing blockade by Israeli Occupation Forces and lack of financial assistance from international donor. Israeli Occupation Forces deliberately destroyed most of the sewage infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, during 2008-2009 Gaza War inflicting heavy damage to sewage pipes, water tanks, wastewater treatment plants etc.
There are three landfills in Gaza Strip – one each in southern and central part of Gaza and one in Gaza governorate. In addition, there are numerous unregulated dumpsites scattered across rural and urban areas which are not fenced, lined or monitored. Around 52% of the MSW stream is made up of organic wastes.
Domestic, industrial and medical wastes are often dumped near cities and villages or burned and disposed of in unregulated disposal sites which cause soil, air and water pollution, leading to health hazards and ecological damage. The physical damage caused to Gaza’s infrastructure by repeated Israeli aggression has been a major deterred in putting forward a workable solid waste management strategy in the Strip.
The sewage disposal problem is assuming alarming proportions. The Gaza Strip’s sewage service networks cover most areas, except for Khan Yunis and its eastern villages where only 40% of the governorate is covered. There are only three sewage water treatment stations in Gaza Strip – in Beit Lahia, Gaza city and Rafah – which are unable to cope with the increasing population growth rate. The total quantity of produced sewage water is estimated at 45 million m3 per annum, in addition to 3000 cubic meters of raw sewage sludge discharged from Gaza Strip directly into the sea every day. Sewage water discharge points are concentrated on the beaches of Gaza city, Al Shate’ refugee camp and Deir El Balah.
The continuous discharge of highly contaminated sewage water from Gaza Strip in the Mediterranean shores is causing considerable damage to marine life in the area. The beaches of Gaza City are highly polluted by raw sewage. In addition, groundwater composition in Gaza Strip is marked by high salinity and nitrate content which may be attributed to unregulated disposal of solid and liquid wastes from domestic, industrial and agricultural sources. The prevalent waste management scenario demands immediate intervention of international donors, environmental agencies and regional governments in order to prevent the situation from assuming catastrophic proportions.
Over the last few years, having pools in our gardens has become hugely popular with both kids and adults alike. Which has also meant that summer pool inflatables – particularly large dinosaurs or unicorns – have become popular too. The only problem is, when these plastic inflatables are no longer wanted, what happens to them?
What are Pool Inflatables?
First off, before we look at how to recycle these pool inflatables, what exactly are they? Well, like the name suggest, these are plastic inflatables that tend to be used in pools. These can range from very big inflatables that can be sat on, down to inflatables used for sports such as balls or clubs.
There tends to be new inflatable design and shapes that come out every summer, which becomes popular on the likes of Instagram. This leads to people rushing to buy what’s popular and old inflatables becoming binned.
What are Pool Inflatables Made of and Can They Be Recycled?
When it comes to the cheap pool inflatables that we often see in the likes of Aldi and Argos, these toys ten to be made from nylon or vinyl, they will then be coated in a PVC material that makes them very durable.
Because of this PVC coating, though, it makes it very hard to recycle these inflatables. Which is why broken or unwanted pool toys end up going into our general bins, which are destined for a landfill. Which isn’t great when we’re trying to recycle as much as we can.
What Can You Do With Old or Unwanted Pool Inflatables?
Well, before you stop buying pool inflatables altogether, here at KwikSweep we have some great ideas for how you can keep your inflatables away from landfills:
Repair It
More often than not, when we’re looking to get rid of a pool inflatable it’s because it’s damaged and we believe it be unusable. Which can be quite common when they’re used by kids – and adults too! Before you get rid of your pool inflatable, though, it’s actually very easy to repair these inflatables.
First of all, you need to find where the hole or rip is. This is quite easy to do, just fill the inflatable up with water and see where water or bubbles are escaping. Once you’ve located the hole add a sticker, then you can empty the water out and dry out the inflatable before you look to fix it.
When you’re ready to start your repair, inflate it with air and cover the hole with some duct tape to keep the air in. You can then take a piece of PVC or more tape and cover it with some waterproof glue and place over the top of the hole and held until dry. Just remember to check it thoroughly before giving it back to the kids.
Give it Away
If pool inflatable isn’t broken, but it is no longer wanted. Rather than throwing it away, consider giving it away to someone you know or even donating it to charity. That way, rather than simply throwing it away, someone else will be able to get use out of it.
Upcycle It
While pool inflatables are hard to recycle, they may still be of use to others that could use the material in an upcycle project. For this, you will have to research locally to see if anyone wants to work with old PVC, which can seem like hard work, however, it’s more than worth it to keep it out of landfills.
If you’re worried about any of your rubbish going to landfills and you’d like to make sure as much as possible is recycled, contact us here at KwikSweep. As, regardless of it being commercial or home clearances, we make sure as much is kept away from landfills as possible.
Cooking oil is one of the most used products in the world. It is used in all restaurants and in every home. Making it the most used product in the world.
Restaurants mostly use cooking oil to deep fry their food. As a result, restaurants have thousands of liters of cooking oil waste. More liters are also wasted from home.
Rarely do hotels, restaurants, and homes practice safe disposal of cooking oil. Many just pour it down the sink drain.
This results in clogged pipes that need you to call a plumber regularly. Beyond the home and the restaurant kitchen, poor disposal of cooking oil leads to clogging up sewage systems.
To avoid this, cooking oil should be recycled. Here are the main reasons why you should recycle cooking oil.
1. Reduce Impact On The Environment
Proper disposal and recycling of cooking oil help to improve the environment. Pouring used cooking oil down the drain is detrimental to the environment.
Clogged pipes and drainage systems have a great impact on the cleanliness of the environment. Clogged pipes leak. This causes puddles of waste to spill to the ground and polluting the environment.
When homes and restaurants opt for used oil recycling, the impact of the poorly disposed cooking oil on the environment reduces significantly. There are fewer clogged and leaky pipes that cause sewage to leak to the ground.
In addition, homes, restaurants, and city governments in charge of public drainage systems will save lots of money. Clogged and leaky pipes cost lots of money to fix. Homes and restaurants don’t have to keep on calling plumbers to unblock their drainage pipes.
2. Create Unique Products
Used oil recycling results in the creation of unique products. There is a range of products that can be made from recycled cooking oil.
At home, you can make lubricants, soap, and many other products.
Recycling used oil commercially converts the cooking oil to biofuels. These biofuels are then sold to transport and manufacturing companies as environmentally friendly fuel.
Biofuels are increasingly being used to power vehicles around the world
When this fuel is used, there is little pollution to the environment. It also burns more efficiently than fossil fuel. This ensures that there is little waste in the process they are used in. Also, if the fuel spills, it causes no harm to the environment.
Recycled used oil can also be converted to animal feeds for pigs, fish, and other commercial animals and pets.
3. A Source Of Income
Another reason why you should recycle cooking oil is that it is a source of income. Homes, hotels, and commercial kitchens can use cooking oil recycling as a source of extra income.
Oil recycling companies buy waste cooking oil from homes and hotels. Recyclers provide participating homes and hotels waste containers. They can pour their waste cooking oil into these containers.
Recyclers will then have select days on which they collect the waste cooking oil from homes and hotels. The more waste cooking oil you have, the more you earn.
The recycling companies also contract transporters to collect the oil from the different homes and hotels supplying to them. This helps to create employment and become a source of income for a large number of operators.
4. It Is Easy And Cost Effective
Recycling used cooking oil is easy and effective. You can recycle used cooking oil at home or commercially.
At home, the reagents for oil recycling are easily available. With the right skills, you can convert your waste cooking oil into soap and pet feeds easily.
Commercially, processing waste cooking oil is a simple five-step process. It is easy to complete with a little training and convert the waste cooking oil into biofuel.
Conclusion
Everyone should recycle their used cooking oil. It is easy to do and you can make a myriad of products from the waste cooking oil. It also helps to create a cleaner environment and reduce the impact of pollution.
Waste management is one of the most serious environmental challenges faced by the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar. mainly on account of high population growth rate, urbanization, industrial growth and economic expansion. The country has one of the highest per capita waste generation rates worldwide of 1.8 kg per day.
Qatar produces more than 2.5 million tons of municipal solid waste each year. Solid waste stream is mainly comprised of organic materials (around 60 percent) while the rest of the waste steam is made up of recyclables like glass, paper, metals and plastics.
Municipalities are responsible for solid waste collection in Qatar both directly, using their own logistics, and indirectly through private sector contract. Waste collection and transport is carried out by a large fleet of trucks that collect MSW from thousands of collection points scattered across the country.
The predominant method of solid waste disposal in Qatar is landfilling. The collected is discharged at various transfer stations from where it is sent to the landfill. There are three landfills in Qatar; Umm Al-Afai for bulky and domestic waste, Rawda Rashed for construction and demolition waste, and Al-Krana for sewage wastes. However, the method of waste disposal by landfill is not a practical solution for a country like Qatar where land availability is limited.
Solid Waste Management Strategy
According to Qatar National Development Strategy 2011-2016, the country will adopt a multi-faceted strategy to contain the levels of waste generated by households, commercial sites and industry – and to promote recycling initiatives. Qatar intends to adopt integrated waste hierarchy of prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and as a last option, landfill disposal.
A comprehensive solid waste management plan is being implemented which will coordinate responsibilities, activities and planning for managing wastes from households, industry and commercial establishments, and construction industry. The target is to recycle 38 percent of solid waste, up from the current 8 percent, and reduce domestic per capita waste generation.
Five waste transfer stations have been setup in South Doha, West Doha, Industrial Area, Dukhan and Al-Khor to reduce the quantity of waste going to Umm Al-Afai landfill. These transfer stations are equipped with material recovery facility for separating recyclables such as glass, paper, aluminium and plastic.
Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre
One of the most promising developments has been the creation of Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre (DSWMC) at Mesaieed. This centre is designed to maximize recovery of resources and energy from waste by installing state-of-the-art technologies for separation, pre-processing, mechanical and organic recycling, and waste-to-energy and composting technologies.
At its full capacity, it treats 1550 tons of waste per day, and is expected to generate enough power for in-house requirements, and supply a surplus of 34.4 MW to the national grid.
Future Outlook
While commendable steps are being undertaken to handle solid waste, the Government should also strive to enforce strict waste management legislation and create mass awareness about 4Rs of waste management viz. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recovery. Legislation are necessary to ensure compliance, failure of which will attract a penalty with spot checks by the Government body entrusted with its implementation.
Improvement in curbside collection mechanism and establishment of material recovery facilities and recycling centres may also encourage public participation in waste management initiatives. When the Qatar National Development Strategy 2011-2016 was conceived, the solid waste management facility plant at Mesaieed was a laudable solution, but its capacity has been overwhelmed by the time the project was completed. Qatar needs a handful of such centers to tackle the burgeoning garbage disposal problem.
The composting process is a complex interaction between organic waste and microorganisms. The microorganisms that carry out this process fall into three groups: bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Actinomycetes are a form of fungi-like bacteria that break down organic matter. The first stage of the biological activity is the consumption of easily available sugars by bacteria, which causes a fast rise in temperature. The second stage involves bacteria and actinomycetes that cause cellulose breakdown. The last stage is concerned with the breakdown of the tougher lignins by fungi.
Central solutions are exemplified by low-cost composting without forced aeration, and technologically more advanced systems with forced aeration and temperature feedback. Central composting plants are capable of handling more than 100,000 tons of biodegradable waste per year, but typically the plant size is about 10,000 to 30,000 tons per year. Biodegradable wastes must be separated prior to composting: Only pure food waste, garden waste, wood chips, and to some extent paper are suitable for producing good-quality compost.
Composting Equipment
The composting plants consist of some or all of the following technical units: bag openers, magnetic and/or ballistic separators, screeners (sieves), shredders, mixing and homogenization equipment, turning equipment, irrigation systems, aeration systems, draining systems, bio-filters, scrubbers, control systems, and steering systems. The composting process occurs when biodegradable waste is piled together with a structure allowing for oxygen diffusion and with a dry matter content suiting microbial growth.
Biodegradable wastes must be separated prior to composting: Only pure food waste, garden waste, wood chips, and to some extent paper are suitable for producing good-quality compost.The temperature of the biomass increases due to the microbial activity and the insulation properties of the piled material. The temperature often reaches 65 to 75 degrees C within few days and then declines slowly. This high temperature hastens the elimination of pathogens and weed seeds.
Composting Methodologies
The methodology of composting can be categorized into three major segments—anaerobic composting, aerobic composting, and vermicomposting. In anaerobic composting, the organic matter is decomposed in the absence of air. Organic matter may be collected in pits and covered with a thick layer of soil and left undisturbed six to eight months. The compost so formed may not be completely converted and may include aggregated masses.
Aerobic composting is the process by which organic wastes are converted into compost or manure in presence of air and can be of different types. The most common is the Heap Method, where organic matter needs to be divided into three different types and to be placed in a heap one over the other, covered by a thin layer of soil or dry leaves. This heap needs to be mixed every week, and it takes about three weeks for conversion to take place. The process is same in the Pit Method, but carried out specially constructed pits. Mixing has to be done every 15 days, and there is no fixed time in which the compost may be ready.
Berkley Method uses a labor-intensive technique and has precise requirements of the material to be composted. Easily biodegradable materials, such as grass, vegetable matter, etc., are mixed with animal matter in the ratio of 2:1. Compost is usually ready in 15 days.
Vermicomposting involves use of earthworms as natural and versatile bioreactors for the process of conversion. It is carried out in specially designed pits where earthworm culture also needs to be done. Vermicomposting is a precision-based option and requires overseeing of work by an expert. It is also a more expensive option (O&M costs especially are high).
Plastic pollution is a global concern that’s significantly affecting the state of the environment. It can threaten the wildlife present in various areas and affect the health and safety of the human population. However, it’s also undeniable that some industries continue to produce and use plastic for their products.
If you wish to minimize your plastic waste and help preserve the environment, you can make some sustainable swaps in your daily lifestyle. To start, you can try going for these choices to make your bathroom plastic-free:
1. Use Natural Soap Made With Sustainable Ingredients
Nowadays, some hygiene products like soap or shampoo often come in plastic packaging that aren’t biodegradable. If you aren’t mindful of the types of items you buy, you may not notice how much waste you accumulate whenever you get self-care products from your local store. So if you wish to modify certain aspects of your hygiene routine in order to help the environment, use natural soap made with sustainable ingredients and packaging.
There are earth-friendly brands promoting various goods that produce little to no waste and are contain all-natural ingredients. Using their products may benefit not just the planet but also your body.
For example, Earthbits have a great range of natural soap made with gentle components. They offer options that don’t have any chemicals and are just as effective as those sold by commercial soap brands. Sustainable soaps can clean your body well without exposing your skin to too many chemical ingredients. You can try to find the scent and formulation you want so you can transition to a new product more comfortably.
“Cedarwood and Lemongrass Natural Soap from EarthBits”
2. Try Bar Shampoo
Besides your soap, you can also get your hair care products in a solid form. Usually, shampoo products sold in shops are packaged in plastic bottles and come in a liquid formula. It can be challenging to find ways to repurpose those containers that accumulate in your home, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. Hence, finding an eco-friendlier alternative that’s compact and more practical may be a good choice for your bathroom needs.
Some bar shampoos look like regular soap but are formulated specifically for your hair. You can use them to wash your crowning glory in the same way you use liquid shampoo. But thanks to their solid and compact appearance, you can save space in your bathroom and also lessen the amount of product you use during each shower you take. Check out natural shampoo Australia for some good shampoo bar choices.
3. Switch To A Bamboo Toothbrush
One effective method you can do to reduce your plastic waste production is to switch from regular plastic toothbrushes to bamboo ones. Although there are recyclable plastic items out there, traditional toothbrushes aren’t one of them. The bristles and handle of the brush are made with different materials, so they can’t be recycled. In fact, about one billion toothbrushes used in the United States end up in the trash each year.
Hence, a simple switch from a plastic item to a bamboo-made one can significantly reduce the amount of waste you have to get rid of. Some sustainable products are made with charcoal-infused bristles that are biodegradable and detachable. Once the bristles are old and worn out, you can simply throw them into homemade compost.
There are places where you can buy bamboo toothbrushes in bundles to save some money. They’re also easy to find, so you won’t need to worry about where you should get your supply by the time you need to replace the one you’re using.
4. Opt For Recycled Toilet Paper
For some households, it’s almost impossible not to have a supply of toilet paper in the bathroom. It serves multiple purposes like cleaning surfaces or drying wet places. Although the materials used to make tissue are recyclable, it isn’t easy to find recycling centers that accept them. The fiber composition of used tissue paper can’t be used to create good-quality paper, so that item is usually rejected. They also often come in plastic packaging, which you simply throw away once you need to use the toilet paper.
Living without tissue may be difficult, so if you wish for a more sustainable solution, you can start using recycled toilet paper instead. Given the materials used to make it, using it may lessen the carbon footprint you leave on the environment. Using recycled toilet paper helps conserve water and trees as well since it’s made with repurposed materials. In some cases, the packaging used for it is also recycled, so you won’t need to worry about contributing to the plastic waste piling up in landfills.
5. Make Your Own Toothpaste
More often than not, toothpaste is packaged in plastic tubes to make it easier for anyone to control how much they use. Once the product has been consumed, the only destination for the tube is the trash bin. So if you want to avoid throwing away more plastic and save money on your oral hygiene products, try making toothpaste instead.
You can create your own oral cleaning product with common ingredients like baking soda, coconut oil, and peppermint. If you refrain from purchasing your toothpaste from the grocery store, you can effectively lessen the number of empty plastic tubes you have to get rid of several times a year.
6. Avoid Small Packaging
Some hygiene or skincare products come in small plastic packaging. For instance, sample sizes of serums or facial creams are placed in pocket-sized containers made of plastic. Those can accumulate over time and exacerbate the problem with plastic waste. Hence, you should either purchase your personal care items in large quantities or simply avoid using products in small plastic containers.
For example, if you’ve been using the same face moisturizer for a long time, purchase the biggest available size instead of getting the smaller ones every time. Also, it would help to be conscious about how you get rid of empty containers. Some brands encourage customers to return empty packaging so they can recycle it. If you’re conscious about the condition of the environment, patronize brands that also care for nature as much as you can.
Final Thoughts
It can be challenging to eliminate or lessen your consumption of plastic products. Like your food supply and personal hygiene items, most of the goods you buy in stores are packed in plastic. So if you want to help Mother Nature, try to make sustainable swaps in your household, including your bathroom. You can purchase your soap and shampoo from eco-friendly brands that don’t use plastic packaging. Such simple changes may help preserve the environment, so don’t hesitate to give them a go.
Concerts, outdoor festivals and other gatherings with large numbers of people can generate an immense amount of waste. Not only is this wasteful potentially off-putting and unsanitary, but it can cause damage to both the environment and the appeal of the venue.
Many event organizers and planners focus on maximizing the appeal of their events via marketing, big names and other elements designed to draw in crowds. However, any outdoor event in particular must take into account the challenges posed by waste management and recycling in order to ensure sanitary and environmentally-friendly conditions.
In order to maximize the recycling potential of any outdoor venue, the following actions should be considered by any planning team prior to the event.
Partner with Green Waste Removal Companies
One of the biggest ways any event organizer(s) can contribute toward energy efficiency and more environmentally-friendly outcomes is to procure the services of a green waste disposal service.
Anyone who has organized an outdoor event before – especially in an open space or other area where standard permanent facilities do not exist – understands the need for waste disposal. Companies such as Satellite Industries provide on-site portable restroom services that dispose of waste in efficient and environmentally-friendly ways.
Some companies even use this bio-waste to create clean energy from the output, helping to further minimize its impact on the environment.
Position Recycling Bins Ideally
Virtually every outdoor venue generates large amounts of waste. From bottles and cans to miscellaneous items that find their way onto the ground or in trash cans, it can be a mess. When planning any outdoor event, organizers will have full control over where the flow of traffic is and how/where people congregate.
With this knowledge available, event planners can take steps to ensure that recycling bins and containers are optimally positioned throughout the premises to capture the largest amount of waste possible. Depending on the event and its offerings, you may need separate containers for aluminum, plastic, paper and/or glass.
Ask for Help
Especially true when coordinating events for charities, local organizations and non-profits, a small volunteer force may be both obtainable and very useful in facilitating recycling. With the help of a few volunteers, a team can scour the venue during and after the event in order to retrieve recyclables from the receptacles. In addition, these volunteers can also help with any litter found on the grounds during the event, thereby minimizing the amount of clean-up time after the event has concluded.
Contact Local Recycling Centers
Your local recycling center, landfill or governmental body may have additional resources to provide in the pursuit of improving recycling at an event. Some cities have independent recycling agencies that offer free receptacles and pick-up for recycled goods. Others offer comprehensive guides on how to position recycling areas and maximize participation from event attendees. Even the federal government offers recycling resources to those who wish to improve waste outcomes.
Outdoor festivals, such as Glastonbury, generates a tremendous amount of waste.
Ultimately, this information and assistance can go a long way toward maximizing recycling at any event, as these entities will have plenty of expertise and experience in these areas. Such advice can help further improve environmentally-friendly outcomes and reduce the incidence of waste at any event.
The massive amount of potential waste generated during any outdoor event can be disruptive both to the event and the environment. Event organizers who want to maximize cleanliness and environmental friendliness can take steps to reduce the amount of discarded materials that end up in landfills and other centers. By working with local agencies, procuring volunteers, partnering with waste removal agencies and using recycling bins efficiently, the overall amount of waste at any outdoor event can be substantially reduced.
Sweden is considered as a global leader in sustainable waste management and in the reduction of per capita carbon footprint. The country consistently works to lower its greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and increase public awareness. Over the past 10 years, Sweden developed methods of repurposing waste, so less than one percent of the total waste generated in the country makes it to landfills. To accomplish this, the country changed their perspective of garbage.
Increase Recycling
Recycling is a part of Swedish culture. Residents regularly sort recyclable materials and food scraps from other waste in their homes before disposal. This streamlines the recycling process and reduces the effort required to sort large volumes of waste at larger recycling centers. As another way to promote recycling, the Swedish government created legislation stating recycling centers must be within 1,000 feet of residential areas. Conveniently located facilities encourage citizens to properly dispose of their waste.
Repurpose Materials
Citizens are also encouraged to reuse or repurpose materials before recycling or disposing of them. Repurposing and reusing products requires less energy when compared to the recycling or waste disposal process. As Swedes use more repurposed products, they reduce the volume of new products they consume which are created from fresh materials. In turn, the country preserves more of its resources.
Invest in Waste to Energy
Over 50 percent of the waste generated in Sweden is burned in waste-to-energy facilities. The energy produced by these facilities heats homes across the country during the long winter months. Localized heating — known as district heating — has improved air quality throughout the nation. It’s easier and more economical to control the emissions from several locations as opposed to multiple, smaller non-point sources.
Another benefit of waste-to-energy facilities is that ash and other byproducts of the burning process can be used for road construction materials. As a whole, Sweden doesn’t create enough waste to fuel its waste to energy plants — the country imports waste from its neighbors to keep its facilities going.
In the early 1990’s, the Swedish government shifted the responsibility for waste management from cities to the industries producing materials which would eventually turn to waste. To promote burning waste for energy, the government provides tax incentives to companies which make more economically attractive.
Impact of Waste-to-Energy
Although Sweden has eliminated the volume of trash entering landfills, they have increased their environmental impacts in other ways. Waste-to-energy facilities are relatively clean in that most harmful byproducts are filtered out before entering the environment, though they still release carbon-dioxide and water as their primary outputs. On average, waste-to-energy plants generate nearly 20 percent more carbon-dioxide when compared to coal plants.
Coal plants burn and release carbon which is otherwise sequestered in the ground and unable to react with the earth’s atmosphere. Waste-to-energy facilities consume and release carbon from products made of organic materials, which naturally release their carbon over time. The downside to this process is that it frees the carbon from these materials at a much faster rate than it would be naturally.
The reliance on the waste-to-energy process to generate heat and the tax incentives may lower Swedish motivation to recycle and reuse materials. The country already needs to import trash to keep their waste-to-energy plants running regularly. Another disadvantage of this process is the removal and destruction of finite materials from the environment.
Even though Sweden continues to make strides in lowering their environmental impact as a whole, they should reevaluate their reliance on waste to energy facilities.
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