Disposal of cooking oil is not an easy task. If you try to drain it, it will block your sink drains and cause you immense plumbing problems. Throwing it away is also not a good idea because it causes damage to the environment. Cooking oil cannot go to your usual recycle trash bin like other trash because the processes of recycling it are different. However, there are better ways of recycling cooking oil without harming the environment. You can have it recycled. If you are not able to do it by yourself, there are companies that offer cooking oil recycling services.
Benefits of recycling cooking oil
Recycling companies turn cooking oil into other products like stock feed, cosmetics and biofuel. They also filter the oil for reuse. If you are not in any position to recycle your cooking oil, do not drain it down the sink or throw it in your waste bin. Wrap your cooking oil in a tight jar, make sure there are no spills and call the right people to come and collect it.
Recycling cooking oil comes with several benefits. The technology used to recycle the oil is advanced and the final products help in both businesses and homes.
Below are some of the major benefits of recycling of cooking oil:
1. Renewable energy
Recycling cooking oil turns it into renewable energy used in many manufacturing firms for processing their products. One of the most notable fuels is biodiesel, which is from used oils, grease, animal fats and vegetable oils among others. Vehicles that use diesel can use this fuel effectively and businesses that use diesel-powered machines can use the fuel without any fear of harmful emissions.
2. Cleaner environment
We all need a clean environment and it is not what we always get. Fuels are some of the major contributor to health hazards because of emissions. Petro-diesel is very toxic as compared to biodiesel. Biodiesel is eco-friendly and does not damage a vehicle’s engine. Petro-diesel on the other hand, produces chemical compounds like sulphur that are acidic. This acid can spoil the engine. Biodiesel production is green in nature and keeps everything safe.
3. Saves costs
Recycling cooking oil saves costs in many ways. At home, you can reduce your disposal costs by calling a recycling company to come for your waste oil. If you try to dispose of the oil by yourself, you may end up spending more on extra waste bins, transportation and special disposal procedures.
Companies that use recycled oil have a chance of preventing their equipment from spoiling faster than they did before the recycled oil. Maintenance costs go down and recycled oil like biodiesel is much cheaper as compared to the other kinds of imported fuels.
4. Creates jobs
Disposing of waste materials and recycling them is one way of creating jobs for the masses. Instead of using that money to import petro-diesel, the government uses the money to employ more people to recycle oil into more beneficial biodiesel.
5. Make money out of it
You can make an extra buck out of disposing your used oil. Instead of throwing your oil away, look for companies that recycle the oil and pay you for it. This will also save you on transport costs to go and dispose of your oil, because the recycling companies come to pick it up.
Wrapping it up
The most important factor about recycling is that we are working towards one goal. That goal is to maintain a greener, healthier and cleaner environment. That is our goal and recycling cooking oil is one way of doing that.
In an era marked by environmental awareness, crafting an effective waste recycling strategy is essential for individuals, communities, and businesses alike. Adopting sustainable practices not only reduces the strain on landfills but also contributes to the conservation of earth’s precious resources. This article presents five crucial tips that can pave the way for a successful waste recycling strategy, promoting a greener future for the planet.
To transition to a zero-waste lifestyle, you should always recycle.
1. Source Segregation: Streamlining the Recycling Process
At the heart of any recycling strategy lies source segregation, the practice of sorting waste materials at the point of disposal. By categorizing waste into distinct streams, such as paper, plastics, glass, and organic matter, you streamline the recycling process and ensure that each material is processed optimally. This step minimizes contamination and maximizes the value derived from recycled materials, making it a cornerstone of an effective waste management plan.
2. Public Awareness and Education: Fostering a Recycling Culture
Raising public awareness is pivotal in driving successful waste recycling. Communities and businesses must invest in educational campaigns to inform individuals about the importance of recycling and proper disposal techniques. Collaborating with schools and local organizations can amplify these efforts. By emphasizing the tangible benefits of recycling and illustrating how small actions can collectively make a significant impact, a recycling culture can flourish.
3. Technology Integration: Enhancing Efficiency and Monitoring
Incorporating technology into waste-recycling strategies can yield impressive results. Smart bins equipped with sensors can monitor fill levels, optimizing waste collection routes and reducing unnecessary pickups. Additionally, data-driven insights can aid in fine-tuning recycling programs over time. A partnership with an electricity provider can help power these technological advancements sustainably, ensuring that monitoring systems are efficient and environmentally friendly.
AI-based waste management systems can help in route optimization and waste disposal
4. Circular Economy Collaboration: From Waste to Resource
Fostering partnerships with businesses that embrace the circular economy model is a strategic move. This model emphasizes minimizing waste and reusing materials, transforming them into valuable resources. By collaborating with forward-thinking industries, waste recycling programs can benefit from innovative upcycling and repurposing solutions. Such collaborations not only divert waste from landfills but also promote a more sustainable approach to resource management.
Through these partnerships, the circular economy principles are not just integrated into the waste recycling strategy, but they become a driving force for innovation and creativity. By tapping into the expertise of businesses committed to reimagining material usage, recycling programs can uncover new avenues for product design, material sourcing, and waste reduction.
This proactive engagement with industry leaders further solidifies the waste recycling strategy’s impact, driving positive change across sectors and inspiring a broader shift toward a circular, waste-conscious economy.
5. Continuous Evaluation and Adaptation: A Dynamic Approach
A successful waste recycling strategy isn’t static; it evolves over time. Regular evaluation of the program’s effectiveness is vital. Metrics such as waste diversion rates, reductions in contamination, and resource savings should guide refinements to the strategy. Stakeholder feedback can provide valuable insights for adapting the strategy to changing needs and advancements. This dynamic approach ensures that the strategy remains effective in addressing the evolving landscape of waste management challenges and opportunities.
Bottom Line
Crafting and implementing an effective waste recycling strategy demands commitment, collaboration, and innovation. By embracing source segregation, raising awareness, leveraging technology, fostering circular economy partnerships, and maintaining adaptability, communities and businesses can pave the way for a greener, more sustainable future. Each step taken toward waste recycling is a step toward preserving the planet’s resources for generations to come.
Communities across the world are grappling with waste management issues. A consensus is emerging worldwide that the ultimate way to deal with waste is to eliminate it. The concept of Zero Waste encourages redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused, thereby systematically avoiding and eliminating the volume and toxicity of waste and materials.
The philosophy of Zero Waste strives to ensure that products are designed to be repaired, refurbished, re-manufactured and generally reused. Among key zero waste facilities are material recovery facilities, composting plants, reuse facilities, wastewater/biosolids plants etc.
Material recovery facilities (MRFs) are an essential part of a zero waste management program as it receives separates and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers. The main function of the MRF is to maximize the quantity of recyclables processed, while producing materials that will generate the highest possible revenues in the market. MRFs can also process wastes into a feedstock for biological conversion through composting and anaerobic digestion.
A materials recovery facility accepts materials, whether source separated or mixed, and separates, processes and stores them for later use as raw materials for remanufacturing and reprocessing. MRFs serve as an intermediate processing step between the collection of recyclable materials from waste generators and the sale of recyclable materials to markets for use in making new products.
There are basically four components of a typical MRF: sorting, processing, storage, and load-out. Any facility design plan should accommodate all these activities which promote efficient and effective operation of a recycling program. MRFs may be publicly owned and operated, publicly owned and privately operated, or privately owned and operated.
There are two types of MRFs – dirty and clean. A dirty MRF receives mixed waste material that requires labor intense sorting activities to separate recyclables from the mixed wastes. A clean MRF accepts recyclable materials that have already been separated from the components in municipal solid waste (MSW) that are not recyclable. A clean MRF reduces the potential for material contamination.
A typical Zero Waste MRF (ZWMRF) may include three-stream waste collection infrastructure, resource recovery center, reuse/recycling, residual waste management facility and education centers.
The primary objective of all MRFs is to produce clean and pure recyclable materials so as to ensure that the commodities produced are marketable and fetch the maximum price. Since waste streams vary in composition and volume from one place to another, a MRF should be designed specifically to meet the short and long term waste management goals of that location. The real challenge for any MRF is to devise a recycling strategy whereby no residual waste stream is left behind.
The basic equipment used in MRFs are conveyors & material handling equipment to move material through the system, screening equipment to sort material by size, magnetic separation to remove ferrous metals, eddy current separation to remove non-ferrous metals, air classifiers to sort materials by density, optical sorting equipment to separate plastics or glass by material composition, and baling equipment to prepare recovered material for market. Other specialized equipment such as bag breakers, shredders and sink-float tanks can also be specified as required by application.
In a world where sustainability is more critical than ever, recycling has become essential to global discussions around environmental conservation.
One aspect often overlooked in the discourse is tire recycling.
Before 2013, numerous ecological issues arose from incinerating or sending discarded tires to landfills. A report by the Tire Industry Project for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development estimates there are 4 billion end-of-life tires (ELT) in landfills and other stockpiles around the world. Although tire recovery rates have improved over the past decade, they may not be sufficient to handle the additional 1 billion ELTs generated globally each year.
This article explores the complex issue of tire recycling, its environmental impact, and potential solutions to this waste management challenge.
The Problem With Tire Disposal
Landfilled tires can take hundreds of years to decompose. This can cause several issues, including:
Groundwater and soil pollution
Different materials and chemicals, including rubber, carbon black steel, and various additives, make up tires. Over time, the harsh environmental conditions within landfills can cause these materials to break down and leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater, potentially contaminating drinking water and agricultural land.
Methane emissions
As tires decompose, they release methane gas, which is about 25 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. Additionally, methane is highly flammable and can create an explosion hazard if it accumulates in high concentrations, posing environmental and safety risks.
Health hazards
Tires can catch fire easily due to their high heat retention and flammability. Tire fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish, often burning for days or weeks. They also generate a significant amount of toxic smoke, including pollutants like dioxins and furans, that can cause serious health problems in humans and animals.
Fortunately, the modern tire recycling machine has become an effective tool for alleviating these problems, with equipment manufacturers making them more accessible. These machines help mitigate the environmental issues and hazards mentioned above by recovering materials from tire waste, such as steel, fiber, and rubber, to produce various raw materials.
Given the abovementioned issues, tire recycling ought to become an increasingly critical aspect of waste management.
Modern tire recycling machines and methods have been developed to repurpose old tires into usable raw materials, which conserves valuable resources and reduces environmental harm. These methods include:
Ambient shredding
In this process, powerful, interlocking knives cut tires into smaller pieces. Professionals can further separate these pieces into different components, such as ‘crumb rubber,’ which has various applications. For example, manufacturers often use it as a raw material in playground surfaces and sports fields. Additionally, road construction projects use crumb rubber as an additive for asphalt, creating rubberized roads that last longer and reduce road noise.
Cryogenic grinding
This method freezes tires using liquid nitrogen or compressed air. Once the tires become brittle, they can be easily shattered into small pieces, producing clean, high-quality rubber powder. This material has myriad applications, usually used in making new tires, automotive parts, and substances like sealants, coatings, and adhesives.
Pyrolysis
This method involves heating tires in an oxygen-free chamber, which decomposes the tires into oil, gas, and carbon black. Pyrolytic oil can substitute conventional fuels in industrial applications, while the resultant gas can generate electricity. For its part, carbon black can be repurposed for producing new tires or as a pigment in manufacturing inks, paints, and plastic products.
Each of these methods effectively transforms what would otherwise be a significant environmental issue into valuable materials and energy sources, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of used tires. These practices show how tire recycling isn’t just a potential solution to an environmental problem but an effective way to achieve sustainability.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, it’s clear that tire recycling on a global scale can contribute to achieving sustainable waste management. The triumvirate of continual advancements in recycling technology, rigorous government regulations, and public awareness campaigns are expected to drive growth in the field.
Moreover, developing sustainable markets for recycled tire products is a crucial factor for the future of tire recycling. Transforming used tires into valuable commodities allows us to resolve a significant waste problem while conserving natural resources and building up a circular economy.
Recycling Remains Relevant
As the world continues to grapple with the challenges of waste management, tire recycling may be a powerful example of how innovative solutions can transform a significant environmental problem into an opportunity for sustainable development.
The future of tire recycling holds substantial promise for both the environment and the economy, demonstrating how innovative, sustainable solutions can drive progress.
The impact of human activities on the environment is rapidly changing. One such activity gaining much attention is waste disposal. A lot of waste products go to landfills despite constituting a reasonable fraction of organic matter, such as paper materials, food wastes, and pet droppings.
The new preferred way to dispose of organic waste is composting. Composting refers to the process through which materials biodegrade. It is a means by which organic waste can be safely recycled. Composting can be effectively done with compost systems.
Take note that this process of waste disposal is still in its early stages, especially when adopted in homes. Still, here are 7 benefits of composting:
1. Improved Soil Quality
Composted materials become humus, a known nutrient-rich constituent of soil. The newly formed humus replenishes soil nutrients and improves water retention in loose soil. Thus, soil quality considerably improves as a result of composting.
Composted materials are also rich in fungi and bacteria. These microbes prevent insect infestation and suppress weed growth. With these nutrient draining agents out of the way, your soil quality dramatically improves, too.
2. Saves Time and Money
It is a waste of time and money when a yard being cultivated does not experience normal growth, nor does it yield the expected harvest. Fortunately, you can save money and time in the long term with composting practices. This is possible because of the compost’s ability to fight insect infestation, weed growth, and to replenish the soil of lost nutrients.
The three nutrients that are sought in chemical fertilizers, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK), are made available by humus. This directly saves you the cost of purchasing fertilizers. Without the presence of compost, farmers need to spend a lot of money to buy pesticides and weed killers.
3. Environment Friendliness
Composting is an environmentally friendly option compared to landfills. Landfills are currently the most common destination for organic waste. In landfills, organic waste cannot decay properly, so they generate a specific greenhouse gas called methane.
Methane is known to cause harmful effects on the environment – similar to that of carbon dioxide but even more dangerous. The more organic waste ends up in landfills, the more methane gas that is produced.
Composting solves this problem in a whiff by reducing the amount of methane produced while organic matter decays. Composting allows carbon to be retained in the soil, which lowers the carbon footprint caused by decaying matter.
The ability of compost to bypass the incineration of yard waste also makes it a preferred option for organic waste in yards.
4. Improved Human Health
There are several ways for composting to indirectly enhance human health. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as mentioned above, by composting is not only good for the environment but also for people – a reduction of greenhouse gas means a healthier environment to live in.
Organic food production credited to composting also improves human health in significant ways. It reduces the number of chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides that end up in meals, translating to healthier humans.
5. Higher Agricultural Yield
A higher yield of crops is very important to farmers. Through its ability to increase soil quality, composting achieves a higher return in agricultural products. More plant yield accounts for more plants to be sold, which also means more money to be made.
Soil quality also translates to the quality of the food which is produced. Food produced from high-quality, organic soil is free from all toxins from chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
6. Reduced Erosion
Erosion is harmful to the soil because it makes soil matter and nutrients to be washed away. This is compounded by the fact that soils are loose.
Compost averts erosion by remedying the existing structure of the soil. It further prevents erosion by:
Aiding water infiltration in the soil structure.
Aiding water retention, thereby slowing runoff and loss of soil matter.
Allows for quicker vegetation growth.
7. Aids Biodiversity
Microorganisms present in the soil, such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, will cause the decay of organic material. Their presence is important because they aid soil aeration. Soil aeration on its own accelerates the composting process, making nutrients available in their usable state as quickly as possible.
Other organisms that are present in composted soil include worms and beneficial insects. All these aids the process of plant growth.
Conclusion
Composting is a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to dispose of organic waste. It is particularly important even now as the world struggles with creating solutions to waste disposal.
The application of compost results in better soil quality. It is also a process that saves them time and money of farmers. Humans can benefit from composting through improved health. There is a higher yield of farm produce as a result of composting. Erosion is significantly reduced, and biodiversity is achieved in the soil through composting.
Are you a business owner? Irrespective of the kind of business you’re in, waste management is something that should definitely concern you. Given the amount of waste businesses generate daily, it can become overwhelming to deal with, particularly when it comes to large and complex waste.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to waste management, there are many different ways to go about it: recycling, following waste management protocols, waste prevention, and hiring professional services.
If you’re looking for more ideas on how to deal with large and complex waste in your business, our post has got you covered, so read on!
The Different Ways of Dealing with Business Waste
Whether you’re in the food, health, pharmaceutical, or any other industry, you’ll find a waste management solution that will click for you.
1. Recycle Your Waste
Spend some time to analyse the waste that your business is generating and identify how much of it can be recycled. This step is an absolute no-brainer, as it has countless benefits for your company. For starters, recycling waste means that you won’t have to spend so much on procuring new resources.
If you have complex waste that you cannot recycle yourself, you can send it to dedicated recycling plants. In fact, sending your business waste to a recycling plant is often a more economical option than disposing of it directly.
With growing awareness about climate change, many businesses are conscious of building a ‘green image’. By recycling your complex business waste, you’re doing your bit for the environment while simultaneously improving the image of your business.
2. Reduce Waste Production
We’ve all heard that prevention is better than cure. Look at it this way: If your business generates less waste, dealing with waste becomes a lot easier. So, how can you go about this?
Considering that most businesses are embracing technology, you can start by cutting down on your paper usage. Additionally, if your business makes use of battery-operated equipment, you can swap regular batteries for rechargeable ones. You can also come up with waste reduction plans and strategies.
It’s a good idea to monitor your business waste for a certain period and spot areas that provide a scope for waste reduction. You can also get your employees involved in this process.
3. Follow Protocols
Depending on the industry you’re in, you may have a set of waste management protocols you are required to follow. For instance, if you’re dealing with pharmaceuticals, there’s a lot of medical waste that needs to be taken care of daily.
Pharmaceutical industry can change its practices to manage pharmaceuticals in a more ecofriendly manner.
You need to follow proper incineration, chemical disinfection, dry thermal treatment, microwave irradiation, land disposal, and inertisation processes. Similarly, every industry has a set of protocols to follow.
While the process is bound to be time-consuming, it will help get your large and complex waste sorted once and for all. Improper waste management can create problems for your business in the long run, so it would be best to avoid such a situation.
4. Help Others to Help You
It may be that some of the waste your business generates, like leftover food, materials, and other products, can be donated to vulnerable communities. You can also consider linking up with charities or NGOs to make this a regular practice. Not only are your business waste management worries taken care of, but you’ll also be making a contribution to society.
5. Tackle the Big Packaging Problem
Packaging can make up a huge proportion of your waste. Every business makes use of packaging in some way or the other. What can you do differently to reduce the packaging you handle?
First, you can adopt a minimalist approach. Don’t use packaging unless a product really needs it. Second, being resourceful can help. For example, it doesn’t make sense to use an entire cardboard crate to pack a product that’s only half the size.
Packaging that adorns your product can have serious environmental impact.
Considering that many packaging materials like bubble wraps are plastic, it’s important not to over-use them. By minimising the materials that go into packaging, you’re directly reducing your business’ packaging-related waste.
6. Get Professional Help
There are many professional companies such as phs Wastekit that offer personalized waste-management solutions to businesses that need them. These expert services can perform a systematic waste audit to help you understand how your business can reduce producing waste.
They typically use top-notch equipment for waste disposal, saving you a lot of money in the process. What’s more, they even put you in touch with recycling services to whom you can entrust all your large and complex recyclable waste.
Summing Up
Dealing with the large and complex waste in your business can be tricky. However, when done the right way, it can make a huge difference to your brand image, boost your revenue and give you time to focus on the things that truly matter.
To top it off, you’ll be eco-friendly all the way through! We hope that our post has inspired you to give your business’ waste management policies another look.
f your Sydney household, garage, shed or other shelter area has run out of room to store clutter it may be time to hire a rubbish removal team. Placing piles of garbage around your home or workplace is not only unsightly, but it could also be hazardous, so say goodbye to waste and say hello to the professionals!
Home Renovations
Rubbish is a part of life, yet when it accumulates it can be an absolute nightmare. It takes up space and can be hard to keep clean – fortunately, there is help available. You can call rubbish removal services like www.ridly.com.au, which will collect and dispose of your waste properly. Plus recycle any items they can into new products – making a positive contribution towards our environment!
Lessees are responsible for maintaining an orderly environment within and beyond its premises at their own expense, including removal of all debris such as ashes, garbage, excelsior, straw, and other refuse. No materials shall be burned on the lessee’s premises except in incinerators with structures, designs and capacities approved by the lessor – so getting someone to haul that stuff away is a huge deal.
As soon as you start renovating, waste can start piling up quickly. There are services that offer to clear away both green waste and general rubbish from your property while renovating, in addition to applying for CDCs or DAs, obtaining structural certifications, providing advice about materials and fittings, planning your site layout accordingly and arranging tradesmen before handover is completed.
Front Nature Strip Clearances
The front nature strip is another component of urban landscapes, creating an outdoor “green space” between roads, footpaths, and properties. Residents can use it to improve streetscape aesthetics and increase property values while contributing to neighbourhood security. While local authorities are responsible for maintaining footpath areas such as “crown land”, which often forms part of nature strips – residents themselves must take responsibility for maintaining “crown land”.
Most homeowners mow their lawns, while some go the extra step and plant trees, garden plants (like succulents or agapanthus) or verge gardens to add greenery along their curb. Although this trend has been around for some time now, more households across Sydney are embracing their curb side greenery than ever before.
Not every city allows planting on nature strips without first obtaining a permit; regulations vary greatly between municipalities. Some council does not permit any planting at all while others restrict height or require certain kinds of plants.
Councils typically do not permit trees to be cut back or removed from front nature strips without prior approval from service providers in case of emergency, while also mandating that at all times at least 1.5m clear width must remain on footpaths for pedestrian safety.
Under federal law, it is unlawful to store waste or rubbish on nature strips without prior permission from your local council – this includes placing skip-style bins there. Should this occur, fines could apply and could even lead to arrest charges being laid against you.
While most residents who garden on their nature strips do it out of kindness, others have more commercial motives in mind when gardening their nature strips. This is particularly true of business owners who see the potential for increasing profits through growing produce in front nature strips. While gardening on nature strips has its advantages, you should keep in mind the effects on nearby residents and the environment, as well as any costs involved – gardening on a nature strip may prove costly for some individuals.
Green Waste Removal
Green waste can quickly become an eyesore if left accumulating in the backyard, common outdoor areas of apartments or at work. Not only is it unattractive to look at, but it also serves as a breeding ground for pests and diseases – prompt and efficient green waste removal is vital to ensure an aesthetically pleasing backyard, shared outdoor area or office space.
Instead of dumping green waste in landfills, consider recycling it instead with the help of a green rubbish removal service that uses composting or biogas plants to recycle it into natural gas production and nutrient-rich soil for gardens and lawns.
Landfills should not be chosen as a way of disposing of green waste as this can have serious repercussions for the environment. When this waste enters landfills, it undergoes anaerobic decomposition which produces methane emissions at 25 times greater potency than carbon dioxide, contributing significantly to global warming.
An alternative method of recycling green waste is creating mulch and garden compost from it, which can then be used in your backyard to enrich and improve soil quality or spread across public spaces such as parks to help plants and trees in those spaces grow faster and healthier.
Recycling
Australia’s recycling industry has undergone dramatic change over time. Older Australians may recall bottle drives, paper and cardboard recycling collection bins and trips to scrap metal merchants to sell steel cans. Today, mixed recycling practices produce much cleaner waste streams that require far less sorting at recycling plants, saving space in landfills while being beneficial for the environment.
Australian local councils manage around 26% of domestic waste collected through curb side collection services each year, collecting 9.7 million tons at curb side to be processed at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), before transporting recyclable materials back for recycling at plants in Australia or overseas.
To transition to a zero-waste lifestyle, you should always recycle.
Recycled materials that cannot be recycled are sent to a landfill. Landfills come in all shapes and sizes; typically lined with clay, rock, and sand to prevent leakage and contamination, they must also meet environmental regulations while being constantly monitored and maintained to comply with state government requirements – this expensive operation must be covered either locally by councils owning them, or state governments where they’re situated.
Each city has different recycling regulations, but there are some general guidelines you should abide by when recycling. Ensure you place only acceptable items into your recycling bin as contamination from unwanted material could ruin an otherwise efficient batch of recycling. It can be easy to get confused over this matter so if in doubt about what belongs where, speak to your local council.
Hazardous waste can be extremely harmful and often includes products like motor oil, brake fluid, kerosene, mineral turpentine, insecticides, and herbicides as well as batteries, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), oven cleaners and pool chemicals.
Hazardous waste is typically generated by large companies like manufacturing industries and construction practices; however, it may also come from home disposal of old electronics equipment or furniture or paint. Proper disposal is important to preserve human, animal, and plant life; there are specialist disposal companies that specialize in handling this material, but it is still best practice to avoid excess waste in the first place.
Disposal
Australian waste disposal can be a complex matter. While recycling remains an integral component of waste management, landfills remain the preferred destination for 40% of Australia’s trash each year. Landfills range from small trench-based facilities that cannot hold more than 1000 tons annually up to large, well-planned facilities capable of accommodating over 100,000 tons annually.
As I said before, landfills aren’t solely used to store household waste; much of Australia’s landfill waste originates from large companies and construction practices, often classified as hazardous and requiring special disposal facilities.
Landfills were once the go-to solution, but as new technologies emerge more and more of this material is diverted away from traditional disposal methods; one such technology is anaerobic digestion – which turns organic waste into energy while decreasing methane emissions into the atmosphere.
Waste management doesn’t just fall to industry alone – Australians must also play their part. People frequently place items in the wrong bin; one study discovered that 88% of Australians don’t know where the recycling bin goes.
The recycling industry has become more complex so has the need for sorting different types of paper, glass, plastics, and metals into categories. With curb side collection becoming popular and centralized facilities established, councils began finding it less economically sound to separate waste at curb side – it became cheaper and more efficient to send mixed containers directly to these facilities where materials could be easily and economically separated.
The quality of recycled products has declined and there are now concerns regarding their performance in the marketplace. Thankfully, efforts are being taken to remedy this situation such as banning the export of e-waste and setting an ambitious target of decreasing waste generation by 10 per cent per person by 2030.
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. New technologies like artificial intelligence are making it possible to make the transition to sustainable product development.
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.
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