WASTE DISPOSAL There are many issues that are affecting the environment and the people who live in it. Of all the concerning and pressing issues we are currently faced with; I chose to discuss the issue of waste disposal. Waste disposal is the gathering, managing/processing, and removal/deposition of the waste materials of human society. There are several methods and types of waste disposal, these include landfill, incineration, recycling, animal feed and biological processing (Narayana, 2009). Landfill is one of the most common disposal methods worldwide, it includes collecting, transporting and dumping the waste at a designated area. Incineration is a waste disposal method by combustion. Recycling is one of the best disposal methods because it preserves the environment by ensuring that no waste ends up on the water bodies or the land. Animal feed and biological processing are also environmental effective methods. Animal feed is whereby food waste is used to feed animals like pigs so that waste is minimized, and biological processing is whereby different kinds of organic waste is used to make compost and fertilise the soil. Of the five abovementioned waste disposal methods, only three seem to be eco-friendly, these are recycling, animal feed and biological processing. Landfilling contributes to land pollution because the waste has the potential to be blown away by the wind or washed away by water and this polluted the surrounding areas. I know this because back at home my house is a corner house that is next to a landfill, it is frustrating to have to always clean up the yard from all the garbage that comes from the landfill site, it made us look like the untidiest people of which it wasn’t the case, plus the smell that came from there was honestly intolerable especially on hot days. Incineration contributes to air pollution since there is burning included. Even though there are these disposal methods available, it does not mean that all waste gets disposed correctly. In fact, I’d like to believe that most of the waste from humans is not properly disposed, but it ends up polluting the land and water bodies. This is where the real problem is. It is really worrying to realise just how much waste ends up polluting the oceans and the environments we live in. Waste like plastic pollutes our waters and destruct the productivity of our soil because they are not naturally biodegradable, this means that is they end up in the waters they are going to stay there for years and pose a threat to the marine life since they can only be biodegraded at industrial facilities. The worst part about plastics is not only the fact that they are dangerous waste, but that they are also harmful to the environment when they are being produced. Production of plastic releases a variety of greenhouse gases that plays a role in the destruction of the ozone and causing global warming. Plastic pellets, also known as pre-production pellets or nurdles, are the building blocks for nearly every product made of plastic. These nurdles often end up in the rivers and oceans, and they contain very high amounts of toxins. There is pollution by the sewages that is caused by the blocked drainage systems by plastics. It honestly worries me that there isn’t a 100% way of making life easy without compromising the environment at the same time. The whole situation also makes me angry and hurt because the environments that are mostly suffering from the pollution caused by the landfills are mostly the poorer areas. No developed area has a landfill next to where people are residing. Back at home, the waste from the residents who live at town is disposed at the landfill that is next to our house, causing pollution for us and the people who live in the township. There is no proper waste management for people who stay in the poorer areas, and this is another issue on its own honestly. I swear the smell that comes from that site is very bad that to a certain extent I think it is hazardous since all different kinds of things are disposed there. I feel like as human beings we can do better, come up with ways of living that are not harmful to either us or the environment we live in, or we will live to tell a tale to the younger generation about how the environment was beautiful and took care of us until we destroyed it, by then we will be living off by GMO food and man made oxygen- https://youtu.be/LM_jruaJmNw (a video showing a man-made leaf that can photosynthesise and make oxygen). As we humans evolve, we come up with ways to make life easier and better for us, but most of the time our ways of bettering life are not very environmentally friendly. Although that may not show at first, but it becomes very evident as time goes on and the consequences show later on, sometimes later when the person who invented the practice has passed on and cannot even answer for themselves. The invention of plastic by marketeer Leo Baekeland back in 1907 was to better our lives and help us carry things in lighter material that is waterproof and not perishable unlike paper. But this has become a great environmental issue today and “the father of plastic industry” is not around to witness this. People who came with the idea to have landfills and burning the wate were also probably just trying to help but these turned out to be other ways of pollution. What I have learnt is that not everything done with good intentions end in a good way, sometimes good things have bad outcomes as well. Last year when I was scrolling through Facebook I came across a video of a company that makes clothes out of plastic bottles- https://youtu.be/zyF9MxlcItw - and I honestly got inspired. I have drawn up a business plan to make a business of my own back at home where I also make clothes from plastic bottles top reduce pollution, but this is only going to happen in few years’ time when I have enough funds to start my own business. But for now I am going to keep on recycling to help with pollution, I’m grateful to be able to make a change no matter how small. There is also a video of a man who made a whole floating hotel made of plastic bottles in Ivory Coast because he is “obsessed with trash”https://youtu.be/ivzPRUNVgbk – I think he just saw how much pollution the bottles caused and saw an opportunity in that, it is honestly a brilliant idea. We are living in a world that wants to fix the environment for the upcoming generation, a world that wants to do better and be better. If one scrolls through YouTube, they’d realise just how much good deeds people are making to better the environment. https://youtu.be/1La2T7twXlQ - this is a video is a woman who make plastics that are biodegradable because she wants to make the world better for her child, this is both emotional and impressive. I believe that everyone can make a difference, from talking a friend who litters, picking up litter, recycling and to inventing such brilliant ideas to make eco-friendly things that are useful in the everyday life. Pollution obviously affect everyone negatively, but with all hands on deck we can counteract its effects. Good thing about fighting pollution is that we can make extra cash on the side while making life better fir us and the environment we live in. Nurture your environment, love the land that feeds you. REFERENCES Narayana, T., 2009. Municipal solid waste management in India: From waste disposal to recovery of resources?. Waste management, 29(3), pp.1163-1166.
