The Traces We Leave Waste Management in the 21st Century
did you know
that if we put all of the waste
generated every year in garbage trucks
you could line them up 25 times around
the earth
yeah i did the math want to find out how
so our world currently produces 2
billion metric tons of waste every year
according to the world bank which has
the most reliable numbers in this regard
and your average garbage truck is 10
meters long
and can hold 20 metric tons of waste
according to
average estimates in most countries so
we would need 2 billion divided by 20
that is 100 million trucks to hold all
of this waste
and 100 million trucks in line will
cover a distance
of 1 billion meters or one million
kilometers
now one round around the earth roughly
equals forty thousand kilometers
so the truck can cover the earth one
million kilometers
divided by forty thousand kilometers
that is twenty 25 times
at least good evening ladies and
gentlemen
everyone generates waste but not
everyone thinks about it
each and every action of ours and
everyone else on this planet
leave some trace behind and in our
day-to-day lexicon
we call these traces waste waste is a
daily by-product of our lives
and it impacts everything around us from
our health
to that of other beings and from that of
the environment
to that of the economy if we were to be
more mindful about the waste and the
traces we leave
our planet would be much healthier and
our lives much better
so what can we do about all of this
waste well
we must manage it but how well the first
and golden rule is to always try and
reduce
reuse and or recycle your waste and
preferably in that order
so you should always first try to
prevent or minimize the generation of
waste in the first place
and then if the waste can be reused or
recycled that must be done
most importantly reuse and recycling
must be incentivized
for everyone but with the staggering
amounts of waste that are produced on a
daily basis
not always can be reduced reused and or
recycled
what about other kinds of waste well we
can then try to either recover what we
can
or dispose of it but to make sure we do
this in an environmentally sound manner
the latter part is where most recovery
and disposal options
miss out on thereby creating more
problems
than they solve this order of options
reduce reuse recycle recover
and or dispose is also known as the
waste hierarchy and it forms the
cornerstone of waste management
which itself refers to all of the
activities that deal with waste
from its inception to its final stage
this includes
the collection transportation treatment
and disposal of waste but also the
monitoring
regulation and enforcement of waste
policies
i know all of this sounds very tedious
and boring and it can be
but do you know that the improper
management of waste is increasing
pollution
causing diseases contaminating land and
water
and adversely impacting human and
economic development
across the planet improper management of
waste is also one of the leading causes
of greenhouse gas emissions
leading to catastrophic climate change
across the world
but the good news is that even basic
system improvements can
reduce these emissions significantly and
thus managing these ever increasing
qualities of waste
is critical for a sustainable future for
everyone
i work with black forest solutions in
berlin a specialized environmental
service provider that is committed to
improving waste management strategies
globally
we work with the public private and
non-profit sector to figure out what
waste solutions work best where
and also implement them in economically
and environmentally sound ways
and if there’s one thing we have learned
it’s that there is no one-size-fits-all
solution to our waste wars
in fact in our increasingly complex
interdependent world
where waste is often hyper localized the
best solutions
are the ones that are tailor-made for
and adapted to local
and regional contexts having said that
there are two approaches that are really
turning the waste waves in the 21st
century
first circular economy it’s basically
refers to a system that is aimed at
eliminating waste by continuously
repurposing it
also known as a waste to wealth approach
it encourages society to see waste items
not as worthless but rather as useful
raw materials for other products
in this approach all waste should become
source for another product either as a
by-product or recovered resource for
another industrial process
like plastic waste into roads yes that’s
happening
or as a regenerative resource for nature
like food waste into compost
we all know about that this regenerative
approach is in stark contrast to a
traditional linear economy which has a
take make disposed model of production
and has unleashed untold levels of harm
on our environment
the world’s population is growing and
with it the demand for raw materials
however the supply of crucial raw
materials is limited
therefore the only way to a sustainable
way to a sustainable future
is through a circular economy approach
across the board
circular economy is already on the
agenda of many countries
and it has delivered many benefits to
everyone such as
reducing pressure on the environment
improving the supply security of raw
materials
increasing competitiveness stimulating
innovation
boosting economic growth creating jobs
550 000 jobs in the european union alone
and more on their way second concept
is the extended producers responsibility
based on the polluters pay principle
which entails that those who produce
pollution should bear the costs of
managing it to prevent damage
to human health or the environment epr
requires making manufacturers
responsible
for the entire life cycle of the
products that they manufacture
this also helps shift the burden from
municipalities and taxpayers
to the producers and consumers thus
making it more fair
introduced in 1990 by a swedish
professor
epr had two goals the first was to
address the growing problem of excessive
waste
and the second was to stimulate
environmentally conscious product design
epr helps reduce waste management costs
provide
jobs as well as save resources and
enhance
product reusability and recyclability
contributing to a much more sustainable
way of life
for producers it improves their
environmental credentials
creates a competitive advantage and
strengthens customer loyalty
it has already been introduced by most
developed economies around the world
and is also on its way in most emerging
economies as well
now combining these two approaches
circular economy on one hand and
extended produces responsibility on the
other
let’s imagine a scenario imagine if the
goods of today
became the resources of tomorrow instead
of to throw away and replace
culture that we are used to we adopt a
return and renew culture
where products and components are
designed to be disassembled
and regenerated a culture where we learn
from the regenerative cycle of nature
a culture where we never own any product
or technology
and rather than buying we license them
from producers and once they reach their
end of life
the producers take them back for them to
be reused recycled
and or repurposed what if we could
design
all products to come back to their
makers their technical materials being
reused
and their biological parts increasing
agricultural value
and all of this done and transported
through renewable energy sounds great
right
so here we do have a model that builds
prosperity in the long term
and achieves true sustainability for
each and every person on this
planet all the while making commercial
profit
which is what most producers governments
in industries are worried about in the
first place
the good news is that there are many
companies and governments realizing this
and moving in this direction
the bad news is that they are nearly not
enough
and what’s worse is that we are running
out of time
yes we are now you must be wondering
what you as an individual can do here is
the part
where many would expect me to list down
an all too familiar
list of things and actions that an
individual can take
by managing your waste better by
recycling more by turning off the
electricity by
car pooling cutting down on emissions on
an individual level and the list goes on
etc etc etc
but i won’t because honestly by now we
all know what individuals must do
and if not there are hundreds of
guidelines out there
in every shape way and form encouraging
and advising individuals what they can
do
to help save the planet but what i want
to tell you
is that it is not enough it is
not enough please don’t get me wrong
individual actions are critical
and you must keep doing what you can
especially when it comes to your own
consumption
but if we need real change if we need
transformative change
we require our systems to change
allow me to illustrate my point by
looking at the ongoing
and raging corona virus pandemic that
has wreaked havoc
across the world with much of the world
in lockdown since the past few months
we have never had a clear example of how
changes to individual behavior on the
mass scale can make a difference
if any and as drastically as our lives
have been circumscribed in the recent
months new data actually shows that this
would actually not be enough to save us
from the catastrophic consequences of
climate change
even if it was somehow sustainable for
example
it is estimated that the pandemic could
wind up cutting up to maximum
eight percent of global emissions the
largest annual fall to ever be recorded
but even with such dramatic changes to
the ways we conduct our lives
and eight percent reduction feels like a
poor payoff
and it is climate scientists agree
across the world they do
they say that we need a 20 reduction
annually if we have to have
any hope of avoiding the worst of the
climate crisis
this means every month for the whole
world we have to
live like we did in april during the
lockdown
is that possible i don’t think so
nobody thinks so experts also say that
this comparatively mild and temporary
reduction
shows how desperately we need
comprehensive
environmental policy and systemic change
across the board
to reduce emissions and our traces in a
truly systemic way
and for that we need to turn to the big
hitters
the governments and industries who are
disproportionately responsible
for a majority of the emissions traces
and wastes generated in the first place
again this is not to say that individual
actions
do not have a role to play they do and
they matter
and they have some personal sacrifices
will definitely need to be made by all
of us
but it’s hard to make a lot of planet
fantasy in by individual choices
for example switching to alternatives to
plastic packaging
when the system to do so has not been
put into place
speaking of plastic packaging do you
know that it has gone through the roof
as a result of the corona virus pandemic
and all of them made from virgin plastic
that is
new plastic instead of recycled plastic
why because to be financially
competitive in the marketplace it is
extremely advantageous to package your
goods in newly made
cheap virgin plastic so as the economic
crisis is making the average consumer
more price sensitive
affordable goods are taking precedence
over environmentally friendly ones
since grocery items that come only in
plastic are universally less expensive
those items are the go for many and
while personal protective equipment
like masks and gloves have been the
saving grace for all of us
it’s also contributing to the growing
heaps of plastic waste globally
much of this kind of plastic is not
recyclable and is polluting our oceans
i’m sure you’ve seen a documentary or
two about this
and like other traces this waste is
disproportionately being generated
by a handful of actors and soul 2020 is
on pace to see 30 percent
more waste than 2019 and it’s not like
there is no way around this problem
there is a tax on words in plastic a
take back system
and sustainable product design are all
possible
but unfortunately industries have long
lobbied against it
and governments have told the line
because they are not profitable enough
but at some point we will have to start
putting environment
ahead of the economy and human lives
ahead
of profit the eu however in light of the
recent corona virus pandemic and its
unintended consequences
did introduce attacks on virgin plastics
at 80 cents a kilo
effective from the first january 2021
showing us all that when needed
governments can indeed unite and take
action
even though experts believe that this is
too little and too late
it is a start but more countries and
industries
need to follow suit and move towards a
holistic circular economy
where manufacturers are responsible for
the polluting products that they
generate
if our sustainable actions need to make
their intended impact and save the
planet
we need a system that incentivizes and
rewards sustainable actions
and punishes lack thereof not only for
individuals
but also for governments and industries
as with efforts to control and respond
to a pandemic
strong leadership regulation and
preparedness can make a much bigger
difference than individual habits
in managing our waste and cutting
emissions and they can also prevent
draconian measures of last resort
like limiting our movements and
restricting the economy
the lowered emissions projection for
2020 are based on weakened economic
growth
suppressing that growth instead of
transitioning to a vibrant green economy
would only prolong our troubles
yet investing in green initiatives like
circular economy approaches
could promote growth while keeping
emissions low wouldn’t that be wonderful
we have the solutions we have the tools
we just need institutional will to move
faster towards it
so if you really know what if you really
want to know what you can do
i would ask you to start holding not
only yourself but also your leaders
political and business accountable for
the traces
we leave