Because of the increasing population, especially in urban areas, there has been a steady rise in global waste in both developing and developed countries (UNDP, 2012). The federal governments of the respective countries are responsible for waste management. They need to develop measures that can guarantee that the world is free of waste. Both organic and inorganic waste products have environmental and health consequences, which is why waste disposal has become a concern that the whole society must consider and find appropriate solutions to. Waste management affects each and every person on an individual level and therefore the federal government is under a duty to ensure that it involves the general public and various state and non-governmental institutions in combating the issue effectively. This fight cannot be won alone since the government lacks adequate resources to foresee the efficient garbage disposal services (Tacoli, 2012). This has also paved way for private firms that offer the services and this has been easing pressure on the federal government.
The type of waste products that federal governments in developing countries differ from the ones in developed ones. In the later, electronic waste is more prevalent and therefore the government needs to liaise with electronic waste recycling plants whereas in the former there are a lot of open dumpsites, therefore, the services of bio-waste recycling organizations might be required (World Bank, 2012).
Current Global Waste Management Issues
Developed and developing countries have divergent challenges that affect waste management. With as much as the former produces a lot of waste, they have put in place sufficient institutions that in order to control the waste that they emit. Developing countries, on the other hand, lack the necessary policy guidelines and clear cut frameworks that manage the waste that is produced within their territories. The current issues that affect waste management include:
1. Waste Management and Social Benefits
In the developing countries specifically, the governments often seek to implement the systems that are in place in the developing countries such as the use of technology in controlling the emission of waste (“Urban Waste Management Issues”, 2017). This usually gives an opportunity for unscrupulous business people to engage in malpractices and corrupt dealings in the sourcing of this technology. A common occurrence is the inflation of tenders for the purchasing of the transport fleet and other waste management resources instead of utilizing the locals who would effectively collect the garbage. In order to ensure an effective waste management system, policies need to be put in place to ensure that the system leads to the elimination of poverty through creation of employment opportunities for the locals. This would also enhance the public participation in the management of waste within the society.
2. Rural-Urban Alliance
The world currently is experiencing a lot of soil erosion due to the dumping of inorganic products that are not biodegradable. These products also affect the fertility of the soil. There has been a need of utilizing organic products that are easily recycled in order to avert this problem which consequently affects the food production within a given country. The concept of rural-urban alliance refers to the manner in which the organic waste can be separated and thereafter be recycled through agriculture which will later go back to the urban centers (“Urban Waste Management Issues”, 2017). In order to enhance this concept, the population needs to be educated on the need for waste separation. This will ensure that the nutrients are effectively exchanged and enhance food security.
3. National Policies
The fact that the governments are not enacting adequate policies to cater for waste management is a big problem for the entire world. In other instances, the policies are in place but they have not been implemented accordingly. In order to ensure that waste management is effective, the government needs to ensure the policies they enact are backed up with a thorough mechanism for implementation and this will require the collective participation of the public and relevant stakeholders (“Urban Waste Management Issues”, 2017). In some of the developing countries such as Kenya in Africa, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has not adequately implemented waste management and that why there are heaps of waste in some of its major cities such as Nairobi and Mombasa.
4. Consumer and Human Lifestyles
The current trends that are being witnessed are cases of lawlessness and lack of responsibility from the general public with regards to waste management. Most of the people tend to litter in areas where there are public litter bins and this makes controlling of garbage a daunting task (“Urban Waste Management Issues”, 2017). The various authorities that are in charge of waste management need to inculcate a sense of responsibility in the population in order for them to understand the ramifications of polluting the environment. Some of the ways this can be done is through Customer Service campaigns that sensitize on the lifestyle changes in order to improve the environment.
The US Response to Domestic Waste, Textile or Disposable Plastic Ware
The United States has put in place measures to ensure that domestic waste, textile, and disposable plastic wares are adequately recycled. The Environmental protection Agency has also licensed special areas referred to as landfills that are used to isolate waste from the environment (“Landfill Sites”, 2014). The other measure that the United States has taken in responding to the waste products is the encouraging of the population to consider composting of the domestic waste (“Recycling domestic waste”, 2016).
The local authorities have also put up bring banks that are used to collect some of the recycled plastic wares such as bottles (“Recycling domestic waste”, 2016). These collection points usually are not manned by any person and people are encouraged to throw some of the plastic and glass wares that they are no longer using.
Another measure that has been put in place is the use of civic amenities which resemble the bring banks but accommodate a wide range of waste products ranging from the plastic and glass wares, electronic waste, textiles and other domestic waste (“Recycling domestic waste”, 2016). The civic amenities are manned by some staff members and they also enlighten the population on the best practices in the recycling of waste products. There are also some recycling centers within the United States which are similar to the civic amenities but rather smaller in size and do not accommodate a lot of waste products. Finally, the local authorities have also put in place kerbside collection sites which are used to take in waste products such as bottles, tins, cans, newspapers and other materials that are not easily composed (“Recycling domestic waste”, 2016).
Politics behind Waste Management
There is an inherent belief that the waste management is entirely a political issue within the country. Some of the issues that have been witnessed in the past clearly outline the manner with which there is no goodwill from the authorities in charge of waste management. An example can be drawn from the diaper case in which the National Association of diaper Services noted that the disposable diapers was a hazardous organic waste and accounted for two percent of the country's waste. In order to ensure that these sentiments do not affect their business, Procter & Gamble stated that paper diapers produced a lot of solid waste but were better than the reusable diapers which they stated used a lot of nonrenewable energy and really polluted water (“The Garbage Problem: It May Be Politics, Not Nature”, 1991).
Another twist came into play when the Reason Foundation stated that the disposable diapers were manufactured from tree pulp and led to the cutting of a lot of trees (White, 2016). Therefore in order to protect the environment, there was a need to minimize the manufacture of the diapers. The foundation further stated that the water used to wash the reusable diapers easily contaminated the ground water unlike the burying of the disposable diapers which could be done in the deserts and not risk affect the water sources. This battle ensured that with as much as disposable diapers contributed to a considerable amount of solid waste, it continued being the preferred choice.
Responsibility of Citizens in Understanding Impacts of their Purchases
Citizens need to understand that some of the products that they purchase might have far-reaching consequences not only for the environment but also to their lives in general and those of their posterity. The government needs to sensitize the public on some of the dangers of buying substandard goods, products that have been banned due to environmental concerns and also highlighting the need of buying genuine commodities as opposed to counterfeit ones. One of the concerns that has been raised by the authorities relates to the use of aerosol sprays that contain the CFCs since are likely to affect the ozone layer and have an influence on climate change (UNFCCC, 2005). Some of the advisories that some governments have put in place relate to the importation of second-hand vehicles that have been manufactured more than 8 years ago (Juhasz, Magesan, & Naidu, 2004). This is due to the fact that some of the vehicles of this nature are likely to be unroadworthy or produces a lot of carbon emissions.
Governments' Solutions to Political Problems
In order to try to solve the political problems that are brought about by waste management issues, the government has resorted to compensate the victims who are affected by the environmental pollution (“The Garbage Problem: It May Be Politics, Not Nature”, 1991). In some instances, the state has enhanced the landfill initiatives by proposing to put in place free waste disposal services. Some of these measures come at the backdrop of the plummeting prices of real estate in areas around landfills. Some of the local authorities such as the one in Pennsylvania have given the private entities the autonomy to run the waste management services in order to enhance service delivery within the sector (“The Garbage Problem: It May Be Politics, Not Nature”, 1991). The governments have also seen the need to encourage recycling of waste products as one of the best methods of combating garbage. Most of the local authorities are offering tax incentives to entities that adhere to the recycling of their waste products. This seems to be a paradigm shift from the diaper dilemma which discouraged the use of reusable diapers.
References
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