Getting Squeezed Under the Garbage Heap — By Lt Gen CA Krishnan
Lt Gen CA Krishnan
Abstract : “ With China’s ban on waste import, South East Asia became the new destination for global waste for recycling. But within no time, they too have been overwhelmed by the waste deluge and are facing public outcry to ban trash import. The ‘trash ships’ may soon get diverted towards South Asia and Africa and a peculiar global trash trade dilemma may be on the cards as we go ahead. “
World produces more than 2 billion tons of Municipal solid waste (MSW) annually. This figure is estimated to go up to an alarming 3.5 billion tons by 2050. Developed countries are the main culprits for the huge garbage burden weighing down on our planet today. Low income countries on the other hand, are unable to sustainably manage even the low per capita garbage that they generate; over 90% of their waste is simply dumped in the open or burned. The table below is indicative of the developed world’s disproportionate contribution to the global garbage burden.
Overview: Population Vs Solid Waste Generation
Source: Versik Maplecroft 2019 & World Bank Urban Development Series report 2018.
Compared to the developed countries whose material consumption levels may have peaked and plateaued out, the developing countries, especially countries like India and China with their mammoth population and ambitious economic growth targets are set to witness huge growth in their material consumption and a corresponding increase in waste generation. This is a major concern. The table below gives an insight into the huge per capita waste generation disparity between developed countries and the developing countries and the explosion that would take place in global waste generation as the developing countries catch up with the per capita waste generation levels of the developed world.
Solid Waste Generated per head (Kgs)
Region
Per head waste generated in Kgs/year — 2016
Projection in Kgs /year for 2050
Per head waste generation in Kgs/day — select countries of the Region — 2016
(Global average — 0.74)
East Asia & Pacific
204
296
Australia — 1.54
Singapore — 3.72
China — 0.43
Regional Average — 0.56
Sub Saharan Africa
168
230
Regional average — 0.46
Source: World Bank Urban Development Series report 2018 titled What a Waste 2.0
China was the biggest importer of Global waste since 1990’s, importing as much as 45% of the global plastic waste and scrap to feed its recycling industries. According to a report by the Yale School of Environment, about 95% of the plastics collected for recycling in the European Union and 70% in the US were being shipped to Chinese processors. By the first decade of the 21 stcentury, having become a major consumption driven economy herself, China was being overwhelmed by the deluge of trash, creating incalculable destruction to its environment. Consequent to this, in 2017, China came up with its “National Sword” policy banning import of most plastics and other trash material, transforming itself from being the scrap processor of the world to the largest importer of recycled plastic pellets. Even with this transformation, by 2030 China is estimated to create an 11 million ton mountain of its own waste. The Chinese ban came as a major blow to the developed countries and also disrupted the entire global recycling trade. Waste management companies in G7 countries suddenly ran out of business. For example, ‘Republic Services’, the second largest waste management company in the US alone lost about $150 million in annual revenue. With China’s ban on waste import, South East Asia became the new destination for global waste for recycling. But within no time, they too have been overwhelmed by the waste deluge and are facing public outcry to ban trash import. The ‘trash ships’ may soon get diverted towards South Asia and Africa and a peculiar global trash trade dilemma may be on the cards as we go ahead.
Composition of the waste generated as well as measures adopted for waste treatment and disposal varies widely between low income and high income countries. While low income countries typically resort to random open dumping and incineration, high income countries generally take recourse to well planned landfills and higher levels of recycling. The table below brings out the difference in composition of waste generated by developed and the developing countries as well as the differences in measures adopted for waste treatment / disposal.
Waste Composition (only major heads) — Regional Pattern
Waste Treatment & Disposal Pattern (only major heads covered)
Country
Open Dump %
Landfill Unspecified %
Sanitary /Controlled landfill % (*)
Recycling %
Composting %
Incineration %
* (Sanitary landfills are well engineered to ensure safe disposal of waste while protecting ground and surface water from pollution reduces Green House emissions, prevents fire, bad odour and windblown litter)
Coming to waste management in India, the average daily per capita waste generated is estimated at 0.57 Kgs. Like in other developing nations, in India also, bio degradable waste constitutes the biggest component. This creates its own peculiarities. Bio degradable waste left in open dumps produce methane gas, causing pollution, fire hazards and contributes to environmental warming. Higher bio degradable content also reduces the scope for recycling. The flip side is that, with efficient composting and waste management, sustainable disposal of bio degradable waste is far easier.
Potential for environmental damage that can be caused by garbage is directly related to the ingredients in it and the time taken by the ingredients to break down and decompose in nature. Table below gives the time taken by commonly found waste items to decompose in nature.
Time Taken by Common waste Items to Decompose in Nature
(Source: sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1543-measuring-biodegradability)
Population growth will always be a major contributor to the growth of waste generation. Indian population has jumped from 873 million in 1990 to 1056 million in 2000 to 1393 million in 2020 and is expected to hit a peak of 1651 million by 2062 before the trend reverses.
Solid waste management comprises collection, storage, transportation and disposal. Collection is a major weakness in our waste management chain. In the absence of a primary collection system of door to door collection from households, shops, businesses, institutions etc, people dump waste in the nearest vacant space, road side or just throw it into a creek, river, drain etc or just burn it. Recycling activity in India is minimal and is mainly carried out by the informal sector through rag pickers. As per the Central Pollution Control Board, 91% of Municipal Solid Waste in India finds its way into unsafe landfills located near population hubs like Gazipur in Delhi, Deonar in Mumbai and Mavallipura in Bangalore, causing major health hazards and pollution.
Garbage dumping in the ocean is another growing menace. International Union for Conservation of Nature, a union of governmental and civil society organizations, estimates that about 8 million tons of plastic gets dumped in the oceans around the world every year. The first Vice President of the European Commission had observed that unless we reverse the trend, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch ( GPGP), the largest collection of marine debris, located in the North Pacific ocean, alone is estimated to comprise about 100,000 tons garbage, covering a stretch of 1.6 million Square Kms. China and Indonesia together account for more than a third of the plastic garbage in global waters.
Even outer space has not been spared by human generated debris comprising of pieces of space crafts, tiny flecks of paint, remnants of rockets, defunct satellites etc. Of these, there are over 90,000 pieces measuring 1 to 10 cm, which can be tracked by radars. Debris in lower orbits which are just a few hundred Kms above the earth re-enter the earth’s atmosphere after a few years and burn out almost entirely. But the debris, defunct satellites etc at higher orbit can continue to orbit the earth for thousands of years posing danger to space crafts and satellites in orbit.
The garbage menace is a problem afflicting countries around the globe, rich and poor alike, posing threat at the municipal level, national level and global level, all at the same time and needs to be addressed at all levels simultaneously. In the years ahead, China and India will hold the centre stage in generation of garbage and its consequences and must, therefore, lead the way. Waste management requires an integrated holistic approach covering the entire spectrum from consumption of materials to waste generation to waste disposal. The Pune based self owned cooperative of waste pickers and urban poor called ‘Seva Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit’ and the Indian online platform ‘I Got Grabage’ which connects waste pickers with households and businesses seeking waste services are excellent examples of efficient waste management. Another Pune based venture, the ‘EcoKaari’, is an inspiring example of waste plastic recycling. The Indian Prime Minister’s Swatch Bharat initiative has given a much needed boost and created widespread awareness of the problem. But, sadly, when it comes to actual execution at district and lower levels, there is a distinct lack of perseverance, ownership and motivation. Waste management must become an essential service at par with public health care, education, water and power supply. Government of India has promulgated the new Solid waste Management Rules, 2016. We now need to focus on creating public awareness to secure public participation, build infrastructure and hold the concerned authorities and defaulters accountable.
Global community cannot ignore the growing garbage menace anymore. While in the short term, efficient waste management, recycling etc will help in containing the problem, in the medium and long term, there is no alternative to finding viable bio-degradable replacements for materials like plastics in daily use items, packing material, wrappers etc. India is in a unique position to lead the global R&D in this arena and become the global leader in reducing waste generation, innovative and sustainable waste recycling and putting in place an efficient, country-wide garbage management system.
Originally published at https://indusresearch.in.
