Considering Waste Management as a Sustainable Tool Towards Curbing Climate Change Impacts | Knowledge Hub | Circle Economy Foundation
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Considering Waste Management as a Sustainable Tool Towards Curbing Climate Change Impacts
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Scarcity. Sparseness.. Shortages...


Research has indicated that the world, if left as it is, could experience some devastating changes from climate change and this affects all. Human contribution to the release of greenhouse gases has further worsened the situation and one of the key ways to curb this is through considering the 9Rs the circular economy, where efforts are made to lower our harmful activities through more improved uses of products and materials.


With less waste, pollution can be curbed as we innovatively device more value-adding multiple uses of the limited materials and products in the environment.

Problem

A lot of effort has been made to research on ways to curb excess waste in various cities and regions throughout the world. For example, solid waste availability contributes to high levels of greenhouse gas in the environment, leading to more negative impacts on the planet. (Hoornweg & Bhada-Tata, 2012)


When we consider the planet and how much change is required in enhancing the environment for the sake of human health which has been adversely affected, we realize that time is racing against us and the time to act is now. Landfill waste and its release of a major GHG- methane constitutes a major problem for communities and their authorities with a responsibility for their wellbeing. (Marshall & Farahbakhsh, 2013).


As a result of the issues mentioned, the frequency of material depletion has increased over time and due care is needed to prevent from extremes, through imploring more sustainable resource usage.

Solution

The 9 Rs of circular economy which are recycle, refurbishment, reduce, recover, remanufacture, repair, repurpose, reuse and rethink, are helpful ways to reduce waste pollution in the environment and to derive more benefits from materials and products which were previously considered for single use.


The underlying component of each implies the transformation of waste either to other products or to similar products as the initial, or for alternative uses and this way waste in various forms can be reduced and by extension, the release of harmful substances to the environment can be effectively controlled.

Outcome

The considerations highlighted above indicate that there is hope for efforts to yield good results and save the planet from excess waste and this implies better sanitary environments and a contribution on the race towards achieving net zero. As a result of this, certain principles like sustainable waste management have gained global prominence, through efforts on limiting waste and innovatively utilizing it productively as much as possible, for additional value.


Resource efficiency is also becoming increasingly important to avoid environmental degradation and thus, technological advancements have been introduced to transform previous items of waste to highly beneficial energy sources.


Some waste management efforts have resulted in more efficient energy generation, i.e. from waste and this shows a lot of single-use materials can be optimally utilized. Efforts by companies like Salubata in Nigeria towards plastic recycling to footwear, the production of reusable straws, etc. are some noteworthy examples.

Additional information

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