It seems that most humans understand what waste management should be, as it is a universal concept. This kind of control is more into the operations of the process: the garbage source, segregation, processing, and communing with the environment. It is a positive cause; we can already see what is happening in our world, like in this article. Climate change is a real phenomenon, so it is best if we can help each other in any way we can.
Here in Australia, we might not have a trash problem. At least, it is not visible yet, as you may see from the figures. In the last decade, we averaged around 60 million tonnes of waste per year. That’s about 370 Sydney Opera Houses combined, and then some left to spare.
Not to mention, most of them are just food waste, and there are also non-biodegradable materials in the mix. We are not unique in the world when it comes to this kind of problem, but this does not mean that it is good.
Taking Good Care Of The Planet; Combatting Solid Waste
Fortunately, most of the sensible humans these days have come to act against this concern. There have been protests here about taking care of the planet properly. Corporations are doing their unique waste to reduce waste like the elimination of single-use plastic, among others. In homes and offices, hiring skip bin services became somewhat popular as well. Hopefully, this act becomes the norm as we venture into a new yet still uncertain future.
When it comes to solid waste management, many people have their ideas or beliefs about it. Here in our country, less than half of the total garbage goes to landfills. There is an ongoing change in this field though, as scientists found it too unsustainable.
The land that surrounds these landfills became too acidic and polluted for plants to grow correctly. In the long run, we might need to find another location to put our trash which is not the ideal solution.
What Does Science Say About Solid Waste Management?
As it turns out, science still has the answer, and it might be such a surprise. Solid waste management has been considered as an outdated ideology for years, and it is now time to adapt it to the modern world. We are thankful for its classic versions since it introduced segregation as an effective means of collection. However, it is not enough anymore, and we can act within our communities as well.
One of the most plausible ideas is to turn garbage into energy, as Sweden does in its “waste-to-energy” program in its power plants as this link says: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/energy-production/sweden-is-great-at-turning-trash-to-energy.htm.
There are unique kinds of mechanisms that can process this garbage through chemical energy, then transformed heat. This heat is going to be converted into electrical energy once it has reached its destination in the power plant. It generates enough power for a small country so that we can start through our provinces.
On the other hand, other ideas, like turning it into fertilizer by using a different mechanism, can theoretically work. However, this technology might not exist yet since the only one ever recorded are those that turn common waste to sludge. This way, it can easily be transformed into another material or disposed of in the right way.
These projects might sound impossible now, but hopefully, it is going to influence our future positively.
