Introduction
All the actions and activities involved in managing the waste from its generation to its final disposal is called the waste management. It is the precise name given to the monitoring, collection, transportation and disposal of waste. Human activities are responsible for the production of so much waste every year, so, the management of waste is necessary to avoid its adverse effect on the environment and human health. Waste can also be managed to get resources from it. All kinds of waste like solid, liquid, gaseous and radioactive matter needs to be managed.
Developed and Developing countries may have different methods of waste management. Different methods are also adopted for residential and industrial areas, for rural and urban populations. Local government has the responsibility of managing the waste in rural and metropolitan areas. Non-hazardous waste produced by industries is to be managed by the industries itself.
Waste Management around the World
There are various methods of waste disposal adopted around the world like Landfill in which the waste is buried in the land. Combustion/Incineration: in this method, the municipal solid waste is burnt at such a high temperature that it is converted into gaseous and residue products. The recycling process is adopted to convert waste products into new products. Natural resources can be preserved for future use, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Plasma Gasification is another method of waste management which is used for the destruction of waste and dangerous material. The molecular bonds of the waste materials are broken down due to intense heat in the vessels. Composting is a natural and easy process in which the plants, kitchen and garden waste is turned into nutrient-rich food for plants. . The most efficient method of waste management can be a reduction in the creation of waste materials so that adverse effect on the human health and environment can be prevented.
Recover energy or Waste-to-energy process is used to generate energy in the form of electricity or heat from the waste products. Energy from recycling can be produced from boilers at industrial level. Gasification and Pyrolysis are two treatment methods in which materials are heated at high temperature with limited oxygen supply and the products of treatment can then be used for the energy production.
In order to have proper waste management around the world in all the countries, the focus should be given to improving the sound waste management facilities and operations. The waste should be reduced at source, the circular economy should be adopted instead of linear waste management. In order to have effective waste management, it should be measured properly.
Waste Management in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
GCC countries are among the countries having highest per capita waste generation rates worldwide because of fast industrial growth, rapid urbanization, increasing population, heavy construction, and lifestyles improvement. Thus, a well-developed and uniform waste management system and a monitoring mechanism were implemented by GCC countries in December 1997 for collection, sorting, treatment and disposal of waste. The solid waste generation rates in Bahrain has raised from around 1.3-1.6 kg to almost 2.7 kg per capita/day due to growing business, urbanization, growing family income, and increased purchasing power. Land filling, waste recycling and waste sorting methods are adopted for waste management at present.
Sustainable solid waste management plans have been adopted by the GCC countries to maximize embodied environmental value. A vital component of the future efforts is to provide Integrated Solid waste Management schemes which are aimed at managing solid waste with all available means i.e. recycling, composting, combustion, land filling and disposal, eco design, Avoidance/reduction and resource recovery.
Waste-to-energy is an emerging market in the GCC countries, which is growing at a very high pace due to high waste generation per capita. Municipal solid waste is effectively converted into fuels and energy by adopting various advanced thermal technologies, like gasification and pyrolysis. WTE projects in the GCC countries have an estimate of producing 300 MW- 500 MW of power by 2020 which is around 10 times the current WTE production.
Waste Management in Qatar
One of the fastest growing economies of the world is of Qatar and one of the most serious challenges faced by this nation is that of municipal solid waste management due to urbanization, high population growth, economic expansion and industrial growth. The per capita waste generation rate of the country is as high as 1.8 kg per day. Every year, more than 2.5 million tons of the solid waste is produced in the country. The waste to energy generation facility has also been established in Qatar to treat waste and supply electricity to the grid.
According to a report by Qatar development bank, it has been reported that an estimated revenue of around 663 million dollars can be obtained by recycling and by producing energy i.e. from waste-to-energy. 28000 tons of garbage was produced by Qatar per day in 2012 which was 7 percent more than that in 2011. Most of this waste are from hazardous materials, construction materials and domestic refuse etc. Qatar is the first GCC country to implement WTE on a large scale. An integrated Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre (DSWMC) has been established at Mesaieed to maximize waste-to-energy and resources recovery which is one of the largest compost plants in the world and cost around 2 billion dollars. Thus, Qatar is adopting many waste management strategies to manage the ever-increasing waste generated in the country.
Conclusion
Waste hierarchies are useful guides when waste management plans are needed to be developed. Through the world, steps are being taken to facilitate a shift to resource efficiency from waste management. Many groundbreaking and exciting approaches can be taken to achieve resource efficiencies like dematerialization, zero waste targets, sustainable consumption and life cycle thinking.
References
Abou-Elseoud, N. (2008). Waste Management . In N. Abou-Elseoud, Arab environment: Future Challenges (pp. 111-126).
Saleh Al.Ansari, M. (2012). Improving Solid Waste Management in Gulf Co-operation Council States: Developing Integrated Plans to Achieve Reduction in Greenhouse Gases . Canadian Center of Science and Education , 60-68.
Srinivasan, V. L. (2014). ALL THAT WASTE. Doha: Qatar Today.
wrfound.org.uk. (2015). Waste Management Resources. Retrieved from www.wrfound.org.uk: http://www.wrfound.org.uk/
Zafar, S. (2015, June 3). Solid Waste Management in Qatar. Retrieved from EcoMena: http://www.ecomena.org/solid-waste-management-in-qatar/
