Waste Management
Waste management encompasses the activities and actions intended to manage waste from the point of generation to their final point of disposal. There are generally 5 types of wastes, each of which differs in the manner of disposal. This includes recyclable rubbish, solid waste, hazardous waste, organic waste, and liquid waste. Solid waste encompasses ceramic and glass, metals and tins, card/paper waste, and plastic waste, while organic waste includes rotten meat, manure, garden waste, and all food waste. Hazardous waste, on the other hand, includes nuclear and medical waste. They are hazardous because they are reactive, corrosive, toxic, and flammable. Recyclable rubbish includes recyclable materials such as metals, furniture, paper, and organic waste (4 Waste Removal Pty Ltd). There are seven waste management categories for waste disposal today (Rinkesh, 2020). This essay will focus on solid waste management in Atlanta city, Georgia.
Atlanta is the capital city of that state of Georgia. It’s the most populated and industrialized city in the state. It has a population of over 500000 inhabitants (worldpopulationreview.com, 2020). As one of the most thriving metropolis in the US, Atlanta city produces a large amount of waste each day. Several solid waste management companies have been registered in Atlanta city to help the local government handle the huge amount of waste generated each day (Solid Waste, 2020). These companies have been allocated specific regions of the city metropolitan area and are charged with trash collection, recycling, disposal, or transfer. The state has enacted legislation to regulate waste management in the city and provide a clear framework for managing different waste types.
Solid waste management is an issue in the state system due to the negative environmental impact of improper disposal of waste materials. There are 23 landfills in the US state of Georgia, most of which are located around the Atlanta metropolitan area (Rental, 2020). The city of Atlanta solid waste bill has been instrumental in streamlining waste management in the city. This has transformed it into one of the cleanest in the United States. However, proper management of waste in the city is accompanied by several pros and cons, some of which have alarmed environmentalists and conservationists (Reddy, 2020).
The cons identified in the city’s solid waste management framework include increased environmental contamination from toxic waste, particularly medical waste, increasing labor costs, and lack of uniformity in the solid waste management practices of different waste management companies. Besides, these landfill sites are often dangerous (Reddy, 2020), and the processes are not always effective, thus leading to more problems.
The above disadvantages of solid waste management can be amicably resolved via the 3R strategy. This is recycling, reuse, and reduce. However, the latter strategy is regarded as the cornerstone of solid waste management methods or strategies. Reduction in the amount of waste generated at the sources lowers the overall costs of dealing with waste, thus creating room for the little waste generated to be managed in an eco-friendly manner. When Waste management is done properly, it lower the negative effects wastes exert on the environment. Besides these, there is a need to create awareness amongst Americans about their role in waste management. If need be, the laws should be strengthened to penalize those who fail to adhere to laid down guidelines on waste management (Reddy, 2020). This will make people responsible for their own actions concerning solid waste management in the community.
References
4 waste removal pty ltd, (2020, October 5). There are 5 types of waste, do you know them all? https://4waste.com.au/rubbish-removal/5-types-waste-know/.
Reddy, C. (2020, May 15). Advantages and Disadvantages of Waste Management. WiseStep. https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-waste-management/.
Rental, D. (2020, July 21). Georgia Landfills. https://www.allthingswaste.com/georgia-landfills/.
Rinkesh, A. (2020, May 29). What is Waste Management and Various Methods of Waste Disposal? Conserve Energy Future. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/waste-management-and-waste-disposal-methods.php.
Solid Waste. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://epd.georgia.gov/land-protection-branch/solid-waste
worldpopulationreview.com. (, 2020). Atlanta, Georgia Population 2020. Atlanta, Georgia Population 2020 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs). https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/atlanta-ga-population.