Category: Waste Management

Executive Summary

Today, waste management is not only an environmental problem that has to be solved by the government. It is a social, political, economic, and health issue that cannot be ignored by public and private organisations in the whole world. Each activity of people could lead to the creation of waste. Therefore, it is impossible to stop making waste in order to protect the environment and personal health. However, it is possible to create effective waste management systems, educate people, investigate the current achievements, and consider the opportunities available. In this report, the waste management system of Australia is investigated in order to clarify what international lessons could be offered. This country is chosen because of two reasons.

First, Australia is the country where the government pays enough attention to the challenges caused by waste. However, not all people and even political parties understand the important of such steps. Therefore, it is still necessary to think about the improvements that could be offered and the changes that could be made. At the same time, the Australians have already achieved a lot in protecting the environment at the national and international levels. This report is based on the publications offered by the Department of the Environment and Energy and the governmental activities the description of which could be found online. The worth of this report is the possibility to compare Australia with other countries and identify its strong and weak aspects of the waste management system.

Introduction

Australia is the country where its citizens pay much attention to the questions of waste management and the necessity to generate solid waste using the best technologies and effective processes. Solid waste is a general term that is used to cover such types of waste as domestic, municipal, and household (Pichtel 2014). For a long period of time, the issues of waste and its spread in different countries worldwide were not frequently discussed because of the inabilities to understand how crucial the presence of waste in human lives. Today, the representatives of industrial societies face a real challenge in the form of massive waste quantities that turn out to be the result of lifestyle choices, technological progress, and economic growth (Pichtel 2014).

The Australian government and the Department of the Environment and Energy, in particular, offer the National Waste Policy that aims at developing effective approaches to the solution of waste management problems in Australia (About the national waste policy n.d.). The lessons and examples demonstrated by Australia and explained in the report could help other countries look at their waste management policies and programs from another point of view, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and choose the correct direction. This report is based on the extensive literature survey of the waste management sector in Australia and helps to develop an understanding of the achievements made by the country in the chosen sector.

Australian Waste Management Background Issues

According to the statistical data, in 2016, more than 24 million people live in Australia (Ritchie 2016). This unexpected population boom makes people unable to observe the details that should matter and neglect the activities that have to be taken in order to improve a human life. Such factors as constant population growth, a high level of urbanisation, and the inabilities to change the indicators of per capita income during the last several years (Murphy 2016) could be used as the explanation of why the citizens of Australia cannot gain control over the produced amounts of waste. The investigations of independent consulting groups and the Australian government show that the rise of the population cannot be even compared with the rise of waste generation because the numbers remain to be impressive indeed. For example, at the beginning of the 2000s, waste generation was increased by approximately 31% (Australian government n.d.).

The beginning of the 2010s, waste generation added 28% more to the already reached points (National waste reporting 2013a). Finally, in 2016, 50 million tonnes of waste is produced by the population that proves the increase in approximately 170% (Ritchie 2016). The current situation in Australia is not dramatic. Still, there is a need to understand that the changes in one sphere of life have to make the government think about the importance of changes in other spheres of life to keep the required portion of the balance. Therefore, the achievements of the country in the technological, agricultural, economic, and legal fields would be defined as successful only in case the government and the citizens of the country could deal with the questions and challenges of waste management.

Australian Waste Management at the International Level

Though solid waste management is the issue that has to be discussed and solved by every country independently, this is also a global problem and has to be analysed taking into consideration the international achievements and indicators. Many developed and developing countries pay their attention to the problem of waste in the world. Their governments underline such indicators as the importance of recycling, landfill, and incineration rates in order to understand how it is possible to stop polluting the earth.

Nowadays, the calculations by the World Bank show that the population of the earth should be bothered with the questions of waste management because its constant growth leads to the growth of waste that creates much harm to the earth and people on it (See Figure 1). For example, in 2010, it was defined that 2,9 billion urban residents generated about 0,68 billion tonnes of waste annually (Hoornweg & Bhada-Tata 2012). In 2025, it is planned to reach the following points: 4,3 billion urban residents would generate approximately 2,2 billion tonnes of waste annually (Hoornweg & Bhada-Tata 2012).

The World Bank also divides countries according to their incomes. Such classification helps to identify the possibilities of the countries and the expectations of people. For example, the representatives of high-income countries are the USA and the UK, Cuba is the country with upper middle income, India has a lower-middle-income level, and lower income is observed in such country as Haiti.

Though it is hard to find out the numerical data about the current situation of waste management in such countries as Cuba or Haiti, it is evident that the countries continue learning to recycle and pay their attention to such issues as landfilling, generating, and incineration (Cruz 2014). The citizens of such countries as the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Australia create numerous reports and handbooks in order to investigate the current ecological and environmental problems and find out the best solutions (See Figure 2).

Besides, the countries with different incomes demonstrate different approaches to the solutions of waste problems and challenges. It is important for all countries to set a certain number of recycling targets and promote the development of cleaners and low waste-producing processes in order to make people think about the levels of pollution (Williams 2013). Recycling remains to be an informal sector in low-income countries. Therefore, much material for recycling is imported. Middle-income countries have high recycling rates. In addition to imports of materials for recycling, recycling markets are developed (Hoornweg & Bhada-Tata 2012). High technologies to sort and process waste are used in long-term recycling markets. Australia is the country where 52% of all waste is recycled. The promotion of landfilling is also possible because of the generation of more than 48 megatonnes of waste annually (Ritchie 2015). These are the serious numbers that cannot be neglected.

Landfilling is another important process of the waste management system. Low-income countries open numerous landfills where different waste could be stored. As a rule, air and water pollution is developed, and health impacts cannot be neglected. Landfills of middle-income countries undergo certain environmental controls. High-income countries have sanitary landfills and categorise waste in regards to its possible harm to citizens. In Australia, people continue to open new landfills in order to have enough places to transport citizens’ waste to. Landfills could produce leachate, a toxic liquid that could contaminate land and waterways (Clean Up 2015).

Finally, incineration is the type of waste treatment when waste is burned either with energy recovery or without (Eurostat 2016). The main disadvantage of this approach is the possibility of air pollutants’ emissions. However, not all countries could allow this method to be used by their citizens. For example, such countries as Haiti, Cuba, and other countries with not high enough income level cannot afford incineration because of high operation costs, the importance of appropriate technologies, and high amounts of inerts that cannot be controlled. Middle-income countries could use incinerators, but they cannot avoid the presence of possible financial and operational challenges as well. Besides, they cannot cope with the increased air pollution problems. Rich countries could allow themselves the creation of specialised incinerators that are located far from rural areas in order to regulate emissions. In Australia, waste incinerations are practised to reduce the volumes of waste, improve landfills, and promote the development of renewable electricity (Bell & Bremmer 2013).

Waste Management Provision

Waste management problems are frequently discussed by the citizens of Australia at the governmental and public levels. On the one hand, there is the government that has to take responsibilities for the successful delivery of waste management policies and the explanation of waste services that could be offered (National waste reporting 2013c). On the other hand, there are a number of public and private organisations the goals of which include the discussion of waste management aspects, the collection of thoughts, and the evaluation of the opportunities available. The Australian government divides waste management business into several spheres or sectors (National waste reporting 2013c), and each sector is supported by certain public and private organised (See Figure 3).

All these operations could be improved by a number of additional steps and policies that help citizens understand their roles in waste management. Besides, people have to be properly educated in order to make the correct decisions and contribute the sphere of waste management in Australia. Therefore, economic incentives and legal aspects have to be clarified in the report as well.

Economic Incentives in Waste Management

In Australia, waste management influences society, environment, politics, and economy included. Waste is defined as all those things thrown out by society away because of no longer uselessness and vainness. In addition to the fact that waste pollutes the environment, people forget one simple truth that waste creates a certain economic burden in society in the form of unnecessary loss of natural resources and the necessity to develop the reforms and policies that could save people (Yi & Li 2014).

From the economic point of view, the Australian government spends billions of dollars annually. For example, in the period 2009-2010, the Australian households spent $1,6 billion on the development of waste management recyclable and unrecyclable services (National waste reporting 2013a). At the same time, waste management business brought incomes in different forms: $3,3 billion to GDP and $8,6 billion in income.

Law and Waste Management in Australia

Waste management is the responsibility of the government and the state to regulate the presence of waste on the land and to develop appropriate legislation and policies. The international agreements and national strategies could be used to help local governments to provide recycling services, improve the household waste collection, operate landfills, and educate people. Australia participates in numerous conventions at the international level. Therefore, international conventions, agreements, and acts help to create a certain framework for waste management activities in the country. Among the existing variety of legislations that could be used to manage waste in Australia, the following acts play a very important role:

1. National Environment Protection Council Act 1994 discusses the conditions under which organisations and people have to work and clarifies that polluters have to pay and bear the cost of containment (National waste reporting 2013b);
2. The Environment Protection Action 1997 aims at protecting the quality of the environment and the creation of waste minimisation policies;
3. The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 introduces the framework and the guides on how to share the information about gas emissions, energy consumptions, and other important data (National waste reporting 2013b); and
4. The Product Stewardship Act 2011 helps to manage the environmental and health impacts (National waste reporting 2013b).

Strengths of the Waste Management System in Australia

The waste management system in Australia proved this country as a unique continent where much attention is paid to the questions of air, water, and land pollution and the necessity to deal with waste in a proper way. The positive aspects of the system include a fast developed economy, the abilities to cooperate with different countries, the possibilities to use maritime resources, and develop its individual energy, transport, and mining sectors. Besides, the Australian government is ready to cooperate with public and private sectors in order to manage waste and create appropriate living conditions. Finally, the country understands that waste management has to be properly organised in order to promote the development of other sectors. For example, the idea to incinerate waste could lead to the possibility to create a new type of energy for free. The Australians have already identified the benefits of waste management. Now, it is high time to make the improvements and promote the development.

Weaknesses of the Waste Management System in Australia

Still, there are certain weaknesses in the existed system. Not all Australian regions receive the same portion of waste management. Some regions are under a threat of being polluted, and their citizens stay unprotected. Finally, the main con of the country’s system is the attention to the ways of how to manage waste and gain benefits. Not much attention is paid to the possibilities to reduce the amounts of waste per person and decrease the level of impact of waste on land, people, and the country.

Conclusion

In general, the analysis of the Australian waste management system and the evaluation of its past achievements and future prospects show that the country has already succeeded in a number of steps. The Australian government supports the idea that waste management should become one of the first priorities of the citizens. It is not enough for the government to think about waste management. It is more important to make people understand their roles in the environment protection and think about the ways of how to reduce the amount of waste in their lives. The Australians have already got the governmental support. Besides, the country has rather good indicators at the international level comparing with other countries in its category. Finally, the waste management system of Australia could become a good example for other nations on how a country to identify environmental threats and use its sources to find the solutions, motivate people, and use legal ideas to prove the correctness of the chosen directions.

Reference List

About the national waste policy n.d. Web.

Australian government n.d., National waste policy: fact sheet. Web.

Bell, L & Bremmer, J 2013, Burning waste for energy: it doesn’t stack-up, National Toxics Network, Bangalow.

Clean Up 2015, Recycling fact sheet. Web.

Cruz, EP 2014, ‘Cuba and learning to recycle’, Havana Times. Web.

Eurostat 2016, Waste statistics. Web.

Hoornweg, D & Bhada-Tata, P 2012, What a waste: a global review of solid waste management, The World Bank, Washington.

Murphy, J 2016, ‘The population boom’s hidden secret’, News.com.au. Web.

National waste reporting 2013a, National waste generation and resource recovery. Web.

National waste reporting 2013b, Policies and governance for waste. Web.

National waste reporting 2013c, The waste management industry in Australia. Web.

Pichtel, J 2014, Waste management practices: municipal, hazardous, and industrial, 2^nd edn, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Ritchie, M 2015, ‘The state of waste 2015: recycling is only set to grow’, The Fifth Etate. Web.

Ritchie, M 2016, ‘State of waste 2016 – current and future Australian trends’, MRA Consulting Group. Web.

Williams, PT 2013, Waste treatment and disposal, John Wiley & Sons, Queensland.

Yi, R & Li, M 2014, Construction safety and waste management: an economic analysis, Springer, New York.

Waste Management in Australia is becoming a serious issue. This is because the population of the country is increasing leading to the creation of more waste. In addition, the rate of growth of urban centres is leading to the generation of concentrated pools of waste. Australia uses landfills to dispose waste.

Landfills ensure that waste does not become an eyesore. However, landfills lead to other problems in the environment, and rob the country of waste recycling opportunities. This paper proposes that Australia is better off generating energy from waste, rather than dumping the waste in landfills.

Situational Analysis

The situation in Australia in regards to energy and waste has several facets. The country has a very large land area, which it can use for waste disposal. However, this strategy is not sustainable given the long-term impact of current waste disposal practices.

Energy Situation

Australia has vast mineral deposits. The minerals include coal, gas, and oil. However, the quantity of these energy deposits is not sufficient to guarantee energy supplies for the country. The amount of oil produces in Australia peaked in 2000 and has been dropping since (ABS 2010).

The country has not developed any new wells in the recent years. This has made Australia a net importer of oil. The country’s reserves are not sufficient to meet its domestic needs. Therefore, the country imports large quantities of oil. In fact, Australia’s trade balance is import-biased. The country imports more goods and services than its exports to other countries.

The country’s energy supply is not growing at the same rate with its energy demand. Models indicate that if the country does not make an effort to increase its energy production facilities, it will become necessary to ration power in some states as early as 2014 (ABS 2010). In this regard, Australia needs to think about how to increase energy supply in line with its growing needs.

The country has very few renewable energy projects despite vast potential for ethanol production, and energy generation from solar and wind. The country has vast deserts that would be ideal for solar power generation. It can also produce ethanol for blending with imported oil to reduce its overall reliance on imported oil.

At the same time, the country has a very long shoreline that can support the production of vast quantities of wind power. This shows that the country has a lot of potential to change its energy mix. Eventually, the country will need to address its energy situation because the current mix is unsustainable.

Waste Situation

Waste management in Australia is becoming a matter of increasing concern. The population centres in the country are increasing in number. This is in turn increasing the amount of waste generated in settlements.

The increase in the quantity of waste generated in the country has a direct link to the increase in the per capita income of the country. The country’s income per capita went up in the last ten years. There is a link between increases in income per capita and increases in the quantity of waste (Dhir, Newlands & Dyer 2003).

Thirdly, the country relies on landfills for the disposal of most of its waste. The volume of waste disposed in landfills went up by 12% between 2001 and 2007 (ABS 2010). The volume of waste disposed in landfills in 2001 was 19 million tonnes (ABS 2010). This volume grew to 21.3 tonnes in 2007 (ABS 2010).

This trend shows that the rate of growth in the volumes of waste disposed in Australia went up significantly. However, the growth in the rate of waste disposed in landfill is still on the rise because is the increase in the total volume of waste produced by landfills.

There is increasing interest in diversion of waste from landfills to recycling plants. The amount of water diverted from landfills increased from 36% in 1999 to 52% in 2007 (ABS 2010). This shows that the country’s interest in recycling of waste went up during this period. The degree of usage of landfills is still very high in Australia. Landfills are relatively cheap to use. However, they lead to several environmental concerns.

Problems of Landfills

Landfill technology arose from the need to find a permanent ways of dealing with waste. Waste disposal in landfills refer to burying of waste. This requires the excavation of large areas for use in dumping waste. It is also possible to use natural depressions for water disposal. Decommissioned mines are also ideal for use as landfills because they reduce the amount of work needed to create a landfill.

The first concern associated with landfills is the emission of greenhouse gases (Khan, Prior & Islam 2008). Landfills lead to the generation of greenhouse gases because of anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. The gases produced in landfills include methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. Green house gases from landfills contribute towards global warming.

The second problem associated with landfills is ground water pollution (Greg, Simonton & Beruvides 2003). Landfills contain all types of waste, which include electronic waste. Over time, chemical pollutant in the waste and chemicals resulting from the decomposition of waste leech into ground water. This leads to groundwater contamination. This can affect agriculture and the use of groundwater for domestic or industrial uses.

Thirdly, landfills affect land use. Usually, waste disposal companies cover landfills with a thick layer of soil and then compress it. This usually results in a flat surface that can support some uses, such as recreational activities. However, there are significant limits on the economic uses of such land. The volume of waste disposed in Australia shows that the land areas affected by landfills is quite large. Furthermore, this area is increasing. This means that the country is losing viable land to landfills.

The fourth problem of landfill use is that they can give rise to spontaneous fires because of the production of methane (Dhir, Newlands & Dyer 2003). If a landfill has sufficient organic matter such as food and agricultural waste, their decomposition will produce methane pockets. The methane can ignite spontaneously if there are exothermic reactions inside the landfill. Such fires can cause injuries, and usually lead to further air pollution from the landfills.

Waste-to-Energy Technologies

Australia has several options on how to convert its waste to energy. The conversion of waste to energy will lead to several benefits for the country. First, the country’s reliance in oil will reduce because it will have an alternative source of energy. Secondly, the damage that landfills currently cause to the environment will cease. This in turn will lead to a reduction in the global supply of greenhouse gases. A number of options exist for Australia on how to turn its waste to energy.

The first option available to Australia is the conversion of organic waste to biogas. The production of biogas will take advantage of the food waste generated by Australian households, as well as organic waste from farms and factories. Biogas technology is now very advanced. It is possible to bottle it and send it to factories or homes that do not have piped gas. In addition, the country can develop biogas-powered power stations to generate electricity.

The second option the country can use to convert its waste to energy is by making fuel pellets from organic matter (Greg, Simonton & Beruvides 2003). Waste from industrial processing and agricultural processes can be compresses into energy pellets that can fuel pellet generators.

Thirdly, the country can develop special incinerators that can burn all types of dry waste for heat recovery applications. Urban waste contains many types of materials. An incinerator can help to burn all this waste without the need of segregating it. This technology requires the use of flue gas cleansers to remove toxic materials from the stack smoke. It also calls for fly ash capture to eliminate air pollutants.

The fourth energy recovery option is extracting certain types of waste for recycling. For instance, the country can cut its need for power to smelt aluminium by recycling aluminium cans. Recycling of waste reduces the need for manufacturing some products.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Australia has several options in regards to waste management. The best approach for handling its waste is by converting its waste to energy. The technologies already exist. The only requirement is investing in these technologies. Failure by the Australian government to invest in waste management technologies may lead to extensive environmental damage.

Reference List

ABS 2010, Waste: Waste Disposed to Landfills. Web.

Dhir, R, Newlands, MD & Dyer, TD 2003, Sustainable Waste Management, Thomas Telford, Reston, VA.

Greg, H, Simonton, J & Beruvides, M 2003, ‘Engineering Economic Analysis of a Cotton By-Product Fuel Pellet Operation’, Journal of Cotton Science, vol 11, no. 3, pp. 205-216.

Khan, MM, Prior, D & Islam, MR 2008, ‘Zero-Waste Living with Inherently Sustainable Technologies’, in Perspctives on Sustainable Technology, Nova Publishers, New York, NY.

Introduction

This is a journal from the Environment Protection agency published online in August 2011. By putting into consideration all aspects of human life, the paper proposed several methods of managing wastes in major cities in Europe. The aspects included environmental, social, economic, and political effects of the methods that were proposed. The proposals followed an analysis of various earlier reports released in Cracow between 2000 and 2007.

Research statement

This paper is a critique of the above titled peer-reviewed article on the issues raised on how the cities in Europe could best manage waste.

Research procedures

In this article, various procedures were used. They were collectively referred to as Multi- Criteria systems. The article first considered the systems proposed in Cracow in the management wastes. This was followed by the Multi- criteria method of analysis applied in comparing different ways of waste management. The methods applied in Cracow enumerated the mass of the waste collected in 2007 and subdivided it into sections of quantity disposed in containers, landfills, and in the recycling banks.

This part also entailed the variants put forward by the residents. The various methods proposed in Cracow were analyzed using the Multi- Criteria method. This procedure compared the different methods already proposed. The decisions were made by arranging the strategies based on how far they were from a predetermined ideal point marked “X.” This procedure was adapted from the programming method.

Flows in the procedural design

The procedures used in the paper failed the test of the objective that at designing the best way the cities would manage wastes. Choosing the city of Cracow was wrong because it only had one container for collecting waste. Other cities such as London are very big and hence they cannot rely on one container for waste collection. The flaw came from the method for it did not propose the means of increasing the volume to allow other cities to apply. In enlisting the human aspects for consideration, the article only concentrated on the mathematical aspects. This left out the social aspects as it covered a very small area. This brought out the article as being too academic as it appeared not to understand the social aspects of human life.

Data Analysis

Data in this paper was done using the Multi-Criteria method of analysis. The paper took up the validity hierarchy of every criterion and it use in determining the priorities of decision-making by the participants. From the table in case one in the article, each criterion was allocated weight one. Case 2 had five as its weight for all proposals. These figures tackled recovery in each criterion with minimum costs (Stypka, 2011).

Results for this presented in table 4 were used in decision-making. Solutions closer to the ideal point were more acceptable. Table 1 gave assumptions of the ways of carrying out the existing strategies. In case no 39, thermal processing of waste that seemed very friendly to the environment was preferred.

Limited and justifiable conclusions

From the conclusions, it is true that the decision to get the best way to manage waste in the urban areas is complex. This process needs proper criteria in making sure that all aspects of human life are satisfied. However, the proposed system did not precisely elaborate the best way it could be implemented. It is not justified to assert that since the method worked in Cracow then it would work elsewhere in Europe. It could need a thorough overhaul of the same. How systematic the system would be was not clearly outlined in a way that any organization responsible could adopt it.

Reference:

Stypka, T. (2011). Application of Multi-Criteria method of analysis. Cracow: Cracow University Press.

Metalico (MEA) is metal recycling plant in the United States of America. MEA has its headquarters in Cranford, New Jersey (Metalico Full Service Company 2013). MEA has about eight hundred workers for its thirty branches. These branches are located in ten states of the US. This company does the following tasks:

1. Recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
2. Recycling of platinum and minor metals.
3. Lead Fabrication.

The company has metal recycling yards classified as a catalytic converter and metal fabrication facilities. Furthermore, these categories can be classified into three:

1. Recycling units, which include lead manufacturing and fabricating facilities.
2. An aluminum deoxidizing facility.
3. Platinum group and minor metal recycling facilities (MEA profile 2013).

The company has its branches in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York for recycling ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The other types of scrap metal are distributed to the other facilities in various states. This company serves markets in the United States and Canada (Metal Recycling Yards 2013). MEA obtains its scrap metal from dealers, demolition contractors, and small-scale scrap sellers. The scrap metal collected is sorted out and sold to foundries, mills, and furnaces (MEA profile 2013).

Tranzact facility, located in Pennsylvania, recycles scrap metal like tungsten, molybdenum, and tantalum. The other three branches located in Gulfport, Austin and Newark use catalytic converters to process rhodium, platinum, and Palladium. On the fabrication side, MEA is the number one manufacturer of non-battery leaded products. This fabrication facility is located in Syracuse, New York. MEA has both national and internal markets for its business (Metalico Full Service Company 2013).

Various kinds of scrap metal are accepted by Metalico for recycling and fabrication. Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal are collected and processed to consumable metals before they are released into the markets. Also, the platinum group and minor scrap metal are accepted for recycling. The end products of this recycling process include platinum, rhodium, and palladium, which are obtained through catalytic conversion(Metalico Full Service Company 2013).

Metalico manages its waste in different ways. To start with, MEA, being a metal recycling company, it makes maximum use of its scrap metal. This implies that the remaining fraction of metal waste is very small and manageable. In addition to that, the company’s waste materials like plastics and metals are collected and incinerated. Incineration process has various advantages:

1. The facility requires small size of land.
2. The facility allows full time operation regardless of the weather conditions.
3. It is free of smell.
4. It reduces refusal volume by 50%.

The company releases its effluents into the water bodies, land, and atmosphere. Some of the water soluble gases are dissolved into the water before they are deposited. The advantage of this method is that it is inexpensive and convenient method (Waste disposal methods 2013).

The accumulation of scrap metal at the landfill can be hazardous and unaesthetic. Therefore, Metalico has diversified strategies to convince the public to direct such waste materials into the company’s premises for recycling. First, the company offers persuasive payments to scrap dealers (Taylor & Allen 2013). This influences majority of the people to deliver their scrap metal to the facility. Secondly, the prices of the metal products are raised so that metal waste can be minimized. Thirdly, the company has several strategically located scrap collection points where the assembled scrap metal is collected and delivered to the respective plants. Finally, company has programs that educate the public about the importance of scrap metal and the problems associated with scrap metal accumulation at the landfills (Taylor & Allen 2013).

Metalico Company abides by the legislative regulations of waste treatment and disposal. The company treats its effluents before releasing them into the environment. It has several units with enough spaces to handle and recycle scrap metal besides incinerating some waste materials. It has a financial assurance for its operation (U.S Environmental protection Agency 2013). Above all, the company is legislatively permitted to carry out the above mentioned activities.

A person can establish this company’s recycling capability by scrutinizing the company’s present and previous work records, carry out physical assessment, and request for its work permit. Metalico offers fair payments for useful scrap metal. The company accepts e-waste without payment. The e-waste is accepted, purposely, for deposition (Electronic Waste Recycling 2013).

Metalico educates the public on merits of the recycled scrap metal. This company uses green energy thereby promoting environmental conservation. Since this company is a scrap metal recycling facility, it protects the environment against pollution. The company treats its waste before releasing it into the surroundings. Finally, it conducts regular servicing of its recycling systems and vehicles to ensure that they are pollution free.

Conclusion

Metalico is a potential scrap metal recycling and fabrication company dealing with ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal, platinum and minor scrap metal, and lead fabrication. The company has enough scrap yards, adequate and competent recycling systems, good transportation network and reduced environmental pollution. The company is permitted to conduct its activities. Therefore, Metalico is recommendable for scrap metal recycling.

Reference List

Electronic waste recycling. Web.

MEA profile. Web.

Metalico full service company. Web.

Metal Recycling Yards. Web.

Taylor, A& Allen, A 2013, Waste disposal and landfill. Web.

U.S Environmental protection Agency, 2013, Wastes – Hazardous Waste – Treatment, Storage & Disposal. Web.

Waste disposal methods. Web.

Current EPA Policies Regarding Environmental Protection

The issue of waste management has always been one of EPA’s key priorities. However, the current policies regarding waste management appear to be quite lax, which leads to a drop in commitment among companies and causes significant health issues. Specifically, the Waste Management Act of 1990 needs to be updated to reflect the current realities (“Part 273 – Standards for Universal Waste Management,” n.d.). The waste Management Act is a regulation that seeks to control the extent of waste produced by organizations by offering rigid standards for waste disposal. According to the existing accounts of the effects of waste management inconsistences, multiple health issues ranging from respiratory problems to chronic diseases such as asthma can be observed on a global scale (Li & Achal, 2020). However, the Waste Management Act does not specify directly how electronic waste should be disposed of directly, which makes it co0nfusing for organizations and especially average citizens, who may be unaware of the differences between regular waste and e-waste. Therefore, the existing EPA policies regarding waste management must be revisited. Remarkably, most professional organizations tend to view the Act as quite outdated (UNEP, n.d.). As a Family Nurse practitioner, one must consider contributing to shaping the policy while providing families with accurate guidelines concerning waste management and proper disposal of e-waste. E-waste represents unwanted or unmanageable electronic products 9Li & Achal, 2020). Due to the broad description, the specified definition complicates the process of e-waste disposal.

Current Policy: Who Supports and What Ramifications Are

The policy in question is presently supported by EPA and most businesses as the solution that theoretically allows keeping the extent of waste production minimal. Similarly, legal bodies, particularly, governmental authorities responsible for the prevention and management of pollution issues and compliance with environmentalism principles are largely supportive of the policy in question. Among the major organizations that support the specified waste management policy, one should mention EPA and WasteAid, who collaborate actively with policymakers to improve the current standards regarding the prevention and management of environmental pollution. These organizations are resistant to changing the performance frameworks of manufacturing companies, which is understandable given the drastic economic outcomes. Still, as stakeholders in the specified scenario, people have control over policymaking as possible participants of protests and environmental movements. However, the existing framework does not allow for rigid and sufficient control of the waste management strategies, particularly in regard to organizational e-waste management and e-waste disposal in families (Yang et al., 2018). Furthermore, the policy under analysis does not immediately imply the necessity to adopt the frameworks that minimize waste, such as recycling (Condemi et al., 2019). Therefore, the current legal framework must be adjusted.

Proposed Action

A range of public health issues has emerged as a result of the failure to comply with the established principles (Li & Achal, 2020). Moreover, the regulations created and defined in the 90s do not reflect the full extent and complexity of healthcare concerns caused by the production of electronic waste (e-waste). While certain adjustments have been made to offer the ways of containing the adverse effects of e-waste, the existing regulations need to be finalized and enhanced on a global level. In turn, an FNP can provide critical information concerning the effects of the current waste management strategies. For this purpose, data concerning the changes in pollution rates, as well as the effects that the current waste management standards have on people’s well-being, must be collected. Specifically, nurses will have to examine how patients are exposed to e-waste, the prevalence of e-waste exposure in families, and the risk factors that lead to the exposure. Although professional organizations have considered the effects of e-waste on public health, the needs of families specifically have not been addressed fully. Specifically, several white papers, such as “EU actions and existing challenges on electronic waste” (2021), have focused on the issue briefly. Furthermore, a Family Nurse practitioner must focus on advocating proper waste management in patients and their families and educating them about the strategies for disposing of e-waste. As an educator, a nurse must warn patients about the necessity to dispose of e-waste properly and avoid the settings where e-waste can be found.

The proposed action involves shaping the current policy toward managing waste on an industrial level in the way that limits general audiences’ exposure to waste, particularly, hazardous substances by utilizing the information offered by FNPs. Namely, the suggested change implies introducing standards for removing e-waste and offering alternatives to landfills for managing regular waste for companies. Furthermore, it is the job of an FNP to ensure that patients and their families are educated about the dangers of e-waste and its improper management. Specifically, patients will be instructed on determining the expiration date for e-products, the means of disposing of e-waste, the strategies of safeguarding children against e-waste exposure, an the ways of identifying e-waste so that it could be avoided or properly managed. The described solution means changing the legal standards for waste management and reinforcing them on statewide and global levels so that the issue of waste management could be controlled tighter.

The sources used for this presentation can be considered current and relevant since they were published after 2018 and are linked to the issue of waste management directly. Furthermore, having been written by experts in the field, these references are sufficiently authoritative. Moreover, they are accurate given the specific data and measurements used by the authors. Finally, all of the sources have a direct purpose of addressing the problem of waste management.

References

Condemi, A., Cucchiella, F., & Schettini, D. (2019). Circular economy and E-waste: An opportunity from RFID TAGs. Applied Sciences, 9(16), 3422. Web.

EU actions and existing challenges on electronic waste. (2021). Web.

Li, W., & Achal, V. (2020). Environmental and health impacts due to e-waste disposal in China–A review. Science of the Total Environment, 737, 1-8. Web.

Part 273 – Standards for Universal Waste Management. (n.d.). EPA. Web.

UNEP. (n.d.). Guidelines for framework legislation for integrated waste management. Web.

Yang, H., Ma, M., Thompson, J. R., & Flower, R. J. (2018). Waste management, informal recycling, environmental pollution and public health. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 72(3), 237-243. Web.

Introduction

This paper reviews the current literature surrounding the issue of waste management at events. It examines the impact of the event industry on the environment, which is continuously growing, and how this generates external pressure for the industry to become more stable. It defines the term Waste Management and the origin of this term. It examines the growth and development of waste management at events, even though the industry generates more carbon and waste each year and lacks standard sustainable design practices. It reviews the benefits of holding events and how many young people take the initiative to manage waste at the events they attend. This paper also takes into account the benefits of events aimed at garbage collection and waste management.

This paper considers the importance of gradually reducing the volume of waste generated at events and the possibility of attracting investors to the field of waste recycling at events. Finally, it will review how festivals can take various waste management measures and then conduct further research on this issue. Currently, humanity is facing the problem of waste management at multiple events, which is becoming more and more severe and urgent. To prevent the planet from getting overgrown with dirt, developed countries are developing waste management strategies. They are a list of activities formed into a single integrated system. Despite the enormous damage caused to the environment, many people realize that it is necessary somehow to solve the problem of the impending environmental catastrophe. Lytle (2007) also speaks about this, explaining the reasons for the start of the environmental movement and its impact and possible consequences.

Lytle (2007) claims that the beginning of the ecology movement is an essential step in the history of humanity, as it unites many people from different countries with different religions or worldviews. The author tells in detail about what the members of the environmental movement stand for, in particular, respect for the environment by changing state policy and individual behavior. Lytle provides an exhaustive and accessible overview of the essence of the ecology movement and the basic concepts and personalities associated with this movement. Moreover, in this paper, it is possible to get acquainted with the achievements of this movement and its global impact on the current state of attitudes toward the environment.

A variety of entertainment events have always been an integral part of human life, and over the past few decades, they have become even more popular. Case (2013), in his book, outlines the close relationship between events and their impact on the environment, which many people prefer to ignore or underestimate. This paper describes in detail the problems of the impact of events on ecology and human society. Nevertheless, the increasing popularity of events and the growing number of people who attend these events substantially impact the host community’s economic, social, and environmental foundations. One of the most critical problems for a modern developed society is waste management and disposal. The long-term goal should be to reduce the amount of waste and reduce its volume.

Unfortunately, various activities contribute significantly to the problem of waste management, recycling, and disposal, which needs to be solved shortly. Thus, the current environmental situation in the world is hazardous. Before the threat of an impending ecological catastrophe, it is urgently necessary to realize the environmentally sound boundaries of production and consumption. That is why the concept of waste management acquires such great value.

Literature Review

Waste management is understood as a set of measures for collecting, transportation, processing, recycling, use, or disposal of garbage and controlling the entire process. The term usually refers to waste that is the result of human activity. Such measures are necessary to reduce the harmful effects of waste on human health, the environment, and aesthetic reasons. The waste management system is viewed differently in developed and developing countries, urban and rural areas, residential and industrial zones.

The public events industry has a noticeable impact on the development of waste management measures, which can be both positive and negative. More on this is reflected in the report The Show Must Go On (2015) the reaction of the festival industry to the climate change talks in Paris in 2015. The report collects all known studies in the UK and analyzes the most extensive data sets accessible on the effect of festivals on the environment. This report outlines the impact of the festival industry on the environment in an accessible format. It is also intended to provide a reliable foundation for an industry-wide approach to reducing environmental impact. The report results show that music festivals held in the UK cause emissions of a considerable amount of harmful waste and consumption of diesel fuel, which has a detrimental effect on the environment.

Ironically, according to the report, many visitors to music festivals in the UK are eco-activists and want to change the world and the environment for the better. Nevertheless, Leonard (2012) argues that if people want to change the world, they need to start with themselves, come together, and demand changes in state policy. Leonard states that significant changes require something more than just a desire – active actions are needed, which is clearly shown by the history of humanity. The importance of the proposed idea for further struggle for ecology and strengthening people’s self-awareness is obvious.

Fortunately, many people realize this and hold large-scale events designed to develop waste management measures, increase the sustainability of events, tours, venues, festivals, and all participants in the living sector. It is performed, for example, by activists from the AGF site (2021) who have the goal of helping the organizers to hold environmentally friendly events. The practical material demonstrates that a large number of people are worried about the state of the environment and are willing to spend their time and effort to combat environmental pollution.

This initiative is supported by members of the association Surfers Against Sewage (2021) who seek to clean up the ocean polluted by industrial waste, and various events held near the ocean. They attract hundreds of volunteers to clean the ocean of plastic and increase people’s social responsibility. The massive danger of plastic for the ocean is also confirmed by Moore’s speech (2009) which gave clear and accessible information about how much the ocean is polluted with plastic. Plastic does not decompose, which causes the death of marine life, birds and severe changes in environmental conditions. Microparticles polluting the upper nutrient layer of the World’s oceans cause chemical and biological harm to marine wildlife. Chemicals in the water, which are industrial and agricultural waste, are deposited on the surface of floating plastic fragments. This garbage turns into poisoned food for living organisms that feed on phytoplankton.

Moore (2009) claims that plastic garbage negatively affects flora and fauna of the world’s oceans, from fish entangled in plastic bags to exposure to chemical elements present in the garbage material and released during decomposition. Moreover, he cites horrifying facts about the tropical islands, which are now covered with a layer of garbage, with a total mass of about 238 tons. Moore adds that many islands are listed as World Heritage sites or are national parks. Waste may not be produced on the islands themselves, but it sails across the oceans to their shores. According to Moore, in stationary places, migrating garbage, moved along the water surface by the circulation of currents, collects in garbage islands of gigantic size and does not move anywhere. That is why initiatives like Surfers are essential and relevant and should be spread worldwide.

The idea of such events is supported by Tölkes and Butzmann (2018) who studied the issues of positive correlation between environmental protection and sustainable behavior. Their research has shown that a caring attitude to nature has a beneficial effect on a person’s behavior, making green events even more valuable and relevant. This work is interesting for a detailed analysis of the positive impact of caring for the environment on the human psyche and attitude to life. Seraphin and Nolan (2019) also talk about the importance of green events and green tourism, whose participants make a considerable contribution to the fight against pollution of the planet. The authors explain the great importance of such initiatives for the future of humanity in the next hundred years.

According to Seraphin and Nolan, (2019) the purpose of green tourism is to help preserve wildlife and cultural values, using those tourist services that contribute to the protection of visited sites and support the lives of the local population. The authors claim that the basic principles of ecotourism include three mandatory conditions: minimal impact on the environment, the experience of the traveler’s interaction with untouched nature, and a positive impact on the local economy. The authors conducted an exciting and helpful work in which they outlined the need for green tourism in the current environmental situation. The issues discussed in this article are relevant because green tourism has gained huge popularity, and also has practical importance for the state of the environment. Seraphin and Nolan describe in detail and clearly the essence of this concept, as well as explain its possible prospects and impact on the state of nature.

Green tourism can significantly affect the state of the planet’s environment because many people spend a lot of time and effort fighting waste and garbage. This statement is also confirmed by the opinion of UNWTO (n.d.) where it is possible to get acquainted with the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, which contains the rules of an environmentally and culturally clean approach to tourism and travel. According to UNWTO, (n.d.) the principle of environmental friendliness assumes that nature is able to recover from human impact for future generations. In addition, an essential element of green tourism is the contemplation and study of natural landscapes minimally affected by human activity, without interference with ecosystems.

Green tourism creates conditions for the local population and the tourism industry to benefit from preserving nature in its original form, conserving resources, and conducting sustainable economic activity. It, first of all, instills in people a sense of responsibility for their actions and their future, which is closely related to the state of the environment. The same opinion is shared by Gao, Huang, and Zhang (2015) who investigated the relationship between tourists’ perception of the negative consequences of tourism and their perceived responsibility. The authors believe that ecotourism may include volunteer functions, but first of all, it is recreation and enjoyment of nature with benefits for both sides.

Nevertheless, the article’s conclusions written by Henderson and Musgrave (2014) show that the successful dissemination of such events among the masses is impossible without attracting third-party propaganda and more attention to the evaluation of success. Thus, it is necessary to involve the media and use social networks for the most outstanding efficiency of waste management measures. It is confirmed by the results of a study by Dodds, Novotny, and Harper (2020) who claim that only a few festivals whose goal was waste management and sustainable transportation engaged in excellent and effective propaganda through social networks. The practice of sustainable development ensures wider popularity among visitors and, obviously, more effective results, which is achieved by sufficient funding and active advertising.

It is vital to organize people and spread a particular idea that they will support and continue to spread among others. Jones (2014) in her book, talks about how to properly organize a social event, unite people around him, and also gradually come to the necessary result. This book explains in detail the algorithm of actions that will allow organizing sustainable event management. Confirmation of the growing public interest in the organization of events can be found in the article authored by Pernecky (2015) who speaks of events as essential phenomena with social, economic, and cultural potential. The author of this article talks about the importance of organizational and leadership skills, which predominantly affect the outcome of the events. In this paper, a detailed study was conducted on the relationship between the effectiveness of events and the presence of leadership qualities and skills in the organizer.

Many changes for the better, including waste management, should be based on the aspect of sustainable development. Becker (2010) states in his article that the ethical sense occupies an important place in the modern concept of sustainable development. Thus, an ethically correct attitude significantly affects how a person will deal with nature, and therefore the analysis of these ethical problems is necessary for further measures to combat waste. Juvan et al. (2016) share this opinion, investigating psychological stress in people whose behavior harms the environment, although they adhere to environmentally friendly beliefs. The study showed that a person is often unable to control their behavior, the consequences of which harm nature, and therefore experience emotional discomfort. This fact confirms the need for education and dissemination of environmentally friendly rules of conduct.

This statement is similar to the beliefs of Raj, Musgrave, and ProQuest (2009) who consider it vital to be able to create sustainable event management that directly affects their effectiveness. In addition, the ethical side of this issue should also be taken into account. It is what Allen (2009) is pointing at, considering the moral side of doing business and holding events that can harm the environment. Holmes, Hughes, Mair, and Carlsen (2015) agree with Allen’s statement, stating that current events should be more sustainable, allowing them to be more effective and better convey their message to the audience. Pernecky and Luck (2013) continue this theme by exploring the relationship between society, event organization, and sustainability and analyzing critical modern approaches to this phenomenon. These works reflect the original concept of the organization of events, stability, as well as the study of the psychological state of society through the prism of interaction with these elements.

It is necessary to carry out as many green activities as possible to improve the city’s ecological state, the general atmosphere, and the mood of residents in cities. Tsaur et al. (2016) agree with this statement by examining the impact indicators of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exhibition from residents’ point of view and examining the impact of these impacts on urban sustainability through the perception of Taipei residents after the exhibition. Their research has shown that economic, ecological, and social effects have had a significant favorable impact on the sustainability of cities. A few negative aspects had a completely insignificant effect on the sustainability of cities, which indicates the benefits of holding green events.

The benefits of green events are also confirmed by other authors, for example, Raj, Musgrave, and ProQuest (2009). They talk about the beneficial effects of green events on the sustainability of cities, as well as their regeneration. Many cities cannot cope with the amount of garbage and waste, and such green initiatives provide great help and support to urban infrastructure and improve people’s emotional state. In addition to the aesthetic point of view, an essential factor is the influence of waste and garbage on the state of the climate, which is gradually changing due to human actions. Bows-Larkin (2015) argues that it’s time to change economic growth to climate stability and take decisive measures on recycling and waste management; otherwise, climate change will become irreversible. The expert speaks about the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which gradually have an increasingly significant impact on the planet’s climate.

Bows-Larkin (2015) claims that the temperature change is directly proportional to the radiation exposure. She adds that the concentration of carbon dioxide is already 1.5 times higher than the pre-industrial level. Nevertheless, some solutions can be resorted to trying to rectify the situation. For example, the author talks about reducing the use of fossil fuels and switching to renewable energy sources. Moreover, sustainable forest management, control of forest fires, environmentally friendly agriculture, restoration of soil cover, as well as the transition to bicycles, public transport, and electric vehicles were mentioned. The consequences of such climate changes can be grave and dangerous if no measures are taken.

Unfortunately, the expert’s words are confirmed by the IPCC report (2014) which contains information on the state of knowledge in the field of climate change science. The report states the impact of human activity on the planet’s climate and also emphasizes that greenhouse gas emissions have never been as high and dangerous as they are now. According to the report, greenhouse gases will cause negative consequences in the amount of precipitation, changes in the level of the oceans, as well as the death of entire ecosystems. The organization of green events contributes to the fight against greenhouse gases, which have an extremely negative impact on the climate and human health. According to an IPCC report (2014) the number of cardiac, pulmonary, and respiratory diseases increases significantly due to abnormally high temperatures.

There are lacunae in the literature concerning the overall sustainability of the event industry and the problem of waste management at various events. There are opportunities for further research in this area, especially in the field of green tourism, the impact of environmentally friendly behavior on a person’s mental state, and possible future trends. The ecological movement is a socio-political phenomenon that has arisen in the context of the increasing impact of society on nature as a result of the interaction of all social groups interested in preserving nature for the sake of future generations. The movement has absorbed collective concern about the state of the environment and combined joint activities to prevent environmental threats of individuals, social groups, and public associations. Environmental policy, including waste management skills at events, is significant for the well-being and health of future generations.

Conclusion

This paper has explored some of the literature surrounding waste management at events. It looked at the importance of the environmental movement, whose main task is ecological education, as well as global and local waste management and recycling activities. This work defined waste management and identified its paramount importance in current circumstances. A review was conducted of some initiatives that deal with waste and garbage at events. The significant impact of such events on the sustainability of cities and the positive state of their residents was identified. In this paper, the benefits of green tourism were discussed, which increases the social responsibility of the population to the environment, educating people to respect nature. In addition, the negative impact of greenhouse gases, which are formed due to human waste, on the planet’s climate and human health was considered.

It becomes obvious that today it is difficult to overestimate the importance and role of ecology both in the life of the whole society and separately in each person’s life. The state of the planet depends both on commercial companies producing tons of waste every year and on an individual enjoying the benefits of civilization. Event waste management is an essential skill that largely shapes a person’s attitude to the environment. Thousands of people, realizing the deplorable state of the environment, strive to contribute to the salvation of the planet by organizing various movements, many of which are not supported by the state in any way. The state of the environment is directly related to a person’s well-being, mood, and attitude to life.

Reference List

Alice Bows-Larkin (2015) Climate change is happening. Here’s how we adapt.

Allen, J. (2009) Chapter 1 The Ethical Cost of Doing Business. Event planning: ethics and etiquette : a principled approach to the business of special event management. Mississauga: Wiley.

AR5 Synthesis report: climate change 2014(2014).

Becker, C. (2012) ‘Sustainability Ethics’.

Case, R. (2013) Events and the environment. London: Routledge.

Charles Moore (2009) Seas of plastic.

Dodds, R., Novotny, M. and Harper, S. (2020) ‘Shaping our perception of reality: sustainability communication by Canadian festivals’, International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 11(4), pp. 473-492.

Ethics, culture and social responsibility (n.d.).

Gao, J., Huang, Z. and Zhang, C. (2015) ‘Tourists’ perceptions of responsibility: an application of norm-activation theory’.

Helping events, venues, tours and the live sector to improve sustainability (2019).

Henderson, S. and Musgrave, J. (2014) ‘Changing audience behaviour: festival goers and throwaway tents’, International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 5(3), pp. 247-262.

Jones, M. (2014) Sustainable event management: a practical guide. Oxfordshire: Routledge.

Juvan, E., Ring, A., Leish, F. and Dolnicar, S. (2015) ‘Tourist segments’ justifications for behaving in an environmentally unsustainable way’.

Lytle, M. H. (2007) The gentle subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the rise of the environmental movement. New York: Oxford University Press.

Pernecky, T. and Luck, M. (2013) Events, society and sustainability: critical and contemporary approaches. London: Routledge.

Pernecky. T. (2015) ‘Sustainable leadership in event management’, Cognizant Communication Corporation, 19(1), pp. 109-121.

Raj, R., Musgrave, J. and ProQuest (2009) Chapter 14 Planning Models for Creating Sustainable Events Management by S Saeed-Kahn and P Clements. Event management and sustainability. Cambridge: CABI.

Raj, R., Musgrave, J. and ProQuest (2009) Chapter 2 Policy politics and sustainable events. Event management and sustainability. Cambridge: CABI.

Raj, R., Musgrave, J. and ProQuest (2009) Chapter 4 Events and sustainable urban regeneration. Event management and sustainability. Cambridge: CABI.

Raj, R., Musgrave, J. and ProQuest (2009) Chapter 6 The Economics of Sustainable Events.. Event management and sustainability. Cambridge: CABI.

Seraphin, H. and Nolan E. (2019) Green events and green tourism: an international guide to good practice. Milton: Taylor & Francis Group.

Surfers against sewage (2021). Web.

The show must go on report(2015).

The Story of Stuff Project (2012) The story of change.

Tölkes, C. and Butzmann, E. (2018) ‘Motivating pro-sustainable behavior: The potential of green events—A case-study from the Munich streetlife festival’, Department of Tourism, Munich University of Applied Sciences, 10(10).

Tsaur S., Yen, C., Tu, J., Wang C. and Liang Y. (2014) ‘Evaluation of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition from the perceptions of host-city residents: a new framework for mega-event legacies measurement’.

Introduction

Humans produce wastes that impact the air people breathe, water, and land. For instance, more waste products are produced in project-based organisations such as building constructions. How the wastes are disposed of determines how much they can impact the environment. Open burning and waste disposal are the keys applied waste handling and final discarding systems, mostly observable in low-income nations. As a result, people must sustainably manage these wastes and devise plans for long-term waste management. Therefore, this study answers the research questions on how justifiable surplus management affects project-based companies, its importance, and the various ways project-based firms can manage their havoc.

Aims and Objectives

A research aim defines the study’s desire or ambition; it summarizes what the researcher expects to accomplish after the program. The scholar’s outcomes by collecting data are recognized as research objectives. In this study, the scholar’s aims include: to know the impacts of workable management of leftover in project-based corporations, including how it profits organisations and the various methods firms use to sustain the environment. Therefore, the objectives of this study include recognizing the positive impacts of sustainable management of waste, benefits, and the various strategies businesses use in adopting it.

Literature Review

Sustainable waste management is necessary for maintaining a healthy environment for animals and humans, releasing precious land from landfills, improving energy output, creating jobs, and reducing logistics and transport costs. Waste management tries to keep properties in use while restraining the number of wastes sent to incineration and landfills. In the modern rectilinear economy, waste accumulates even before goods are manufactured. A more comprehensive approach to sustainable waste management must emphasize the whole product lifecycle to decrease the negative economic and social repercussions of modern-era consumption. Maintainable waste management is at the heart of a circular economy (Das et al., 2019, p. 658). It is a formalized technique to economic progress that challenges the “take-make-waste” concept and tries to divorce development from limited resource utilisation.

The method of gathering, transporting, recycling, or disposing of different waste products and monitoring and managing them is called waste management. In this aspect, the concept of sustainable management of waste is crucial since it enhances all trash can be handled effectively rather than deposited in landfills. Sustainable waste management is the collection, movement, valuation, and disposition of various wastes without jeopardizing human and environmental health or subsequent groups, including all facets of waste management, from manufacturing to the final phase of treatment (Zorpas, A.A., 2020, p. 137088; Abdallah et al., 2020, p. 233). Individuals must take responsibility for long-term sustainability in the interests of future generations and the environment. An active and sustainable waste management structure must have feedback mechanisms, a procedure-oriented attitude, adaptability, and waste digression.

The globular economy’s essential principle is waste reprocessing management, which offers several benefits and opportunities for the environment, economy, and society. Assembling, classifying, treating, reusing when applicable, and supplying a source of power and supplies comprise sustainable waste management (Ferronato et al., 2019, p. 366; Iqbal, Naz, and Sattar, 2021, p. 2). Thus, creating jobs, enhancing waste management systems, reducing the natural impact of human activities, improving water and air. It also contributes to a higher quality of life by reducing food waste, lowering environmental costs, and eliminating human well-being.

How to Create a Successful Waste Management Plan

Individuals should consider implementing a sustainable waste management method instead of employing waste management as the last option to manage garbage effectively. The former demands them to think about the waste people produce and develop diverse ways to reuse it. The latter allows individuals to make deliberate and responsible decisions on how elements should flow at different phases of the production procedures to lessen waste. Waste disposal planning is a combination of processes that assist people in achieving their goals (Esmaeilian et al., 2018, p. 178; Kabirifar et al., 2020, p.121265). They should keep track of their plan at every stage of the process. Strategic planning enables people to realize long-term gains in local waste management by allowing them to engage in the ever-changing trash and recoverable materials markets. People must collaborate with various organizations and enterprises to achieve their objectives.

The Public-Private Partnerships for Service Delivery (PPPSD) program promotes businesses and local governments to form long-term, self-sustaining partnerships. This collaboration encourages governmental, business, and citizen stakeholders to work together more effectively. It also helps reduce the adverse effects of trash in low-income areas, leads to long-term improvements in reprocessing and waste sewage treatment, and increases the livelihood of enterprises and residents in both urban and rural locations (Pfisterer and van Tulder, 2021, p. 111). People should avoid garbage dumps as much as possible to minimize the risks associated with waste. To meet specific distraction goals, governmental institutions must work to comply with a variety of legal standards. They can figure out the actual recycling rate at each step of the reprocessing. People need to know how much material may be used to manufacture recyclable products.

Methodology

This study adopts quantitative approaches to obtain an answer to the research question. Quantitative methods emphasize quantifiable metrics and mathematical, arithmetical, or algebraic assessment of information learned through polls, surveys, and questionnaires and adjusting pre-existing statistical evidence using statistical formulas. Quantitative research purposes of gathering numerical information and simplifying it crossways persons or elucidates a specific existence (Khosla, 2021, p. 1935). Quantitative research aims to gain insights into the communal world through information collection (Rahman, 2020, para. 1). Investigators use these methods to examine conditions or occurrences that impact people. The research harvests objective signals that scholars can express successfully using figures and facts. The setting of the research will be a building under construction. The researcher will target ten electricians, plumbers, painters, scaffolders, steel erectors, decorators, laborers, and controllers like chargehands and supervisors.

The researcher will ensure gender equality among the ten participants and ensure 5 of the participants will be men, and five will be women. The scholar prefers a building under construction since the research topic focuses on sustainable waste management in a project-based organization. A building under construction is a project in progress until everything is accomplished and executed. Buildings often contain various waste products, including drywall, wood, masonry, concrete, metal, plastic, cardboard, and glass (Sharma et al., 2021, p. 050011). Hence, the setting will play a significant role in helping the researcher acquire sufficient data on how the participants manage their waste products, never polluting their surroundings. The project-based organizational setting will help the researcher comprehend how the participants benefit from the sustainable ways to manage their wastes (Spišáková, Mésároš, and Mandičák, 2021, p. 61). Considering that most of the waste products in buildings under construction do not decompose and can cause harm to live organisms around, the researcher will obtain a clear overview of how wastes from building construction sites are managed sustainably.

The individuals working in building constructions are best suited in this research since they are good listeners, creative, and hardworking, which are the significant characteristics participants should have to answer questionnaire queries accurately. The researcher will utilize the simple random sampling technique to obtain ten participants (Mahmud et al., 2020, p. 90). First, the researcher will randomly give all male workers pieces of paper written numbers ranging from 1-100. Afterward, the researcher will select the workers who received papers written numbers 1 to 5 as the population sample. Female workers will likewise receive a number in a 1 to 100 range, and the scholar will pick female workers with the papers written number 1 to 5. Simple random sampling will ensure each worker obtains an equal chance to participate in the research. The researcher will assign questionnaires to the participants and request them to answer the questions accurately since they will be used for study purposes.

How analysis will be done

Data analysis is the most crucial part of every study since it helps researchers answer their research questions. The researcher will summarize the data collected and use statistical analysis or the SPSS software to interpret the results. Statistical analysis will provide valuable data the researcher needs to acknowledge how sustainable waste management benefits or impacts project-based organizations (Pallant, 2020). SPSS denotes an inclusive statistical software with several statistical tests available as inbuilt features that help in a more accessible interpretation of data.

Activity Planning

Activity planning describes the researcher’s various steps to accomplish the research goal, possible changes, and utilizing available resources and chances to attain expected outcomes. In this research, activity planning plays an important role, such as guiding the researcher on the activities that will be performed to answer the question in research (Van-Horenbeke, and Peer, 2021, p. 106). The plan will break down the activities the researcher will perform in 15 weeks, and the time the researcher will allocate in each activity to ensure the project is accomplished on time. The researcher’s activity planning is as shown in figure 1 below:

Figure 1: Activity Plan

The researcher will take 15 weeks to accomplish the research and answer the research from the above activity plan. In the first week, the researcher will formulate the research question and explain how the research question relates to the research topic. In the second week, the researcher will analyze the aims and objectives of the research. The researcher will utilize the subsequent four weeks to explore the existing data related to the research and how various researchers discovered sustainable waste management impacts project-based organizations. The researcher will spend three weeks designing the research methodology, including analyzing the research setting and the significance of the setting, and the sampling strategy. Lastly, the researcher will analyze data for six weeks to obtain accurate responses to the research question.

Findings

Effective waste management tackles the more significant difficulties of line consumption in the community and gives immediate solutions to the various problems caused by waste. If an efficient waste management policy is not implemented, useable materials and substances are transported to landfills and incinerators for energy conversion. It is critical to recognize that waste emanates from different forms, including municipal waste electronic waste (which comprises computer parts) and radioactive wastes. Sustainable waste management is necessary for maintaining a healthy environment for animals and humans, releasing precious land from landfills, improving energy output, creating jobs, and reducing logistics and transport costs. By recycling and generating as little garbage as possible, sustainable waste management aims to conserve natural resources.

Limitations and Further Research

The confines of the research are those features of strategy or methodology that impact or influence the clarification of the answers from research. In this research, the scholar is limited towards conducting the research to a specific setting; project-based organizations. Hence, the researcher is limited to exploring how other organisations are impacted by sustainability measures to protect the environment. Therefore, further research should be done on how sustainable management of waste impacts organizations other than project-based firms.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The circular economy’s key concept of sustainable waste management provides numerous opportunities. The real benefit of recycling and reusing is that it has a lower environmental impact, boosts water and air quality, and lowers greenhouse emissions. Furthermore, limiting food waste reduces the high environmental costs of creating additional food. Gathering, sorting, cleaning, reusing, and, when correctly enabled, giving a source of power and resources are all part of sustainable solid waste management. Composting not only increases efficiency but also keeps materials out of landfills and incinerators, as well as provides raw materials in new products. Project-based organizations should consider more bin bags for accumulating recyclables such as glass, paper, plastics, among other things, and then reusing them, which can play vital roles in managing project-based institutions. Businesses should keep track of their plan at every stage of the process. Strategic planning enables people to realize long-term gains in local waste management by allowing them to engage in the ever-changing trash and recoverable materials markets. People must collaborate with various organizations and enterprises to achieve their objectives.

Reference List

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The chapter “Regulatory compliance: Waste management guide for dental offices” focuses on waste management practices that can be effective in dental offices. Dental offices release waste substances that can easily lead to contamination or contribute to a public health problem. This indicates a need for effective waste management strategies in dental offices to minimize its negative impact on the human population. One of the strategies that can be relied upon to manage waste in a dental office is good housekeeping and equipment maintenance. Good housekeeping involves looking out for spot-damaged or leaking containers and ensuring that different types of waste are stored in different containers. Equipment maintenance requires all the equipment within a dental office to be inspected and undergo maintenance on a regular basis.

It is also necessary to keep records about generated hazardous waste depending on whether it is recycled or disposed of. Hazardous waste that is disposed of requires a dental office to file a dangerous waste manifest with each shipment which has to be maintained for about three years (Chapter 10, n.d). A dental office also has to train its employees to ensure that they are aware of the importance of effective waste management to minimize the likelihood of pollution. Training is also necessary to ensure that staff members are aware of effective handling of hazardous material. A dental office can also recycle some of the waste materials generated during day-to-day activities.

A dental office also has to be careful in the management of regulated waste streams to eliminate the likelihood of pollution. It is necessary to ensure that dental amalgam waste is not discharged to a sewer or released together with other solid waste. Dental amalgam is made up of mercury therefore, can have a negative effect if not managed appropriately. There is a need for effective waste management practices in a dental office to minimize pollution.

Reference

Chapter 10. (n.d). Regulatory compliance: Waste management guide for dental offices.

With recent technological developments, people have been very quick to learn to integrate the newly developed products into their daily and professional routine, yet the management of produced e-waste seems to have been a contentious issue. According to the recent report on the subject matter, the levels of e-waste have grown exponentially over the past few years to reach record levels (Matternicht & Morris, 2016). In the U.S. alone, the total mass of e-waste peaked at 262.4 million tons in 2015, as the Environmental Protection Agency (2016) announced. Thus, the topic of this essay is the assessment of the current problem of e-waste management, the current levels of competence about e-waste management, and the methods of addressing the problem at hand. There are several sustainability issues surrounding the topic of e-waste, the key ones being the toxicity of e-waste and the subsequent threat to most ecosystems. Overall, the topic presents a problem for the global community and the global ecosystem. Thus, the focus of the report is on the strategies that can be used to manage e-waste successfully and contain its harmful effects. By making the issue of e-waste management public with the help of social media and providing opportunities for recovering, recycling, and monitoring e-waste, one will reduce the environmental threat.

One of the issues caused by challenges in e-waste management is the lack of compliance with the proposed standards for recycling among general audiences. The specified concern represents an evident issue that has to be handled at the statewide level since the inability to follow the established rules by citizens implies that e-waste will continue to pollute the environment and affect the ecosystem. Despite the attempts to introduce homogenous standards for managing e-waste and disposing of it, the majority of Australian citizens continue to dispose of e-waste, specifically, electronic devices and batteries, using traditional waste bins and garbage cans (Matternicht & Morris, 2016). The lack of awareness about the methods of managing e-waste and the steps that one has to take in order to recycle it properly is another factor that adds to the aggravation of the e-waste issue. Specifically, people tend to fail to locate the places where they can dispose of e-waste, which leads to the enhancement of the e-waste management crisis.

The solution to the described issue may depend on the culture-specific beliefs and perceptions of the target demographic, yet it will require enhanced communication with citizens in either way. The specified task will require utilizing social media and offering people access to the resources that will allow them to build environmental competence. While the issue at hand has been affecting Australia specifically, it can also be identified as global concern since very few states have established well-developed systems for managing waste and built the required levels of awareness among its citizens (Matternicht & Morris, 2016). Some of the consequences of the descried concern include the release of toxic elements into the environment, specifically, through groundwater into the soil and water, causing irreversible damage to plants, animals, and, eventually, people (Shevchenko, Laitala, & Danko, 2019; Ferronato & Torretta, 2019). Thus, while starting locally, incompliance with e-waste management strategies quickly reaches the levels of a global concern and may cause a massive crisis, which is why it is critical to respond to it immediately by using social media as the fastest way of embracing as many local communities as possible.

Another problem associated with improper e-waste management is caused by the rise in consumerism levels. Due to a clever marketing framework and the misplaced values of a range of consumerism-driven citizens, millions of people rush to purchase a new device once it is released (“High-tech consumerism, a global catastrophe happening on our watch,” 2015). The described behavior causes people to dispose of the devices that have grown out of fashion very frequently, which increases the amount of e-waste produced globally. As a result, the threat to the environment increases at an exponential level, as the recent report proves: “In the last decade or so, e-waste became the fastest-growing part of all the stuff we throw away” (“High-tech consumerism, a global catastrophe happening on our watch,” 2015, para. 8). Notably, the lack of awareness about the rules for proper disposal of e-waste also has its effects on the described issue, aggravating the problem and leading to even greater adverse effects.

The issue outlined above will require encouraging people to reduce their consumerist urges and increasing accessibility to e-waste recycling facilities. Currently, people tend to use traditional waste management tools for e-waste, which causes the problem to grow out of proportions. Due to the ubiquitous nature of toxins, every possible area is bound to be affected, from groundwater to land and plants to the ocean: “And this stuff is full of toxins that if not properly removed, re-used or recycled, can poison the land, air and water, as well as the bodies of workers exposed to the chemical contents” (“In the last decade or so, e-waste became the fastest-growing part of all the stuff we throw away,” 2015. Para. 8).

Therefore, the described issue can be seen as a combination of the effects of the previous concern regarding the lack of awareness and the problem of consumerism becoming a global trend. The specified topic in the environmentalism dialogue indicates that new methods of building awareness by offering opportunities for e-waste management and increasing awareness should be designed (Prata et al., 2019). The effects that the regular purchase of new devices and the quick disposal of old ones has on the environment need to be emphasized and explained thoroughly. Additionally, citizens need to be provided with instructions about the location of e-waste container bins and explained the importance of proper e-waste management. Moreover, tools for monitoring the levels of compliance with the newly provided guidelines have to be established.

The problem of e-waste management has affected the global community to a large extent and continues to have its devastating impact on the global environment and the well-being of citizens. Therefore, online media has to be used to build awareness and encourage people to use facilities for we-waste management, as well as reduce the levels of digital devices consumption due to the hugely adverse impact that it produces on the global community. The provision of e-waste management facilities can be seen as a local solution to the problem, whereas the use of social media for shedding light on the issue is the method of bringing the e-waste issue to the global agenda (Chaudhary & Vrat, 2018). Unless one raises the concern of the lack of awareness, tools for e-waste management, and understanding of the damage done by consumerism, increase in e-waste will cause rapid contamination of groundwater, soil, and water, leading to mass diseases. Herein lies the link to sustainability, which suggests that resources have to be used with caution in order to reduce pollution and maintain the global ecosystem, as well as public health, at a high level.

References

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Environmental Protection Agency. (2016).National overview: Facts and figures on materials, wastes and recycling. Web.

Ferronato, N., & Torretta, V. (2019). Waste mismanagement in developing countries: A review of global issues. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6), 1060. Web.

Matternicht, G. & Morris, A. (2016). Does not compute: Australia is still miles behind in recycling electronic products.The Conversation. Web.

Maxwell, R. (2015). High-tech consumerism, a global catastrophe happening on our watch.The Conversation. Web.

Prata, J. C., Silva, A. L. P., Costa, J. P. D., Mouneyrac, C., Walker, T. R., Duarte, A. C., & Rocha-Santos, T. (2019). Solutions and integrated strategies for the control and mitigation of plastic and microplastic pollution. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2411. Web.

Shevchenko, T., Laitala, K., & Danko, Y. (2019). Understanding consumer e-waste recycling behavior: Introducing a new economic incentive to increase the collection rates. Sustainability, 11(9), 2656. Web.

Since nuclear power was initially employed, more than 390,000 tons of waste have been produced, according to the International Nuclear Association. The requirements defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are necessary for secure waste management. Acting now to address the worldwide challenge of managing nuclear waste will lead to rapid progress and accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals. As a result, nuclear waste management should be covered first, and then the topic of addressing the appropriate course of action should be covered.

While radioactive materials offer many advantages and are increasingly necessary for fields like energy and medicine, we must handle their waste carefully to minimize negative environmental and public health effects. Since they have significant effects on both the present and future generations, nuclear waste management techniques demand immediate attention. Products from nuclear power plants, such as spent fuel rods and radioactive waste, are extremely hazardous and must be handled cautiously to safeguard human health and the environment. We must also understand the significance of harnessing nuclear energy for non-military reasons. The increase in the nations’ potential will aid in their industrialization and enable them to contribute more significantly to the settlement of the nuclear waste problem. This will need that Member States to establish transparent, trust-based international collaboration.

To offer safe and secure storage for the nuclear waste produced by various atomic applications in the region, will require certain measures. We should create a nuclear waste management policy focusing on high safety and security. In addition to helping Member States manage their nuclear waste, this effort will support each region’s safe and responsible use of nuclear technology. It will ensure that nuclear waste is handled and stored securely, avoiding potential harm to current and future generations and the environment.