BY: DR. GARBA S. AHMAD
Kano state ministry of environment and climate change.
1.0 Introduction
One of the most serious environmental consequences of the process of urbanization is the ever-growing amount of solid wastes generated in the cities of the world.
In many African cities, solid waste management (the process of collection, transportation, treatment, analysis, and disposal of waste) is grossly inadequate and poor.
Significant amount of the solid waste generated in our urban centers is left uncollected in the streets, dumped in vacant lands, drains, surface water, and marshy areas and also burnt in the open air. Waste that is collected is mainly disposed in open dumpsites, many of which are not properly operated and/ or maintained, there by posing a serious threat to public health.
In addition to municipal solid waste, managing complex and emerging waste streams such as plastic and marine litter, food waste, E-waste, medical/health-care waste and Construction and Demolition waste (C&D) are also becoming important issues that need urgent attention on a priority basis among the African countries.
2.1 Sustainable waste management practices
Cognizance of the above mentioned predicaments, Sustainable waste management practices aims to keep materials in use for as long as possible and minimize the amount of solid waste that is disposed of in landfill or through incineration becomes a must to take path. Sustainable waste management practices relies on the waste management hierarchy, a system that focuses on avoidance, reduction, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and finally, treatment or disposal. It prioritize actions for the most efficient use of resources, placing renewable and less wasteful practices at the top of the pyramid.
However, in our existing linear economy, waste production begins even before products are manufactured. Therefore, a more in-depth approach to sustainable waste management must focus on the entire lifecycle of a product to enable us to help reduce the negative environmental, social, and financial impacts of 21st-century consumption.
2.2 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – No. 12
At this juncture, we need to point out that, Goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encourages countries towards achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) by using minimal natural resources, reducing use of toxic materials, and using production processes that produce less waste and pollutants.
2.3 Importance of sustainable waste management
With the deteriorating state of the Earth we live in nowadays, sustainable waste management practice appears to be one of the most important environmental protection strategies. This practice has in fact, several benefits both on the environment and the society.
In particular, the main benefits of sustainable waste management are:
Environmental protection and pollution reduction. One of the primary benefits of waste management lies in its ability to minimize the environmental impact of human activities. Proper waste disposal and recycling reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or incinerators, thereby decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. By diverting waste from landfills, we conserve valuable space and reduce the risk of harmful substances leaking into the soil and contaminating water sources, protecting both human health and ecosystems.
Resource conservation.
Waste management fosters resource conservation through recycling and reusing materials, reducing the total amount of material reaching final disposal. Recycling allows us to reclaim valuable resources from discarded items and, by doing so, we minimize the need for raw material extraction, thus conserving natural resources and mitigating the environmental impacts associated with the extraction and processing of raw materials.
Economic benefits.
There are plenty of economic benefits deriving from sustainable waste mgt. This practice does not only reduces the overall cost of waste disposal, it also fosters the creation of job opportunities. Last but not the least, investing in sustainable waste management processes, boosts companies’ reputation, attracting customers and investors.
Enabling a circular economy.
Sustainable waste management is a key enabler of the circular economy, a model aimed at reducing waste and optimizing resource use. In a circular economy, products and materials are designed for longevity, reuse, and recyclability. This transition from a linear “take-make-dispose” model to a circular one, is fundamental in achieving a sustainable and greener future, and it is evident how waste management plays a big part in it.
3.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to point out that, all or most of our cities do not have enough data on their waste streams at hand. Equaly, due to lack of capacity, technical, and policy interventions, these emerging wastes quagmire create both environmental and public health issues.
Consequently, it is necessary for the authorities and all the stakeholders to prepare an inventory of such waste streams, expand the regulatory framework, introduce appropriate technologies, introduce innovative institutional and financial mechanisms, as well as build capacities of the enforcing institutions. On the other hand, if the current one-way or linear model of economy (i.e. mass production, mass consumption and mass disposal) continues, it will surely lead to the depletion of the limited natural resources, and increase the volume of waste generation in our cities. Therefore, moving towards sustainable waste management practices and resource efficiency, is an urgent need in both national and local policies.
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