A staggering 2.12 million tons of waste are dumped each year. These wastes could be moved 24 times around the world if they were placed on trucks. A myriad of processes are involved in waste disposal. These include collection, transportation, recycling or sewage treatment.
What waste is disposed?
The waste can either be dumped in land-based dumpsites (or in the oceans) and includes:
- Construction waste
- Industrial waste
- Household waste
- Plastic waste
- Electronic waste
- Radioactive waste
- Sewage
- Run-off waste, which can include pesticides, fertilizers and oil from farms, can seep into groundwater, rivers or oceans.
To “solve” the enormous global waste problem, waste dumping has become a popular option. You need to think of better solutions quickly, or it will get out of control.
This astonishing amount of waste is due in part to the fact that 99 per cent of all items we buy are thrown out within six months.
Europe generates a lot of trash: food and gardening waste, construction and demolition, mining waste and industrial waste.
The amount of waste that we create is directly linked to the patterns of our consumption and production. The sheer number and variety of products available on the market is another problem. Demographic changes (e.g., an increase in single-person households) also have an effect on how much waste we produce. packaging goods in smaller units).
Because there are so many waste types and so many waste-treatment methods (including illegal ones), it can be difficult to see the full picture and determine whereabouts of that waste. There is data available for all types of waste but they are of variable quality.
How much waste do you produce?
The EU Data Centre on Waste compiles European-level waste data. Data for the year 2010 from 29 European countries, i.e. EU-28 (and Norway) showed that around 60% of the waste produced was soil and mineral waste, mostly from construction and demolition activities as well as mining. Metal, paper and card, chemical and medicinal waste, animal and vegetal and other wastes accounted for between 2 and 4 percent of the total.
Around 10% of Europe’s total waste is known as municipal waste. It is primarily generated by households but smaller amounts by small businesses and public facilities such as schools and hospitals.
In the 33 European Environment Agency member states, 481kg of municipal waste were generated per person in 2012. Since 2007, there has been a slight decrease in this number, partly due to Europe’s economic crisis.
Various Waste Disposal Problems
Over-production of waste is a major problem in waste disposal. America alone is responsible annually for producing around 220million tons of waste. For instance, the US produced close to 260,000,000 tons of municipal solid trash in 2007. This is roughly 2.1kg per day. This is why we should consider the global waste generated by the rest.
According to a World Bank report, there is an average of 1.2 kilograms of municipal solid waste per person each day. By 2025, that number is expected to reach 1.5 kilograms. Every state and every local authority are affected by the inability to properly dispose of their waste. Today’s society is driven primarily by throw-away consumption. This means that producers and companies seek to maximize profits by making one-time products while ignoring the importance of reuse, recycling and the use of environmentally-friendly materials.
Effects of waste dumping
The consequences of simply dumping waste all over the world are obvious. Neglecting to manage waste properly and dumping it on the planet can lead to:
- Pollution of soil. Waste can release hazardous chemicals into the soil, and our food.
- Air pollution: Toxic substances are released into the air by landfill burning, including extremely poisoning dioxin.
- Pollution of the oceans: Each year, 13,000,000 tonnes of plastic endup in the oceans. If we keep dumping plastic into the oceans it will result in more plastic being in the oceans than fish.
- Groundwater pollution: 9000 tonnes per second is the average groundwater polluting amount, which amounts to 280billion tons.
Animal behavior is affected when trash piles are large.
The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26 in Glasgow, was a major story. Coverage ranged from climate pledge announcements to large crowds of protestors thronging city streets. However, a New York Times report on the huge trash problems Scotland faced due to the talks included one small detail. A higher population of rats allegedly attacked and sent four sanitation workers into the hospital over the course five months.
Although it’s true “all cities have rats,” as Susan Aitken, Glasgow’s council leader, stated in response to the attacks on her city council, it doesn’t diminish the fact of increased waste attracting more scavengers who might choose to strike out.
Sometimes rodents that used to survive off the city’s food waste have displayed “abnormal behaviour” because of the COVID-19 epidemic. New York City rats began to starve when restaurants were closed down and food supplies cut off. Forbes reported that customers found a new level in interaction with hungry rats after outdoor dining began. New Yorkers aren’t strangers to rats. NYC boasts the third-largest population of rats in the US, with 2,000,000 inhabitants. However, it is known that human waste can have an impact on animal behavior.
Movement Ecology conducted a study in 2016 that showed white storks had changed their migration patterns in Portugal due to the high amount of food waste found in landfills. The 37% increase of gull deaths in Argentina could be attributed to the increased production of fishery waste. In just 30 years, evidence has shown that gull attacks have increased from 2% to 99% during the 1970s to 2000s.
How Ireland and Dublin solve the Waste Problem
Rubbish Taxi is an junk collection and removal company in Dublin. You can benefit from our rubbish disposal Dublin, furniture disposal, old couch removal, mattress disposal, and regular waste collection.
Our fully equipped vans can travel around the city to receive your order. Once they have arrived at your property, they will dispose of your domestic waste in Dublin. This means that you don’t have to do any lifting. We are dedicated to disposing of your rubbish responsibly and professionally.
