Garbage! A crucial matter to solve!
Rimsha Ali
The purpose of article is to inform the readers about current situation of garbage problem that is increasing rapidly day by day and how can we contribute from our side.
Garbage has become a serious problem in the world today. According to a report published in Nature journal, the problem of garbage or solid waste is assuming terrible proportions today. By the end of this century, garbage will be collected at the rate of 11 million tons per day globally, more than three times today’s rate. It implies that the garbage-generation which amounted to 3.5 million tons per day, will become 6 million tons per day by 2025. PAKISTAN generates about 48 million tons of solid waste a year, which has been increasing more than 2 percent annually, more than half of which left untreated. We can’t relate this problem to any specific country of globe as we all are facing this disastrous problem that is created by ourselves.
Dumping and disposing garbage in a careless way leads to improper disposal of household waste creating heaps of garbage. Garbage pollution means littering civic waste particularly household waste into places not designated to dispose it off. It is caused by when garbage is not lifted from areas and street to carry it landfill sites for its final disposal. Garbage generally comprised only organic waste which went into the ground, but the proportion of chemicals in the waste is increasing with the hectic pace of modern development. In countries like Pakistan, things used earlier as bags were not harmful. Earlier the pottery was used for liquid substances, and jute bag was used to carry goods. Now, the plastic has changed the situation and a problem has arisen with it because the plastic never disposed. Its recycling is possible, but there is no proper system to deposit it. Garbage also cause air and water pollution because garbage is dumped in open spaces. Large factories emit a lot of smoke. Due to dust particles in the smoke, air becomes contaminated. In addition to the spread of foul odor, germs also breed in rotting trash resulting in various diseases. Mosquitoes, flies and mice find a fertile breeding ground in mounds of waste. Garbage, from the households and the industrial wastes, fall into the rivers. This makes the water of the rivers polluted. Thus, increasing garbage in the home, outside or in water sources has aggravated the problem of air pollution.
Micro particles or particulate matter are those toxic particles whose size is so small that they can enter our body through respiration and can damage the lungs in particular. In India and China, every kind of garbage including plastic bottles, electronic goods, is burnt. According to scientists, this is the main cause of air pollution. Recent research has provided information about emission of toxic gases like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide due to the burning of waste. At the same time, it has been pointed out that the particles present in the air are also responsible for many types of diseases. According to researcher Wiedinmyer we have very little information about waste management and garbage-burning. The need is to deeply study the different types of toxins emanated out of such activities.
It is very important to bring change. Change is a constant in life and if one wants to survive successfully then change in necessary. The environment becomes messy due to improper disposal of garbage. But using modern technology, many developed countries have not only reduced the pollution by way of waste management but also adopted it as the main source of energy. . To cope up with this problem many countries came up with the idea of implementation of 3R’s which consist of reduce, reuse, recycle. It is possible to reuse many things thrown in the garbage. The pollution can be prevented by the recycling of garbage and waste and the environment can be conserved. We can learn a lot from Sweden. Sweden re-uses and recycles 47% of its waste and uses 50% of the waste as a fuel for energy production. Only 3% of the unproductive waste is needed to be dumped. There, care is also taken to avoid the leak of poisonous substances from dumping sites. There is a ban on putting organic and inflammable waste at dumping sites. In Surabaya passenger pays for the transport system by simply with recycling their products and get opportunity to travel for two hours free of cost, Beijing introduced special kind of ticket for the passenger traveling through bus they accept plastic bottle as payment, Istanbul takes one step forward as citizens swap plastic wastage for credit on their metro card, and Germany welcome their citizen with 25 cents for recycling each plastic bottle. Improper drainage system, Foul smell from gutter, littering all over streets, and ineffective disposal system cause a great extent destruction to our country. We can also take the same steps, as mentioned above, in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan should make strict rules and regulation regarding garbage dumping.
The article shows that when the garbage becomes a means of income, the arrangements for its treatment are also strengthened. This is responsibility of government to initiate proper disposal system. Professionals should get involved into the scene for environmental protection and help in changing the condition of nation. Awareness campaigns should be conducted regarding the hazards of garbage pollution and its adverse impacts on health and environment. Concerning authorities should ensure that people responsible for cleaning the city are performing their duty honestly. It is our responsibility too. The time has come when we should re-think over our lifestyle. We need to control ourselves in throwing garbage everywhere. We should keep on reducing our garbage, put the garbage in proper place to avoid garbage pollution. Keep on doing what is right and effective to make our country garbage free. In the end, I just want to say ‘GARBAGE DOESN’T TALK BUT SAYS A LOT ABOUT US’.