FAISALABAD, Nov 24 (APP): Waste management is a critical issue in the fight against pollution as improper handling of waste contributes to environmental degradation and health hazards incurring loss of billions of rupees every year.
As proper waste collection and disposal is a common issue in urban centres of the developing world, the situation is also not different in mega cities of Pakistan where thousands of tons of solid waste remain uncollected.
Faisalabad, a district of over nine million population daily generate around 4000 tons of solid waste with four million Faisalabad city area dwellers alone producing 1600 tons of waste daily – remaining uncollected or dumped openly at landfill sites.
Since proper treatment mechanisms are lacking, the landfill sites release greenhouse gases like methane with plastic waste polluting water courses and harming aquatic life. Open dumping and burning of waste exacerbate air and soil pollution, endangering human health and biodiversity and disturbing the ecosystem.
Although Faisalabad Waste Management Company (FWMC) tries its best to properly dispose of solid waste, yet it lacks capacity to collect all generated waste and its multiple usages.
“The FWMC strives hard to properly handle waste in city areas but it could collect and dispose of 85% of total waste,” said a spokesman of FWMC.
“FWMC collects 1350 tons of waste daily from city areas with its 200 vehicles and around 3000 workforce,” he said. “However, the company is recruiting more workers and purchasing vehicles to handle total generated waste.”
Waste management has become a burning issue due to massive population growth especially in urban areas while non-scientific disposal of waste material pollutes the environment, causes smog during winter and affects human health.
A study conducted in 2023 revealed that total waste comprised 6.6% plastic and rubber material, 1% metals, 7.67% paper and cardboard, 6.53% rags/textile waste, 2.43% glass ceramics, 2.4% bones, 33.81% food waste, 2.34% animal waste, 7.36% leaf, grass and straw, 1.07% wood and 28.7% dust, dirt, ash, bricks and stones waste.
Major portion of solid waste in city areas was organic waste mostly consisting of kitchen waste, food and fruit remains, spoiled and fermented food, leaves and garden waste. The second major part of the waste was paper waste including cardboard, packing material, newspapers, magazines, empty cigarette-cases and match boxes whereas construction and demolition waste was about 28.7 %.
“We need to segregate waste items at its source, separating hazardous waste from organic and recyclable waste that would simplify recycling and reduce the burden on landfill sites,” suggested Rana Khushi Muhammad, a retired municipality officer.
“The government can incentivize participation by providing color-coded waste bins and community education programs,” he added. “Efficient recycling infrastructure could ensure reuse of plastic, glass and metal material and help reduce the need for raw material extraction.”
Khushi Muhammad said some countries have successfully demonstrated the deposit-return systems and advanced recycling plants. “The local governments can establish similar systems on public-private partnership basis.”
He appreciated the Punjab government for taking the right steps for cleanliness even though at village level. However, some measures were still imperative to reduce the impacts of waste material on the overall environment.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Ahmad Sheharyar also urged waste recycling and said, organic waste constitutes a significant portion of municipal waste and its composting would reduce landfill dependency and create nutrient-rich fertiliser for agriculture.
“The urban areas can adopt decentralized composting hubs whereas the rural communities can benefit from small-scale composting initiatives for organic waste,” he said.
As developed nation employ latest technologies to recycle solid waste, it is urgently required to benefit from these technologies and use solid waste to produce human friendly by-products.
Dr Muzammal Hussain Assistant Professor National Textile University (NTUF) has opined that since technology has revolutionized each sphere of life, innovative technologies should be used to produce energy from the waste material.
“The government should introduce waste-to-energy program through public-private partnership by using innovative technologies for energy recovery and anaerobic digestion and convert waste into usable energy,” he suggested.
“These systems are particularly effective for non-recyclable waste and would reduce landfill dependency and provide an alternative energy source,” he said.
Dr Muzammal emphasized the leading role of the government in the implementation of waste management regulations and incentivising sustainable practices including bans on single-use plastics. “It can also introduce landfill taxes and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes to minimize waste material generation.”
He stressed to engage students, the business community and civil society and hold workshops, clean-up drives and competitions to foster a better sense of responsibility among citizens for proper waste handling and promoting sustainable practices.
“Public awareness and community engagement programs to educate people on environmental and economic benefits of low waste generation can be a better step forward to address this problem,” he stated.
As improving waste management is not a responsibility of the government alone, the state departments must encourage the active participation of individuals, civil society and the business community.
Moreover, by adopting innovative strategies, encouraging responsible practices, investing in advanced technologies and fostering a culture of environmental consciousness can help in improving waste management, reduce pollution and transfer a healthier atmosphere to future generations.