SOURCE REDUCTION
- 1. SOURCE REDUCTION: A CASE FOR INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT There are quite a number of features that distinguishes an affluent neighbourhood/ locality from a humble one, for lack of a better term. For instance, to borrow words from Danny Siulapwa’s “KWA na KU” song, ‘KU’ …… are areas associated with proper basic sanitary facilities, quality and abundant water supply, better social amenities and services and good connectivity in form of roads and telecommunication. The opposite, however, is true for the so called ‘KWA’……. (where everything from drinking water to electricity and only God knows what else is almost a luxury to say the least). In addition, when you scrutinize the solid waste generated from ‘KU’ and ‘KWA’, as expected, you notice a striking difference in terms of character and volume. Individuals and families in low density areas (KU) tend to generate a lot of garbage (from excess food and yard waste) and refuse (non-putrescible waste) than those from high density (KWA) ones (individually not collectively). The basic explanation for this disparity is mainly due to difference in income levels between the two societal strata. Ironically, with so much high levels of education among individuals from the former, one wonders why the situation is like the way it is (with all due respect). Nevertheless, here is a million-dollar question that begs our honest answers; Regardless of wherever we reside and whatever our socio-economic status, is there any justification in generating huge volumes of waste, some of which is hazardous, at both individual and community level, in the wake of global warming and current climatic changes that we are witnessing and are unleashing untold misery on mankind? Let us pose for a while. WHY IS SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT EVERYONE’S CONCERN? On one hand Solid waste is nothing but anything solid that the owner deems useless and throws away (the same item can still be useful to another individual either in the same form or different one). It ranges from but not limited to the leftover foods, fruit peel, plastic bags, paper, old clothes and household furniture and appliances. Simply put, if today you decided to get rid of your furniture, it automatically turns into solid waste (yet at the same time another person can still find it useful (depending on its condition of course) or as raw material for the Upholsterer). In almost all our day to day endeavors be it at home, work, school and any other social gathering that you can think of, we generate waste that in most cases produce bad odor (stinks), attracts disease borne flies and rodents, are unpleasant to the eye, can easily spark a fire and has the potential to contaminate our environment (both land and water), if not well taken care of (i.e. stored and disposed-off hygienically). On another hand Integrated Solid Waste Management, (which is regarded as ideal for waste management) “refers to the strategic approach to sustainable management of solid wastes covering all sources and all aspects, covering generation, segregation, transfer, sorting, treatment, recovery and disposal in an integrated manner, with an emphasis on maximizing resource use efficiency”, (UNEP, 2005).
- 2. Under integrated solid waste management, the approach (hierarchy in descending order) to dealing with waste starts with an emphasis on source reduction (the subject matter of this article) i. e. minimizing the volume and toxicity of waste that is generated at particularly individual and subsequently community level. It is then followed by recycling and reuse, waste transformation and resource recovery (composting and energy derivation) and finally that which is not amenable to the above, is disposed -off at a Sanitary Landfill. In the Zambian context, conventionally, waste is temporally kept/ stored in a portable container at the point of generation (at home, school work etc.), then carried to the curb/kerbside (depending on the frequency of collection and the system used in your locality) for collection by the Council (or its agent) who later transport the waste for disposal to the dumpsite (I stand to be corrected if we ‘ve anything close to be called a SANITARY LANDFILL in Zambia). Though some households are notorious for digging pits and using them for waste disposal (a practice which is somehow tolerable in rural parts of the country since that seems to be the only available means but often done so with impunity in urban setup as well, which are serviced by the local authority at a minimal fee) and burning it even with obvious consequences. Coming back to our earlier question, as a starting point, we don’t need to be reminded that at the heart of most, if not all, the CHOLERA outbreaks that we’ve been recording over the years, not forgetting other enteric diseases, as a country, are nothing but as a result of poor solid waste management and well aware of how it has been ravaging our families and communities, every time it has stricken like lighting. Secondly, for over 200 years now, the human race has exploited and caused more harm than good to the Earth’s natural resources than all other species combined, in the name of Civilization and if the situation continues unabated, it risks its own extinction (we hope that does not happen at all). In case you are wondering as to how possible is it/ has this been? It’s plain simple, the Environment is our SINK. You put your dirty plates/ dishes as well as get clean ones from the same sink in the kitchen & that is how our environment operates. Come to think of it, we have been harvesting natural resources from the Environment to produce goods and services not only at unprecedented level but also at a much faster rate than they can replenish. As if that is not enough, the human race has been growing exponentially in the same period, that the volume of waste generation is now over stripping our Environment’s absorbing capacity. The same air that we breathe is heavily polluted with chemicals that damage our body organs from the waste that is burnt and the car’s exhaust engines that we drive around our communities and neighbourhood. The list goes on and on. WHAT CAN WE DO AS INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES? Some of us quickly point an accusing finger at the Local Authority for the mountain heaps of uncollected waste that normally greets you every time you visit the market or walk to a street corner. However, what we forget also is the fact that if we could ONLY discard that lavish and wasteful kind of lifestyle and adopt a better one, those heaps of garbage will drastically reduce and will pose little challenge to the powers that be in terms of collection and disposal. Subsequently, that will also entail a good living environment for us as well.