Reducing solid waste: what are the challenges of managing this resource issue?

Question

Reducing solid waste: what are the challenges of managing this resource issue?

Answer 1

Let me show about little bit of my opinions.

1. Recycling solid waste, redeeming with money.

2. Not purchasing any more whatever I want.

3. As long as I can use it, I have used.

4. The local government forbids us for throwing away solid waste. If we do that, we must pay taxes imposed by each persons.

Here is my ideas and gorvernment styles as for environmental problems.

I'm sorry to show coarsely.

Answer 2

I feel the primary issue in the US is the current disposal mentality of our citizens. Use it and throw it away. This is different than Europe because of the lack of landfills and the need to reduce the levels of solid waste. Europe uses incineration of solid waste to eliminate the need for landfills and also provide an alternative energy source.

Directives like the WEEE Directive require all electrical/electronic products be recycle or reused.

Another issue is determining costs. Should the manufacturer or the consumer be responsible for packaging waste?

Americans need to look at their individual purchases and then determine what changes can be made to eliminate, as much as feasible, solid waste to landfill.

No landfill every closed because it was too heavy.

Individuals can make changes and collectively we could greatly reduce the amount of solid waste.

Buying products in bulk, buying raw materials instead of processed materials, segregating and recycling the waste.

The adage of reduce reuse and recycle is a necessity.

Look to composting as another method to reduce waste.

Local government could implement programs that require trash to be separate by waste stream and recycled. A good MRF in each county in America would help. The use of inmates for petty crimes to segregate is a viable system.

There is a wealth of what we can do we just need to continue.

Answer 3

Challenges:

1) Health and environmental concerns (cant dump it on the ocean, it will kill the fish. Cant store it underground, it will leach into our drinking water. Cant burn it, it will pollute the environment. Cant shoot it off in space, that's too costly. Cant compress it, we will run out of space etc..)

2) Social concerns (Everyone wants to get rid of their garbage, but they want to dump it somewhere else... They don't care what happens as long as its "Not in my back yard!" aka NIMBY syndrome... lack of awareness, lack of concern and lack of knowledge of alternative solutions)

3) Economical concerns (over consumption and overproduction are a vicious circle of waste production. The more you consume, the more is produced and consequently wasted. The more that's produced, the more that's consumed and consequently wasted... Recycling facilities are very expensive and require a lot of investment, educated professionals etc)

4) Political concerns (Poorer countries are being paid off to store garbage on their territory...is this politically correct? Less developed countries cannot afford recycling facilities, therefore waste does not get treated appropriately. Developed countries consume 10x the amount of of a less developed country thus creating more waste.)

Solutions: there are TONS!!