Waste Management in the UK - Report Example

Waste Management in UK Introduction Waste management has altered considerably during the past few years. Reliance on landfill as the ideal system of waste removal has gradually trimmed down with substitute methods tried by local authorities and commercial businesses. The opinion of what “waste” is has also altered. Waste management now includes the three Rs’ that is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle with dumping as the final way out (http://www.ace. mmu.ac.uk/eae/Sustainability/Older/Waste_Disposal.html retrieved December 6, 2009). According to The European Union waste is "any substance or object which the holder discards, or intends, or is required to discard" (1975 Directive 75/442/EEC). In years 2002 and 2003 approximately 333 million tonnes of waste was created in the UK. This amount does not include the agricultural waste. even though out of this household wastes is only around 30 million tonnes, it is approximated that for every tonne discarded an additional 5 tonnes waste is produced at the manufacturing phase, and 20 tonnes at the level where the unprocessed material is pulled out (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). Figure 1: Approximate UK waste originating Source: DEFRA - http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/kf/wrkf02.htm The Environment Agency calculates that over 90% of the resources we exhaust are either cast off as waste or emptied into the surroundings as waste matter or air expelling.  40% of the recyclable material is plastic bottles, glass, cans and textiles or paper. Vegetable shedding and other unprocessed material is about 38%. In spite of the possible 60% waste which can be recycled or converted, presently below than one quarter of the total waste contents are now recycled (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). Figure 2: Typical composition of household waste (by weight) Source: Analysis of household waste composition and factors driving waste increases - Dr. J. Parfitt, WRAP, December 2002. Waste management in the UK is actually a state approved industry, but still it has to face full competition from private sector investments. Decisions with regard to plans are actually set by the local government based on advises received from the central government. The Government and dropped governances are presently surveying their waste schemes (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). Waste Disposal (http://www.ace.mu.ac.uk/eae/Sustainability/ Older/Waste_Disposal. html retrieved December 6, 2009). The more waste generated the more disposal methods have to be invented. Some modes of disposing of waste actually liberate air contaminants and greenhouse gases into the environment. Waste recycling is one way to reduce the effect of waste discarding into the atmosphere, but availability of other methods which are more environ friendly can be adopted. The most general removal methods, in the UK, are landfill and to a small degree incineration. Every year roughly 111 million tonnes of checked waste that is household, industrial and commercial together are cast away in landfill locates in the UK. Some waste from manure slush is also disposed in landfill along with mining and quarrying wastes. There are more than 4000 landfill locates in the UK. Once the landfill waste starts to decompose methane is discharged in substantial quantities (http://www.ace.mu.ac. uk/eae/Sustainability/Older/Waste_Disposal. html retrieved December 6, 2009). Presently it is forecast that more than 1.5 million tonnes of methane are discharged by landfill locates in the UK every year. Methane is a greenhouse gas which is very strong and adds to global warming. in addition, the leachate matters constituted due to decomposing of waste permeates through the fundamental and immediate geological stratum, which in turn pollutes groundwater used for drinking water supplies (http://www.ace.mu.ac.uk/eae/Sustainability/Older/Waste_Disposal.html retrieved December 6, 2009). Leachate is the fluid that runs out or leaches from a landfill. Its composition varies extensively based on the age of the landfill and the kind of waste that it comprises (Henry, J.; Heinke, G, 1996). Waste Management Hierarchy Source: A Strategy for the Management of Waste in Tameside 2005-2010 Waste decrease is at the crown of the hierarchy. Actually the main concentration has been on reprocessing of waste. Nevertheless, it is just not adequate simply to find diverse ways of considering the waste produced. As a priority we must aim to produce less in the first place. The reprocess of waste essentially involves utilising a product over and over again. If the waste product cannot be any longer suitable for reuse, then also it will have some matter in it which might be of value and can be recovered via recycling. Only when there is no other way in which the material can be used then it should be discarded (A Strategy for the Management of Waste in Tameside 2005-2010). Waste management Waste has to be dealt in such a way so that it protects human health and the environs with particular: 1. No risk should arise with regard to air, water, soil and animals and plants; 2. No nuisance to be caused through noise or odours; 3. No adverse impact should be inflicted on the countryside or places of unique interest; 4. Waste should be disposed at the closest suitable installation, by way of the most suitable schemes and technologies (www.defra.gov.uk, accessed December 6 2009). Waste prevention This is a central factor in any waste management scheme. If we can cut down the quantity of waste created in the first place and decrease its perilousness by decreasing the bearing of unsafe contents in products, then casting away of it will mechanically become effortless. Waste avoidance is directly connected with amending manufacturing methods and shaping consumers to demand greener productions and less packaging. (http://ec. europa.eu/environment/waste/index.htm retrieved December 9, 2009). Planning In the preference between a variety of collection and management alternatives, it is essential to reflect on the future ability of waste management amenities to make certain that there is adequate capacity to accomplish the aims in the waste management plan. With regard to planning there are two issues which have to be considered. They are issue connecting the financial needs and the shoulder which will carry the financial burden if the facility is to be extended. The second matter relates the possible location of future amenities. A common setback is that nobody desires a waste management installation as a neighbour, so the subject frequently needs planning well ahead (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/plans/pdf/wasteguide_final.pdf retrieved December 9, 2009). Conclusion Up till now, waste management in the UK is founded on a techno centric approach, from an engineering viewpoint. This has actually totally gone wrong to pursue those who created the waste in the first place that is the general population. Second it did not appreciate the significance of furthering the pro-environmental behaviour (Phillips et al., 2002; Tonglet et al., 2004). The technique through which waste will be managed in the future will depend on the numerous technological and legislative changes. Fundamental to all these alterations will be the necessity to decrease the quantity of waste generated and increase the reprocessing of waste materials where convenient. Reference 1. Dr Julian Parfitt, 2002, Analysis of household waste composition and factors driving waste increases, Principal Analyst, WRAP 2. Final Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Cardiff (November 2005) 3. http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Sustainability/Older/Waste_Disposal.html retrieved December 6, 2009 4. http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/kf/wrkf02.htm retrieved December 6, 2009. 5. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/index.htm retrieved December 9, 2009 6. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/plans/pdf/wasteguide_final.pdf retrieved December 9, 2009 7. Henry, J.; Heinke, G. (1996) Environmental Science and Engineering, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-120650-8 8. Phillips PS, Holley K, Bates MP and Freestone N (2002) Corby Waste Not: an initial review of the UK`s largest holistic waste minimisation project, Resources, Conservation and Recycling 36(2): 1-33. 9. Strategy for the Management of Waste in Tameside 2005-2010 10. Tonglet M, Phillips PS and Bates MP (2004) determining the drivers for householder pro-environmental behaviour: waste minimisation compared to recycling, Resources, Conservation and Recycling 42(1): 27-48. 11. Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006, Waste Today http://www.wasteonline.org. uk/resources/WasteWatch/WasteToday_files/page2.html, retrieved December 6, 2009. 12. www.defra.gov.uk, accessed December 6 2009 Read More