Municipal Waste Regulation in the State of Qatar - Case Study Example

Evaluation of the Current Municipal Waste Regulation in the State of Qatar and the Future Outlook Name Course Institution Date Municipal Waste Regulation in the State of Qatar 1.0 Introduction Disposal of waste is one of the key challenges facing many countries around the world, especially the developed nations. Since the Industrial Revolution age, waste released daily to the environment has been a major cause of concern forvarious developed countries around the globe. However, for developing nations, such as Qatar, this has not been an issue of concern until only a few years ago because environment was not formerly regarded as an important issue. In Qatar, it is only a few years ago when some environmental management bodies began to work and draw attention to the issue of municipal waste regulation services that the government of Qatar recognized the significance of this particular environmental management aspect. In Qatar, the key problem facing the government with regard to the environment is how to properly dispose of a lot of solid waste released to the environment every day. Domestic waste, municipal solid waste, as well as hazardous waste from special processes need to be collected and disposed of in such a way to avoid harmful exposure to the waste released during its destruction (Al.Ansari, 2012). However, proper disposal has been a major concern in Qatar. Some of the main causes of concern are the continuous extension of areas of landfill disposal sites and lack of public awareness regarding waste management and the environment in general. Municipal waste, which consists of garden waste, household waste, and waste produced by recycling schemes of the council, continues to grow daily. The government of Qatar recognizes the fact that management of these wastes is among the key problems being experienced in the Arabian Gulf, and it is for this reason that the relevant authorities in the country is continually exploring for proper waste disposal methods. 2.0 Research Objective This paper presents a literature review regarding the current municipal waste regulation in the state of Qatar as well as the future outlook on the same. Until recently, waste management was not given much attention in the country because environmental safety was not considered as an issue of concern. Today, however, waste management has become an urgent and immediate concern due to an increase in production of huge quantities of waste resulting from lifestyle choices and industrial growth. At the same time, concerns have emerged concerning the innate hazards of these wastes and the cost of their handling and disposal. Over the past few years, the government of Qatar, through relevant authorities, has outlined various regulations aimed at protecting environment and humans from the effects of inappropriate handling and disposal of waste (Al-Maaded, Madi, Kahraman, Hodzic, &Ozerkan, 2012. Through a comprehensive review of relevant literature, this paper seeks to discuss these waste management regulations as well as the future outlook on the same topic. 3.0. Municipal Waste Alhumoud (2005) notes that huge amounts of municipal wastes are generated daily in Qatar owing to rapid economic expansion, urbanization, industrial growth, as well as high rate of population growth. Qatar is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and one of the key challenges facing this nation is management of municipal waste. According to Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning (2011), this small Gulf nation has one of the biggest per capita waste generation rates in the world, generating approximately three million tons of municipal waste every year. Land filling is a commonly used method of disposing of municipal waste in Qatar. The country has three major landfills, which include Rawda Rashed landfill for disposing of demolition and construction waste, Umm Al-Afai for disposing of domestic and bulky waste, and Al-Krana for disposing of sewage wastes (Alhumoud, 2005). Environmental experts have however argued that landfill method is not tenable for a nation like Qatar where there is limited availability of land due to rapid population growth. The landfills also do not comply with the relevant environmental standards. The government has therefore trying to trim down the amount of municipal waste going to landfills by significantly encouraging recycling enhancing waste management efforts. Owing to the limited resources in Qatar, increased recycling and converting waste to energy are key pillars of the strategy. In an effort to successfully execute this strategy, the government has come up with various waste management regulations to help handle the issue of municipal wastes in the country. 3.1. Municipal waste regulation and comparison with the USEPA and European Union Standards Qatar shares the concern of municipal waste management with the rest of the countries around the globe. According to Yıldız-Geyhan, et al (2016), protection of environment is one of the key concerns that the State of Qatar take seriously. The government of Qatar is addressing the problem of municipal waste management by implementing various regulations to handle the problem. Actually, the country has ratified various international conventions related to management of municipal waste and has formed various agencies, such as the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) and Ministry of Municipality and Environment, to deal with the issue of municipal waste management (Yıldız-Geyhan et al, 2016). Qatar’s Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) has outlined various municipal waste management standards to help curb the problem of waste management in the country. These standards are applicable to regulated activities and facilities, which include private and public commercial and industrial activities that can have undesirable effects on the environment. According to Butt ET al (2014), these standards are in line with United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards as well as the European Union standards. For example, according to SCE standards, the “groundwater and shall be protected from contamination by municipal wastes and other hazardous wastes, and these wastes shall be handled according to requirements outlined by SCE, and waste classification would be done as per the Basel Convention of 1989, to which Qatar is a signatory” (). This is closely related the requirements of USEPA and European Union standards. Other waste management regulations outlined by SCE include the following: In case of transboundary transportation of waste, the procedure of doing so would be guided by the regulations of State of Qatar outlined under the ROPME and Basel Convention, 1989 requirements (Final SCE Standards). Operators and owners of activities and facilities that produce wastes shall outline procedures to fully analyze and characterize wastes according to SCE requirements. The operators and owners of such activities and facilities shall also outline ways of minimizing generation of waste as well as level of toxicity of these wastes. “Targets shall be established to reduce, re-use, and recycle wastes” (Final SCE Standards). Waste handling procedures, such as storage, management, and treatment, shall be done according to the requirements delineated in the permit provided by SCE Transportation of wastes shall be tracked and recorded using manifest system All transporters of waste as well as waste disposal and treatment facilities should get operating licenses from the SCE. The government of Qatar also uses risk assessment as a public policy tool for making choices based on limited resources (Butt et al, 2014). Similar regulations are used in various European countries, such as the United Kingdom. As noted by Butt et al (2014), various European nations have also began imposing risk assessment as a tool for meeting legal requirements related to waste management. 3.2. Evidence of implementing of Municipal waste regulation The government of Qatar has implemented tough waste management regulations in the country, and this is evident in various ways. First, the public awareness regarding the integrated municipal waste hierarchy, which consists of waste reduction, waste reuse, waste recycling, and waste recovery has really improved in Qatar (Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning, 2011). Secondly, the various regulatory incentives introduced by the government to encourage the public to adhere to waste management regulation has really helped minimize generation of waste by encouraging people to exercise source segregation in offices, households, and other places (Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning, 2011). Thirdly, in Qatar today, there are many environmental experts in various municipalities across the country who have been tasked by the government to motivate the public to conserve the environment through scaling down of per capita generation of waste (Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning, 2011). Public participation in waste management initiatives has also reached a commendable level and government is continuing with the process of enhancing the same. In addition, hundreds of waste recycling centers and material recovery facilities are already distributed across the entire country. Numerous education programs that the government is using to promote public awareness regarding the integrated municipal waste hierarchy are already running. In fact, many individuals and organizations have benefited from these programs (Alhumoud, Al-Ghusain, & Al-Hasawi, 2004). 3.3. GAP analysis/Best Practices The municipal waste regulations are currently shifting from the use of landfills to maximize the recycling and recovery of waste streams because landfill waste disposal method is no longer feasible for nations like Qatar where there is limited availability of land due to rapid population growth. It has also been proven that landfills are hazardous to the environment if they are not handled well. It is advisable for Qatar’s waste regulations to shift from the use of landfills to different approaches that maximize the recovery and recycling of municipal wastes (Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning, 2011). One of these approaches is the adoption of integrated waste management scheme, which is also used by various developed countries such as the United States. This approach involves the use of all available ways of managing municipal waste, but giving the lowest priority to landfill method. Reuse, recycling, and reduction are given top priority in this approach. According to Al-Qaydi, S. (2006), the main objective of this approach is to protect the environment and health of the public from hazardous effects of municipal wastes. The integrated waste management scheme incorporates various ways of managing municipal waste streams. The scheme is also easily adaptable and can be changed with time to comply with particular economic, geographic, environmental, and social needs. According to Yıldız-Geyhan, E. et al. (2016), this integrated waste management scheme would help achieve the global desire to reduce generation of municipal waste by at least 1% per year and to promote environmental sustainability. Alhumoud (2005) on his part notes that adoption of the integrated waste management scheme would help the government of Qatar abate deterioration of environment especially in urban settings by encouraging environmentally sound and economically effective practices in municipal waste management. The integrated waste management scheme is based on five key principles, which are basic to proper management of municipal waste (Alhumoud, 2005). The first principle states that recovery and reduction of waste should be pursued to the highest level possible, mainly through redesign, process optimization, material management, and economic recovery of waste for energy production or for feedstock (Alhumoud, 2005). The principle also suggests that sharing of economic and technical information should be encouraged. The second principle states that management of waste should be done fully. This implies that, even in a situation where a third party is contracted to handle the waste, it is the duty of the waste generator to ensure that the contracted party is capable of handling and disposing of the waste in a safe manner and according to the regulatory requirements as well as to the agreed procedures and techniques. The principle further outlines that all key stakeholders in the construction industry, such as material dealers, owners, and construction managers, should recognize waste management as having the same importance as cost, safety, schedule, and quality. The third principle suggests that it is imperative to understand the characteristics and position of the waste being managed before selecting a suitable waste disposal technique (Alhumoud, 2005). The fourth principle states that there should be clear procedures for managing different types of waste (Alhumoud, 2005). The fifth and the final principle states that the local government and other related authorities should be informed fully on the potential hazards and the corresponding safety measures (Alhumoud, 2005). The same thing applies to the handlers or customers of the product being manufactured; should be informed fully on the potential hazards and the corresponding safety measures. Moreover, the government should acquire sufficient transport equipment to transport municipal to recycling centers and hire personnel to collect waste (Alhumoud, Al-Ghusain, & Al-Hasawi, 2004). The government should also invest in waste recovery facilities where recyclable municipal wastes are collected and recycled. The responsibility of collecting municipal wastes from various drop-off points within the country is delegated to various local municipalities (Alhumoud, Al-Ghusain, & Al-Hasawi, 2004). The design, operation, and maintenance of the drop-off points are also the responsibilities of the local municipalities within the country. The key objective in investing in recycling as a method of managing municipal waste is to eliminate landfill waste management method, which has proved to be no longer tenable in the country. The government should also manage existing landfills instead of focusing on reducing the amount of waste being generate. Butt et al (2014) notes that even though the current waste regulations seek to scale down both the amount of waste being generated, there is still need to manage existing landfill sites and establish ways of reducing environmental pollution from these sites. In addition, according to the current waste management hierarchy, even though the level of wastes generated will be reduced, it is impossible to eliminate landfills completely because there is now way of reducing generation of municipal wastes to zero (Alhumoud, Al-Ghusain, & Al-Hasawi, 2004). It is also important to note that even though the current waste management hierarchies are useful, it important for the government to adopt enhanced hierarchies that put into consideration the broader economic, environmental, and social aspects. Adoption of the improved waste management hierarchy in Qatar will compel the public and private sectors to rework their production processes to more environmentally friendly alternatives (Zeineb, Rashid, &Alammari, 2015). On regulatory perspective, the country should adopt an integrated municipal waste hierarchy of prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, energy reduction, and landfill disposal as the least option (Butt et al, 2014). According to Butt et al (2014), the State of Qatar government needs to implement a multi-faceted municipal waste regulation hierarchy that coordinates activities, planning, and responsibilities for managing commercial wastes, construction wastes, household wastes, and industrial wastes. To ensure that there is compliance with these waste management regulations, the government should adopt legislations that compel people to comply with the directives from the government; failure to comply attracts a heavy penalties. 4.0 Conclusion Management of municipal waste is one of the most serious environmental and health challenges facing the government of Qatar. Due to an increase in production of huge quantities of waste resulting from lifestyle choices and industrial growth, waste management has become an urgent and immediate concern to the nation. At the same time, concerns have emerged concerning the inherent hazards of these wastes and the cost of their handling and disposal. The government of Qatar has come up with various regulations aimed at protecting environment and humans from the effects of inappropriate handling and disposal of waste. This paper has discussed these regulations through literature review of various published papers. The paper also discussed the future outlook of municipal waste regulations in the country. Among the other aspects discussed in the paper are evidences of implementation of waste regulations in Qatar, best practices regarding waste management, as well as comparison of waste management practices in Qatar with those of other nations. The literature reviewed presented various important discussions on waste management, and the research question that may arise from findings of these papers is, is it possible to away with waste generation completely?. The hypothesis based on this question would be, it is impossible to eliminate generation of waste. If this research were to be carried out, there would some ethical issues such as assessing of confidential data without the consent of the owners and using published information without acknowledging the authors. References Alhumoud, J. (2005). Municipal solid waste recycling in the Gulf Co-operation Council states. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 45, 142–158. Al-Qaydi, S. (2006). Industrial solid waste disposal in Dubai, UAE: A study in economic geography. Cities 23, 2, p. 140–148. Al-Maaded, M., Madi, K., Kahraman, R., Hodzic, A., &Ozerkan, G. (2012). An overview of solid waste management and plastic recycling in Qatar. Journal of Polymers and the Environment 20, 186–194. Alhumoud, M., Al-Ghusain, I., & Al-Hasawi, H. (2004). Management of recycling in the Gulf Cooperation Council states. Waste Management 24, 551–562. Al.Ansari, M. (2012). Improving solid waste management in Gulf Co-operation council states: developing integrated plans to achieve reduction in greenhouse gases. 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