Creating A Sustainable And Efficient Waste Management System In Rural Cambodia Essay.

Importance of Waste Management

Rural Cambodia is facing the issue of waste management due to the increasing volume of waste generated from households and improper disposal. In a region with no functional waste management plan, the responsibility of disposal falls upon individual households. Often individuals are not aware of the suitable methods to manage their waste. This can result in several other problems for the community of that region. A waste management system provides a strategic plan to minimize and prevent waste. In addition, a good plan can provide sustainable alternatives for disposal. Apart from improving the quality of life, the introduction of a waste management system can have a positive impact on the environment. Its major impact can be seen on climate change. Open landfills are found to be responsible for more than 90 percent of methane gas emitted from landfill waste disposal. The burning of trash also results in increases in harmful greenhouse gas that are the cause of temperature rise and global warming. Apart from the effect on the environment and ecosystem, it is hazardous to the health of the public.  Toxins and pollution from was can lead to numerous diseases like asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Infants and young children are more likely to be impacted by the pollutants and toxins. Due to exposure to pregnancy, birth defects and low birth weight has been observed in children. It also weakens their immune system and makes them vulnerable to other illnesses. Efficient waste management practices have become more essential after the hit of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic led to an increase in plastic and chemical waste. As plastic protection equipment was required for safety from the spread of the virus. The proper disposal of waste generated is also important.  Medical waste particularly needs proper disposal to make sure any remaining pathogens are completely destroyed [5]. Plastic waste can pollute the marine ecosystem as well. Implementation of the waste management project can moderate the release of pollutants. This can further help in the improvement of the health of the people of the region along with the ecosystem around them. The waste management plan consists of the regular collection of waste and its transportation to the next step of processing and disposal. Apart from these, the monitoring of the whole process is also essential.  Recycling as part of waste management can also help in significant cost reductions.

The goal of this project is to create sustainable and efficient waste management. It aims at solving the issues with the existing waste management system. In order to achieve that, the project will provide approaches for waste reduction and segregation. Along with that, it defines collection and disposal practices that can minimize the impact of waste on the environment and reduce greenhouse emissions. The project will also look into the treatment procedures for the waste collected. The project will also implement the 3 Rs ( reduce, reuse, and recycle) policy for waste management [6]. The first R is reduced which means reducing the waste from each household. Another aim of the project is to reduce waste generation from the communities of the region through awareness among them. This can help in achieving efficiency in the management system. In addition, this will make it easier to monitor the complete system and ensures the long-term implementation of the plan. The second R in the principle is reuse. A lot of waste can be reduced by utilizing and reusing rather than discarding them. It can also be considered a solution to reduce waste. The third principle of the 3 Rs policy is recycling. After the collection of waste, some of the items can be processed back into raw material and manufactured into new products.  This practice also reduces pollutants and harmful products. Materials that are difficult to dispose of or that release pollutant on disposal can be recycled [7]. Along with the 3 Rs policy, this project will follow the waste hierarchy for prevention and disposal.  This project will convey creative solutions that can also enhance the already established waste management system. To achieve this the project aims to incorporate technology into the waste management plan.  Apart from that, the project seeks to utilize advanced system designs.

The project will proceed in accordance with the waste management hierarchy. It will follow prevention, recovery, reuse, recycling, and lastly disposal [8].  Prevention involves making sure that people of the community obtain resources according to their requirements rather than wasting them. Various awareness plans will be implemented to spread knowledge about the subject. The reduction will be a part of this process. It can be achieved by,  promoting the reuSe of the goods. The recovery part includes energy recovery through gasification and pyrolysis.  The recycling of waste will be done through composting of organic waste, wood recycling, and paper recycling. To achieve this, the waste needs to be collected and segregated according to the various recycling procedures. It will be done during the collection of waste. A separate garbage bin for the collection of each type of waste will be set up. After this step, there are various treatment options for the waste. It consists of Anaerobic Digestion, vermicomposting, Incineration with energy recovery, and Reduce Derived Fuel (RDF).  The remaining waste will be disposed of in landfills or incinerated without energy recovery. The waste will go to a designed and controlled landfill site. It is essential that it is a properly designed sanitary landfill.

When will we know we are finished?

The project is finished when the objectives are achieved,i.e. when a sustainable and efficient waste management system is established.  The system should have the capacity to work regularly.

References

[1] E. Creaser, J. Smith and A. Thomson, Perspectives of solid waste management in rural Cambodia, Journal of Humanitarian Engineering , 2018. 

[2]  A. Downs and R. Acevedo, "How Our Trash Impacts the Environment", Earth Day, 2019. Available: https://www.earthday.org/how-our-trash-impacts-the-environment/. [Accessed: 02- Apr- 2022].

[3]H. Yang, M. Ma, J. Thompson and R. Flower, "Waste management, informal recycling, environmental pollution and public health", Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 237-243, 2017. Available: 10.1136/jech-2016-208597.

[4]J. Gutberlet and S. Uddin, "Household waste and health risks affecting waste pickers and the environment in low- and middle-income countries", International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 299-310, 2017. Available: 10.1080/10773525.2018.1484996.

[5]J. Klemeš, Y. Fan, R. Tan and P. Jiang, "Minimising the present and future plastic waste, energy and environmental footprints related to COVID-19", Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 127, p. 109883, 2020. Available: 10.1016/j.rser.2020.109883.

[6]K. Kabirifar, M. Mojtahedi, C. Wang and V. Tam, "Construction and demolition waste management contributing factors coupled with reduce, reuse, and recycle strategies for effective waste management: A review", Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 263, p. 121265, 2020. Available: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121265.

[7]N. Wichai-utcha and O. Chavalparit, "3Rs Policy and plastic waste management in Thailand", Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 10-22, 2018. Available: 10.1007/s10163-018-0781-y.

[8]I. Mensah, "Waste management practices of small hotels in Accra: An application of the waste management hierarchy model", Journal of Global Business Insights, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 33-46, 2020. Available: 10.5038/2640-6489.5.1.1081.