Do you know how many tons of garbage filling up landfills everyday? Do you know how many kilograms of daily domestic waste we generate? According to government's figures, there are 13,500 tons of waste landfilling in Hong Kong everyday, in which a third of it is food waste. Each Hong Kong citizen produces 1.36kg domestic waste everyday, which is at least 36% more than Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo. Waste disposal has been a highly controversial topic in recent years. If the trash production rate keeps on increasing, three landfills in Hong Kong will be exhausted one by one in two to six years. Landfill is the only way to dispose waste in Hong Kong. In order to tackle the municipal solid waste(MSW) problem, government decides to build an incinerator in Shek Kwu Chau, with other waste disposal method. The purpose of this project are to reduce the total amount of garbage, increase in the recovery rate of MSW and reduce the total MSW disposed of in landfills.
When it comes to the issue of building an incineration plant at the place we live, people retain differing views. Is incineration as the waste treatment is a blessing or a curse to our society? It is worthwhile to take a glance at the issue from diverse perspectives. Personally, I am more inclined to think that an incinerator is the best solution for Hong Kong to handle waste problem. There are numerous causes that account for my standpoint.
To begin with, incinerator can largely reduce the amount of waste and energy recovery. Incineration is one of thermal waste treatment. The garbage after incineration will be converted into ash,flue gas and heat. Most of the ash is the solid inorganic substances, it will dump into landfill. Incinerator reduce the solid waste mass of the u...
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Some people proclaim the idea that Hong Kong should build an incinerator for handling waste problem. Yet, others oppose to the idea of incineration plant since the displeasingexperience of old incineration plants lives in the memory of people and the fear of pollution, incineration plant comes to be a wanted solutions. Judging from the arguments mentioned above, I think having the state-to-the-art incineration plant is doing more good than harm to our community, it can perfectly tackle the municipal solid waste problem. In spite of the plant can reduce the mass and the volume of trash, it should not be the solely measure to cope with waste problem. We have to combine with different types of waste management solution, such as 4R, biological waste treatment, etc. I sincerely hope that Hong Kong residents will agree to construct an incinerator.
In conclusion to this investigation one thing is clear and that is that recycling reeks benefits to the environment, Recycling material when compared to making material from raw material is a more efficient energy saving and more environmentally friendly way to reuse material that is usually consider as trash such as empty glass, and plastic bottles, or old newspapers. Recycling helps reduce the possible carbon emissions greatly and does reduce the human carbon footprint. But Recycling doesn’t resolve the pollution that is around the world today. Leading to new questions, questions like what about the landfills are they sustainable, and if so for how long. How long until the air becomes unbreathable? How long until Earth becomes its own furnace?
I oppose the development of the Chu molybdenum mine because its negative effects extend beyond the site. This mine will affect the quality of life of the residents of Vanderhoof adversely by reducing air and water quality, food sources and revenue. Vanderhoof is a small, geographic centre that supplies food and mineral resources to neighboring cities (BCC, 2009) hence, many of its residents, tourists and neighbors will be directly affected by this project.
Waste management is the operation of how waste materials are handled. The affair of waste management is relevant to everyone world-wide. Wastes are materials that have no further economic use, and when disposed of, are hazardous to humans and the environment. Wastes include solid waste, liquid wastes, and air pollutants created by humans and cannot be naturally recycled. Current waste management techniques need to be completely overhauled because funding in government budget is not enough to meet standards, landfills are reaching their maximum capacity worldwide, and nuclear waste storage must be handled correctly. Waste management has been a highly thought about complication for global authorities. Due to
Nuclear waste has a reputation for making law makers and the public uneasy, thus it is difficult to find a site for nuclear waste disposal units. However, creating such sites is necessary to allow nuclear energy to the electricity production forefront in America. In the search for a waste disposal location, companies have been turning toward Native American reservations as the final resting places of the radioactive waste. Multiple tribes have quickly denied companies access to their land, but others have taken advantage of the potentially prosperous opportunity. One of the first tribes to decline a waste site was the Navajos, for the nuclear industry’s destruction of their land was still fresh in their minds. It is true that nuclear waste disposal is a theoretically dangerous venture, yet it also contains many potential benefits. Siting a nuclear waste unit on the Navajo reservation would benefit the country and the Navajos, but the idea is meet with reluctance because of the suspected costs to the Navajo people, the environment as a whole, and the Navajo’s land.
Landfills in America have taken many square miles of what used to be fertile land, forests and communities and that trend does not seem to have an end. The waste, we as Americans, dispose of each year is in the tons and that number rises annually. One of the reasons why this occurs is actually quite simple; population. Population in modern day America has soared to well above three hundred million, in 1915 that number was hundred million. Urbanization and industry has given way to deforestation and landfill creation. The need for more landfills has caused many health concerns, issues, and problems to not only those living near and
Infrastructure projects are crucial to China’s overall goal of getting access to Africa’s natural resources to power its economic engine. During the struggle against colonialism and the immediate period of the age of African independence in the 1960s and 1970s, China sought to back up its ideological support of African states with a measure of economic aid, focused on the building of infrastructure for the newly independence states. It is estimated that China provided more than 900 infrastructure projects to African states, including the railway between Tanzania and Zambia (TAZARA Railway) as the center piece of such demonstration projects (Ministry of Foreign Affairs – China pursues…, 2006). China’s economic aid in Africa was part of the cold war struggle for the “hearts and minds of Third World citizens”. China used its aid projects in Africa to convey the diplomatic message that it was on the side of the oppressed, and sought to strengthen alliances against the US and the USSR (Mooney 2005, p.1). Above all, spending on lavish infrastructure and prestige projects on the continent was meant to convey China’s interest in the continent, both as a partner in combating the negative influences of the cold war rivalry and undermining Taiwan’s quest for diplomatic recognition (Lyman, 2005, p.4). In addition to infrastructure, China focused on strengthening its credentials as a supporter of South- South economic interchange. This took the form of small scale technical cooperation, including provision of technical experts, training for African workers, cultural agreements and provision of scholarships for African students to study in Chinese universities. As Lammers (2007, p.2) points out, 15,000 Africans had graduated from Chinese insti...
Waste incineration units produce a lot of carbon dioxide gas approximately around one third of the greenhouse gasses. It also impacts people’s health as they get exposed to the toxic emissions by breathing in the air or consuming contaminated food and water. Additionally, when the garbage gets burnt by the incinerators they end up as ashes which are then emitted from the chimneys, including the toxic materials and end up in specialist landfill sites for hazardous waste.
After the field trip in Sham Shui Po, I find this place is filled with A Taste of Old Hong Kong. I feel that people show each other care and sympathy here. The neighborhood is full of passion for life. It’s like a window back into the 80s, when entrepreneurial Hongkongers worked hard to transform themselves and their city.
A. Recycling is the recovery of useful materials such as paper, glass, plastic and metals from the municipal solid waste stream to use to make new products, reducing the amount of virgin raw materials needed. (http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal - I plan to cite on PP)
Burning waste is not good at all for human health. It’s disturbing smell cause by burning plastic, rubber and some other artificial object can cause lot of trouble...
America and Europe are at the top of the list for most waste generated according to Waste (4). This is very visible because there’s litter on every street in the towns and cities, as well in lakes, beaches, and rivers. The book Waste by Rob Bowden states that the amount of waste produced is increasing at a rate faster than population growth. About 1.5 million computers, in the U.K, are thrown away each year and most end up in landfills. There are 3 types of waste which are Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, and Hazardous waste. MSW includes waste from public garbage cans and local dumpsters. Industrial Waste includes massive amounts of waste water that is contaminated with chemicals. Hazardous waste is the most dangerous as it presents a danger to human health and the environment. Solutions for waste disposal take time because people need to consider their lifestyle and limit the amount of waste they generate. A good start is to recycle items such as paper, cans, plastic, and clothes. This way they don’t end up in landfills, beaches, or streets. Another solution is to join organizations that go around places to recycle, or organizations that demand the reduction in the amount of products that are being
Policy is needed to regulate which course of action should be taken and how it should be implemented. Because of this, many plans and policies revolving around the management of solid waste have been put in place. Sometimes however, a particular policy can have its shortfalls, potentially resulting in its negative aspects outweighing the positive ones. According to the Conference Board of Canada Report, “Canadians dispose of more municipal solid waste per capita than any other country” (2013). Solid waste management in particular, involves many aspects, ranging from packaging waste, food waste, etc. (White & Franke 1999), hence, the following analysis revolves around household and commercial waste – referred to as Municipal Solid Waste (White & Franke. 1999) – in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Municipal waste is a major health and environmental concern as it contributes to numerous problems like habitat destruction, surface groundwater pollution, and other forms of air, soil, and water contamination. Waste disposal methods like incineration create toxic substances, and landfills emit methane, which contributes to global warming. According to the Zero Waste Objective Report, “The impact of climate change and the increasing awareness of the role of “waste” and “wasting” in the production of greenhouse gas emissions is a constant environmental pressure… (2009). This leads to an increasing limitation of government to prevent and control the volume and toxicity of products in the waste stream and a growing need to shift responsibility to the product manufacturer.
Traditional methods of waste disposal have proven to be ineffective and have caused harmful effects on the environment. The most popular and inexpensive way to get rid of garbage is burial, but burying your problems does not necessarily mean getting rid of them. Landfill sites pose as severe ecological threats as these mass garbage dump yards overflow with trash and frequently contaminate our air, soil and water with hazardous wastes. About 400 million tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year1. A large-scale release of these materials can cause thousands of deaths and may poison the environment for many years. For example many industrial companies around the world cannot afford to enforce the strict pollution regulations set by many developed countries. This usually forces these types of companies to move to developing countries where pollution regulations are very lenient. These developing countries knowingly accept environmentally hazardous companies usually because they are in desperate need of employment. The harmful effects of these companies were clearly illustrated in the 1960s and 1970s when residents living near Minamata Bay, Japan, developed nervous disorders, tremors, and paralysis in a mysterious epidemic. The root was later found to be a local industry that had released mercury, a highly toxic element, into Minamata Bay. The disaster had claimed the lives of 400 people1. Since 1970 you can bet that a lot more than 400 people have died as a result of waste disposal. If the type of waste disposal were cheaper and effective we wouldn’t have to deal with waste problems, which still plague mankind today.
The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid wastes each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet. The number landfills in the United States are decreasing, but the amount and volume of waste being thrown into the new landfills is increasing (Russell 4). Because of this escalating amount of garbage, Methane which contributes to global warming is an outcome of these landfills (Russell 7). As a result, our planet is suffering because of this epidemic. The garbage being put in the landfills could be recycled, but not enough businesses, ...
Row, J., (2010). Pros and cons of incineration for landfill relief. Bright Hub. Retrieved: November 11, 2010, from: http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/civil/articles/89810.aspx