Greenhouse Gas A Major Concern-The rate of waste generation is increasing all across the world. Cities around the globe created 2.01 billion tonnes of solid trash in 2016, or 0.74 kilos per person each day. Annual garbage creation is anticipated to increase by 70% from 2016 to 3.40 billion tonnes in 2050, owing to high population expansion and urbanisation.

Residents of developing countries, particularly the urban poor, are more severely affected by unsustainable garbage management than those in rich countries. Over 90% of rubbish in low-income countries is disposed of in unregulated dumps or burned openly. These activities have major effects on people’s health, safety, and the environment.

Waste that is not properly handled acts as a breeding ground for disease vectors, contributes to global climate change by generating methane and even fuels urban violence. Waste management is critical for creating sustainable and habitable communities, yet many developing countries and cities struggle. Moreover, waste management is costly, accounting for 20 per cent to 50 per cent of municipal budgets. Operating this critical municipal function necessitates developing integrated systems that are efficient, long-lasting, and socially beneficial.

The consequences of improper solid waste management

In 2015, the waste sector accounted for around 4% of India’s total Greenhouse gas emissions. The Waste Sector’s major sources of Greenhouse gas emissions are municipal solid waste, home wastewater, and industrial wastewater. As a byproduct of anaerobic decomposition of solid waste, and when domestic and industrial wastewater is treated or disposed of anaerobically, methane (CH4) is created and released into the atmosphere.

The protein level in domestic wastewater causes nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Inorganic garbage manufacturing and incineration consume natural resources such as water, fuel, metal, and timber, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide and other pollutants. During every stage of its lifecycle, plastic garbage emits greenhouse gases. Oil, gas, and coal are used in the extraction and transportation of plastic. Plastics are also responsible for a large number of carbon emissions during their manufacture and disposal. Waste management (transport, incineration, and so on) contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The life cycle of a product contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and impacts global climate, both directly and indirectly.

“The influence of solid waste management on the global warming equivalence of European greenhouse gas emissions comes mostly from CH4, which is produced as biodegradable matter decays in anaerobic landfill conditions,” according to a paper on waste management options in the EU. However, solid waste disposal was shown to be responsible for less than 1% of N2O emissions and less than 0.5 per cent of CO2 emissions, according to the study.

Addressing the issue of greenhouse gas emissions with effective solid waste management

It has been suggested that reducing greenhouse gas emissions from garbage disposal be tackled similarly to cholera and typhoid outbreaks that afflicted nineteenth-century Europe. Systems to properly manage sewage waste were constructed once the causal relationship between sewage waste and environmental harm in cholera and typhoid was established. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, focusing on proper trash disposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions seems like a good idea. Not only does waste management and disposal influence climate change, but it can also influence how we dispose of trash. Climate change could have the following negative effects on waste management:

• Changes in the site’s hydrology and temperature could affect landfill degradation rates and leachate generation.

• In coastal areas, there is a greater risk of inundation or erosion of low-lying facilities.

• Weather events have wreaked havoc on infrastructure and transportation systems.

• Extreme climatic changes, such as drying soil during hot periods or heavy rainfall creating abrupt water retention, increase the danger of subsidence in landfills.

Solid waste reduction and recycling can help combat global climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are produced through the distribution, application, and manufacture of products and the management of the waste generated. By reducing methane emissions, saving energy, and enhancing forest carbon sequestration, trash reduction and recycling helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A lot of emphases is being paid to strategies to make living patterns more sustainable, from decreasing plastic packaging on a wide range of products, such as food and drink, to imposing fees on plastic bags in stores to encourage buyers to use reusable bags instead. These strategies aim to reduce the quantity of physical trash we generate in our daily lives, reducing the size of landfills and thus the number of greenhouse gases generated through decomposition. Waste reduction, also known as waste avoidance and recycling, aids in the management of the solid waste we generate. Waste prevention and recycling are also effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Conclusion

A reduction in overall garbage output would help offset the harmful effects of waste on the environment through greenhouse gas emissions; however, data on how climate change may affect waste management systems is limited. Nonetheless, recycling is regularly referenced in the literature, and a rising number of businesses and governments are using more sustainable strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.