By Wanshan.B.Khardewsaw
‘One life to live’ and ‘living one day at a time’ sounds like an ideal. Living every moment is what life is all about. But actually living every moment in a healthy manner is how life is to be lived. Here comes the importance of a healthy living atmosphere. However, in order to maintain a healthy living atmosphere, there are certain things that we need to take care of. Waste management is one of the most crucial aspects as it has harmful effects.
It is indeed amazing at how ideas, statements and theories evolve almost out of unexpected and unconventional or informal discussions. The same seems to happen in every field and subjects, even today. Ideas that emerge out of casual conversations often deserve to be public discussed and brainstormed over. The idea concerns the present move to save and clean Wah Umkhrah and Umshyrpi.
Talking about cleaning and saving Wah Umkhrah and Umshyrpi we can well imagine the gargantuan amount of the state’s financial resources that are needed to be involved. Perfect channelisation and utilisation of both monetary and mandatory responsibilities would as always be a matter of great concern to both the public and policy makers. We badly need a clean, clear and justified delegation of both works and monetary involvement amongst the multiple bodies and stakeholders in the system, which on the other hand should be responsibly accepted and attempted seriously by all.
Waste generation per capita has increased manifold all over the state and is expected to continue to grow with the burgeoning population, wealth, and consumerism, especially in Shillong. Approaches to solving this waste problem in a scalable and sustainable manner should lead us to a model that uses waste as inputs in production of commodities that are valued and monetised, making waste management a true profit center. The conversion of waste as a potential source of energy has a value as a supplemental feedstock for the rapidly developing bio-fuels sector. A variety of new technologies are being used and developed for the production of bio-fuels which are capable of converting wastes into heat, power, fuels or chemical feedstock.
Waste management is a growing issue across the globe and is directly connected to industrial and population growth. Though there are several advancements that have taken place in recent times regarding waste management, yet it is considered to be an overall public safety and environment health issue that countries across the world are concerned about.
One of the possible methods of controlling water pollution is obviously to construct drainage system that would run parallel to the river routes, to accommodate all liquid waste and in the process avoid contamination of the river. This water can then be mixed and treated somewhere downstream, before reaching the main reservoir.
The point of our interest is however the management of solid waste, which without doubt can be made useful in many ways than one. But our attention on the subject would be on how the monetary aspects of waste management can be looked at, and interpreted. I hope the majority would agree if we say that as long as money is not involved, the people of this state and even so, the people of India cannot be involved. For that matter, it would not be wrong to suggest that monetary returns and benefits should accrue while trying to solve the problem of waste management and pollution in the country!
Imagine the day when we would all be paid for the waste we collect and dump properly. As funny and irrational as it might seems, it is also equally interesting and worth the imagination and pondering that it might take. Though feasible, the idea however requires introduction of modern technology to make use of waste and garbage as inputs for further production, other than landfill. If waste is being weighed and paid, I sincerely believe that the present situation in Shillong and its neighbourhood would be completely reversed in as far as waste and garbage disposal is concerned. The latest picture of Shillong, as a garbage city where garbage is strewn everywhere would be removed, and we would all be proud again to be called citizens of this hill station.
This, if made possible would lead to a situation where every plastic or waste thrown, would be collected and removed fast and quick. It will lead to a situation where every plastic, can or bottle flowing along Wah Umkhrah and Umshyrpi will be picked up and collected by one and all. If there is value attached to waste and garbage, no one would even think of throwing it on the road or into the river. All waste and garbage will be then nicely and neatly kept to be disposed profitably and valuably.
According to the 2009 EPA Waste Characterization study, plastics comprised less than 1% of the municipal solid waste stream in 1960, whereas in 2009, plastics comprise 12.3% of the municipal solid waste stream, (on a weight basis, not volume). This is mainly because of the switch from paper and glass to plastic for many containers and packaging applications. Plastics have become an increasingly prominent material used in the manufacture of all sorts of durable and non?durable goods as well as packaging within industrial, commercial and consumer applications. The chemical and physical properties of plastics, like strength, flexibility, durability, light?weight, etc, make them ideal for a variety of applications ranging from automobile parts to electronics to single use plastic bottles and bags. Along with this, comes the increase in plastics in the waste stream.
All plastic materials should be recycled in as many ways and methods as possible, as it provides a suitable environment for the future. Hopefully higher prices can be offered for plastics, as compared to paper and any other waste material, considering that they are more harmful to the environment, and are almost non-degradable. In the same manner all waste materials should be tagged with a price based on their ability to be recycled and how hazardous they are.
It is educative that in 2010 alone, Maine, a small state in the New England region of the North Eastern United States, imported 2,85,276 tons of municipal solid waste that was destined for its four waste-to-energy facilities, to meet the tonnage requirements for their energy contracts.
Reusable waste items should be washed and cleaned and kept in a particular place where people can select any item that might seem useful to them, and maybe pay a minimum price for every item they might select. This will go a long way in reducing the exploitation of raw materials, in controlling pollution and in reducing energy needs etc. Waste management would then serve more than one purpose, as it will also save both energy and money which are required in manufacturing fresh new products. At the end we can say that a healthy environment is the most crucial aspect of healthy living. For a healthy living atmosphere, good waste management is an urgent and weighty issue.
(The author Faculty, Department of Economics, Sankardev College, Shillong)
