Current Trends in Recycling and Waste Management 

With the increasing population across the globe, there is a mounting waste problem that needs effective management.

Traditional methods are no longer adequate to handle the ever-increasing waste load generated from households, industries, and farm activities.

According to the World Bank, global waste generation is expected to increase by 70% by 2050, reaching 3.4 billion tonnes annually.

Inadequate waste disposal leads to severe environmental and health hazards, with over 90% of waste in low-income countries being openly dumped or burned.

Dumping waste in water resources and landfills is causing environmental pollution and harming human life.

A paradigm shift is necessary for the way waste is managed.

All stakeholders, like government, local authorities, citizens, and innovators in waste management solutions, must come together and work towards developing sustainable waste management techniques.

In 2021, several new waste management practices like minimizing waste generation, waste segregation, and recycling are given focus.

In fact, global recycling rates for municipal waste stand at around 13.5%, highlighting the urgent need for improvement.

Awareness regarding waste management at the source, including methods like composting at home, should be encouraged.

Here are 5 current trends in recycling and waste management that will pave the way for a clean environment and healthy living for the human population.

Stringent Regulations

As waste management is a global challenge, governments of different countries are determined to create stringent regulations to prevent the menace of waste.

The ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ in India is one of the best initiatives for overcoming the waste challenge.

The stringent guidelines, policy implementations, and awareness programs on responsibilities and composting solutions have redefined the country’s waste management scenario.

Better communication and collaboration between municipalities, communities, and waste facilities will help formulate standardized waste recycling and management processes everywhere.

It will maximize the productivity of the segregation, collection, transportation, and waste disposal process.

Waste Segregation, Treatment, and Disposal

Improper disposal of waste into nearby water resources without treatment has impacted the environment negatively.

It has led to various health problems among the human population residing in the locality.

It is important to separate waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable.

Similarly, solid and liquid waste should be segregated too.

This process can begin at home.

It helps in the proper treatment and disposal of different waste types and minimizes the bad effects on the environment.

Since the pandemic began last year, people have become more aware of the necessity of cleaning and the importance of waste management.

Thus, segregation, treatment, and disposal processes have already improved.

Innovations in Converting Waste into Energy

Innovations like Waste-to-Energy processes will gain popularity and acceptance in the near future.

The growth of the recycling industry should help countries to handle waste easily.

Yet, much has to be done as many developing countries do not know its economic benefits.

Energy generation from waste is good for the environment, and thus, it can reduce the dependence on energy resources that cause pollution.

Recycle and Reuse of Non-Biodegradable Waste

All non-biodegradable waste must be recycled and can be used for the same application or elsewhere.

The growing e-waste is a cause of concern.

The toxic nature of non-biodegradable electronic waste can be harmful to humans and the environment.

Thermal processes are used to recycle the same materials and create new products.

Composting

Composting is one of those processes which is gaining widespread acceptance all across the world.

The ease of doing it is perhaps the reason behind its rising popularity for waste management.

It is now prevalent in homes, societies, restaurants, hotels, etc.

According to a report, landfills constitute 20% of food waste.

All over the world, organic material makes billions of tons of waste.

Thus, composting is the best way to handle organic waste and convert it into a useful resource like fertilizer.

Composting can be easily done at home or in residential communities.

It reduces the impact of dumping waste in landfills.

Also, innovative waste management solutions are necessary to make the process fast and easy.

Organica Biotech’s Soilmate is one of the best solutions to boost compost productivity.

The rapidly acting bacteria decompose organic waste and convert it into nutrient-rich manure.

It is capable of increasing the speed and efficiency of the composting process.

You can do your part to control the waste menace by composting food waste using SoilMate.