Environment problems and their solutions in the XXI century



In the twentieth century, when the Industrial Revolution began, the era of polymers, the rapid development of technology, the rise of waste, which has caused pollution of the environment and nature.

The issue of appropriate waste disposal and recycling has become one of the critical issues for environmentalists worldwide. It is believed that the problem of pollution, to a greater extent, relates to the megacities and industrial areas, and once people leave a city — environmental problems disappear on their own. That is not quite the case. The influence of millions of tons of waste entering the ecological system every month is so great that even in the most remote region of the earth; one cannot hide from the imminent environmental threat.

Formally, wastes are substances that have lost their properties and qualities as consumers.

Strictly speaking, any substance that people discard can be used more. The limitation of their suitability is merely economic inefficiency and the absence of necessary treatment technologies. With rare exceptions, all garbage can be a precious resource, if at some time humanity finds a way to recycle and use this resource safely.

There are several ways to classify waste, but our focus is on the classification according to the level of danger to the environment. In Russia, five categories of environmental hazards associated with waste have been formally identified.

Class 5. Non-hazardous waste.

They are paper, cardboard, wood and wood products — wastes that break down quite quickly and do little to damage the ecological system.

Class 4. Low-hazard.

These are glass and textile products, bottles, old clothes, etc. This waste decomposes in natural conditions for a longer time and more severely disturbs the ecological system. The period of full ecological recovery shall be at least three years after the breakdown of the waste itself.

Class 3. Moderately hazardous.

This class comprises non-ferrous and ferrous metals, rubber products and synthetic polymers. The term for restoring the ecological system is at least ten years after reducing adverse effects.

Wastes classified as hazardous contain a variety of harmful substances, including infectious disease pathogens, as well as toxic and explosive substances, radioactive materials.

С lass 2. Highly hazardous.

Substances commonly known as «chemistry» at the household level represent this category: paints and varnishes, medications, household products. This also includes some electrical appliances such as energy-saving bulbs, fridges, air conditioners, stoves, washing machines, batteries, etc.

The environmental recovery time for this waste is 30 years or more after the complete removal of the adverse effect.

Class 1. Extremely hazardous.

These include pesticides, mercury thermometers, fluorescent lamps and radioactivity. They irreversibly disrupt the ecological system, which then never revives in the place of pollution.

We must not forget that the terms of ecological restoration are counted when the waste is completely decomposed. This period for various substances can vary widely: from one month for food products to 100 years which are necessary for the complete decay of the sheet, and 1000 years, necessary for the decay of the glass.

Each year, Russia produces about 11 tons of Class 1 waste, 122 tons of Class 2 waste and 1500 tons of Class 3 waste. Even a small part of this waste entering the open ecological environment leads to almost irreversible losses. Correction of waste handling and disposal is an issue that needs to be addressed separately.

How does humankind attempt to save the planet from hazardous waste?

There are about three hundred waste from treatment plants, about fifty waste from sorting facilities, and ten waste incineration plants today in Russia.

Such a small number is not enough to meet the needs of a huge country, and still, the main path of waste disposal in landfills.

In addition to the environmental hazard posed by landfills, there is an enormous amount of waste because of an economic problem. According to Rostec, at least 40 % of the waste accumulated in the country is valuable recyclables that can be recycled and used.

At the same time, in developed European countries, less and less waste is being transported to landfills, instead of “putting it into business”, making it a useful resource.

Sorting is the most common way to dispose of environmentally sound waste around the world. Every bin contains a certain type of waste: batteries, glass, plastic, clothing, paper, etc. In some countries, this type of disposal is the only option available. For instance, in Switzerland, in 2000, landfill construction was prohibited. Instead, most of the sorted waste is recycled and the remainder is merely incinerated.

One of the most efficient pollution control concepts is not recycling, which, among other things, is associated with energy risks and economic losses, but re-use. There is a striking example: Apple's initiative, which reuses used smartphones from its production, disassembles them, and partially uses parts for producing new devices.

In Sweden, by contrast, people decided to burn all the garbage completely, producing such a means of electricity and heating the city. Numerous experts use this method of waste recycling. We think it will soon be the main event since it not only disposes of waste, but also develops such a valuable resource in our time — electricity. Unfortunately, not all waste can be incinerated, and some even produce corrosive substances during combustion, which in turn harms the environment — but progress is under way to resolve this problem.

Some countries find exotic ways to treat waste: for example, in Japan, full-blown artificial islands are built from recycled waste, which is covered with soil and planted with vegetation. In addition, it is planned to create an entire floating village by 2020, the base of which is made of recycled waste.

Many celebrities are not unaware of environmental issues; garbage, plastic bags and bottles become the basis of real works of art: for example, bright avant-garde outfits, statues and even giant art objects.

In addition to the difficulties in controlling and applying recycling technologies, there is another significant barrier to the sustainability and greening of waste. Those are psychological challenges. It is not easy for many to get used to the idea that waste can become an issue for humankind, it has to be sorted, a lot of time and effort has to be spent on it.

Experiments conducted in several towns in Russia have shown that the vast majority of residents are unwilling to abandon their habits and fulfill their duty to the nature of the Earth. In the fields of experience, only activists from environmental organizations regularly sort rubbish. However, the point is, they always did before the residents put everything in a bag and sent it to the common reservoir.

That is why, in many countries, methods of encouragement and punishment have started to be used that «help» residents to take the path of the responsible waste disposal and somewhere they've even started banning harmful plastic containers and bags, so people have to switch to reusable bags, paper mugs, and bags.

In Germany, responsible citizens are reimbursed the price of the bottle if the buyer chooses to return it for recycling after the purchase of the beverage. In Brazil and the Netherlands a similar motivation method is employed — all those who do the correct waste collection can receive special coupons from the State and social services, which can be exchanged to buy food or pay for utilities.

In conservative UK, everything is stricter — here the fine for incorrect sorting can reach a thousand pounds.

Our initiative is only getting bigger, but already in every major city in Russia, there are places where tanks are set up for the separate collection and in shops and organizations there are containers for collecting hazardous waste (batteries, accumulators, and similar).

Even if there are no separate bins in the yard and people have to make an effort (like taking out the trash by car) any plastic bottle can be discarded. This is a modest but very significant contribution to a healthy future for the planet.

References:

1. Лавров С. Б. Глобальные проблемы современности: часть 1. — СПб.: СПбГУПМ, 1993. — 72 с.
2. Ерофеев Б. В. Экологическое право России: Учебник. — М.: Юристъ, 1996. — 624 с.
3. https://earth.org/the-biggest-environmental-problems-of-our-lifetime/