Our Own Garbage is Smothering Us
In spite of breakthrough technologies that enable us to dispose of waste safely and efficiently, transform discarded materials into a variety of practical energy sources, along with robust community and business initiatives to recycle household and electronic waste — we are drowning in garbage. The Washington Post’s Kevin Sieff describes the global garbage dilemma in detail in his November 20, 2017, article: “The World is Drowning in Ever-Growing Mounds of Garbage.”
Click on the link below to read the entire article:
Following are some takeaway points from the article:
- Lagos Nigeria, Africa’s largest city (population, 21-million) transports its garbage to a huge dump in the center of the city. Residents and commuters must cope with the smell of burning trash.
- Across the globe, we produce more than a billion tons of garbage annually.
- Barges transport approximately 3600 tons of trash in New York’s Hudson River every day.
- The World Bank estimates that by 2025 (just a few years away), cities worldwide will produce enough refuse to fill a 3100-mile line of garbage trucks every single day.
- In Africa, unsanitary disposal of garbage contributes to epidemics of a host of deadly diseases including malaria, yellow fever and Lassa fever. Some of these diseases are carried by mosquitoes; others are spread by the urine and feces of rodents due to poor sanitation.
More Quick Facts about Garbage
- Approximately ⅓ of all food for human consumption gets tossed out; that comes to about 1.3-billion tons worldwide.
- Fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers are the foods most often thrown out.
- Every year wealthy countries throw out about as much food (222-million metric tons) as is produced in sub-Saharan Africa (230-million tons).
- Per capita waste in Europe and North America – at 95-115 kg per year – is more than 12 times the rate of 6-11 kg per year for individuals who live in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Additional Reading:
“Can Technology Help Tackle the World’s Waste Crisis?”
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35279854
“The Stench of Garbage Crisis Returns to Lebanon.”
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/12/lebanon-garbage-crisis-burning-health-risks.html
