Waste generation and disposal is a growing problem globally, as consumption and economic activity rises around the world. With more waste ending up in landfills and incinerators, there are huge environmental repercussions – including the impact on climate change. Recycling provides a sustainable solution that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.
Amount of Waste Generated Globally
According to the World Bank, approximately 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated globally each year. With rapid urbanization and economic growth especially in Asian countries, waste generation has been rising fast and could grow to 3.40 billion tons by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario. The waste not only ends up emitting greenhouse gases, but also causes significant pollution of land, air and water resources.
Methane Emissions from Landfills
Organic waste like food, wood, paper and garden trimmings make up 50% of the waste that ends up in landfill sites. As this biodegradable waste decomposes anaerobically in landfills, a highly potent greenhouse gas called methane is released. According to the EPA, landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions in the United States. Capturing methane emissions from landfills is a challenge especially in developing countries.
Recycling Reduces Greenhouse Gases
Recycling has significant advantages over waste disposal methods like landfilling and incineration when it comes to emissions. Producing goods from recycled materials typically emits less carbon dioxide and consumes less energy than manufacturing goods from virgin raw materials. For example, using recycled aluminum cans in the manufacturing process cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 92% compared to using raw bauxite ore. By reducing the demand for raw materials and diverting waste from landfills, recycling can play a crucial role in reducing human-driven carbon emissions and slowing down global climate change.
More Recycling Means Less Raw Material Extraction
Rising levels of consumption has meant extracting more metals, minerals, wood and other virgin raw materials to meet demand for goods and products. Logging and mining activities cause immense environmental damage. Extracting and processing metal ores, non-metallic minerals and mineral fuels accounted for 20% of global carbon emissions from the industrial sector in 2015. Recycling reduces the annual volume of newly-extracted raw materials required to meet societal needs and prevents emissions from extractive industries. It creates a more sustainable and circular system of production and consumption. Read more here.
Recycling Saves Energy
When metal scrap, paper, plastic, glass and other materials are recycled into new products, it leads to substantial energy savings. Making products from recycled materials typically requires less energy, fewer chemical inputs and less processing compared to making products from virgin raw materials. Using recycled aluminum scrap to produce new aluminum products can save upto 95% of the energy required for aluminum production from bauxite ore. Energy savings from recycling also means lower greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial sector.
Transitioning to a Circular Economy
The concept of circular economy focuses on resource optimization, waste minimization and closed energy and material loops. Recycling processes and recycled materials form an integral part of the circular systems framework. The goal is to transition away from the prevailing linear economic model of ‘take, make, use, dispose’ which depends heavily on carbon-based energy and raw materials. With recycling and sustainability as core objectives, circular economic systems can help in the global efforts to achieve emission reduction targets and enable low-carbon growth pathways.
Challenges Facing Recycling Efforts
While recycling has clear environmental benefits, many countries face various economic, technological and institutional challenges that limit recycling rates. Waste collection systems are inadequate in lower-income cities with informal settlements. High collection and processing costs pose barriers, recycling markets are volatile, and there is lack of infrastructure and scale. Compliance with waste management regulations remains a problem. Achieving quality, scale and creating viable enterprises via recycling continues to be an uphill task even in emerging economies.
Policies to Promote Recycling
Governments across the world use various policy tools ranging from awareness programs to legislations, penalties, subsidies and permits to promote recycling. By institutionalizing responsibilities and building waste management capabilities, governments play a key role. Many countries have enacted extended producer responsibility laws making companies responsible for their waste products post-consumer use. Carbon pricing mechanisms and incentives for recycled products signal policy priorities to industries and waste generators. Integration of the informal sector through conducive frameworks remains a key challenge in developing countries.
Individual Efforts to Recycle More
While appropriate policies and frameworks form the foundation, individuals too have an important role to play to improve recycling rates. Segregating waste at source into different streams like paper, plastic, glass and metal facilitates recycling. Choosing products made from recycled materials fosters market demand. Reducing overall material consumption and avoiding single-use disposable items decreases waste generation. Supporting the authorized informal recyclable waste pickers, spreading awareness in communities and conscientious waste disposal habits among citizens contributes towards better recycling performance at a societal scale.
The world is witnessing a waste crisis, exacerbating environmental problems globally including climate change. Unabated greenhouse gas emissions from waste continue being a matter of serious concern. Recycling provides an avenue for waste reduction while also lowering emissions, reducing pollution, saving energy and resources. The social, economic and environmental gains through appropriate waste recycling systems and circular economic thinking are clearly multi-fold. Policy action coupled with community-driven initiatives is the way forward for nations to transition to sustainable waste and materials management regimes.
