Zero Waste: An Innovation for Less Polluting Emission Processes, Resource Management Practices and Policies

Abstract

The rising levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the Earth’s atmosphere have the potential to cause changes in our climate. Some of these emission increases can be traced directly to solid waste. Landfills are among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and methane, the key GHGs. Thus, effective mitigation of these emissions through formalization of waste reduction into the waste management system to reduce land filling could provide environmental benefits of reducing the adverse impacts of climate change. This paper therefore proposes waste prevention and recycling-jointly referred to as waste reduction as better and most potent strategies for the management of solid waste and for reducing greenhouse gases and calls on both the government and private agencies to check or control the increasing pollution or abuse of the environment by enforcing compliance with the laid out Policies, Pronouncements, Regulations and enacted Legislation especially in the developing countries. The study concludes that by choosing to prevent waste and recycle, less waste will be generated, the need for landfill will be minimal, energy demand will decrease, fewer fossil fuels will be burned and less methane and carbon dioxide will be emitted to the atmosphere which helps to curb climate change.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n8p53