It would be difficult to find a more fundamental urban environmental issue than solid waste disposal. It is clear that effective waste management is essential to the development of sustainable cities. Many cities around the world are implementing innovative measures to deal with waste and are increasingly incorporating waste management into sustainability plans.
Some cities are setting positive examples through aggressive recycling and zero-waste programs. Cities are reducing food waste with better storage and transportation. They are implementing construction strategies that increase reuse of materials and investment in waste-to-energy technology.
Some local policies, such as waste disposal fees and other charges, are being used to encourage waste reduction. Meanwhile, other cities have banned the use of plastic shopping bags or are requiring that stores charge for the use of plastic bags.
Solid waste management is a challenge for large urban areas around the world. Removing garbage from residential, institutional and commercial locations in cities is a major logistical and operational task. It is also a critical matter of public health, environmental quality, and economic development. As the world urbanizes, the challenge is becoming more acute. More people means more garbage, especially in fast-growing cities where the bulk of waste is generated, putting pressure on municipal governments to deal with rising costs and environmental impacts.
Cities generate roughly 1.3 billion tons of solid waste per year. And waste rates worldwide are expected to increase 2.2 billion tons by 2025, an increase of 70 percent. The global cost of managing waste is also rising—from $205 billion a year in 2010 to an expected $375 billion a year by 2025, with the sharpest cost increases in developing countries.
New York City
New York City’s millions of residents and millions of businesses, construction projects and nonresident employees generate 14 million tons of waste and recyclables per year. Waste management and removal is handled by two systems—public and private. The public agency—the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY)—serves residential buildings, government agencies and many nonprofit organizations. Private commercial firms must pay private waste carters to remove their solid waste. Spending by both the public and private systems on residential and commercial garbage is about $2.3 billion of the city’s $75 billion annual budget.
New York City is currently pursuing several different strategies to improve waste management, including increasing recycling capture rates; encouraging residents and businesses to divert organic material from landfills; and eliminating obstacles from waste-to-energy solutions.
The cornerstone of NYC’s recycling efforts is its curbside program, which collects paper, metal, glass and plastic. In 2011, solid waste management became incorporated into sustainability planning under PlaNYC, New York City’s comprehensive sustainability plan. One of the goals under PlaNYC was to divert 75 percent of solid waste from landfills by 2030. It aimed to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 34,000 tons while diverting 2,000 tons of waste per day from land-based solid waste transfer stations in Brooklyn and Queens to marine transfer stations. In April 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the rebranding of PlaNYC to OneNYC, a plan that includes strategies for growth, sustainability, resiliency and equity. Under this plan, the city’s goal is zero waste by 2030. Since the release of OneNYC, the city has made incremental steps toward its zero-waste goal.
To read the full story, visit http://www.brinknews.com/growing-cities-growing-waste/.