Waste Management Statistics Encourage Efficiencies

Posted under environment by Daniel Stouffer

Waste management is taking on a bigger role within all levels of society. In the United States, federal programs seek to reduce our reliance on traditional waste management methods and are replaced with more preferred initiatives. At state level, the problem is more acute with a number of individual states reporting that they are nearing capacity in terms of available resources. While waste management statistics are much improved over the last 20 years, there is a long way to go.

Waste management is not just a governmental problem. At corporate level, organizations must become far more aware of their entire lifecycle operation and assume much more responsibility for waste management and end-of-life implications. Threat of legislation, in place in some jurisdictions already, suggests that an organization could take a financial hit if they are deemed to be inefficient and see their waste management statistics above average.

The processing of waste can be particularly harmful to our environment and of major repercussion for climate change. Landfills are front and center, as large amounts of methane are released during the degradation process. Methane is known to be up to 70 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and it has a significant role to play in the threat of global warming.

Incineration, as a process of waste management, is harmful to our environment, due to the release of gases such as nitrous oxide. Waste management statistics show us that a majority of waste is still sent to landfills, with newer and larger facilities expanding and accounting for an assumed drop-off in the actual number of locations.

Legislation aimed at forcing emitters to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that they are responsible for will actively encourage organizations to reduce their carbon footprint. Part of this process will require them to analyze waste at all levels of the operation and a reduction is likely as efficiencies are realized.

The EPA produces waste management statistics which are quite eye-opening. More than 200 million tons of solid waste are produced in the country each year, equating to almost four and a half pounds per day per person. This staggering conclusion means that each one of us and each organization within our society must take action to rectify.

Conventional methods of waste management are known to have significant adverse effects on our overall health, the condition of our waterways and the long-term degradation of our atmosphere. The traditional methods often involve additional carbon emission issues due to the very collection and transportation of the material. Much more emphasis should be placed on recycling and reuse.

Senior management in an organization must study internal waste management statistics closely to see how they can implement processes to achieve maximum efficiencies. Each part of the supply chain must be held responsible.

Daniel Stouffer has much more information about waste management statistics and how a visit to www.verisae.com can aid you.

categories: energy efficiency,global warming,Air Quality,Air Pollution,Environment,Health and Fitness