By Arsalan Ali

ISLAMABAD, July 26 : Pakistan faces an ever-increasing volume of solid waste, needing an effective waste management to reduce environmental pollution, WealthPK reports.

Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed, environmental expert at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, told WealthPK that many positive actions have to be taken to improve solid waste management that extend beyond collection and disposal and assist in reducing environmental pollution.

It is imperative to reduce waste generation, reduce the amount of waste that needs to be disposed of through 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle), and improve treatment through the use of environment-friendly technologies, he added.

According to the Ministry of Climate Change, there is no systematic mechanism in Pakistan for collection and disposal of hazardous waste generated from hospitals, industries, transport, energy, mining, and agriculture activities.

As GarbageCAN's CEO Ahmad Shabbar told WealthPK that solid waste causes public health problems, pollutes the environment, and costs cities a lot to dispose of. Our mission is to improve the standard of waste management in the country, he added.

He said GarbageCAN tries to contribute to the circular economy by directing the salvaged materials to the relevant industries that can use them and reduce reliance on virgin materials. Investment in enhancing skill sets that expand on the intersection of sustainability, circular economy, and technology will be necessary to enable that shift, he added.

Pursuing waste management properly creates employment opportunities for those who are working in the informal economy without any safety nets, he said.

Shabbar said one of the issues that Pakistan faces with regard to waste management was the cultural perception that it was an unclean and uncool job. Using technology-based solutions can make it more appealing to young people to protect their cities, he said.

According to the Environment Protection Department, solid waste generation ranges from 0.283 to 0.612 kg/capita/day, and the waste generation growth rate is 2.4 percent per year.

The latest report published by the Ministry of Climate Change encourages industries to adopt feasible processes and green technologies, including the best available techniques and best environmental practices, on a regular basis to ensure cleaner or greener design and production.

The pollution prevention and control technologies shall be consistent with the international norms and practices, as reflected in internationally recognized standards, it added.

The report pointed out that specific working groups under the HW Technical Committee shall be formulated. These working groups shall explore the possible options and opportunities for reduction and minimization of hazardous waste in an environmentally sound manner through product and process innovation.

According to the report, waste generators shall aim for production that prioritizes the use of recovered or recycled materials; enables and encourages recovery of energy and resources at the end of the useful life of a product; and avoids additional pollution burden from waste management of end-of-life products.

The report highlights promoting alternative green chemicals, less harmful pesticides, and fertilizers, and eco-labeling.

Take necessary measures to integrate Hazardous Waste Management concerns into national Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) processes, it added.

Credits: INP-WealthPk