Improper Watse Management

Introduction
The environment comprises everything that creates natural conditions for the existence of organisms including man, and it is a precondition for their further development. Its components are mainly air, water, minerals, soil and living organisms.
The environment is born or created by nature and its growth or expansion is also set by nature itself. Man himself is a factor of the environment and has undergone the same processes of birth and evolution as undergone by the other co-factors, although he is a potent reactor to introduce large-scale changes in the environment. Environment not only includes the surface features and the flora and fauna on it, but also the zone of atmosphere and hydrosphere above and the mantle of the geological structure below. Hence, it has a volume or a zone in a cubical dimension. Environment has a regional and also a national aspect of analysis.
The environmental engineering profession works to protect and manage our air, water, and energy resources. Environmental engineers quantitatively analyze the environmental changes that inevitably result from human activities, designing strategies to remediate problems, minimize impacts, and measurably improve environmental quality. The environmental engineering field is refreshingly multi-disciplinary in nature, combining fundamental principles drawn from physics, chemistry, geology and biology with analytical methods. Practitioners focus on developing devices, techniques and solutions that can effectively address a variety of real-world environmental problems.
Environmental engineering applies engineering principles to natural systems to solve and prevent environmental degradation. The discipline uses knowledge of soil, water, and air systems to engineer solutions from field to watershed scales. Environmental Engineers solve problems working with natural systems. They protect the resources we need to produce our food, fiber and shelter. Environmental engineers design, evaluate, and implement systems that optimize utilization of natural resources while minimizing their degradation. They research, plan, and implement workable practices to respond to rapid changes in technology.
Environmental engineers play a vital role in maintaining the quality of both human environmental systems and the natural environment. Environmental engineering encompasses the scientific assessment and development of engineering solutions to environmental problems impacting the biosphere, land, water, and air quality. Environmental issues affect almost all commercial and industrial sectors, and are a central concern for the public, for all levels of government, and in international relations. These issues include safe drinking water, wastewater processing, solid and hazardous waste disposal, outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution and transfer of infectious diseases, human health and ecological risk management, prevention of pollution through product or process design, and renewable and sustainable energy sources.
To address these challenges, environmental engineers often encounter challenging problems that must be solved in data-poor situations as members of multidisciplinary teams. Environmental problems require creative solutions blended with contributions from scientists, lawyers, business people, and the public. Good communication skills, as well as technical proficiency, are essential for success in this arena. In addition, technology designed to address environmental problems is marketed globally, opening up increasing opportunities for international work in the environmental engineering field.
Environmental engineers or ecological engineers respond to the challenges posed by a growing population, intensifying land-use pressures, rapidly evolving technology, and increasing government regulations. The environmental engineer must develop technically sound solutions within the framework of maintaining or improving environmental quality, complying with public policy, and optimizing the utilization of resources. The engineer provides system and component design, serves as a technical advisor in policy making and legal deliberations, develops management schemes for resources, and provides technical evaluations of systems.
Through the current work of environmental engineers, individuals and businesses understand how to coordinate society's interaction with the environment. There will always be a need for engineers who are able to integrate the latest technologies into systems to produce needed food and fiber while protecting natural resources.
Environmental engineering topics related to air and land quality are highly relevant issues facing engineers, as well as communities and ecosystems at large. Example issues include global warming, geologic carbon sequestration, and pesticide and herbicide contamination on produce.
Ever since people first recognized that their health and well-being were related to the quality of their environment, they have applied thoughtful principles to attempt to improve the quality of their environment. The ancient Harappan civilization utilized early sewers in some cities. The Romans constructed aqueducts to prevent drought and to create a clean, healthful water supply for the metropolis of Rome.
Modern environmental engineering began in the mid-nineteenth century. The introduction of drinking water treatment and sewage treatment in industrialized countries reduced water-borne diseases from leading causes of death to rarities. As societies grew, actions that were intended to achieve benefits for those societies had long-term impacts that reduced other environmental qualities. Pollutants may be chemical, biological, thermal, radioactive or even mechanical.
Environmental engineering emphasizes several areas: process engineering, environmental chemistry, water and sewage treatment (sanitary engineering), waste reduction/management and pollution prevention/clean-up. Environmental engineering is a synthesis of various disciplines, incorporating elements from the following:
Agricultural engineering
Biology
Chemical engineering
Chemistry
Civil engineering
Ecology
Geology
Mechanical engineering
Public health
Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to the environment. Some consider environmental engineering to include the development of sustainable processes. There are several divisions of the field of environmental engineering.
The Problem
Waste disposal has been one of the worlds growing problems and it seems like it's becoming a never ending issue. What is waste disposal? Waste disposal is the act of throwing away the waste that we have accumulated in our homes, business and various industries.
We better start off with the garbage talk. In DENR research, the average solid waste generation is 0.56 kg/day for every person. In the next 30 years, we can generate about million cubic meters of solid wastes, an amount that equates to a knee-deep layer of waste over the entire nation. It can even fill the country’s largest shopping mall for over 175 times. And for the same thirty years we can generate about million tons of solid waste, in which the collection of these wastes will require a line of waste trucks going three times around the earth and over half way to the moon and at a cost of over billions. Distressing as it is, DENR also shows that only 10% of these solid wastes are being recycled and composted while the remaining 90 % either go to the dumpsites, rivers, streets or backyards
The problem on solid waste management also poses a grave threat to our rivers and lakes. Government data showed that 10% of the 4,100 metric tons of waste generated by the residents of metro manila are dumped into rivers and lakes. And as reported, only 15% of the residents in the area have an effective waste disposal system. With that information over 85% of the families living along the shoreline do not have toilets. Moreover, in Laguna, about 60% of the estimated 8.4 million people residing in Laguna de Bay discharge their wastes indirectly to the lakes through its tributaries. Shocking as it can get, the biochemical oxygen demand loadings from these wastes significantly came from households which covers almost twice the percentage of wastes from industries and agriculture.
As the growth in our population augments, commercial solid wastes that are being disposed in landfills increases. From the beginning, a few individuals are in quest of new methods in order to dispose their waste properly. Our society is having a hard time in adjusting and making amend on how to properly manage their waste. Despite this new technologies are being presented in the market that could solve our problem regarding the waste that we generate. The damage brought by waste may seemed a lifelong process in order to be undone. Finding new ways would be a significant step towards creating a green planet. Waste disposal is now the main problem being face by the world today. In third world countries, you can really see these problems. This year, the Philippines experienced floods here in there and a lot of people died. The main problem being blamed is the improper waste disposal. If we look closely, sometimes nature takes its turn on us and that’s what we should be concerned about. Sometimes even in the so called developed countries we can still see some trash scattered. We can also notice some people burning their trash in the backyard and they think it’s the easiest way to get rid of waste but they are totally wrong because they are just making a faster way to destroy the nature.
These are the most apparent environmental issue we literally see every day. It is an environmental problem that has reached critical proportions in the Philippines. Due to a growing population, rapidly increasing consumption and increasing urbanization, waste generated in the Philippines is estimated at thousands of tons per day. We humans create about million tons of waste every year from plastics and other non-reusable solids which are disregarded from different domestic or municipal locations. Waste created by the people caused a lot of environmental and health problems. Claim to these circumstances, safety of every individual is at risk. Obviously, we can see piles of garbage around every corner of the streets; litters are scattered almost everywhere from your very own house, as you ride the jeep, and even until you reach the university. Now, you see what I mean? The big issue of these wastes is that, where these wastes go? How are they was decomposed? And what happens to them? Unfortunately, improper solid waste management is one of the causes why we are suffering from different natural catastrophes such as rampant flooding and dying rivers and lakes.
Wastes created by the people were improperly managed. With that dilemma, we humans should start discovering resolution in order to stop this.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Proper waste disposal is of great importance to both rural and urban areas. Not doing this may bring us to danger in many ways and surely everybody knows this. Time and again, people are always being educated about the importance of waste disposal but then this process should not stop because every now and then, people forget. Some of the kids grow, even if they have learned the proper way of disposing the waste someday they will still forget about it. Big thanks to the people who make effort to spread the word and continue to be of service to other people. As a matter of fact, we can see to it that it’s not that easy to be in their situation because sometimes, most of them work voluntarily.
Going back to proper waste disposal, there are so many ways on how people can minimize the accumulation of waste for lesser job to be done in the future. One is through recycling. When you recycle at an earlier time, this will be very helpful. Aside from lessening your work load, you will also be earning. What I mean is that if you are not really that good in turning trash into something – at least you’ll be selling them which will add up to your income. By getting rid of these unwanted materials or waste, we gather, transport, process and recycle this waste to turn them into useful items. Through proper waste management, we could segregate useful materials and convert them into new items that we could dispose back into the market creating a cycle. Upon doing so, it will lessen our dependence on utilizing new raw materials from natural resources. The world is getting tough these days and we don’t still do something about it, more disasters will come.
The most general effect of waste disposal is the visual pollution. Wastes are everywhere, anytime. It is not exactly something you would want to see every day on your way out. People throw their garbage into the river, thinking that it would solve their garbage problem so the river is becoming filthy. Instantaneous action is necessary. Improper disposed of waste can also cause floods especially in the countries that rain a lot, such as Philippines. With this massive solid waste generation, it undeniably causes rampant flooding. Important constituents of solid waste which contributes to floods are the plastic carrier bags. These solid materials slowly enter into the drainage system clogging the drainage canals and outlets. Take for an example the tragic case of typhoon Ondoy whose damage cost reached billion in infrastructure and agriculture only. Garbage blocked the natural and man-made drainage systems so these failed to function properly. Other effect would be seen by our own prospect. The Pasig River, would we still consider it as a river if we all know how messy it was. It more looks like it was a giant sewer. Cebu might be one of the big islands to spend your vacation, but even on this beautiful island waste is also one of their major problems. The well-known Payatas’ Dumpsite in Quezon City is the main terminal for the solid waste collected in the city. The Payatas' or Smokey Mountains was notorious. Payatas' reputation became just as bad in connection with the huge landslide in year 2000 when a large number of scavengers were literally buried under the waste. This is an evidence of waste hazard that we can obtain if we wouldn’t be liable on our own waste. Filipinos also reduce waste by combustion. Burning could take care of waste but what it really does is that smokes generated from this process can contribute to global warming and opening of ozone layer. Improper waste disposal can also cause a lot of diseases such as dengue, typhoid fever and other health illnesses. For less fortunate’s, only places they can live are created by pile of wastes. Even their houses were built out of waste. Imagine children living in these areas, too risky for them.
Knowledge is very essential for it not to bring danger in one’s life that can have a great effect in every aspects of their existence. In revisiting to improper solid waste disposal, in order to lessen the burden of the circumstances there are a lot of things to avoid this. One is through reprocessing. By this practice there will be a benefit not only in our environment but also to us as an individual. You can be paid at the same time the loaded labor by volunteers will be minimized. On the other hand, people should be well-informed in the process of solid waste management, but the process can’t even stop because some people don’t intellect the effort of the brains behind extending the thoughts about the situation, most especially we should give credit to the group who made it by their free will.
As time goes on, the industry in which waste management expands, therefore creating new innovations that could lead through cleaning up the environment. Various methods are being discussed in communities on how to properly manage their waste. A number of hopefuls are still clinging to the day when we could replace the word waste into resources. In my opinion, it does have a nice sound to it and that taking care of our earth is a great contribution for the next generation.
Remember this, improper disposal of waste, isn’t just happening in one area or country, it happens all around the world. But imagine what waste can do if we manage them properly? This is how serious the problem is in the Philippines.
Conclusion and Recommendation
When we think about doing something to save the environment, we think of depleting natural resources, we think of environmental pollution, we think of deforestation, endangered plant and animal species and we wonder how to contribute to save nature. We think of these as very big problems and solving them, we think, as if it is beyond human capacity. Big problems - yes, they are. They are grave problems in fact. But thinking it's impossible to solve them is where we go wrong. We hardly bother to do anything in that regards. There are so many simple ways to save the environment. We just don't pay attention to them. We just don't think we can do anything or that we should. All we have to do is to start small and make a big difference.
Proper waste disposal minimizes the spread of infections and reduces the risk of accidental injury to staff, clients, visitors, and the local community and it helps provide an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. It also reduces odors and reduces the likelihood of contamination of the soil or ground water with chemicals or microorganisms.Biodegradable waste is a type of waste, typically originating from plant or animal sources, which may be broken down by other living organisms. Non-biodegradable is a type of waste that cannot be broken down by other living organisms.As the number of people increases in a certain place, the state of being industrialized is also increasing. So, it tells us that waste management is becoming a serious problem not only in the Philippines but also all over the world. Proper way of waste disposal is the most crucial issue to the public, especially to the health of the people and the effect of it in the environment. In order to prevent this kind of problem in our society, we must learn the proper disposal of our garbage. It helps us to have a cleaner environment and lessen the chances of spreading diseases due to the improper waste disposal and it also lessen the possibility of contamination in not only in air, land, but as well as in ground water.
Waste management is a serious environmental issue in the Philippines both local and worldwide organization are helping and doing their best to resolve this problem.
If you are aiming to have a cleaner environment, we can use the different alternative to resolve this predicament created by every individual. Natural sorting helps a lot. Through this process, segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable is necessary. From this option, those biodegradable materials, we can sort out and search for something we can recycle. In recycling, it has been one of the most accessible methods of the waste management process. Most of the rubbish that we throw away could be used again. Bottles, paper, wood, plastic are some examples of items that could be found lying in landfill and once they are separated from other waste they could be transported to recycling plants and turned them in to new items. Composting could be another useful alternative, as we all know purchasing fertilizers that are being manufactured in the market could bring harmful effects in both crops and our atmosphere. They release harmful gases that add up to the green house gases that destroys the atmosphere. By composting, you could use fruit peelings, scraps, leftovers that have spoiled and turn it into fertilizers. Since these are organic materials they would give back the nutrients that the soil needs in order to make it healthy. Upon composting biodegradable materials you could save money and at the same time lessen the waste that you dispose in landfills. This is also one of the useful methods in solid waste management. Gasification process is one of the newer methods of waste management. It is a process that could turn waste into useful fuel and energy. The gasification process is all about converting solid municipal waste into a renewable source of energy. Through this process, the waste is being places in a chamber wherein extreme temperature process carbonaceous raw materials into gas. It is a carbon neutral process, due to the fact that throughout the process of creating the product known as synthetic gas limited amounts of oxygen is supplied. The gasification process does not emit carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Recycle, Reuse and Reduce. Whatever and whenever you can. This is the best measure to save the environment. A simple way to do this is to reduce the use of rubber and plastic. Instead, use paper bags and cardboard containers. Even the practice of buying in bulk can help save a lot of packaging material, thus contributing to saving the environment. Buy products that you can reuse. You can reuse daily-used items like scrap paper and old clothes can be donated to the needy or make other cloth items from them.
Indeed, the issue on solid waste management imposes development, safety and security of the human race. It aggravates mother earth, thus, we suffer from nature’s anger. But the good news about it is, we can do something about it. The government with the participation of different stakeholders can significantly mitigate the effects of these natural phenomena. As a matter of fact, the government in partnership with the civil society groups had institutionalized environmental projects like the manila bay and Pasig clean-up. A series of environmental education and mobilizations like the inclusion of environment protection and management in tertiary level education, promotion of the “reduce, re-use and recycle” campaign and the Pasig run have successfully instilled the sense of urgency among stakeholders. Think about it, you can save the world, simply, by doing your part. And in case that you might’ve forgotten, it’s the only world we got. Let’s start small and make a big difference.