Page 27 - MiddleEast-business

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In November 2019, China’s largest
170-acre landfill dump reached
full capacity 25 years sooner than
expected. The Jiangcungou landfill
waste disposal site was opened in
Xi’an 1994. Designed to take 2,500
tonnes of rubbish per day, it actually
received 10,000 tonnes. Is an
Armageddon of waste just around
the corner?
In an article by Salman Zafar,
‘Waste Management Challenges
1
in Middle East ’, Zafar outlines why
we are one of the most prolific waste
generating regions on the globe,
with many areas having an average
per capita waste output of more than
2kg per day.
In our region we struggle to
society-wide benefits. It entails With a young population and
manage waste. High standards
of living, ineffective legislation, gradually decoupling economic emerging political will, the Middle
infrastructural roadblocks, activity from the consumption of East has a strategic opportunity
indifferent public attitude and lack of finite resources, and designing to adopt and develop the
circular economic model in the
environmental awareness are the waste out of the system.
2
major contributing factors. Lavish Underpinned by a transition to region . Lessons learned from other
lifestyles are contributing to more renewable energy sources, the areas indicate that the shift towards
generation of waste which when circular model builds economic, more sustainable and regenerative
coupled with lack of waste collection development practices will not occur
natural, and social capital. organically. It needs strong leaders
and disposal facilities have
transformed ‘trash’ into a liability. to legislate and ensure it happens.
Changing to the circular economy is Regional governments will have
Due to a lack of garbage collection based around three principles: to incorporate specific drivers
and disposal facilities, the dumping and KPIs in bid documentation
• Design out waste and pollution
of waste in open spaces, deserts and evaluation protocols in such
and water bodies is a common • Keep products and materials industries as construction and
sight across the region. This has in use manufacturing - some of the sectors
major impacts upon local health, that can be most harmful to the
the environment and groundwater • Regenerate natural systems environment and where the circular
quality. These are threats to our
future health, and that of our
families. There is a real need to
encourage efficient recycling of
materials. But where do we start,
and what could really make an
effect?

What is a circular economy?
At present, our world lives in a linear
take-make-waste industrial model.
We take materials from the earth
(damaging it in the process), make
products, which are then used,
discarded and sent to landfill. Most
of the major pollutants are products
that come from oil - and that includes
the ubiquitous plastic.

A circular economy aims to redefine
growth, focusing on positive

www.MiddleEast-Business.com 7 year, Issue 26, Mar - May 2020
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