Words by Smiley Team
While new technological fixes to climate change seem impressive, it’s often the less glamorous options that will have the biggest impact. Circular waste disposal is one of these and a recent study shows that if successfully practised around the world, it could significantly cut annual carbon emissions.
The IIASA-led study investigated current trash management in 184 countries and regions, monitoring how waste is disposed of and recycled. Researchers then used social and economic scenarios to predict how waste would develop in the future using methods like reuse and recycling, with promising results.
By getting rid of waste in more eco-friendly ways, we could reduce the amount of trash going to landfill sites by 91% and cut methane emissions by up to 88%.
[Read about other initiatives to tackle climate change and protect life on Earth]
Lead author Adriana Gómez-Sanabria, a researcher in the IIASA Pollution Management Research Group, explained that her team was “confident” that their research could be of great use in developing “emission scenarios for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)”.
She added that their work could also be used to help advance other studies of air and water pollution to help educate policymakers about the possibilities and risks of waste management.
The best-case scenario for emissions reduction that they uncovered contrasts starkly to what might happen if we continue to chuck away waste without reusing, composting or recycling it.
Right now, only around 13% of global waste is recycled, 5.5% composted, and garbage accounts for 8% of methane emissions. This could rise to 13% by 2050 if we continue to throw away waste without care, the researchers estimate.
Waste incineration is an even greater concern, pumping out about 150 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. However, with better waste management it “will be feasible to virtually eliminate open burning and therefore this source of air pollution already in 2030,” the researchers explained.
