* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
This Earth Day, we’re trash-talking - quite literally. Household waste is part of modern life and a big part of the sustainability challenge for cities too, but some are more garbage-minded than others. Here are some examples of how cities are getting on top of their rubbish problem, and what we can learn from them.
Sometimes I think the garbage collection men on my street are commissioned to disturb my early morning slumber as they collect my rubbish bins as noisily as they can – at least, that’s how it feels to me. But rather than being an unwelcome alarm clock with no snooze button, these workers - and the entire waste handling system - are essential to the cleanliness and well-being of our cities. It’s something that’s all too easy to forget.
In fact, in my city of Copenhagen garbage is processed so efficiently that you would never notice that the Danes actually generate the most municipal waste a year per capita in Europe (759 kg per capita). We throw out three times as much as the Polish and almost 75 percent more than our neighbors in Sweden, and we throw out 46 percent more today than we did in 1995.
Despite this sobering statistic, Copenhagen has undergone a major shift in its waste management systems over the past two decades, as a way of relieving the burden on our city landfills. Today, only 3 percent of our waste ends up in landfill, and 39 percent is sent to ‘waste-to-energy’ plants where it is incinerated to power our homes. It’s a more sustainable solution, but as the 2008 report ‘Copenhagen Waste Solution’ stated, it’s still far from ideal:
"Waste is better utilised through incineration than through landfills but recycling is an even better option. Of course, the best option is prevention of waste production altogether, which often requires direct reuse. The less waste, the better - it's as simple as that.”
So how do we stop people filling up those trash bags? Last year Sustainia released its Cities100 report in which we celebrate the best sustainable city solutions from around the world. The report covers 10 sectors, and solid waste is one of them. Based on the solutions from around the world, the report shows that public inclusion is key to better waste handling. Here are two great examples:
From Yokohama to Milan: waste is everyone’s business
The population of Japanese coastal city Yokohama is growing rapidly. So rapidly that the city had to come up with a new approach to waste handling as land masses for waste dumping was running out. The 3R Dream Plan was born – a plan of extensive campaigning and coaching involving both businesses and communities. The Dream Plan teaches local businesses to recycle more materials in the production phase, briefs citizens about how to manage their household waste and campaigns on waste reduction on train stations and collection points throughout the city. The result? A stunning 45 percent reduction of waste in just a couple of years.
On the other side of the planet in the Italian fashion mecca of Milan, food waste was becoming a problem in the densely populated city and recycling rates were low. The solution? Better planning and public inclusion. Today, the Milanese are collecting their food waste in compostable bags and are encouraged to do so via a smartphone app. Garbage handlers pick the bags up by the curbside and deposit them at an anaerobic digestion and composting facility. The collection system reduces CO2 emissions by 8.800 tons a year.
Yokohama and Milan are cities that have successfully made waste handling a collective responsibility and prevented citizens from seeing garbage as something that magically disappears when left in containers and chutes. This increase in awareness is fundamental to the way in which we get municipal programmes that require public participation to succeed.
Then, maybe, we can give those hard-working garbage collection men a few more days off – with the added benefit of giving me a longer lie-in.
Find out more about the world's sustaintable solutions at www.sustainia.me
