Prevent environmental impacts of poor waste management

The theme for this year’s World Environmental Health Day is ‘Global environmental public health: Standing up to protect everyone’s health each and every day’. This day is marked to shed light on the important work of environmental health and the environmental health workforce around the world.

?Landfill can pose risks to human health and the environment if not managed correctly.

In South Africa, waste management is governed under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 which, provides in its preamble for the protection of health and the environment.?? Some of the tools provided by the Act to achieve this objective are Regulation, Norms and Standards, Licencing, Monitoring and Enforcement.

From the traditional hole in the ground, waste management has evolved into a highly specialised field where engineers, chemists, hydrologists, geologists, hygienists, epidemiologists, climatologists, and various other specialists work together with one objective in mind – to protect health and the environment.

Waste that is mismanaged results in vermin and associated health issues. Hazardous waste often contains toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and carcinogens that can lead to acute or chronic health problems when humans are exposed to them. Improper management of hazardous waste can lead to the release of volatile organic compounds and other harmful pollutants into the air or ground water.

There is an international move to reduce the amount of waste disposed of to landfill. South Africa is no different – with an ambitious zero waste to landfill goal by 2030. The country aims to divert 90% of waste from landfills by diverting waste streams to alternative waste management activities such as recycling, reuse, recovery and beneficiation technologies.

EnviroServ offers its clients a variety of alternative waste management solutions to landfill where this is sustainable and feasible.

The reality is however that substantial volumes of waste, particularly hazardous wastes, cannot yet be diverted from landfill for various reasons and therefore it is necessary that landfills continue to be professionally managed to the highest possible standard so as not to put health and the environment at risk.? This is achieved through proper site selection before the establishment of a site, taking into consideration centre of mass of waste generation, infrastructure such as access routes and services, sensitive areas, geology, buffers between the site and potential receptors etc. ??Design features such as state-of-the-art impermeable lining systems incorporating leakage detection and drainage systems during the construction phase and ongoing assessment of waste, pre-treatment and compliant disposal practices, monitoring of ground water around the site and air quality monitoring during the operational phase, are essential.

Landfills have the potential to generate large volumes of harmful greenhouse gasses (GHG) which are best managed through installation of extraction networks, which allow the gas to be flared or converted to electrical energy. This reduces the harmful effect of GHG on the environment.

South African citizens and businesses can support reducing waste that ends up in landfills by being aware of what can be recycled. EnviroServ’s on-site recycling division is assisting a growing number of businesses in achieving their zero waste to landfill goals.