As of 2020, only 7% of municipal solid waste is recycled, and the rest ends up in landfills or is incinerated. Separate waste collection (SWC) helps solve the problem. Separate collection separates the waste into different useful fractions - paper, plastic, glass, metal - that can be used to make new products. More articles about SWC are on https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/. An effective system of recycling helps increase recycling rates to 90 percent, benefiting both people and the environment. Plus-one.ru talks about the benefits and challenges of sorting garbage.
Benefits of separate garbage collection
1. Reducing the number of landfills
Legal landfills cover about 4 million hectares and their area increases by 300-400 thousand hectares per year. Volumes of solid municipal waste are increasing at such a rate that in six years' time there may not be enough space left for them in landfills. Sorting waste at home can greatly increase recycling rates. The more trash returned to the production cycle, the less land is needed for landfill.
2. Caring for the environment.
Landfills put leachate into the soil and water when trash rots, poisoning them. Landfills are also sources of landfill gas. Its main component is methane, which is flammable and has a strong greenhouse effect. When garbage burns, it releases substances that are hazardous to human health and the environment, including dioxins and heavy metals. A well-developed RDF system helps turn most waste into recyclables and prevent pollution.
3. Reuse resources
The production of everyday goods consumes many natural resources: water, wood, minerals. Separately collected trash can be more easily turned into recyclable materials that can be reused to make new products. For example, products made of metal and glass can be recycled an infinite number of times, paper - five to seven times, and plastic - one or two times. Recycled plastic can be mixed with other raw materials, making it suitable for the production of sleepers for the subway or asphalt pavement.
4. Saving money
Sorting trash allows you to increase the share of recyclable waste. It costs less to produce products from recycled materials than to produce them from virgin materials (including energy, wages, transportation, and other costs at all stages) and requires fewer resources. For example, the production of aluminum cans from recycled materials consumes 95% less energy than the production of products from virgin materials. Energy savings when recycling paper is about 60%, and glass is more than 30%.
The introduction of a separate collection system will also help organize new jobs. According to the estimates Greenpeace, about 252 thousand new jobs can be created in the sphere of recycling. The system will help the whole recycling industry to work better, because now, due to the lack of raw materials, many domestic plants are underutilized and have to buy waste products from abroad.