Essay on How Is Waste Management Affected By Socioeconomic Factors?

Heather Roger claims our current garbage disposal methods are short term and etiquette. Rogers’s position is clear that we need to minimize the use of landfills and create better means to discard trash. In supporting Rogers’s environment views I think that we need to create a more economic and environmental friendly garbage disposal system. Heather Rogers and Lars Eighner both acknowledge the issue with society’s throwaway mentality. Eighner proves that we throw away perfectly working stuff, having survived off others discarded materials. Eighner argues against excessive waste we create but does not have any prospected solutions. Whereas Rogers acknowledges the obvious need to minimize our consumption of waste but argues the need

Undoubtedly, as we are stepping towards advancement with technology every day, we are getting exposed to more pollution levels in our life. Water, air and earth, in all these forms of society we are experiencing rapidly growing pollutions. In water, we are experiencing a huge number of unwanted disposals of all sorts from the cruise ships or any private boat. A lot of people now a days doesn't have any idea where to dispose proper wastes. For example, if we go to a grocery store like Walmart or Target, we see big trashcans with it's purpose written on it. There are certain trashcans that are only meant for plastic disposing while some of them are for recyclable objects. People need to educate themselves with this basic things. Not only these, if we look at the bigger picture, in third world countries, earth or soil pollution is one of the major environmental problems. People throwing garbages everywhere on the side of streets, urinating on the side of the street, spitting everywhere are the major habits people are having over the years.

Where toxic waste is disposed of is one of the reasons why racism and classism leads to environmental factors. As referred in an article called ”Emelle, Alabama:

This discussion for this week’s forum post provided room for great discussions and arguments on if these decisions are solely economic or prejudice. While you argue it is economic, I argue prejudice exists in these decision making processes. Although, I can see and understand your point of view. It hits closer to home for me. It appears too coincident that there is 55+ hazardous waste sites in the Metro-Atlanta area when the average number of waste sites in a Georgia county is three (GreenLaw, 2011). The majority of the Metro-Atlanta area has 90%, or more, non-white population. Studies also show that there is a disproportionate availability of fundamental resources in minority and low-income communities (GreenLaw, 2011). In addition, on my way to work, in the Metro-Atlanta area, I see hazardous waste sites, landfills, scrap yards, and train tracks all

Environmental racism is the “targeting of minorities and low-income communities to bear a disproportionate share of environmental costs. It refers to any policy or practice that differently affects or disadvantages individuals, groups or communities based on race or skin color” (Schill & Austin 1991). Pollution is disproportionately distributed across the country; it is also distributed unequally within individual states, within counties, and within cities (Schill & Austin 1991). Hazardous waste sites, municipal landfills, incinerators, and other hazardous facilities are disproportionately located in poor and minority neighborhoods (White-Newsome 2016). Each year, America produces 275 million metric tons of hazardous waste. Environmental regulations only regulate 40 million tons of the waste leaving the rest to be sent to landfills and waste sites (White-Newsome 2016). According to research done by The Commission for Racial Justice of the United Church of Christ, Zip code areas containing at least one hazardous waste site had, on average, 24% people of color, compared to 12% in areas without a hazardous waste site. Additionally, “zip code areas containing either two or more facilities or one of the five largest hazardous waste landfills in the nation had, on average, 38% people of color “(White-Newsome 2016). One of the largest dumping grounds is located in Emelle, Sumter County, Alabama. Sumter County houses the nation’s largest hazardous landfill facility. The landfill

In the environmental novel Garbage Wars: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Chicago by David Naguib Pellow, the author discusses themes of politics in regards to garbage disposal and themes of environmental racism. The burden of managing garbage and pollution is rarely shared equally. The novel is focused more on the environmental racism particularly in Chicago. There are social groups of people who create most of the waste and pollution and seldom have to live near or work near the facilities that handle all the waste and pollution. Most of these recycling facilities that release toxic substances, are located in low- income communities of color.

Considering that most waste is produced by prosperous communities, it is evident that upper-class groups would rather put their trash in someone else’s living space, otherwise known as the NIMBY (not in my backyard) approach (Wright 495, 533). Critics may argue that this is not the case, because their is no substantial proof that governments have authorized the construction of hazardous waste sites specifically based on racial or economic demographics. However, in 1987, the Commission for Racial Justice of the United Church of Christ published an extensive study on environmental racism, discovering that three out of five of the largest commercial toxic waste landfills in the U.S. are located in primarily African American and Hispanic communities, with 40 percent of all hazardous waste disposal running through these factories. Also, around 60 percent of African Americans and Hispanics and almost half of all Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders live in areas with uncontrolled toxic waste sites (Cunningham, Cunningham, and Saigo 462). This evidence concludes that race is one of the most significant factors in determining where specific hazardous waste sites and facilities will be constructed. The government must work to prevent this unfair displacement of trash to preserve fairness for all

The top priorities in the United States’ public policy making process continue to be protection from terrorism, a stronger economy, and the creation of more jobs (Pew Research Center, 2015). However, with a growing concern for public health and safety due to environmental issues, perhaps our policy makers should address the issues we face daily while living in our communities. The environmental issues extend beyond unhealthy, and risky conditions due to waste management and unsustainable lifestyles. The environmental issues we face are dispersed unevenly in communities, especially in urban areas among minorities. The unequitable dispersal of environmental hazards, transforms a physical resource problem into one of social justice and political decisions. David Pellow addresses this issue in his book, Garbage Wars, by providing a history of movements, technology, politics, waste management and waste conflicts in the US to create an understanding of how inequalities emerge and persist.

(Agyeman et al., p. 6). This report serves as further evidence of the environmental injustices faced by minorities who do not have the power to face the corporations who own the hazardous waste facilities. It is laughable to think of what would occur if such a facility was proposed in Beverly Hills or Montecito because the citizens would be up in arms with many lawyers and politicians. Because predominantly ethnic and poor communities do not have such resources, they are unfairly subject to pollution which results from profit maximization. In conclusion, corporations extracting additional revenues damages the health of poor neighborhoods who do not have the capacity to resist the pollution in their homes.

The average resident produces seven and a half pounds of garbage every day that is buried down in landfills and litters lands costing a great amount of money. Nowadays, people face no more critical trouble than the need to save the weakening environment, mainly in urban areas, where solid wastes are uselessly dumped. It has been observed that cities have no controlled structure for garbage disposal. Each year, millions of dollars are spent picking up litter and more is thrown away in valuable materials that could be recycled. As humanity develops new technology and equipment, the level of waste increases every day. Due to the fact that there is a huge problem with garbage disposal, government representatives must contribute to resolving

We, humans, are producing waste every day, polluting and destroying our planet. To save the world, many people believe recycling is the obvious solution. It is the process of converting certain waste into a reusable material. Therefore, the recycle motto is “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”. However, have you ever wondered why the word recycle is placed at the end? Well, it’s because it is not the only way to reduce waste and save the world from global warming. Recycling may have many advantages, but its disadvantages’ list is not a short one either. Recycling may look very simple and easy method, but when there is a need for a new unit of waste recycling, it takes up a lot of space. Not to mention the amount of money the building costs along with paying the staffs, buying new utility vehicles, upgrading the recycling unit and different types of chemical disposals. It is not only expensive but also, unhygienic, unsafe and unsightly with piles of waste materials on every location. These wastes spread infectious diseases putting human health at risk. Aside from recycling

In general, one of the most daunting issues facing the world, today, is the rising waste problem, which impairs public health, pollutes the environment and essentially drowns poor, developing countries in toxicity. Experts have asked themselves what the best way to handle our trash is. For example, some claim that landfills are the way to go while others argue that trash burning is the better alternative. Although there are countless other alternatives for garbage disposal, landfills and garbage incineration, specifically, both have their drawbacks. Meanwhile, implementing a zero-waste policy, one where people are encouraged to not produce any waste, would get rid of the need for either of these processes altogether.

My main concern about waste disposal is toward poverty. In every society, for it to work effectively the waste disposal has to be handled properly. The lack of proper waste disposal can contribute for the underdevelopment of the community. For instance, in poorer community that does not have resources to dispose of the trash properly create a series of problems. For example, when there are a lot of trashes in a community, it will prevent investors to invest in a community, the housing market, schools and stores will decline, in consequence the houses will loose its value. This will create a ripple effect because people will start immigrating toward a better place where it is much cleaner. Families will try to move to a better place where their kids can have a better future. I ask myself who wants to live in a dirty environment? I hope nobody. That’s why I believe that the government should help the poorest communities about the ways to handle waste disposal, and better educate them about recycling.

Pollution is a major problem globally and it becomes greater as the human population continues to rise exponentially. One of the major problems with increased population is higher waste production, which creates increased air, soil, and water pollution. To resolve this problem waste reduction must be of primary importance in preventing and reducing pollution. Waste management can be an expensive undertaking if not managed correctly so sustainable practices must be addressed. While pollution prevention and reduction programs can be expensive if not managed correctly, waste reduction is essential for the reduction and prevention of pollution.

One of the effective means to at least lessen the occurrence of our present garbage disposal problem is through the use of methods that are non-toxic, less expensive, less-harmful, and yet equally effective. This project aims to provide for a natural and effective way of disposing garbage.