Waste Management - the Process & Co2 Emissions and Methane

Waste Management

Subtopic: The Process & CO2 Emissions and Methane

The process:

Due to rapid urbanization, increasing population, the construction boom and the unsustainable consumption pattern, Dubai has witnessed an increase in the waste generated in the past few years (Clean Middle East, 2012). The question is, all this waste produced, where does it go? How is it managed?

Household wastes are collected, transported ,and disposed of through various means (Zenath, 2010). To begin with, waste and garbage is collected through one of the following methods. One method is the haul collection system (Clean Middle East, 2012), which is a very systematic method, where Dubai Municipality organizes trucks for collection of wastes which goes all around the country, on a routine basis, to gather trash. These trucks move from one garbage bin to the other and using two metal pointers, lift the wheeled bins and dispose of all the trash into the truck, also called rear end loaders or side loaders. Another method used is manpower (Clean Middle East, 2012). Workers in uniforms go around the street either picking the garbage while holding a simple black garbage bag, or using a small, light vehicle that gathers whatever encounters it.

Secondly, all this garbage collected is then transported for disposal. Garbage collected is taken into one of the 4 landfills available (Dubai Municipality, personal communication, May 23, 2012), where the waste is disposed of in piles. Over 11,000 tons of waste a day are dumped in the landfills for disposal (Clean Middle East, 2012). These landfills are built by first excavating land until it is a few feet above underground water. Then layers and layers are added that cover the bottom of the landfill, which stabilizes the wastes and prevents leakage into the underground water (UMUC, 2003).

CO2