The World Bank recently highlighted a concerning rise of the waste crisis, stating that waste generation is expected to increase by 73%, reaching 3.88 billion tonnes annually, by 2050. If this estimate reaches fruition, it will only escalate the current economic tensions of low-income countries such as Pakistan. Poor waste management is primarily caused by poor infrastructure, insufficient funding, inadequate regulation, rapid population growth, urbanisation and inefficient waste collection and disposal methods.
Highlighting Pakistan’s part, the country generates 3.3 million tonnes of plastic everyday yet the culture of 3 R’s — reduce, reuse, recycle — is rarely imposed by people. Most Pakistani citizens dispose all of their waste, be it recyclable, organic or hazardous, in the same bin which is a huge burrier for the process of recycling.
While global initiatives like the Global Plastic Treaty, the Global Methane Pledge and the Paris Agreement for climate change offer opportunities to sustain waste management practices, Pakistan still needs to take its own righteous steps, improve land fill management, develop waste-to-energy facilities, compose organic waste and implement a recycling formula to prevent excessive pollution.
Lucky Sattar
Turbat
