In the western world we are focused on the reduction of landfill and replacing it with a more holistic approach to waste management. This includes a mix of recycling, re-using and general reduction.
However there is still a need for incineration in many cases as no other technology provides the same complete destruction of the waste - many pollutants and particulates can only be destroyed in temperatures in excess of 850ºC.
Over the last few months we have also seen an increase in terrible accidents at landfill sites around the world. Only last month we saw 64 people die in a major landside at a landfill in Ethiopia and again just 3 days ago in Sri Lanka another 16 people feared dead. Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones in these tragic events that could have been avoided.
Inciner8 Limited have distributors who are currently working closely with the Sri Lanka authorities on projects that should alleviate some of these issues.
With the global production of waste expected to triple by 2100 this problem and these events are only going to increase. It is therefore critical that organisations such as the UN, UNOPS and other international aid agencies support the local governments in these areas and start to invest in viable alternatives to landfill. The biggest priority right now is the backlog of waste that is growing in many developing countries and with very little infrastructure to process the waste safely and efficiently, this is leading to the illegal dumping of medical and hazardous waste as the landfill are becoming too full or charging too much to accept waste.
Incineration is the ideal short term solution and combined with a waste to energy solution could also generate much needed hot water or electricity for these regions to assist in overall clean-up operations. There is a better way, we just need to use it...
