Chemicals play an important role in development but if the chemicals and waste not handled properly and released into the air, water and soil they can negatively affect the health and environment. They can affect and breakdown our nervous, immune & reproductive system and can cause cancer and development disorders. Hence Sound Management of Chemicals and Wastes (SMCW) is an important component to achieve sustainable human development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Facts about chemicals and waste
- As per UN Habitat 2 billion people lack access to solid waste collection and 3 billion people without access to controlled solid waste disposal facilities, urban dwellers, especially in low to middle income countries, are exposed to severe threats to public health due to the mismanagement of solid waste.
- 2 Billion Tonnes of municipal solid waste were generated in 2015. This number is expected to grow to 3.5 Billion Tonnes by 2050
- The waste sector is predicted to account 8-10% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions by 2025 under business as usual scenario.
- 8 Million Tonnes of plastic find its way into the world’s oceans every year
- Global Chemicals Output grew 84% between 2000 and 2010 with emerging economies accounting for 65% of the increase.
- A mother can pass as much as 33% of her chemical body burden to her child.
- 232 toxic chemicals were found in umbilical cord blood from U.S. newborns.
- 54% of the global burden of disease due to the chemicals is borne by children under the age of 15.3
- Plastics weighing 191 times as much as the Titanic are dumped in the oceans every year.
- The costs of injury to pesticide users on smallholdings in 37 sub-Saharan African countries was USD 4.4 billion in 2005.
The UNDP explores some obvious links between SWCM and SDGs as follows:
- SDG 1: Chemicals play an important role in human life especially, medicines, agricultural chemicals etc) and contribute to the national economies in terms of GDP and job creation. Mismanagement of chemicals and waste can cause highest risk to poor communities due to their occupations, living conditions and limited access to uncontaminated food and water. SMCW can protect them from environment and occupational exposure.
- SDG 2: Overuse of chemicals in agriculture can pose a significant risks to human health, can cause pollution, land degradation and affects livelihoods of farmers and labors. SMCW can maintain a healthy agricultural base while maximizing the benefits of agricultural chemicals.
- SDG 3: Chemicals are used in preparing medicines, insecticides etc. which help prevent millions of deaths of humans and other living creatures each year. However, as per WHO 4.9 million deaths (8.3% of the global total) are attributable to pollution. We need to control chemicals so that they do not pollute environment and do not contaminate water, soil and air, protect human health and prevent death and illnesses.
- SDG 6: SMCW can help prevent pollution of water sources, improve treatment of wastewater and drinking supplies and thus increase the availability of clean water.
- SDG 9: Sustainable industrialization require greening/retrofitting industry through environmentally sound processes and the use of non-harmful chemicals. which will boost innovation, open up opportunities to new markets and value chains, and increase employment opportunities. SMCW plays important role in sustainable industrialization.
- SDG 11: Cities consume more natural resources and are the biggest sources of pollution and greenhouse gasses. SMCW is key to helping cities become more sustainable, through the use of less harmful products and materials, improved waste management practices and services, and greening industry to reduce emissions that impact air and water quality.
- SDG 12: The consumer products which are being used in our daily life come from natural resources and sometime contain toxic materials which are being released into the environment at several points during their life-cycle. SMCW plays a key role in enabling countries to redesigning products and production processes, phasing out toxic materials, minimizing waste generation and optimizing resource use through recycling and reuse.
- SDG 13: SMCW presents several opportunities for GHG emission reductions, through phasing out ozone depleting substances, resource recovery and recycling, waste to energy processes, optimizing waste transportation, composting, and use of newer, more-efficient transformers and condensers to replace those containing PCBs, and among many others.
- SDG 14: Run-off and releases from cities, mining, agriculture and industrial activities can lead to the nutrient pollution of waterbodies, oceans and seas. The waste that ends up in oceans, rivers, and other waterways, leads to the death of thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals, and seabirds from entanglement, indigestion and pollution. Humans also get various diseases by the use of contaminated water for drinking or bathing. SMCW emphasize improving the management and disposal of wastes and reducing the release of harmful chemicals is in the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources.
- SDG 15: Production, use and handling of chemicals and waste can cause severe environmental degradation, contamination of water, soil, air, flora and fauna and disrupt ecosystems. SMCW, by preventing or minimizing releases of harmful chemicals and waste into the environment, protects habitats and ecosystems and reduces the need for difficult and costly remediation.
- SDG Targets dealing with chemical and waste management
Target 11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality, municipal and other waste management
The SDG 11 targets cover different areas of basic service provision and environment impact reduction in cities and one of them is measured by indicator 11.6.1 on municipal solid waste management. This target and indicator address a plethora of challenges like health, poverty, food security, resource management, climate change and equal representation.
- Indicator 11.6.1: Municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities, out of total municipal solid waste generated, by the city.
Target 12.4: SDG 12 deals with the improvement from unsustainable consumption and production patterns to sustainable one. The SDG 12 targets cover different issues related to the waste generation and management, including indicators 12.4.2 on hazardous waste, 12.5.1 on recycling and 12.3.1a on food waste.
- Indicator 12.3.1 (a): Food loss index and (b) food waste index
- Indicator 12.4.2: Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment.
- Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled.
- Indicator 12.4.1: Number of parties to international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous waste, and other chemicals that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting information as required by each relevant agreement.
Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
- Indicator 14.1.1: Index of coastal eutrophication and floating plastic debris density.
Indicator 11.6.1 “Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal solid waste generated, by the city”, provides critical information for cities and countries to establish better waste and resource management strategies and transition towards a circular economy. The methodology to monitor SDG indicator 11.6.1 provides a ladder system for MSW collection services and control level of waste management facilities, and aims to bring standardized definitions, nomenclature and techniques to MSW data collection. Global Chemicals and Waste Indicator Review suggests the ladder system to measure the progress of the waste collection efficiency and disposal at the controlled facilities as follows:
Part 1: Collection
The proportion of population with access to basic MSW collection services is “the proportion of population who receive waste collection services that are either basic, improved or full, defined by the service ladder of MSW collection service. It considers aspects of frequency, regularity and proximity of the collection points (Table 5). This aspect is measured under the SDG indicator 11.6.1 assessment but it is reported through a different indicator, SDG 1.4.1. on access to basic services” (UN-Habitat, 2021).
1. No
- Receiving no waste collection service
2. Limited
- Receiving door-to-door MSW collection service without basic frequency and consistency;
- Having a designated collection point within 200m distance but not served with basic frequency and consistency; or
- Having designated collection point in further than 200m distance.
3. Basic
- Receiving door-to-door MSW collection service with basic frequency and consistency or
- Having designated collection point within 200m distance served with basic frequency and consistency
4. Improved
- Receiving door-to-door MSW collection service with basic frequency and consistency and MSW is collected in a minimum of two, separate fractions (e.g. wet and dry fractions).
- Having a designated collection point within 200m distance served with basic frequency and consistency without major littering and MSW is collected in a minimum of two, separate fractions (e.g. wet and dry fractions).
5. Full
- Receiving door-to-door MSW collection service with basic frequency and consistency and MSW is collected in three or more separate fractions; or
- Having a designated collection point within 200m distance served with basic frequency and consistency and without major littering and MSW is collected in three or more separate fractions.
Part 2: Management in controlled facilities
MSW managed in controlled facilities “refers to MSW collected and transported to recovery and disposal facilities that are operated under basic, improved or full control according to the Ladder of waste management facilities’ control level (Table 2). As per UN Habitat the Ladder can be used as a checklist for assessing the level of control of a particular recovery or disposal facility.
Level of progress of landfill sites
- No cover
- No compaction
- No/ limited equipment
- No fencing• No leachate control
- Fire/smoke existence
- No staff
- The slope of the landfill is unstable with high possibility of a landslide
- No cover
- Some compaction
- Some equipment for compaction
- Some level of access control/fencing
- No leachate control
- Some fire/smoke existence
- Site staffed
- Weighing and recording conducted
- The slope of the landfill is unstable with high possibility of a landslide
- Some use of cover
- Waste compacted
- Sufficient equipment for compaction
- Site fenced and control of access
- No fire/smoke existence
- Site staffed
- Weighing and recording conducted
- The slope of the landfill is stable, landslides not possible.
- Protection of workers’ health and safety
- Waste periodically covered
- Waste compacted
- Site fenced and control of access
- Leachate containment and treatment
- Landfill gas collection (depending on landfill technology)
- Site staffed
- Weighing and recording conducted
- Protection of workers’ health and safety
- Waste daily covered
- Waste compacted
- Site fenced and full 24-hour control of access
- Properly sited, designed and functional sanitary landfill
- Leachate containment and treatment
- Landfill gas collection and flaring and/or utilization
- Site staffed
- Post closure plan
- Weighing and recording conducted
- Protection of workers’ health and safety
Indicator 12.4.2: Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment.
SDG target 12.4 calls for achieving the environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste through their life cycle and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil with the purpose of minimizing their adverse effects on human health and the environment.
The global hazardous, medical and industrial waste generation data presented in the Global Chemicals and Waste Indicator Review is presented below to get the insights about the quantity of waste generated by the different regions and countries is as follows:
Global Generation Rate
Hazardous Waste (Kg/capita/day) = 0.32
Medical Waste (Kg/capita/day) = 0.25
Industrial Waste (Kg/capita/day) = Not provided
Hazardous Waste: Not provided
Medical waste: Not provided
Upper middle income- 5.72
Lower middle income- 0.36
Hazardous waste generation in selected countries (Kg/capita/day)
Albania 0.01 Barbados 0.09 Chile 0.04 Dominica 0.02
Tunisia 0.04 Hungary 0.17 Indonesia 0.24 India 0.02
Kuwait 0.19 Madagascar 0.01 Malaysia 0.26 West Bank and Gaza 0.04
Thailand 0.14 Tunisia 0.04 Turkey 0.12 Vietnam 0.09
South Africa 0.07 Zambia 0.02
Strategies for chemical and waste management
- Reduction of Land Based Sources of Marine Pollution: Development of city wise waste management plans and efforts to reduce the solid waste disposal in the marine environment.
- Development of integrated waste solutions at the national and local levels: Develop national, regional and local integrated waste management plans to reduce waste, recycle, minimize accumulation in landfills, and ensure safe disposal of hazardous waste.
- Reduce the amount of hazardous waste: Reduce the amount of hazardous waste you buy, use less hazardous waste if you can.
