What is future of house hold waste? Will landfill process be eliminated at one point to have clean environment………..
Total ban of landfill for household waste is possible, the issue is cost and infrastructure. The EU has targeted getting rid of landfill all together within 10-15 years. However the fact of life is that Landfill is overall a very economical alternative, even if you take into account the valuable waste contained in the waste; However the combination of compliance scheme (Eco-organism), the implementation of pay as you through away scheme, the banning of certain waste from landfill, the implementation of Eco-tax, the end results has been a continuous reduction of waste being land filled in many European countries. The technology for recycling, vaporizing organic waste and sorting make it possible technically however, sorting costs and logistical costs are on the rise and some recycling options are more costly than landfill event after taking into account recycling credit. End of the day it will be political and regulatory pressure that will do the trick. It starts also with a culture of environmental laws with the political will to implement and enforce it. Alot of progress in that respect has to be made in developing countries where even when regulations exists, there is no true enforcement.