Can technology and collaboration solve our global waste woes?

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In a bid to make burning waste more sustainable, modern incinerators are often designed as waste-to-energy facilities, where they can recover energy from the combustion of waste to generate electricity.....Experts also argue that this method disincentivises recycling and more sustainable waste management solutions. Ultimately, incineration is not compatible with a circular economy

innovations include the use of artificial intelligence to enhance waste sorting – for instance, using robotics and machine learning to better identify and separate materials while recovering those that can be recycled. It can do this faster and more accurately than traditional manual sorting

Biotechnological waste treatment methods, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, help to break down organic waste like food scraps and agricultural residues into by-products such as biogas, which is an energy source.

Another crucial aspect of waste management, particularly since so much of it crosses borders, is international cooperation that governs the movement of waste, develops solutions and transfers technology.

Ultimately, any holistic waste management strategy must tackle the problem at its source – the production of waste as a result of over-consumption. Many governments have programmes to encourage people to reduce their consumption, recycle and reuse.

individuals can do their part by modifying their habits to tackle the root cause of waste...Humanity will be better off by reducing the per capita consumption in every country, especially high-income nations

Singapore: 

reduce packaging waste in online shopping – from doing without packing tape to avoid tainting the recyclability of a box, to shredding used cardboard as filler instead of using fresh materials

Efforts to help lift recycling rates are under way. An example is the upcoming beverage container return scheme, where consumers will pay an extra 10 cents for bottled and canned drinks ranging from 150ml to 3 litres, but will receive a full refund on the deposit when they return the empty containers at designated return points in places like supermarkets and community clubs.

Qn: To what extent are science and technology able to solve the problem of waste disposal? (Cam. 2024)