Plastic waste is one of the most pervasive environmental challenges of the present time. While landfills are designed to contain waste, the journey of plastic from these sites to waterways reveals a disturbing pattern of environmental degradation or pollution. The present article delves into how this plastic waste which is created in enormous amounts (more than 350 million metric tons of plastic waste per year), travels from landfills to waterways and the environmental costs associated with this journey.

The Journey Begins: How does Plastic Waste land in Landfills?

Landfills are intended to be the final resting place for waste materials, including plastics. However, not all plastic waste remains confined within these sites. Several factors contribute to its escape:

• Poor Waste Management Practices: Improperly managed landfills can allow lightweight plastic materials, such as bags and packaging, to be blown away by wind. This is especially common in open landfills where the waste is not adequately covered.
• Overflow and Leakage: During heavy rains, water can accumulate in these landfills, leading to overflow and leaching. As water seeps through the waste, it can carry with it small plastic particles and chemicals into the surrounding environment, causing air and terrestrial pollution, both.

From Landfills to Waterways: Pathways of Plastic Waste

Once plastic waste escapes from landfills, it embarks on a journey through various pathways, ultimately leading to waterways:

• Surface Runoff: Rainwater that flows over the surface of the ground can pick up plastic waste from landfills and other locations, carrying it into nearby streams, rivers, and eventually oceans. This is one of the most direct routes for plastic to enter aquatic environments.
• Storm Drains and Sewage Systems: In urban areas, plastic waste can enter storm drains and sewage systems. During heavy rainfall, these systems can become overwhelmed, causing plastic-laden water to be discharged directly into rivers and seas without adequate treatment.
• Wind Dispersion: Lightweight plastics can be carried by the wind over long distances. These plastics often end up in rivers or along coastlines, where they are eventually washed into the sea.

The Environmental Cost: Impacts on Ecosystems

The journey of plastic waste from landfills to waterways has far-reaching environmental consequences, particularly on marine and freshwater ecosystems:

• Harm to Wildlife: Aquatic animals, including fish, birds, and marine mammals, often mistake plastic waste for food. Ingesting plastic can lead to starvation, internal injuries, and even death.

• Habitat Destruction: Accumulation of plastic waste can smother coral reefs, disrupt breeding grounds, and alter the physical environment of rivers and coastlines. This can lead to a loss of biodiversity and the degradation of critical habitats.

• The plastic waste materials which take hundreds of years to degenerate and during this process release poisonous microscopic plastic particles, lesser than 0.5 mm in size and dangerous for human health, popularly known as “Microplastics” causing hormonal imbalance, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, liver & kidney disorders and even cancers! So it’s high time, we took action and undertake steps to minimize plastic waste by using sustainable alternatives like glass and steel!

The Water Sustainability Challenge: Innovations for a Thirsty Planet

“Water sustainability” refers to the ability to meet the current and future water demands of all sectors—agriculture, industry and domestic use—while maintaining the health of ecosystems. Several factors contribute to the growing water sustainability challenge:

• Population Growth and Urbanization: The global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, and this overpopulation is undoubtedly being followed by enhanced urbanization that will definitely drive higher demands for water, particularly the potable water used for drinking, cooking, agriculture and other purposes. Therefore, companies like WAE. are aiming for sustainable usage of water through effective Wastewater Management using WWTPs, WTPs and STPs.

• Climate Change: This phenomenon is also altering precipitation patterns, leading to more frequent and severe droughts, floods and shifts in water availability. Some regions are even experiencing diminished freshwater supplies, while others face the challenge of managing excess water during extreme weather events like continuous rains, etc. Under these circumstances, “rainwater harvesting” is an ideal, effective and sustainable method to recycle and reuse water and meet the water challenges of a thirsty planet like our Earth!

Thus, addressing the water sustainability challenge requires innovative solutions backed by smart technologies like Water Recycling and Reuse, Water-Smart Agriculture, Desalination and Digital Water Management or use of data analytics, remote sensing and Internet of Things (IoT which can increase water efficiency, enhance water resource management, and ensure an equitable access of this vital, but limited natural resource, called “Water”.
Minimize plastic waste, wae.