Garbage is rapidly filling up dumpsters all over the world, taking up space and sitting there. As the world population increases, so do these harmful dumps. Dumps release methane, a greenhouse gas that is harmful to the environment. 3.5 million tons of solid waste are produced a day around the world, and that number continues to increase as the world population increases. While in other parts of the world poor people do not produce a lot of waste, this is not the case in New York. Another source of waste is food waste. Most parts of the world contribute to food waste, with Nigeria being one of the few countries to waste very little food.

The article actually says that garbage should be treated as a resource in order to overcome this crisis. Nations have begun to implement zero waste programs to try to solve several problems that come with having too much trash, such as a lack of space to put it in and the harmful chemicals that come with burning it. While some parts of the world such as New York and Tokyo are successfully recycling, people are still producing too much waste. Some compost programs are being implemented in New York, and Tokyo separates its trash very meticulously so that they can burn the trash that won’t release any harmful chemicals and be able to recycle as much as possible. Space is running out to put trash in, so these programs must be followed and implemented quickly in other parts of the world. Although this is a problem that is not discussed often, the solution rests in how each person sorts their trash and disposes of it. The programs depend on each person doing their part to make it successful.

 

Van Lohuizen, Kadir. “Drowning in Garbage.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 21 Nov. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/global-waste/?utm_term=.ed58b3dd3549.