IMPACT OF WASTE MANAGEMENT ON ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH

A Research article Submitted to theSuperior UniversityIn Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for theQTBSubmitted to: Sir ilyas Submitted by: Name Nouman AhmedROLL #MBA-F14-044ProgramMBA (2014 - 2016)

Abstract:In Pakistan, with the development of economy, environmental conditions are becoming worse. Waste from industries, population and due to urbanization is affecting not only human health but also Green House Gases as well. The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of waste management on environment and human health with respect to Pakistan. Through continuous efforts health and environmental issues can be reduced. Waste management is facing challenges in developing countries and trying to overcome and defeat the major issues. Waste, under thought here is solid waste.Quantitative research approach under positivism paradigm is used in this study. Questionnaire is designed on 5 likert scale and different descriptive and inferential tests like Principle Component Analysis, Reliability Test, Frequency Distribution and Regression Analysis are applied. Sample size is 300 and selected population is general public.Results showed that waste is strongly affecting the human health. Waste management is not intended to reduce the effect of waste onhealth and environment. Hospitals are full with victims of fatal diseases. This study is significant for waste management so that they could know what sort of problems public is facing. This study is of great value for general public as well. Health and environment issues are increasing with every passing day and it can be overcome by using expertise, new policies, awareness to general public regarding health and environment and by doing additional research to hold up these policies. This research will help higher management of waste management department to design polices to reduce the issues related health and environment.Keywords: Waste Management, Environment and Human health

IntroductionIn Pakistan, as economy is developing, environmental conditions are becoming worse. Waste from industries, population and due to urbanization is affecting not only human health but also Green House Gases as well. People are moving from rural to urban areas for a better lifestyle. It is resulting in overburden in population in urban areas because infrastructure and services are not as much as growing population requires. Growing population and fewer resources are resulting in rapid decline in quality and availability of basic needs such as shelter, gas, electricity, drainage, sewage, cleanliness which in result directly or indirectly harm human health. Municipal institutions do not have sufficient resources and capacity to fulfill the needs of growing population in urban areas. Poor communities in urban areas are playing a key role in collection and recycling of wasted material on self help basis. They collect different wasted materials like plastic, metals and glass. Remaining waste can be used in making fertilizer but neither government nor other authorities are paying proper attention on this aspect. Presently, in Pakistan, environmental and health conditions are becoming more serious with every passing year and people are suffering from different health and environmental issues. So, to conduct study on this topic is very important.According to Jagdeep singh (2014), Countries with high income level have high more consumption whereas in developing countries there is lack of infrastructure. High consumption and different production methods is a hurdle in sustainable resource recovery operations. For waste management a vast system approach for designing, production, and consumption is required. Due to rapid economic growth, resource consumption is increasing which is resulting in large amount of waste into the human environment but currently waste management lacks different techniques for designing, consumption and recycling of goods produced in that country. Waste management needs a systematic approach for solution of waste issues. (Rafuel Laurenti, Rajib Sinha and Bjorn Frostell, 2014).(D.Aktsoglou, 2010) described that business equipments and their waste is everywhere in society. It also affects environment. Production of waste in recycling centers affects our environment. 80 percent of recycled equipments are exported to China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Ghana. Some non government organizations reported that these equipments are treated in a very low environment which results in harmful impact on environment and human health. Developing countries receive these materials for recovery and recycling of valuable metals but their poor management results in pollution and disturbs the environment. ( G.Gaidajis, K. Angelakoglow, 2014 ).(Parvez Alam, 2006) investigated in his studies that In developing countries decomposition of solid waste is common problem due to low budget. Different countries are facing the problem of land filling Solid waste management should make sure that waste is badly affecting our environment, green house gases and to human health so it should be controlled. Safety measures should be adopted and those goods should be produced which generate lesser amount of waste after its usage. Best method to control wastage is that recycling should be increased. (Kaffel Ahmade, 2008)The purpose of my study is to examine the impact of waste management on environment and health. Residents suffered a lot from related diseases due to no proper management of waste disposal and the location of the dumpsite closer to their settlements. Now a day, they are becoming the victims of malaria, dengue, chest pains, diarrhea and cholera, irritation of the skin, nose and eyes. Therefore, the study is going to conduct for waste management companies as well as for government that the dumpsite should be properly located and managed to minimize their effects on the environment. For improved health status of the populace living near from the dumpsite where they can easily dispose waste, it is a matter of village as well as urban areas of Lahore. People need to be educated by health motivators about the effects of waste disposal dumpsites on their health.This research study will be significant in number of ways which are as under: This research will help the individual what they must do to comply with their duty of care for waste. It describes how to segregate and store their waste safely, who can deal with their waste, and the records they must keep. This research is significant for waste management companies how they designed policies to control and monitor the business waste. All businesses produce waste and most types of business waste are classed as controlled waste. Controlled waste includes commercial, industrial and household waste. This research is significant for waste management companies as they can easily know what sort of problems which public is facing. A major element in health issues and climate change is not properly Waste management. Waste management, health issues and global warming are emphatically connected with one another. Research GapI selected this topic due to its uniqueness. There are not so many previous studies available on this topic. In developed countries, two facts as waste generation and waste disposal are nearer or same because generated waste is disposed off timely and appropriately but in Pakistan there is a big difference in amount of waste generated and reaching to its ultimate discarding sites. In Pakistan generated waste is mostly recovered by poor communities, secondly if it reaches to disposal it is not disposed off properly. There is a sound relationship between growing population and waste. Solid waste in Pakistan consists of rubber, metal, paper, leaves, animal waste, wood, stones, bones, straws and textile wastes. Plastic waste is alarming because it is the key source of environmental as well as health issues.

A study conducted by (Foday Pinka Sankoh, Xiangbin Yan, Quangyen Tran 2013), supports my study and research gap as their study presents the findings of a research carried out in Freetown municipal area on dumpsite and their effect on residents living nearby and away from these sites. It was observed that residents less than 50 meters from dumpsites were mostly affected by the wastes. Another study conducted by ( Lilliana Abarca Guemero , William Hogland 2008), support my topic as this Study shows that waste management is a big challenge in developing countries. Research determines the stakeholders actions that play an important role in waste management and factors affecting waste separation at household level. So my research differentiates me on the basis of my topics as it is studied very limited.

EnvironmentResearch Model:

Waste Management

Human Health

Hypothesis:H1a: There is relationship between waste management and EnvironmentH1b: There is relationship between waste management and Human health

Literature review:Solid waste can be classified into different types, depending on their source; household waste is generally classified as municipal waste; industrial waste as hazardous waste, and biomedical waste or hospital waste as infectious waste. The term ''solid waste'' means any garbage, refuse, or sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations (US Law-Solid Waste Act 2, 1999).. According to Marshal (1995), waste materials that are organic in nature, such as plant material, food scraps, and paper products, are increasingly being recycled. These materials are put through compost and/or a digestion system to control the biological process to decompose the organic matter and kill pathogens. The resulting stabilized organic material is then recycled as mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping purposes. (Daniel, 1999) states the closure of existing open dumpsites and the introduction of sanitary landfill is an urgent priority everywhere in the developing world. Even where complementary disposal technologies, such as composting or incineration (waste to energy plants), are practiced, a landfill is still required and is the backbone of any sustainable disposal system. Matching grants designed to encourage landfill investments and sustainable operations may be an appropriate instrument to consider, primarily because the environmental damages and benefits tend to spill over into neighboring municipalities and regions, or into underlying groundwater resources. This statement is true. The reason simply being because waste in the landfills is not properly managed, this results to the impacts to the environment.According to Marshal (1995), open dumpsites are a major problem to the environment, especially on the air that the people inhale. Dumpsites emit obnoxious odours and smoke that cause illness to people living in, around, or closer to them. Wrensh (1990) investigated that dumpsites maybe a source of airborne chemical contamination via off site migration of gases and the particles and chemicals adhering to dust, especially during the period of active operation of the site. Contamination of soil and groundwater may lead to direct contact or pollution of indoor air for example in the case of volatile organic chemicals into basements of nearby residents and in the case of consumption of home grown vegetables as well. According to Wrensh (1990), further stated that in some sites, volatile organic chemicals have been detected in odored air of homes nearby dumpsites. In a number of community health surveys, a wide range of health problems, including respiratory symptoms, irritation of the skin, nose, and eyes, gastrointestinal problems, psychological disorders, and allergies, have been discovered. A number of researches have been carried out in response to concerns from the public, often triggered by nuisances caused by emissions of volatile organic compounds. For example, according to Dolk (1997), dump sites closer to residential areas are always feeding places for dogs and cats. These pets, together with rodents, carry diseases with them to nearby homesteads.Applying life cycle assessment to evaluate environmental impacts from solid waste management systems has become a widely accepted approach due to the systematic procedure and holistic approach applied by the method. The EASEWASTE model considers the total solid waste management system for households from the point where household waste is source separated and collected to the point of final treatment, recovery and disposal of the waste and all arising residues (Kirkeby et al. 2004).(Renzoni, 1994), There are potential risks to environment and health from improper handling of solid wastes. Direct health risks concern mainly the workers in this field, who need to be protected, as far as possible, from contact with wastes. There are also specific risks in handling wastes from hospitals and clinics. For the general public, the main risks to health are indirect and arise from the breeding of disease vectors, primarily flies and rats.

Uncontrolled hazardous wastes from industries mixing up with municipal wastes create potential risks to human health. Traffic accidents can result from toxic spilled wastes. There is specific danger of concentration of heavy metals in the food chain, a problem that illustrates the relationship between municipal solid wastes and liquid industrial effluents containing heavy metals discharged to a drainage/sewerage system or open dumping sites of municipal solid wastes and the wastes discharged thereby maintains a vicious cycle. Medina (2002),Current treatment strategies are directed towards reducing the amount of solid waste that needs to be land filled, as well as recovering and utilizing the materials present in the discarded wastes as a resource to the largest possible extent. Different methods are used for treatment of solid waste and the choice of proper method depends upon refuse characteristics, land area available and disposal cost. Najem & Strunk (1994) described an increasing number of dumpsites are identified in site assessment conducted by the Californian Integrated Waste Management Board (IWMB). The location of dumpsites has proved to be a problem to nearby residents in most parts of the world, particularly in Africa. Swaziland is no exception in the problems associated with waste disposal. These include the development of unofficial dumpsites and littering. In cases where there is a dumpsite, it is either unmonitored or creates an unsightly surrounding. For example, a dumpsite in Manzini is poorly managed, yet it is too close to the residential community of Mangwaneni location and other nearby communities. There are homes which are hardly 200 meters away from the dumpsite. According to Marc (2006), the location of the dumpsites should be properly planned and managed to avoid risks to human health and the environment, at large. Corrective and management measures are likely to be expensive, complex, and pose serious threats to the environment and its habitants. Therefore, this study was design to determining the effects of the dumpsite on the surrounding environment of the peri-urban environment of a golf course dumpsite in Manzini, to examine the possible impacts of the dumpsite on the health of nearby residents, and to determine the residents views regarding the location of the dumpsite, as well as to determine the main impacts of the dumpsite on the environment.Solid waste management technologies result in harmful diseases and injuries. These technologies include collection, recycling, processing and disposal. Health issues due to waste management are same in both developed and developing countries but level of risk can increase many times in developing countries as compare to developed countries because protective measures are not taken into consideration. High blood pressure, headache, cancer, parasitic infections, HIV and hepatitis infections, dengue fever, cholera, enteric bacteria trichunriasis, mad cow disease and influenza are the diseases which are caused due to waste. Poor storage and disposal waste is also a possible factor for all these diseases. Every low income country needs to plan a strategy to cover open dumps, provide health and safety measures and operational procedures and methods for handling of waste. Every country should promote manufacturing technologies and techniques so that less waste could be generated and environmental effect of waste management could be minimized. (Sandra Cointreau; 2006). Waste management practices are of great importance in todays life. Their safety is a serious matter regarding human health and environment. Many waste management procedures fail due to poor operating system and waste is managed using simple disposal methods. Waste, that is not treated properly under strict measures, results in harmful diseases but methods of treating these wastes are not properly defined. Procedures defined for Pathogen force waste streams with sanitary are improper so pathogen cannot be removed completely. Over last thirty years impact of global concern on human health has increased. According to World Health Organization most of the diseases are due to environmental pollution. Waste is not managed properly especially in low income countries. Such wastes may be harmful for greenhouse gases as well as for health. Metals, containing elements such as cadmium, mercury, chromium, zinc, nickel, copper and other heavy metals when burnt are divulged in air. These elements travel to a large distance and are absorbed in soil and water according to their nature. After absorption, these metals do not degrade for many years and harm both health and environment. Soil samples showed that samples from the location joined with dumpsites showed high level of metal emerging. Medical report also showed that population near these dumpsites is suffering from these diseases which are interlinked with these metal pollutants. Human life is at great risk due to these dumpsite poisons. (UNEP, Project Summery)Solid waste causes risk to health and pollution in air and water. Current strategies which are adopted tend towards reducing waste. Different methods are adopted for treatment of solid waste. For sustainable waste management practices special waste management handling methods are needed to adopt. This paper collects the information about Green house gases and their omission taking place due to waste management. Waste of any kind and at any stage is equally dangerous for green house gases; it emits those gases at every stage. Better management of waste management and land filling is necessary for considerable emission of green house gases mainly CH4, CO2, etc. (Krzysztof Pikon and Krzysztof Gaska).Emission of Green house gases due to waste management damages the ozone layer and results in global warming. Ideal technologies are not adapted to release or recycle waste material so it destroys the nature. Policies which convert the organic portion of waste to reusable material have failed to take into account possible greenhouse consequences. Proper measures are not taken into account due to which with one unit increase in waste rate of climate change also increases rapidly. It is also observed that different other factors which increase waste and pollution are production, consumption and population growth. Public policy push is compulsory for achieving the level of zero waste. (Jean A Merriman, 2014).Unregulated use of trees, land, water, misuse of pesticides is also environmental problems. In Pakistan only 50% waste out of total generated waste is collected while it should be minimum 75 percent to keep the country clean and to protect the environment and health as well but to achieve this level, huge capital is needed. With the increase in population, per capita waste generation will also increase and it will result in growing demand of disposal services as well. Present waste disposal situation is miserable. Disposal is done by open dumping. Waste is disposed off in ponds, rivers, canals that causes in health and environment damage. It is our bad luck that none of the cities in Pakistan has proper solid waste management system. From collection of waste, till its proper disposal there is lack of facilities and adequate resources. Uncollected waste is a serious risk to health of people through blockage of drains and by formation of sluggish ponds. These dirty places provide ground for reproduction of mosquitoes and flies. It results in diseases like cholera and malaria.

Data and Methodology:Data collection is an important aspect of any type of research study. Data is collected through questionnaire. SPSS software is used for analyzing the data. Questionnaire was made with 5 points likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree for analysis of waste management from general public. Questionnaire includes 20 Questions out of which 6 are related to waste management and 14 are related to environment and human health. Questions are adapted from (Waste Management and research 2014, Vol. 32(9) 800812 The Author(s) 2014) and from (Solid Waste Management a Local Challenge with Global Impacts by Environmental protection agency, US). Reliability Test, PCA (principle Component Analysis) and regression analysis are used. Sample Size is 300 and population is the general public.

TABLE 4.1 Demographic Profile of Respondents

Respondents DemographicsFrequencyPercentage

Gender (N=300)

Male18060%

Female12040%

Age (N=180)

Less than 254515.0%

26-3517458.0%

36-458026.7%

Above 4510.3%

Demographic analysis is used to draw a design of respondents characteristics. In gender there are 180 male respondents and 120 female respondents who took part in the questionnaire. Methodology:Three types of tests are applied which are as under:Principle component is applied in this research. Principal component analysis has been used for making factors.Varimax method has been used to extract orthogonal component. To check the adequacy of the sample the Kaiser-Meyer Olkin (KMO) test has been used and Bartletts test of sphericity is also used to judge whether factor analysis can be applied. If significant level of Bartletts test of spericity is less than 0.05 than PCA will be applied otherwise not. To judge the reliability of data, Reliability test has been used .To check the loading % of every variable we focus on factor loading and take only variable that have Eigen value > 1.Pc=a1 (x1) + a2 (x2)+an(xn) According to Hutcheson and Sofroniou (1999) values of KMO between 0.70 and 0.80 are great and 0.90 are superb. Bartletts test investigates the relationship between items of a construct. If items of a construct are mutually related to each other then factor analysis can be conducted.

Reliability is measured with the help of Chronbachs Alpha values All the variables should be reliable. Regression represents the relationship of two variables and its equation is, Y=a+bx1

TABLE 4.2Reliability of InstrumentConstructs Valid NNumber of ItemsCronbachs Alpha

Waste Management3006.812

Environment3007.770

Human Health3007.769

All the 3 variables are reliable because Cronbach Alphas Value is 0.7 or greater than 0.7 so Principal Component Analysis (PCA) can be applied.

KMO and Bartlett's Test

Constructs No. of ItemsKMOMeasure of sample adequacyBartlett's Test of SphericityChi-squareBartlett's test of sphericity Sig.

Waste Management6.7121.891.000

Environment7.718729.829.000

Human Health7.777840.625.000

To construct validity we used the PCA with varimax rotation method. Kasir-Meyer-Olkin test has been used to check the validity of sample. Waste management KMO value is .712 , for environment is .718 and for human health KMO value is .777. The value of KMO for all variables is more than minimum acceptable value which is more than 0.60. The value of Bartletts test of sphericity significance is less than 0.05 which shows that PCA can be applied.

Eigen values and Total Variance ExplainedFig.1 ConstructComponentsInitial Eigen values

Total% of Variance explainedCumulative % of Variance explained

Waste Management

AComp 13.29954.97854.978

BComp 21.57126.19181.170

CComp 3.80313.38794.557

DComp 4.2343.89998.456

EComp5.0671.11199.567

FComp6.026.433100.000

Fig.2ConstructComponentsInitial Eigen values

Total% of Variance explainedCumulative % of Variance explained

Environment

AComp 13.05943.69743.697

BComp 21.44020.57564.272

CComp 3.90812.97377.244

DComp 4.5938.47685.720

EComp5.3765.37291.092

FComp6.3585.11696.208

GComp7.2653.792100.000

Fig.3ConstructComponentsInitial Eigen values

Total% of Variance explainedCumulative % of Variance explained

Human Health

AComp 13.13344.75444.754

BComp 21.63323.32568.079

CComp 3.74310.61978.697

DComp 4.5567.94286.639

EComp5.4155.92792.566

FComp6.2954.20896.774

GComp7.2263.226100.000

Regression Analysis:Human Health is dependent variableRegressorCoefficientStandard ErrorT-Ratio

(Constant)1.251.08714.396

Waste Management .564.03018.956

R squareAdj. R SquareF- statisticsProb.(F- statistics)

.547.545359.347.000

Y=a+bx1Y= 1.251+0.564Adjusted R2 show the explanatory power of model which is 54%, it shows that independent variable (waste management) will bring 54% change in dependent variable (human health). F-Statistics tells about good fit model, its value must be more then 10, and significance value (prob.) 0.000 also shows that model is good fit.

Regression analysis of Waste Management and Environment:Environment is dependent variableRegressorCoefficientStandard ErrorT-Ratio

(Constant)1.778.12414.349

Waste Management .342.0428.057

R squareAdj. R SquareF- statisticsProb.(F- statistics)

.179.17664.910.000

Y=a+bx1Y= 1.778+0.342Adjusted R2 show the explanatory power of model which is 17% it show that independent variable (waste management) will bring 17% change in dependent variable (environment). F-Statistics tells about good fit model, its value must be more then 10, and significance value (prob.) 0.000 also shows that model is good fit.

Conclusion:The focus of the study was on three factors, waste management, health, and the environment. In order to achieve its objectives, a comparison between the respondents nearby residents and far away residents was very essential. As a result of the dumpsite, they are victims of malaria, chest pains, cholera, and diarrhoea. However, it was also noted that those who are located far away within the dumpsite are also affected by bad smells from the dumpsite, mainly when wind is blowing on their direction. As a result, they complained about chest pains. Modernization and progress has had its share of disadvantages and one of the main aspects of concern is the pollution. With increase in the global population and the rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of waste being generated daily by each household. This waste is ultimately thrown into municipal waste collection centers from where it is collected by the area municipalities to be further thrown into the landfills and dumps. However, either due to resource crunch or inefficient infrastructure, not all of this waste gets collected and transported to the final dumpsites. If at this stage the management and disposal is improperly done, it causes serious impacts on health problems to the surrounding environment. Waste that is not properly managed, especially excreta and other liquid and solid waste from households and the community, are a serious health hazard and lead to the spread of infectious diseases.Dumpsites should be properly located and managed to minimize its effects on the environment. The government and municipalities should revise laws regarding the locations of dumpsites. These laws should include properly managed sites, which are well fenced in and away from human settlements. The government should annex laws which see to it that dumpsite are located properly and if it is not then action should be taken according to the law. There should be a follow up in the functioning of the dumpsites to avoid pollution on the environment and health hazards. Municipalities should open dumpsites on remote areas with no residents closer to them to avoid the effect of the dumpsite on the nearby residents and monitor the dumpsite properly. They also have to control the litter and monitor their volume. People need to be educated by health motivators about the effects of dumpsites on their health. This will limit the effect of the dumpsite on the residents. There should also be a follow-up to make sure that what they teach the residents is applied.References:

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3. Emma Selin, Solid waste management and health effects, Degree Thesis in Environmental and Health Protection 15 ECTS Bachelors Level Report passed: 19-02-2013.4. Foday Pinka Sankoh1,2, Xiangbin Yan1, Quangyen Tran1, Environmental and Health Impact of Solid Waste Disposal in Developing Cities: A Case Study of Granville Brook Dumpsite, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Journal of Environmental Protection, 2013, 4, 665-670.5. G. Gaidajis*, K. Angelakoglou and D. Aktsoglou, E-waste: Environmental Problems and Current Management,2010 Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Review 3 (1) (2010) 193-1996. Geoffrey Hamer, Solid waste treatment and disposal: effects on public health and environmental safety, Biotechnology Advances 22 (2003) 7179. Report Summary by Njoroge G. Kimani , Environmental Pollution and Impacts on Public Health by UNEP ( United Nations Environment Programs)7. http://www.gdnet.org/pdf/2002AwardsMedalsWinners/outstandingResearchDevelopment/martinmedinaMartinezpa8. Jagdeep Singh, Rafael Laurenti, Rajib Sinha and Bjrn Frostell, Progress and challenges to the global waste management system, Waste management and research 2014, Vol. 32(9) 8008129. JEAN A. MERRIMAN, Waste Management and Global Warming:10. Joseph V. Spadaro and Assaad Zoughaib, Environmental Impacts and Costs of Solid Waste11. Kirkeby, J.T., Bhander, G.S., Birgisdttir, H., Hansen, T.L., Hauschild, M. & Christensen, T.H. (2006) Environmental assessment of solid waste systems and technologies: EASEWASTE. Waste Management & Research, 24, 315.

12. Krzysztof Pikon and Krzysztof Gaska, Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation Relevant to Changes in Municipal Solid Waste Management System, 2015, ISSN:1047-3289 J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 60:782788.13. Lisa Saffron, Lorenzo Giusti and Derek Pheby, The human health impact of waste management practices14. Marc, J. (2006). Urban infilling impacts on solid waste facilities. Retrieved from: http://www.forester.net/mw-0506-15. Marshal, E. (1995), Analytic study to evaluate associations between dumpsites and birth effects. ATSDR CO.LTD: Atlanta.

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