SEPTEMBERASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK9WASTE MANAGEMENT & THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN ASIAAlmost 2.5 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated by the Asian Nations and it is projected to increase two times by 2050 because of an increase in population, urban migration, and better living standards. It reflects a loss in valuable material resources and moreover, 50 percent of the municipal solid waste is organic and could be well utilized in biological treatments for the production of compost or biogas.The issues include ­1. From the 2012 baseline, there is an increased waste generation of about 2-3 percent annum.2. There is a complex waste composition including 1-2 percent hazardous materials.3. The problem-tackling mechanism is ineffective.4. There is a lack of public participation.5. There is a lack of proper policy frameworks in many countries.Waste DisposalA major number of developing nations in the world is still disposing of waste in landfill or dumpsites. At present, almost 10 percent of disposables sites qualify as sanitary landfills. As a consequence, it is serving to the pollution of the surface water, and soil, and global warming because of the methane emissions from anaerobic disposal. This is the cause of health issues for the informal sector where livelihood is often dependent substantially on waste picking as in the cases in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Cambodia.IMPRESSIONS
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