How to control land pollution?

Land pollution not only affects our health but also mars the aesthetic beauty of our surrounding environment. It is mostly caused by:

If there is no system of collection and disposal of domestic waste

In the absence of a proper hospital waste management system

If industries dump their solid waste including the chemical one at any un-designated place

Land pollution is caused in huge volume and clearly visible lying around our residential areas or crop fields. There are two approaches to control land pollution.

Ideal Approach

Adopt a way of life where you generate minimum amount of waste either it is domestic, industrial or hospital waste. When it would be generated less then obviously less of it would be missed to be disposed of properly. Ultimately there would be less land pollution. However, this is so ideal in this age of consumerism where people consume more and industries produce more to meet their demand. Then obviously it is so difficult to generate solid waste less.

Practical Approach

All who generate the solid waste of any type must collaborate and cooperate with each other to dispose it of properly. All means households, industries, hospitals, community, waste collection contractors, civic agencies and solid waste management authorities. If all would be aware of how to control land pollution then obviously they would put their best efforts to manage the solid waste through an appropriate environment friendly manner.

Role of households to control land pollution

• Obviously they must generate minimum domestic waste. For this they should follow the rule of 3Rs – reuse,reduce and recycle.
• Households are the main source of domestic waste so they must place the generated waste with safety. They must cooperate with the solid waste collection contractors by putting their waste at a designated place.
• They should also remind their neighbors and relatives to follow the best practices for the disposal of the domestic waste.

Role of industries to control land pollution

• Industries generate solid waste in huge quantity. Therefore, they must put their generated waste at a place where from it could be easily lifted for its ultimate disposal.
• The cluster of industries should work like cooperative society to manage their solid waste at the source and should not let it litter around unless the waste collection contractor lift it for the final disposal.

Role of hospitals to control land pollution

• Hospitals must not treat their infectious waste and general solid waste through the same method. Former must be disposed of through an appropriate technology. It may be incineration or autoclave technology depending upon the permission granted by the concerned hospital waste management rules of your country.
• Hospitals should keep their general solid waste at proper place to help waste collection contractors to lift it without any inconvenience or its littering.

Role of community to control land pollution

• Community should keep the disposal of domestic waste on the top of its collective agenda and motivate households to throw it to the designated places
• Community should impart awareness to its members on the benefits of the environment-friendly solid waste management at the community level.

Role of solid waste collection contractors

• They should punctually lift the domestic and industrial solid waste from the source without any delay.
• They should transport the waste safely to the place of its final disposal that is usually called landfill site.
• They must segregate the reusable and recyclable items from the waste before dumping it into the landfill site.

Role of civic agencies to control land pollution

• Civic agencies must execute their solid waste management plan in its true spirit
• They must follow an expansionary approach to manage the solid waste which keeps on increasing owing to increase in population and expansion in industrial base.
• They should allocate more budget every year to fulfill the rising need of the waste management.

Role of solid waste collection authorities

• Solid waste collection authorities should frame strict laws to punish those who do not play their due role for the safe disposal of solid waste of any type.
• They should sensitize all stakeholders to efficiently play their role for the proper management of solid waste.

If all the stakeholders as pointed above play their due role it is not needed to worry about how to control land pollution. Wherever there is any problem in this regard its main reason would be lack of coordination and cooperation among the concerned groups.