CRI - China Sends Smuggled Waste Back to Netherlands

In a past post, I discussed e-waste that is illegally sent to Ghana.  This issue is causing environmental and human health problems, due to the ways Ghanaians find to deal with this waste.  This week, I am writing about a similar issue that is brought to my attention through “China Sends Smuggled Waste Back to Netherlands” in the English section of China Radio International.

In China, there are laws that control what waste enters the country, not allowing anything that cannot be used as a raw material, or anything that will severely affect the environment.  An investigation showed that a trading firm called Hepu hass been buying waste through a company in Taiwan.  This company then finds whatever is valuable in the waste to sell at exorbitant prices, then dump the rest without any thought of its effect to the environment.  In response to the findings on Hepu, Chinese authorities shipped 753-tonnes of waste back to the originating country of the Netherlands on June 1.

This is a great step for the Chinese government to prevent waste in their country.  Whether locals are encouraged to prevent waste is something I do not yet know, however based on this particular law, if they are not yet, this is something that is to come.

Jerry Rawles says it well:
People throw all sorts of good stuff away and I thought no point in having that in a landfill when I can do something with it

AA - Cote d'Ivoire President Ouattara Sacks a Minister Over Toxic Waste Dumping Scandal

This week, I am looking at a press release about a situation in Cote d'Ivoire from this past May, called ‘Cote d'Ivoire: President Ouattara Sacks a Minister Over Toxic Waste Dumping Scandal’, and the title surely informs of the problem.  The press release does not give any information as to what the toxic waste scandal is, but it is comforting to know that President Ouattara is ready to terminate any Minister involved in wrongdoing.  The Minister of African Integration, Adama Bictogo, is the person involved in this particular case.

It seems Bictogo resigned from his position prior to appearing in court.  This particular case of wrongdoing reappeared after Jeune Afrique, a French news magazine, published an article that quoted an eyewitness who accused Bictogo of accepting money originally meant to compensate victims of the toxic waste.  Fraternite Matin published another article that mentions advice by President Ouattara's, that any government official violating the code of ethics, or who is suspected of misconduct must be let go and by letting Bictogo go, President Ouattara seeks to keep his promise.  This brings into evidence that when a state goes through a change, such as the recent change in Cote d’Ivoire, good things can come of it!  Let’s hope this continues both for the citizens of the country, as well as for the natural environment.

An article in L'Intelligent d'Abidjan looks at both sides of the issue.  The author wonders whether Bictogo was truly guilty.  The author also states that by letting Bictogo go, President Ouattara has opened a can of worms, in that other dignitaries have a higher chance of also being let go.  By letting Bictogo go, though, President Ouattara has made clear that he is “listening to the voices of ordinary people", rather than allowing himself to be affected by those surrounding him.  As this is a part of the press release, I do not know what the tone of this article is, but based on these two statements, I personally see this as a good thing.  This means that by listening to those who tend to be ignored, i.e. the general public, and by dismissing those abusing of their power, President Ouattara is making evident that he is taking his position as president seriously, rather than taking advantage of the situation.

An article in Le Nouveau Courrier does bring to light that though there has been a dismissal and an investigation is taking place, this does not mean he will be held in custody, as the law stipulates as the action to be taken.  Bictogo is known for having great financial powers, as well as intimidation abilities.  The author does also request that all of Bictogo’s bank accounts, at home and abroad, be frozen in relation to the investigation.

This press release brings to light the complexity of any situation.  We must always be aware that reading one or two news articles does not mean we understand what is going on in any situation.

This week’s quote is by an unknown person.  Chances are the figure is not fully accurate, but it does give us an idea as to the extent of the problem:
$43 billion worth of unopened and unused food is thrown into landfill sites in the US every year, enough to end world hunger.

This Landfill is Your Landfill by Randy Ludacer

Today want to make you aware of This Landfillis Your Landfill by Randy Ludacer.  It is a song that talks about all kind of things that can be found within a landfill and even goes back in the layers.  The part I like best about the video is that his guitar is made of an old box.  It is worth listening to the lyrics more than anything.  The main reason I am posting it is that it is worth being aware of this song, since it talks about this huge problem in a non-threatening way, just listing things that can be found in a landfill.

This weeks quote is by Ed Rendell:

I think a moratorium probably is legal, and we should probably for a short period of time impose a moratorium so that we don't permit any additional landfill permits for the time being, so we don't exacerbate the problem.

SG - Zoomlion Donates 10 New Waste Management Trucks

WaPreG works with religious bodies, schools and the general public in preventing waste.  Despite this, there will be some amount of waste until we find ways to turn all waste into some form of resource and management will be required during that time.  As can be seen in “Zoomlion Donates 10 New Waste Management Trucks” by SpyGhana, executives of Zoomlion Ghana Limited are finding ways to manage what waste does exist.  In an effort to end Ghana’s filth problem, executives donated ten garbage trucks, as well as other equipment to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region.

The Honourable Lucy Awuni, Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, acknowledged that though Zoomlion Ghana Limited, as a company, works at providing sanitation services to the country, citizens must recall that they need to play their part in keeping Ghana clean.  She also made the point that Ghanaians having bad sanitation habits is having an effect on the country's economy, as there is a need to spend much money on this problem that could easily be prevented.  The money that is being spent on the consequences of these habits could be spent on other things, if only there were a change in Ghanaian sanitation habits.

Mr. Abubakari Issaka, Deputy Upper East Regional Manager of Zoomlion, requested that the Chief Executives devote time during Assembly programmes for educating the public on the necessity to keep their environment clean.  This sounds like a call for WaPreG or a similar organization to jump in and help out!  I don’t know when WaPreG will be able to help in this particular area, so if anyone is in or near the Upper East Region, this is your chance to help with this problem!  If you need support, do contact us and we will be very happy to collaborate!

TG - SABMiller: more beer from less water

This week I write about water.  Water is extremely important to livelihood and excessive use of water is a form of waste.  As written in SABMiller: more beer from less water, executives of SABMiller, the company that brews such beers as Ghana’s Club Premium Lager and Castle Milk Stout, have decided to acknowledge water scarcity.  The way they are doing this is during the period of 2008-2015, they are cutting water usage by 25%.  This may sound like a small number, but this is a quarter of their water usage; significant for a company that depends on water for its existence.

Research has given evidence of water scarcity increasing to a 40% gap between water supply and demand by the year 2030.  This demonstrates the importance for companies like SABMiller, which depend on water for all levels of production, to watch their level of sustainability.  The thing is, water scarcity has numerous risks, including ‘competition for resources, higher costs, reduced water quality and the possibility that shortages will limit production’.  This means as scarcity increases, so does the privatization of something that even the United Nations has declared a human right (I remember reading about this during my time in Ghana in summer 2010).

Recognizing that cutting water usage is not enough, SABMiller employees are also working with local communities to protect shared watersheds.  Also, employees are collaborating with NGOs, governments, communities and industry coalitions, taking part in the water debate, sharing lessons they learn and encouraging better oversight of water.

In 2009, the company teamed up with WWF and GIZ, the German Society for International Cooperation (note the acronym is for the actual German name, not the English translation of the name), to form the Water Futures partnership.  This partnership addresses some of the most urgent water risks facing SABMiller's local businesses, surrounding communities and ecosystems.  Though I have my doubts when it comes to corporate responsibility, the goal of Water Futures is to show that the private sector can engage in promoting sustainable management of resources.  The initiative of reducing water consumption has already begun to make a huge difference, as can be seen in such places as Rajasthan, where groundwater is estimated to have risen by 31 feet so far, nearly the amount consumed by SABMiller that year.

I will probably be sceptical of companies for a long time, but the harder they work at their social and environmental responsibilities, the better.  I would much rather be proven wrong about my skepticism than be proven right.

David Ormsby-Gore quote:

It would indeed be the ultimate tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more noble than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump.

WMW - Zero Waste Scotland-Businesses Landfilling Too Many Recyclable

As an organization, we generally work with the public however the private sector must never be forgotten.  As individuals, we often forget ourselves when in the workplace.  I have often seen people, who when at home strive to minimize waste, produce excessive amounts of it in the workplace.  Waste is waste, no matter where you are producing it, so we must always be aware of how much waste we do produce.

This past May, Zero Waste Scotland published a report analysing commercial waste in Scotland, by inspecting mixed waste being sent to landfills.  Retail, education, and health and social work produce over 50% of Scotland's total mixed commercial waste according to Zero Waste Scotland, over half of which could potentially be recycled.  Mixed waste consisted primarily of food, paper, and card waste in all sectors; however other recyclables also showed up in lower quantities.

Regulations passed by the Scottish Parliament require all businesses in Scotland separate paper and card, plastic, metal, and glass for recycling by 2014.  On top of that, those businesses producing over 50kg of food waste per week will be obliged to also separate this by January 2014, with businesses producing between 5kg and 50kg per week following suit by 2016.  According to the report, collections must be available from the council or commercial waste contractor for recycling to be possible.  It must be also noted, that opportunities do in fact exist, encouraging people to increase their use of recycling facilities.

In Ghana, recycling is minimal, though I have found company websites in the past, so it exists.  Now, it is not easy to have this kind of institution where funds are limited, however we have seen in past posts that there is a possibility to recycle from home, even if not in the form of a massive industrial venture.  Possibly my favourite quote in the article is that "it is clear that new waste regulations could boost our economy by getting valuable materials out of landfill and into productive uses."  Regulations may not yet exist in Ghana, but why should that stop us from putting those materials we would otherwise send to the landfills to good use?  Such initiatives as Trashy Bags (I know, I keep mentionning them, but they do great work) or UniquEco in Kenya both take waste and turn it into something people will use, so we know that it can be done!

Tom Udall once said:

It's a national concern, I mean how we dispose of nuclear waste in a safe way, how we deal with this incredible amount of nuclear waste we have created over the years.

DO - Use Africa’s Resources for Sustainable Economic Growth

This week’s post is not directly about waste, however there is a link.  I am writing about an article found in Liberia’s Daily Observer, entitled “Use Africa’sResources for Sustainable Economic Growth”.  It seems a few African countries met at the Summit for Sustainability inAfrica in Gaborone, Botswana at the end of May.  These ten countries adopted The Gaborone Declaration.  The Declaration seeks to improve and maintain sustainability, so as to allow human communities to continue to survive on the Earth, through biodiversity and ecosystem protection, lessening of environmental risks and scarcities.  This will contribute to the economic prosperity of future generations.  An additional goal of this declaration is to reinforce commitment to previous treaties, as natural resource extraction in Africa has been primarily focused on short-term economic gains.

Reasoning behind the declaration recognizes that because of the nature of natural resource exploitation, human well-being will be negatively affected if efforts are not made to reverse environmental degradation.  In Liberia’s case, natural resource extraction followed the urge to satisfy the economy, completely disregarding long-term environmental effects, leaving large craters throughout the landscape, much like other resource-rich African nations.

What is great about this declaration is that it does seek to reinforce previous commitments.  Since those same commitments were not met, however, I wonder how we can be sure this one will be met?  Particularly because of the fifty-seven countries on the continent, only ten attended this summit (or 18%).  Various reasons could have stopped these countries from attending, however the fact remains that they did not and by so doing (or not doing), the Declaration loses its strength.  Despite the small portion of nations adopting The Gaborone Declaration, there is a push for African countries make this vision a reality, exploiting resources sustainably, so as to last for the people.

How I would relate this to waste is the obvious of environment, but also that the goal to become sustainable is, for some, at the cost of increased personal consumption.  Many do not want to minimize their habits, instead preferring to increase their consumption with every day.  What we need to understand is that the more we consume, the less sustainably we live.  There is no way to increase our consumption, while still reducing our environmental footprint that I know of, though I would be interested in finding out how if any readers know of ways this can be done.  The reason I say this is that we really need to be self-aware when we make decisions and we need to stop making decisions blindly, however small the decision, and consuming is a decision.  Rather than finding ways to materialize our lives, maybe we should try thinking about whether consumption really does enhance our lives.  If it does, what are the costs of our consumption habits and are they really worth it.  This may seem like a tangent, but remember: our consumption habits directly affect resource extraction.

Guy Debord said this week’s quote:

Young people everywhere have been allowed to choose between love and a garbage disposal unit. Everywhere they have chosen the garbage disposal unit.