The open burning of waste is a disposal method of waste or

garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...

. It is a disposal method used globally, but often used in low and middle-income countries that lack adequate waste disposal infrastructure. Numerous governments and institutions have identified the open burning of waste as a major contributor to

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

emissions. It also poses health risks with the cocktail of air pollutants often created when waste is burned in an open air environment. At COP26 open waste burning was raised as a major contributor to climate change. It produces a wide range of atmospheric pollutants including short lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as

black carbon Black carbon (BC) is the light-absorbing refractory form of Chemical_element, elemental carbon remaining after pyrolysis (e.g., charcoal) or produced by incomplete combustion (e.g., soot). Tihomir Novakov originated the term black carbon in ...

(BC). BC emissions are a major source of fine

particulate matter Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defin ...

, with a climate change impact up to 5,000 greater than .

Background

The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

has raised concerns about the amount of

and

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...

produced from open burning as a method of waste disposal. Many cities and regions suffer with air pollution and low air quality as a direct result of open burning of waste. It is common for many toxic gases to be released into the atmosphere as a result of open burning of waste. They can include POMs,

PAHs A Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is any member of a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple fused aromatic rings. Most are produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter— by engine exhaust fumes, tobacco, inciner ...

VOCs Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are common and exist in a variety of settings and products, not limited to house mold, upholstered furniture, arts and crafts supp ...

such as

furans Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound, consisting of a five-membered aromatic ring with four carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. Chemical compounds containing such rings are also referred to as furans. Furan is a colorless, flammable, highly ...

;

heavy metals upright=1.2, Crystals of lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals is a controversial and ambiguous term for metallic elements with relatively h ...

such as

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

, mercury and

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

;

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

nitrogen oxide Nitrogen oxide may refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds: Charge-neutral *Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide, or nitrogen monoxide * Nitrogen dioxide (), nitrogen(IV) oxide * Nitrogen trioxide (), o ...

sulphur oxide Sulfur oxide Sulfur oxides (SOx) are a group of chemical compounds formed by the combination of sulfur and oxygen. The most common SOx are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3). SOx are produced naturally through volcanic activity and are ...

s, hydrochloric acid,

dioxins Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are a group of chemical compounds that are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. They are mostly by-products of burning or various industrial processes or, in the case of dioxin-like PC ...

, and

PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula C12 H10−''x'' Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectric and coolant fluids f ...

. "Some of these pollutants can also end up in the ash that is left behind from open burning of garbage". Studies by researchers from London's

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

’s and

Imperial college Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums ...

s both showed that burning of polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate produce high amounts of

soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Soot is considered a hazardous substance with carcinogenic properties. Most broadly, the term includes all the particulate matter produced b ...

. Both are common in plastic water bottles. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, “burning anything in the outdoors can cause a wildfire ... Debris burning is the number one cause of wildfires in Wisconsin and accounts for thousands of acres of forested land unintentionally burned, and hundreds of structures threatened every year”. The climate change conference COP26 held an official side event focused on raising awareness of the open burning of waste. In September 2022, an agreement was reached on reducing open waste burning in Africa at the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). The conference hosted delegates from 54 African countries.

Sustainability and impact

The reduction of open burning can drastically change the air pollutants in the local area, therefore having a transformational impact on human health in that particular region. The Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life suggested that the health of tens of millions of people worldwide was impacted by the disposal practice, with up to one billion tonnes burned globally each year. At a

summit in 2022, the delegation focused on job creation as one potential solution to eradicate the practice of open burning of waste, namely in Africa. Up to 80% of waste generated in African cities is

recyclable Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...

, with an estimated value of $8 billion each year. Many institutions see this as an opportunity to create jobs, while improving the health and air quality on the continent. EngineeringX produced a report into the open burning of waste in Africa in 2022, where it discussed both the challenges and opportunities. It also planned to hold a multi stakeholder partnership session at COP28 with the ambition of ending the open burning of waste in Africa by 2040.

References

{{reflist, 2 COP26 COP28 Waste management