Research Log #7 - Solutionary Project 2022

Date: March 9, 2023

Name: Koelenamati (Koe) Kapua
Essential Question: How is waste pollution being addressed on Oahu and what more can be done?

Three Points to Prove:

#1: Waste pollution creates negative consequences/what are these consequences?
#2: Waste pollution affects every part of life/who or what is being affected by waste pollution?
#3: Waste pollution isn’t talked about enough in society/how can it be addressed more?

Point that this Source Proves: #3: Waste pollution isn’t talked about enough in society/how can it be
addressed more?

Excerpts (These should provide insight into the Point to Prove)

According to the European Environment Agency, “In many countries, kitchen and gardening waste
constitutes the biggest fraction of municipal solid waste. This type of waste, when collected separately, can
be turned into an energy source or fertilizer.”

Stated within the article, “Improved management of municipal waste between 1995 and 2008 resulted in
significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions, mainly attributable to lower methane emissions from landfill
and emissions avoided through recycling.” (European Environment Agency).

Looking at the resource, “Moving up the waste hierarchy requires a joint effort by all the parties concerned:
consumers, producers, policymakers, local authorities, waste treatment facilities, etc.” (European
Environment Agency).

Analysis (How does this source support the Point to Prove?):

This article gives informative details on how waste pollution is a huge problem and how it can be
used as a reusable and viable resource. Improper waste management directly impacts numerous habitats and
species as well as air pollution and climate change. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas linked to climate
change, is released by landfills, which are the last resort in the waste hierarchy. Microorganisms in landfills
convert biodegradable waste, including food, paper, and yard waste, into methane. Landfills may
contaminate soil and water depending on how they are constructed.
The largest portion of municipal solid waste is often made up of food and garden waste. When
collected individually, this kind of waste can be converted into fertilizer or electricity. Anaerobic digestion is
a waste management technique that entails subjecting biowaste to a controlled version of the biological
degradation process that occurs in landfills. Biogas and leftover materials, which can be utilized as fertilizer
similar to compost, are produced via anaerobic digestion. Between 1995 and 2008, better municipal waste
management led to significantly decreased greenhouse gas emissions, mostly due to reduced landfill methane
emissions and emissions prevented through recycling.
All factors that contribute to waste pollution; consumers, manufacturers, policymakers, local
governments, trash treatment facilities, and much more, must work together to move up the waste hierarchy.
Only if the infrastructure for collecting their sorted waste is in place will consumers who are willing to sort
their home waste be able to recycle. Not only that, but towns can only increase their recycling rates by
recycling a smaller percentage of residential waste. Waste has a variety of direct and indirect effects on
human health and wellbeing, including the discharge of air pollutants into the atmosphere, the contaminating
of freshwater sources, the contamination of crops grown in contaminated soil, and fish consumption of
harmful substances.
Work Cited (correct MLA format):
European Environment Agency. “Waste: A Problem or a Resource?” Www.eea.europa.eu, Nov. 2021,
www.eea.europa.eu/publications/signals-2014/articles/waste-a-problem-or-a-resource.

This is a reputable and reliable article because it was written by the European Environment Agency, the
agency of the European Union which provides independent information on the environment.