biodiversitygraveplastical.,technologies,habitat.oceanacrossInifwastesarepolymersthatcauseseverepoisoningtohumansthelongtermuseplasticisusedmainly(Panetal.,2020).2010,anestimated4.812.7metrictonnesofplasticwaste192coastalcitiesweregeneratedandreleasedtothecausingsignificantbiodiversitylossintheoceanWithoutintroducingproperwastemanagementthisfigurewillworsenby2025(Jameberket2015).Onaverage,about8millionmetrictonnesofwastemakeittotheoceaneachyear.Thisposesathreattoaquaticecosystemsanddestroysimportantneededtocreatebalanceforouroneplanet.
1.1 Statement of the problem
Liberia is located in West Africa, with an estimated population of about 5 million people. Like all developing countries, Liberians are impoverished, with a human developmentindexputat0.480andranked175intheHDI ranking (UNDP, 2020). There is a rapid increase in urbanization, especially in rural urban. In Liberia’s most urbanized city, Monrovia, waste management remains a serious challenge. Plastic waste makes up over half of all solid waste in urban Liberia. The culture of recycling dominating significant parts of the developed world and some countries in the global south seems non existent in newessentialemerging.Liberia.PrimitivetechnologiesofplasticwasterecyclingareHowever,theseeffortsaremarginalandlagginginareaslikeprocessfinancingandincorporationofandadvancedtechnologies.
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056 Volume: 09 Issue: 01 | Jan 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN: 2395 0072 © 2022, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.529 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page988 Plastic Waste Management in Monrovia: A Potential for Environmental Sustainability & Economic Gains Ansumana Abraham Bility1 1Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Mersin 10 Turkey Fidan ASLANOVA2 2Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Mersin 10 Turkey *** Abstract Municipalsolidwastemanagementhassufficedas oneofthemostdifficultchallenges facingcity governments, pollution consultants, and environment managers. Interestingly, plastic waste constitutes the most significant portionofmunicipalsolidwasteandcomewithfar reaching impact like drainage clogging, soil cover degradation, and surging of health related issues (Idumah et al., 2019). This reviewed scholarly published papers on plastic waste management in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, to spotlight the mechanisms.strengtheningdisposal,recommendationsopportunitiesamongstrecyclinglegislation,standpoint.treatopportunities.managementmanagementDifferentpotentialforeconomicgainsandenvironmentalsustainability.ArticlesbyotherresearchersonsolidwasteandreportsbyNGOsonenvironmentalwerethoroughlyreviewedtoidentifygapsandTheresearchfoundthatwastemanagersstillwastemanagementinMonroviafromaproblemFindingsalsosuggesttheabsenceofrigidoverdependenceondonorsupport,lackoftechnologies,andlackoffinancialresources,others.However,thereareaplethoraofforashift.Thepaperprofferedlike1)incentivizingwastecollectionandinvestinginbiodegradablepolymerproduction,legalframework,andsourcecontrol Key Words: Solid waste, plastic waste technology, sustainable plastic waste, biodegradable plastic, benefits of plastic waste 1. INTRODUCTION chemicalscontaminationwaterwaysrelatedclogging,solidwastebiodegradablePlasticecosystem,plastictheconsultants,mostMunicipalsolidwastemanagementhassufficedasoneofthedifficultchallengesfacingcitygovernments,pollutionandenvironmentmanagers.Plasticpollutionisamalgamationofplasticitemsandparticulates(e.g.,bottles,bags,andmicrobeads)intheNaturalharminganimals,wildlifehabitats,andpeople.waste,however,isthemostdifficultnonsolidwastetohandle.Interestingly,plasticconstitutesthemostsignificantportionofmunicipalwasteandcomewithfarreachingimpactlikedrainagesoilcoverdegradation,andsurgingofhealthissues(Idumahetal.,2019).Plasticblockingisnottheonlywaterrelatedproblem,butofwaterbodiesthroughthereleaseofisanotherissuethatneedsattention.Plastic
As Monrovia stinks in filths of uncollected and untreated solid wastes, the need for improved waste management systems that offer economic benefits while ensuring environmental sustainability cannot be overlooked. The potential is enormous as it provides a financial return for wastemanagementfirmswhileraidingtheenvironmentof ensuringandandmanagementhopestoxinslikepolyteneproducedbyplasticwaste.ThisresearchtoinvestigatecurrenteffortsinplasticwasteinMonrovia,assessstrengthsandweaknesses,recommendcrosscuttingwastemanagementstrategiestechniquesthatoffergreatereconomicreturnwhilethesustainabilityoftheenvironment.
1.2 Significance of the study
andsources,production,contributes2019).technologicalwaterandstudy.municipalplasticwastefurtherjustifiestherelevanceofthisPlasticsarecomposedofartificialorganicpolymersareextensivelyutilizedinvariousindustries,includingbottles,clothes,foodpackaging,medicalsupplies,items,andbuildingmaterials(Alabietal.,Thereleaseofthesepolymersintheenvironmenttosoilcoverdegradationforagriculturalcontaminationofsurfaceandgroundwatercloggingofdrainages,destructionofbiodiversity,deteriorationofhumanandenvironmentalhealth.
The dangerous nature of the chemicals that constitute
vegetables.solidwasteofmanufacturingsignificantal.,dailyandcountryside.Garbagemanagementinthecityisinsufficient,alargevolumeofresidentialsolidwasteiscreatedthatisnotcollectedanddisposedofproperly(Davidet2019).HouseholdplasticwasteconstitutesthemostamountofsolidwasteinMonrovia.Localwaterindustrieshavebeentheprimaryproducersplasticwastelately.Inthetablebelow(Table1),plasticmakesupthesecondhighestamount(14.2%)oftotalwasteinMonrovia,secondonlytoorganicreuseand
2.0 Literature Review
Table 1: SolidWasteDistributioninMonrovia CompositionofMonrovia’ssolidwaste Composition Percentage Paper 12.2 Plastic 14.2 Glass 10.5 Metal 3 OrganicRefuse,vegetables 40.2 Rubber 10 Batteries 9.9 Total 100 2.3 Challenges of waste collection and disposal in Monrovia Like most developing nations, Liberia has huge waste collection and disposal challenges. Part of the problems affectingwastecollectionanddisposal inMonrovia are 1) theabsenceofproperzoningthat underpinsstrategiccity handleandadequatelyscarcityplanning,highpopulationdensityduetorapidurbanization,ofcuttingedgetechnologiestocollectandtreatwaste,andlackofadequateinfrastructurefinancialcapacitiesonthepartoftherequisiteagencytothewasteeffectively. 2.4 The current method of waste management in Monrovia theirstagedOnBelowselectedfromtheFromitsinception,wastemanagementinMonroviahasbeenlandfillapproach.ThecitygovernmentcollectswastesthestreetswithoutseparationanddisposesthemtoalandfillareainasuburbknownasWeinTown.(Figure1)isapictureofthelandfilloutsideMonrovia.manyoccasions,residentsofthisneighborhoodhaveproteststhattheleaksfromthelandfillcontaminatewatersourcesandcausesdiseaseoutbreak.
2.2 Sources of Plastic Waste in Monrovia
Municipalplasticwasteconstitutesasignificantportionof overall solid waste generation in Monrovia. The city’s populationhasmorethandoubledsincetheendofthecity due to the rural urban migration of locals from the
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056 Volume: 09 Issue: 01 | Jan 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN: 2395 0072 © 2022, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.529 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page989 1.3 Limitations and Delimitations forreviewedlimitation,anmanagementratherstudiesNGOs,promptedwithThesurgeinthehealthandenvironmentalissuesassociatedimproperwastemanagementinMonroviahasseveraltypesofresearchbythegovernment,andacademicsinthearea.However,manysaidhavefocusedonwastemanagementasaproblemthananopportunity.Thispaperconsiderswasteasolutiontoenvironmentaldegradationandopportunityforeconomicgains.Onesignificanthowever,isthelackofprimarydata.Datafrompublishedarticlesmayvaryandcreateroomerror.
Plastic waste in the environment poses a danger to land, water,animals,andevenhumanhealth.Theenvironmental effect of plastic wastecontamination is a fast growing subjectofinterestforscholars,policymakers,corporations, andthegeneralpublic,gainingsubstantialglobalattention (Chowdhury et al., 2020; Nielsen et al., 2020). Municipal plastic waste (MPW) accounts for a significant portion of both developed and developing nations' municipal solid waste (MSW) (Areeprasert et al., 2017). The chemical composition of plastic waste makes it contiguous for the environment’shealthanditsinhabitants.
2.1 Plastic waste composition
plasticandfossilfuel(CNBC,August29,2020).InSweden, 1%ofwasteendsupinlandfillseachyear.Thecountryhas demonstrated immense adept in waste recycling and environmental sustainability. Plastic waste is used to generate energy for Sweden. The country imports 10% of moneytreatedwasteeachyearfromtheUnitedKingdomandcreatesfort
4.0 Results and Discussion
An Extensive Literature Review, ELR, was conducted on existing research in plastic waste management to inform new perspectives on how improvements can be made in theorytotacklethegrowingproportionofplasticwastein urban Liberia’s healthy environment. The focus of the research was to finetune existing local technologies on economicplasticwastemanagementthatofferbothenvironmentalandgains.
Overtime,solidwastemanagementingeneral andplastic waste,inparticular,haveprovedhecticforwastemanagers andcityplannersinthedevelopingworld.Oneofthemajor challengestoMSWmanagementinMonroviaistheabsence
municipality largely unplanned. The city’s increasing population,accompaniedbysemi industrialactivities,poses severeenvironmentalthreatstoitsinhabitants.
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056 Volume: 09 Issue: 01 | Jan 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN: 2395 0072 © 2022, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.529 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page990 Figure 1:WeinTownLandfillinMonrovia 2.5 Potential for plastic waste management Thoughthechallengesfacingplasticwastemanagementin Monrovia seem enormous, the prospects are also high for onimpactedPolyethylene)usingdepartmentshowsenvironmentalandeconomicgains.Thetablebelow(Table2)arecordofhowtheenvironmentalscienceattheCuttingtonUniversityinSuakokohasbeenlocaltechnologytotransformplastic(LowDensitywasteintofloortilesandslabs.Thisprojecthasenvironmentalsustainabilityandeconomicgainsasmallscale. Table 2:RecordofPavementTilesProducedfromPlastic WasteatCuttingtonUniversity Period Qty (Kg)plasticof Qty P. (pcs)tile ($)PriceUnit ($)Amount 1st 2019/2020Sem 200 100 3 300 2nd 2019/2020Sem 220 110 3 330 1st 2020/2021Sem 200 100 3 300 2nd 2020/2021Sem 350 175 3 525 Total 970 485 $ 1455.00 2.6 Evolving technologies for Plastic Waste Management Thereareseveralknownwaysinwhichplasticwastecanbe andfordeveloped2020).plasticeitheronesolutionsocean,plastictreatedtoattainenvironmentalandeconomicsatisfaction.Asgarbagecontinuestoamassatalarmingratesinthethedemandforeffectiveandlongtermcleanupbecomesmorecritical.Tocombatplasticpollution,possibilityisthedesignanddeploymentofdevicesthatpreventplasticsfromenteringwaterwaysorcollectwastefromtheoceanandrivers(Schmaltzetat.,Chemicalrecyclinghasbeenontheincreaseinmostcountries.However,thismayseemunachievabledevelopingcountries,includingLiberia,duetohighcostenergydemand.Thisprocessturnsusedplasticinto
hatcountry’sGrossDomesticProducts(France24 English,2018).
Figure 2:MapofMonrovia
industrialpopulationcivilTheMonroviaisacoastalcitywithanelevationoflessthan10m.cityishometoabout2Mpeople.SincetheendofthewarinLiberiain2003,thecityhasexperiencedrapidgrowth,leadingtoaproportionalincreaseinactivities.Wastegenerationhastripledfora
inPartconsideringprobl(Davidcomparisonsgeneratedchemicalofadequateandaccuraterecordsregardingthephysicalandcompositionofwasteandthequantityofwastethroughoutthecountry,therebyrestrictingwithdevelopedandunderdevelopedcountriesetal.,2020).WastemanagementisstillattheemstageinMonrovia.Thecitygovernmentisstillwasteasaproblemwithnosustainablesolution.oftheproblemsaffectingwastecollectionanddisposalMonroviaare1)theabsenceofproperzoningthat
3.0 Methodology
5.0 Conclusion and Recommendation
5.1 Conclusion
Though plastic waste poses an immense threat to the environmentandthehealthofhumansandanimals,proper management offers potential opportunities for ecological
recommendsthisdisposal.encompassingapproachnecessaryopportunitieswastesustainabilityandeconomicgains.AnintegratedapproachtomanagementcanprovidemoresignificantforurbandwellersandcitymanagersisforwastemanagementinMonrovia.Acomplexisrequiredtoaddresstheglobalplasticsissue,prevention,reuse,recycling,recovery,andBiodegradablepolymersareacriticalcomponentofapproach(Flury&Narayan,2021).Theresearchthatthecitygovernment:1.Incentivizeswastefromcollectiontodisposaltoreducedonordependency2.Investsinnoveltechnologiesinwastemanagementtoshifttheproblemperspectivetoopportunity3.Developandstrengthenlegislationsthatholdculpritsaccountableandimposefinesfordeterrence4.Developregulationsthatcontrolplasticwastefromthesource(manufacturers)5.Subsidizetheproductionofbiodegradablepolymerstoensuretheenvironmentalhealth ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Iliketoacknowledgethealmightyforhisguidanceandmy dearmotherandsponsor,HawaBility. REFERENCES 1. Areeprasert,Chinnathan;Asingsamanunt,Jarudej; Srisawat, Supachot; Kaharn, Jeerattikul; 107(),Energyat(2017).Chanoknunt;Inseemeesak,Bundit;Phasee,Phatavee;Khaobang,Siwakosit,Wichai;Chiemchaisri,ChartMunicipalPlasticWasteCompositionStudyTransferStationofBangkokandPossibilityofitsRecoverybyPyrolysis.EnergyProcedia,222226.doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2016.12.132 2. Chowdhury, Gawsia Wahidunnessa; Koldewey, 143285KNOWLEDGE.BANGLADESH:POLLUTIONBhola,Md.HeatherJ.;Duncan,Emily;Napper,ImogenE.;Niloy,NazmulHasan;Nelms,SarahE.;Sarker,Subrata;Sunanda;Nishat,Bushra(2020).PLASTICINAQUATICSYSTEMSINAREVIEWOFCURRENTScienceofTheTotalEnvironment,(),.doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143285
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056 Volume: 09 Issue: 01 | Jan 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN: 2395 0072 © 2022, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.529 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page991 underpins strategic city planning, high population density due to rapid urbanization, scarcity of cutting edge technologiestocollectandadequatelytreatwaste,andlack of adequate infrastructure and financial capacities on the partoftherequisiteagencytohandlethewasteeffectively. donorandplasticandhasAdditionally,(Idumahimpracticaldifficultiesgroundwater.managed,toThetraditionallandfillmethodhascausedandwillcontinuecreatehealthandenvironmentalissues.UnlesscarefullylandfillshaveapropensitytopollutesoilandIncontrast,trashincinerationhasshownwithsmellandairpollutionandmaybeduetotheinherentpropertiesofthesolidwasteetal.,2019).thegrowthinminiwaterbaggingindustriesincreasedthecitycorporation'schallengesincollectingdisposingofplasticwaste.Duetothecheapnessofproducts,watercompaniesdonotcaretorecollectreuseusedwaterplastic.Wastemanagementhasbeensponsoredsincetheendofthecivilwar.Thecurrent ‘donor fatigue’ necessitated by the Covid 19 outbreak has takenasignificanttollonresourcemobilizationforthecity governmentasstockpilesfillthestreetsofMonrovia. 4.1 Absence of rigid legislations Effective waste management comes with enormous responsibilities for city managers and city dwellers. The gameMPW)amongstdisposal.healthregthattheand2015draftsolidwastemanagementpolicyoutlinestherolesresponsibilitiesofsolidwastemanagement.However,documentslackclearcutpunitivemeasuresforviolatorswouldultimatelyservedeterrence.PoliciesarenotularlyexplainedtocitizenstocreateawarenessoftheandenvironmentaldangersofimproperwasteThedivisioninwastemanagementactivitiesdifferentgovernmententities(EPA,MCC,andleavesnoonetakingfullresponsibility.Theblamecontinueswhilethecitysitsinfilth.
toregulateandmonitorwastecreationandcollectionand over dependence on donor funding are two major factors underpinningthewastemanagementfailureinMonrovia.
5.2 Recommendations
Aplastic freesocietyisimpossiblegiventhemultipleusesit has.Plastic derivedproductshaveevolvedintoanecessary resource for various applications in today's society (Mourshed et al., 2017). Plastic waste in the environment poses a danger to human and animal health. A massive (Dcomparisonsgeneratedchemicalofchallengesplannersintime,contthatvolumeofdiscardedplasticcreatesenvironmentalconcernsendangermarinelife,degradessoilfertility,andaminategroundwater(Mourshedetal.,2017).Oversolidwastemanagementingeneralandplasticwaste,particular,haveprovedhecticforwastemanagersandcityinthedevelopingworld.OneofthesignificanttoMSWmanagementinMonroviaistheabsenceadequateandaccuraterecordsregardingthephysicalandcompositionofwasteandthequantityofwastethroughoutthecountry,therebyrestrictingwithdevelopedandunderdevelopedcountriesavidetal.,2020).Theabsenceofarigidlegalframework
12. Schmaltz, Emma; Melvin, Emily C.; Diana, Zoie; Gunady, Ella F.; Rittschof, Daniel; Somarelli, Jason A.; Virdin, John; Dunphy Daly, Meagan M. (2020).Plastic pollution solutions: emerging technologiestopreventandcollectmarineplastic pollution. Environment International, 144(), 106067 doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.106067
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13. Stanton, Thomas; Kay, Paul; Johnson, Matthew; Chan, Faith Ka Shun; Gomes, Rachel L.; Hughes, Jennifer;Meredith,William;Orr,HarrietG.;Snape, RethinkingXu,ColinE.;Taylor,Mark;Weeks,Jason;Wood,Harvey;Yuyao(2020).It'stheproductnotthepolymer:plasticpollution.WIREsWater,(),doi:10.1002/wat2.1490
14. ReportnoteUNDPHumanDevelopmentReport(2020).Briefingforcountriesonthe2020HumanDevelopmentLiberia
7. Li,Penghui;Wang,Xiaodan;Su,Min;Zou,Xiaoyan; Duan,Linlin;Zhang,Hongwu(2020).Characteristics ofPlasticPollutionintheEnvironment:AReview. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology,(), doi:10.1007/s00128 020 02820 MaryWang, YaodongHe,BiswarupSen,Research and Management of Plastic Pollution in Coastal Environments of China, Environmental Pollution PDF(2019),doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2019.02.098Thisisafileofanuneditedma
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