Supply Chain management/Logistics/Environmental issue in reverse logistics

Write a two-page paper, plus the title page and a reference page on the following statement:
Pick a real landfill. Study it. What issues does that landfill face regarding current environmental regulations? Explain.

ANSWER

Pirana Landfill

Introduction

India has encountered major environmental regulation issues that are linked to inadequate waste collection, waste generation, treatment, and disposal. Over the last 35 years, Pirana landfill has been a garbage dumping spot that has grown to be an unmanageable mess where unsegregated waste and frequent fires have been a regular occurrence (Ayub and Khan, 2011). The landfill receives all forms of wastes such as oil products, food wastes, dead animals, debris, chemical wastes, sewage sludge, wastewater, and chemical wastes. These wastes are compacted, spread, and dumped in an uncontrolled manner. High organic content, gas emissions, and heavy metals cause public nuisances.

Issues at Pirana Landfill

The residents have kept on complaining about the foul smell and smell that keeps flowing throughout the residencies in Pirana. The Pirana dumping site is nothing but a big disaster that is affecting the air and groundwater sources (Singh et al., 2008). Despite the environmental regulations in India, the current systems have failed to manage the volumes of waste that have been generated thus impacting public health and the environment. The main issues within Pirana landfill are greenhouse gases, toxins, and leachate that led to air, water, and land pollution.

The environmental regulations in India focus on improving and protecting the environment. The environmental law in India ensures the protection and improvement of the environment through a regulatory framework (Swati, Vijay, and Ghosh, 2018). With regards to the environmental regulations, Pirana landfill has faced environmental issues linked to waste control and air pollution. Carbon dioxide and methane have been the main gases that have led to toxic fumes. The main reason for environmental issues is uncontrolled waste management and contamination of groundwater and soil that occur due to the liquid and water wastes that move through and out of the landfill and get into adjacent areas (Tirkey and Sen, 2018). These problems have been essential especially when industrial wastes are involved since they contain resistance to chemical and biological degradation.

A large volume of materials that result to waste has contained toxic substances. Often, these toxins leach into the groundwater and soil where they eventually become hazards over the years. For instance, electronic waste such as computers, televisions, and electronics has contained a long list of hazardous substances. Leachate has been a fluid that is formed when waste breaks down in the landfill. This liquid is highly toxic since it pollutes groundwater, land, and waterways. Leachate contains high levels of inorganic, organic, xenobiotics and heavy metal gets into subsoil thus contaminating groundwater.

Greenhouse gases have been another major issue at Pirana. Ideally, when organic materials like waste and food scraps are put into landfills, they are covered and compacted down. The breakdown through an anaerobic process that removes oxygen. Eventually, the process releases methane and other gases that have enormous effects on climate change and global warming.

Conclusion

Environmental regulation issues have continued to be a serious issue at Pirana landfill due to the interacting effects of industrialization, urbanization as well as poor environmental management practices. Unless there are stringent measures are taken, Pirana landfill will continue to degrade the environmental regulations. Additionally, environmental regulation issues have also been linked to a lack of wide-ranging environmental policy, lack of political commitment, lack of mass media concern, and low environmental awareness.

References

Ayub, S., & Khan, A. H. (2011). Landfill practice in India: A review. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 3(4), 270-279.

Singh, U. K., Kumar, M., Chauhan, R., Jha, P. K., Ramanathan, A. L., & Subramanian, V. (2008). Assessment of the impact of landfill on groundwater quality: a case study of the Pirana site in western India. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 141(1), 309-321.

Swati, T. I., Vijay, V. K., & Ghosh, P. (2018). Scenario of landfilling in India: problems, challenges, and recommendations. Handbook of environmental materials management. Springer, Cham, 1-16.

Tirkey, A., & Sen, D. (2018). Determination & evaluation of factors influencing the state of Pirana Landfill.