Comprehensive Research: Reducing Labor in Dubai's MSW Management

This report addresses the labor-intensive nature of municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Dubai, considering the city's rapid growth and increasing waste generation. The research investigates best practices for minimizing labor involvement in the MSW process, focusing on waste segregation ...Read More

Running head: DO A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH FOR BEST PRACTICE(S)
1
Do a comprehensive research for best practice(s)
Name
Institution

DO A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH FOR BEST PRACTICE(S)
2
Reducing labour involvement in municipal solid waste management
Introduction
Dubai is a city in the Middle East that is fast growing due to a significant increase in
economic growth. It also supports a large tourist population. Because of this there has been an
increase in the amount of waste that is generated, and this has resulted in waste management
problems. Waste produced in Dubai is classified as general waste, liquid waste, hazardous waste,
construction waste, green waste or bulky waste (Saifaie, 2011).
Municipal solid waste is categories under general waste and is also known as garbage. It
consists of items used in daily activities and are discarded. It mainly consists of intractable and
non- recyclable waste such as plastic, packaging materials, papers, glass, metal, organic waste,
rubber, wood among others.
Solid waste management
This is the practice where solid waste is collected and treated before being disposed. It can
also involve reusing and recycling materials that do not belong in the trash or transforming the
waste to a form where it can be used as a valuable resource.
In Dubai, solid waste can be collected and recycled by private companies. Materials that are
recycled include waste paper, containers, plastic, metal and glass. Steel debris from construction
and demolition waste can also be recovered and recycled. Solid waste that isn’t recycled is
usually treated and disposed in one of five landfills in Dubai.
Although solutions have been found to deal with the problem of increasing solid waste in the
city, the work has become labour intensive. The whole process of solid waste management
involves collection and transportation of the waste, sorting out the waste to determine which
ones will be disposed and which ones will be recycled. This report aims to come up with a

DO A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH FOR BEST PRACTICE(S)
3
solution that will maintain the effectiveness of municipal solid waste management, but in a way
that will ensure that less labour is used in the process.
Reducing labour involvement in municipal solid waste management
One of the ways in which solid waste is managed is through recycling. Recycling is the
process of converting waste into reusable material. The process not only reduces the amount of
waste generated, but also conserves energy and resources. The whole process of recycling
involves collection, separation, preparation of the materials, sales, processing and finally reuse of
the material. Each of these steps requires labour, so one way of reducing labour intensiveness is
taking care of these processes at the earliest stages as possible (Franchetti, 2012).
Recycling has been a common practice in most countries, though it is done by the people who
are responsible for waste collection. At the primary level, the public usually throws solid waste
in one garbage can, and then when the waste is later collected it is separated before it is
discarded. If waste was segregated at the point of disposal then it would be the workers would
use less labour since they will not have to go through the waste to determine how it needs to be
managed.
Waste segregation
It refers to the separation of waste into dry and wet waste so that it is easier to recycle (Joseph
et al, 2016). Organic waste is usually separated from the inorganic waste and it makes it easier to
distinguish which waste will be recycled and which waste will be deposited in a landfill. The
waste is often separated as paper, plastics, wood, scrap, compost, hazardous waste, textiles,
rubber or leather (SSD, 2019).

DO A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH FOR BEST PRACTICE(S)
4
Waste segregation can be done at home or in recovery or biological treatment facilities. In
order to reduce the labour involvement in the process of municipal waste management, there
should be emphasis on solid waste segregation at home, before it is disposed, hence it should be
made the responsibility of the public (Christensen et al, 2010).
Waste that is segregated at the primary source also has a lower chance of becoming
contaminated since it does not interact with other waste. It thus increases the amount of waste
that can be recycled and in the long run reduces the amount of waste that is produced (Recycling
Editorial Office, 2019). Once waste is recycled then there will be less need to get resources to
make new items thus the pressure on mining resources will also be reduced.
Thus if the public is educated on how to segregate their waste at the point of disposal then the
amount of labour that will be needed throughout the waste management process will be reduced
since the process of separation will not require labour.
Conclusion
Solid waste management is an important process to ensure that the environment remains clean
and healthy. It is an added advantage if the process can be done with little labour involvement,
and waste segregation at the point of waste generation is one of the ways to ensure that this can
be made possible.

DO A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH FOR BEST PRACTICE(S)
5
References
Christensen, T. H., & Matsufuji, Y. (2010). Source Segregation and Collection of Source-
Segregated Waste. Solid Waste Technology & Management, 296-310.
doi:10.1002/9780470666883.ch22
Franchetti, M. J. (2012). Recycling recycling Collection recycling collection and Materials
Separation recycling separation. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology,
8771-8794. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_115
Joseph, K., Selvam, A., & Wong, J. W. (2016). Waste Storage, Segregation, and Collection.
Sustainable Solid Waste Management, 35-51. doi:10.1061/9780784414101.ch03
Recycling Editorial Office. (2019). Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Recycling in 2018.
Recycling, 4(1), 2. doi:10.3390/recycling4010002
Saifaie, A. A. (2011). Retrieved from
http://en.envirocitiesmag.com/articles/pdf/waste_management_eng_art1.pdf
Spotlight on Sustainable development. (2019). SDG 11: To ensure sustainable waste services,
we must value waste workers and make sure they are in decent jobs. Retrieved from
https://www.2030spotlight.org/en/book/1730/chapter/sdg-11-ensure-sustainable-waste-services-
we-must-value-waste-workers-and-make