All forms of local waste are handled uniformly due to inadequate recycling systems. This indicates that no suitable system for managing or even classifying hazardous waste has been created. Pakistan has a severe waste problem that has long been left unnoticed and unacknowledged. The country produces a massive 30 million tons of waste a figure that is growing by 2.4% annually while 80,000 tonnages of bundled waste are imported from around the world. The situation has become so severe that, for the past few years, it has become impossible to avoid. Over time, significant areas have developed in northern regions and urban centers where waste is routinely dumped, burned, or sold for scrap by notorious kachra mafias who exercise their power. Furthermore, the government’s continued importation of plastic and poisonous garbage from nations like the UK, Belgium, and Germany is abhorrent and wholly unacceptable. The Basel treaty, which tries to manage and regulate transboundary transfers of hazardous wastes, has been flagrantly violated by this. Ineffective waste management practices have increased environmental harm and air pollution but it is also adversely affecting the health of citizens. The fact remains that Pakistan generates far more trash than it can process. The federal government has now approved the country’s first-ever National Hazardous Waste Management Policy, just as things were about to spiral out of control. In order to stop the nation from turning into a landfill for hazardous waste, it is envisaged that a National Action Plan (NAP) implementation framework of the policy would be developed within the next three months. Fortunately, our recycling industry is an untapped resource that has the potential of generating revenue and producing energy. But it remains neglected by authorities who simply lack the vision or skill to actualise this idea. We hope that implementation follows.
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