Organic wastes

Damage by degradable organic matter
Oxygen depleting wastes
Oxygen consuming processes
BOD
COD
Oxygen demanding matter

Nature

Organic wastes, improperly disposed, cause problems of oxygen depletion, pollution and foul smells.

Background

The breakdown and decay of living material requires oxygen. The amount of oxygen consumed by a given amount and type of organic material when broken down in nature is know as its biological oxygen demand (BOD). Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the even greater amount of oxygen that would be needed to completely oxidize the material in a laboratory. Both indices are used as measures of the organic content of waters.

Incidence

Organic wastes constitute a significant global challenge, with the Food and Agriculture Organization estimating that approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted annually worldwide. In both developed and developing countries, organic waste from households, agriculture, and industry contributes to landfill overflows, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. Rapid urbanization and changing consumption patterns have exacerbated the accumulation of organic waste, straining municipal waste management systems and impacting environmental and public health.
In 2022, Jakarta, Indonesia, faced a severe waste management crisis when its main landfill, Bantar Gebang, neared capacity due to surging organic waste from the city’s 11 million residents, prompting emergency interventions.

Claim

Organic wastes are being widely used as a fuel in many parts of the world instead of being returned to the soil.

Counter-claim

Frankly, the concern over organic wastes is vastly overblown. These materials are natural, biodegradable, and return nutrients to the earth. Unlike plastics or toxic chemicals, organic waste poses minimal long-term harm. Nature has managed organic matter for millennia without human intervention. Focusing on organic waste distracts from truly pressing environmental issues. It’s simply not an important problem and does not deserve the attention or resources currently devoted to it.