Marzieh Alidoust, Hamed Kioumarsi, Awalul Fatiqin, Beste Gizem Özbey, Zeynab Kazemkhah Hasankiadeh, Shabnam M Davani

Asian Agriculture, Waste Management, and Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

Asian agriculture, waste management, and sustainable development goals. Explore Asian waste management, its challenges, and crucial role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 11 & 12). Covers innovations, policies, and sustainability.

Abstract

This article summarizes the vibrant world of waste management in Asia and its important role in the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). The continent alone has more than 4.5 billion people and produces the greatest amount of waste globally more than 800 million tonnes a year with an estimated increase to 1.8 billion tonnes by 2025 for only urban cities. This is largely attributed to material consumption levels that are high and economic growth as well as urbanization. Third-world countries normally experience infrastructural inadequacies that significantly affect the supply chain of recycling and waste management. Developed countries, however, have recorded outstanding success through investments in technologically developed solutions, effective regulatory frameworks, and waste reduction and recycling schemes. These have compelled them to embrace the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs. Waste management in Asia is closely linked with the SDGs, namely, Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Effective waste management is at the center of mitigating environmental pollution, protecting public health, and promoting sustainable urbanization. While industrialized nations are concentrating on minimizing waste and advanced treatment technologies, developing nations are leaning toward holistic and decentralized management systems. This review encompasses a number of themes, such as innovations and advancements in waste management, agricultural animal husbandry and waste management, the agriculture products and food industry, waste management strategies and SDG integration in Asian countries, and policy frameworks, technology advances, and institutional arrangements. Asia's waste management sector is currently confronted by a pivotal transformation characterized by enormous disparities between developed and developing nations. Success with sustainable development goals (SDGs) requires the adoption of integrated, inclusive, and innovative approaches reconciling the technical, social, and economic dimensions of waste management processes.

Review

This article offers a timely and comprehensive overview of waste management challenges and opportunities in Asia, emphasizing its critical nexus with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The abstract effectively frames the immense scale of the issue, highlighting Asia's staggering waste generation figures—over 800 million tonnes annually, projected to reach 1.8 billion tonnes for urban areas alone by 2025—driven by high material consumption, economic growth, and rapid urbanization. It immediately establishes a key disparity: the infrastructural inadequacies prevalent in developing nations contrasting with the successful, technologically driven solutions, regulatory frameworks, and 3R/EPR (reduce, reuse, recycle, and extended producer responsibility) schemes adopted by developed countries in the region. The planned scope of the review is ambitious and highly relevant, promising to delve into a multitude of themes essential for understanding Asia's waste landscape. Specifically, the article aims to explore innovations and advancements in waste management, the crucial aspects of agricultural animal husbandry and food industry waste, country-specific strategies, and the integration of SDGs, particularly Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). By examining policy frameworks, technological advances, and institutional arrangements, the authors intend to illuminate how effective waste management is central to mitigating environmental pollution, safeguarding public health, and fostering sustainable urbanization across the continent. This broad approach is vital given the divergent strategies of industrialized versus developing nations, from advanced treatment to holistic decentralized systems. Overall, this article appears poised to make a significant contribution to the discourse on sustainable waste management in Asia, a sector currently undergoing a pivotal transformation. The abstract clearly articulates the need for integrated, inclusive, and innovative approaches that reconcile the technical, social, and economic dimensions of waste management processes for successful SDG achievement. Given the enormous disparities between developed and developing nations within Asia, the article’s proposed themes and analytical framework promise to offer valuable insights and a robust foundation for policymakers and researchers alike to navigate the complex challenges and opportunities towards a more sustainable future for the continent.

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