Developing Nations are Choking on Plastic Fumes
One of the still relatively untouched natural beauties in the world lies in Central America. A place so blessed with natural beauty is unfortunately also cursed with extreme poverty and oppression.
Nicaragua is home to some of the best waves in the world, that perfectly peel onto stunning volcanic black sand beaches. This makes for one of the most unique landscapes still left largely undeveloped.
It was during one of these moments, one of my first times surfing these picturesque waves that I realized the severity of poverty in the area.
Within minutes, the air filled with thick smoke and inundated the lineup with foul-smelling fumes, so much so that we were forced out of the water.
This is something that I became very accustomed to over the following 7 months that I spent there. Due to the lack of infrastructure to deal with plastic waste, it is common practice for people to burn their own waste. These fires are often small and consist of palm fronds and plastic waste and are almost always located on the street nearby of people’s homes.
You could find, or smell, at least a dozen of these small fires within a 1 block radius at any given time of day. Burning plastic waste is a widely practiced waste management technique for the majority of Nicaraguans.
They either do not have access to waste management services, cannot afford to pay for one, and/or don’t have the means of taking trash to a facility in the nearest city.
Many people who burn their plastic waste themselves didn’t know of the health issues associated with burning plastic.
While many others do know the dangers, they have no other option of disposal and have to resort to burning it.
With the mindset of a person from a developed nation, we often want to offer a highly technological solution to issues happening in developing countries.
One of the greatest downfalls of volunteer organizations is that once the infrastructure is put in during the project, the community is left without the technology or knowledge to operate and maintain systems going forth.
Then, these communities are left with systems they can’t maintain, which often leaves these communities worse off than before.
With this in mind, a simple and cheap solution is what will have the greatest reach and long-term impact on communities like this.
During this time, I met a woman named Margarita who told me about an initiative she is involved with within the local community to lessen the number of toxic fumes produced from burned plastic.
Margarita introduced me to the idea of smokeless burn barrels. She described them to me as an imperfect perfect solution to the issue of plastic waste. With minimal technology (basic tools) people could reduce the smoke from their routine trash fires.
Smokeless burn barrels
Smokeless burn barrels can be made from reused old barrels and can drastically reduce the amount of smoke generated. Most importantly, smokeless burn barrels are cheap, easy to use, and do not rely on technology that could fail. They provide an excellent way for people without local waste removal programs to get rid of their trash.
Smokeless burn barrels incorporate ventilation holes to provide the fire with oxygen. With more oxygen, the fire produces less smoke, and therefore, burns materials more efficiently. For optimal smoke reduction, the fire must burn at a high temperature.
For this system, proper usage is essential to operate a smokeless burn barrel safely.
Proper usage
Users must take special precautions when operating it. For example, overloading the barrel with waste can disrupt proper function.
The barrel should only be filled about halfway to ensure no debris escapes from the top of the barrel. These barrels must be loaded with larger items at the bottom and smaller ones on top, ensuring the waste is burned before adding more. In addition, be sure to place the barrel at a safe distance from other materials or buildings nearby.
Smokeless burn barrels are relatively easy and very cheap to make- and can last for several years with constant use.
Limited materials are required to build one yourself and it can be a very easy DIY project.
All that is required is a heatproof barrel (one that won't melt under high heat conditions), cinderblocks, and a drill (or anything capable of making ventilation holes in the barrel)
The Himalayan rocket stove
Other methods of burning plastic are used all over the developing world to help with plastic waste pollution. In the Himalayas, another type of oven is used to incinerate plastic waste.
People in the Himalayas have adopted the rocket stove as a way to burn plastic with less toxic smoke emissions. This type of stove is made out of natural clay- a very cheap and largely abundant resource, and with proper design, can provide an excellent solution.
Not only do Himalayan rocket stoves incinerate plastic in a healthier way, but they can also provide heat for homes, and schools, and act as functional water heaters.
While burning plastic is not the ideal way to manage it, these mechanisms should be used to reduce the toxic fumes that are already abundant in developing countries. Again, burning plastic is never recommended for people in developed countries or in areas with access to waste removal programs.
With small steps like implementing smokeless burn barrels at each residency, we can improve the air quality and reduce toxic smoke exposure in the community.
Soon enough, using this simple technology, we will be able to surf all day until we are surfed-out not smoked-out.
