Bhe314__Environmental_Health_and_Safety

Module 1 Case I would conduct a need assessment process that direct to the problems related to how the trash is managed in the community. I would do so by use of the four phases of community assessment: (1) assessment planning, (2) data collection, (3) data analysis, and (4) program action planning. (Cam Escoffery, Kathleen R Miner, Jane Trowbridge Jul/Aug 2004)1 By use of the above methods I would analyze how the waste material is dumped or discarded. I would conduct surveys through questionnaires and informal interviews with people of households and shopkeepers that would focus on how they discard their waste items. I would ask myself questions of why they dispose this way, how often, and what do they lack in effectively disposing of the waste properly. After gathering enough information, I would determine the problems or unwanted outcomes that are created by improperly discarding waste materials. For example, who are affected the most, what affects them exactly, and to what extent they are affected negatively by improper trash management. As far as the paper products are concerned, we misuse them all the time and do not utilize them to their fullest. For instance, a note book or a writing pad often goes into the trash bin with lots of unused pages. Instead of continuously making new paper products such as, copies or tissue papers, we can recycle them and save a great amount of time and cost. I can say that where we were in waste disposal and where we are now, there's an enormous difference legislatively and environmentally with the attitudes and behavior of the people today. Unfortunately in earlier days, people used to bury their trash but the world and resources are not the same anymore. Some of the old thought of waste disposal must be changed. People in earlier days were not as educated as they are now, with regard to toxic contamination and other more current issues. The most important thought is the future and the future generations to come. People must be influenced early and consent for change must be encouraging. When people are programmed to recycle, year after year, it becomes something you do all the time like riding a bike or reading a book. The numbers of towns that have recycling opportunities are very few but more are adapting to the program every day. Waste management is becoming a global concern and not just land waste but our waters and air are also becoming polluted and are a great concern also. Waste management in developing countries and especially the middle-eastern countries such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen and others, mainly consists of collecting waste and dumping it in the streets or in landfills or simply by the use of burn pits, ignoring all environmental and potential health hazards it creates on both the environment and its inhabitants, human and animal alike. So the best approach of needs assessment process would be direct observation, community interaction to solicit concern, ideas, feelings and intuitions. There is no proper waste collection system: waste is dumped on the streets, different types of waste are not collected separately, there are no controlled sanitary landfill sites and citizens are not aware of the relationship between ways of disposing off waste and the resulting environmental and public health problems.(WWFPAK,n.d.) 2 In the United States we are so far ahead of other countries when it comes to the collecting and processing of waste items, but the effects of years of neglect by people in this country has caused long-term effects that are permanent to our environmental health. As our country becomes more populated and people ignore regulations put in place to improve the environment then we will see the many unhealthy effects from improper trash disposal. The Talloires Declaration is a declaration for sustainability concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the depletion of natural resources. (ULSF 2001) It seems that we are not able to save the growing nation from the ongoing spread of many diseases. But, I think that raising the educational awareness in the area of waste collection and waste disposal is increasingly important from a global standpoint. In conclusion I have briefly discussed how I would conduct a community needs assessment plan and I have also examined solid waste and hazardous solid waste management issues in the community as well as global. References: 1 Cam Escoffery, Kathleen R Miner, & Jane Trowbridge. (2004). Conducting Small-Scale Community Assessments. American Journal of Health Education, 35(4), 237-241. Retrieved April 23, 2011, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source. (Document ID: 679672971) 2 WWFPAK (n.d.). Municipal Solid Waste Factsheet. Retrieved from the web on 2/14/11 at Municipal Solid Waste Factsheet 3 ULSF 2001. Talloires Declaration. Retrieved on April 23, 2011 from http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires.html