Waste is defined as residue from a business and/or human activities. In other words, waste is left over from an activity that is no longer useful or/of economic value. There are different types of waste such as liquid waste, solid waste, organic waste, recyclable waste, and hazardous waste. These waste materials have a negative impact if not managed properly. Therefore, this article is focusing on identifying the negative impacts of improper waste disposal in Dili, Timor-Leste and providing and alternative solutions to reduce the negative impact of improper waste disposal in Dili, Timor-Leste.
which leads to negative impacts such as floods, water contamination, different kinds of health issues, damage the environment and marine ecosystem such as soil contamination, air contamination, and impacts on animals and marine life, etc.
Improper waste disposal also damage the environment and marine ecosystem such as soil contamination, air contamination, and impact on animals and marine life. Soil contamination is a crucial issue caused by the improper waste disposal, as some of the waste like plastic bottles that end up in landfills releases harmful chemicals that leak onto the ground, which not only affected the plants growth, but also unhealthy for humans and animals that depend on these plants (Negative effects, 2018, Para. 2). Waste containing harmful chemicals such as bleach and acids should be disposed of properly, some paper and plastics are burned in landfills, releasing gasses, and chemicals that damage the ozone layer, and waste that release the dioxins also dangerous and poses a health risk when it spread into the air that we breath (Para. 3). In Dili, Timor-Leste marine life such as corals, turtles, and fishes are affected by the improper waste, turtles and fishes consume the plastics and other chemical materials that end up in the ocean, and then again people consume fishes, but we do not realize that we throw the waste careless that polluted the ocean (Almeida, 2019, Para. 4). This issues shows that proper rules, regulations and actions need to be taken, in order to avoid such kinds of impacts.
Dili is the capital city of Timor-Leste with a population around 150,000 (Worldometer, 2022, Para. 5). This is the large population in Timor-Leste. Due to the large population that lives in Dili, the waste issue become a huge problem in Dili. This is because the population lacks awareness and they throw waste everywhere and not in a proper place,
Soares (2021), stated that "floods that occurs in Dili, which destroy the population's houses and stuffs are caused by the throwing of waste that is not in a proper place, so during rainy season it blocked the drainages, blocked the ways that water flows to, thus lead to flood" 
(Para. 2). This is because of a lack of waste awareness by the
community and lack of policy implementation. In addition, the floods not only affect the population's houses and stuffs but also destroy the infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and schools. On the other hand, this floods also leads to a negative impact on clean water such as damage to the water supply pipe, and blocked the drainage, water contamination with different kinds of chemicals and waste or hazardous materials, which in result leads to water pollution and a lack of clean water for the community.
community and lack of policy implementation. In addition, the floods not only affect the population's houses and stuffs but also destroy the infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and schools. On the other hand, this floods also leads to a negative impact on clean water such as damage to the water supply pipe, and blocked the drainage, water contamination with different kinds of chemicals and waste or hazardous materials, which in result leads to water pollution and a lack of clean water for the community.
Apart from that, improper waste disposal also caused different kinds of health issues such as asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chilewood cancer, infections diseases, low birth weight, premature labor, bacteria, vermin, and insects can also be added to the problem that trash causes (Acevedo & Down, 2019, Para. 4). This shows that throwing the waste in a proper place is crucial, in order to avoid such kinds of health issues. In Dili, Timor-Leste improper waste disposal caused health issues such as dengue and malaria, it affected both children and elder. According to the Daily weekly news (2012), found that "during rainy season dengue affected children and elderly due to the improper waste disposal, which gives space to the mosquitoes to let its eggs to survive and increase its numbers, that leads to cause dengue and malaria when bites human from a person to another" ( Para. 5-6). This is because people are still stubborn and do not keep the waste in a proper place.
Based on the above negative impacts of improper waste disposal in Dili, here are some of the alternative solutions that need to be addressed in order to reduce such kinds of negative impacts in Dili, Timor-Leste.
- Firstly, there should be a socialization from the government and the relevant authorities regarding improper waste disposal, in order to educate the community to throw the waste in a proper place.
- Secondly, should create strict rules and regulations to regulate the community. The local authorities should control the community to make sure that they follow the rules. If anyone breaks the rules they should be punished like compensation (or any other punishment).
- Thirdly, the sanitation team should collect all the waste that population keeps in every waste place in every environment everyday to dispose properly in a certain place, for instance like Tibar (the place that is appointed by the government for waste disposal).
- Last but not the least, the government, the relevant authorities, and local policy makers should work together and monitor continuously to make sure that everything works according to the rules that have been established. In addition, there should be revision if anything needs to be changed.
Sources:
Acevedo and Down 2019: https://www.earthday.org/how-our-trash-impacts-the-environment/
Almeida 2019: http://www.tatoli.tl/2019/04/22/proteje-ambiente-no-tasi-labele-soe-lixu-arbiru/
Daily Weekly News 2012: https://www.thediliweekly.com/tl/notisias/kapital/908-komunidade-soe-foer-arbiru-presiza-sosializasaun-husi-governu
Soares 2021: https://www.thediliweekly.com/tl/notisias/18993-seps-apela-ba-komunidade-labele-soe-foer-arbiru-hodi-evita-inundasaun
Negative effects 2018: https://skipthetip.com/10-negative-effects-of-improper-rubbish-removal/
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