University of Asia Pacific

Department of Civil Engineering

Course Lecture Plan (Tentative)

Course Code: CE 431 Credit Hour: 2.0

Corse Title: Environmental Engineering III (Solid Waste Management)
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, Assistant Professor

Topics No. of Classes

1. Introduction to Solid Waste Management 2

Definition of solid waste

Background of solid waste management
Composition of solid waste
Management of solid waste

2. Sources and Characteristics of Solid Waste 4

Classification of solid waste

Generation rates
Physical properties
Chemical properties
Proximate analysis
Methods of sampling and measurement
Variations in quantity and composition of solid waste
Forecasting future quantities

3. Source Reduction, On-Site Processing and Storage of Solid Waste 2

Source Rreduction
On-site processing and collection of waste
Implementation of source reduction and on-site processing
Calculation of source reduction
On-site storage

4. Collection and Transfer of Solid Wastes 5

Classification of collection system

Point of collection
Frequency of waste collection
Street cleansing
Transfer stations
Collection vehicles

5. Recycling and Reuse 2

Significance
Present practices
Recycling processes
Resource recovery options
Material recovery facilities
 Full stream processing facilities

6. Anaerobic Digestion 2

The mechanism of anaerobic digestion

Environmental factors affecting anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic treatment processes and present practices
Biogas technologies
Environmental aspects

7. Composting 1

Introduction
Composting process
Composting metods

8. Thermal Treatment 1

Incineration
Processes of thermal treatment
Pyrolysis
Thermal gasification

9. Land Disposal 4

Landfill classification
Stages of decomposition in a typical landfill
Planning, design and operation of sanitary landfills
Groundwater monitoring and corrective action
Landfill completion

10. Hazardous waste treatment 2

Definition of hazardous waste

Hazardous waste management
Treatment of hazardous waste

References:
1. Solid and Hazardous Waste Management - M.Habibur Rahman and Abdullah Al-
Muyeed
2. Environmental Engineering-Howard S. Peavy, Donald R. Rowe and George
Tchobanoglous
3. Class Notes

Grading Policy:
Class Assessment & Attendance 10%
Class Tests 20%
Mid Term Exam 20%
Final Exam 50%

Note: 2 out of 3 class tests will be counted.

 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

What is WASTE?

• According to United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD):

"Wastes are materials that are not prime products (that is products produced for the market)
for which the generator has no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of production,
transformation or consumption, and of which he/she wants to dispose. Wastes may be
generated during the extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw materials into
intermediate and final products, the consumption of final products and other human activities.
Residuals recycled or reused at the place of generation are excluded."

Figure: Schematic Illustration of the EU Legal Definition of Waste

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
SOLID WASTE-

Solid waste means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply
treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials including solid, liquid,
semi-solid, or contained gaseous material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural
operations, and from community activities.

Categories of Solid Waste-

There are many types of wastes defined by modern systems of waste management:

 municipal solid waste(MSW)

 construction wasteand demolition waste(C&D)

 institutional waste, commercial waste, and industrial waste (IC&I)

 medical waste(also known as clinical waste)

 hazardous waste, radioactive waste, and electronic waste

 biodegradable waste

Examples of Solid Waste-

• waste tires

• septage
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
• scrap metal

• latex paints

• furniture and toys

• domestic refuse (garbage)

• discarded appliances and vehicles

• uncontaminated used oil and anti-freeze

• empty aerosol cans, paint cans and compressed gas cylinders

• construction and demolition debris, asbestos

Waste Dumping Sites in Developing Countries

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
Comparative Scenario

Developed country Developing country

Waste management includes reduction, reuse, Waste management means waste dumping at a
recycling, composting, and land filling. site and composting naturally.

Landfill is designed from engineering and Waste is disposed to Low lying area and it will be
environmentally point of view. developed in future. In Dhaka at Matuail, recently
semi-aerobic landfill have been developed there.

Area available for developing Landfill. Densely populated, area is limited.

Recyclable materials such as plastic, rubber, paper, Since, recyclable materials have good sale value,
metal, wood etc. have no salvage value. Government unemployed poor people make their living by
allocates fund and taking various steps for collection of collecting and selling them.
recyclable material before sent to landfill.

Labor rate high, shortage of manpower, that’s why Cheap labors, product from recyclable materials
many cases reproduce from recyclable materials bears are less costly.
more cost, to some extent it’s more expensive.

Solid Waste Generation Scenario of DHAKA city( in 2004)

Features:

• Population and growth rate: 6.61 million (5.52%)

• Water and sanitation 80% and 44%

• Solid waste management:

Generation about 5000 t/d

Collection 50%

Dumping 2600 t/d

Illegal dumping 2400 t/d

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
Recycling 140 t/d (at source) + 290 t/d (scavenger)

Composting 2 t/d by Waste done by (NGO)

Objectives of Management of Solid Waste

Proper planning is needed to manage solid waste for its effective final disposal to prevent reintroduction
into the environment. The main objective of waste management is to achieve adequate control over
different stages of waste management and it should be compatible with the following achievable
principles:

• Public health- decrease in disease

• Environmental well-being- to ensure more hygienic and pollution free living conditions

• Effective use of technologies- adaption to cost- effective and environmentally clean technology.

• Responsiveness of stakeholders- It involves proper integration of multidisciplinary stakeholders

and functions (legal, planning, administrative, political, engineering, financial as well as waste
generators). An effective plan can only be made if all groups involved in the management
system are fully motivated and they clearly understand the problems.

• Costs- optimization of resources

Effects of Poor Solid Waste Management

Environmental Concern

Society now demands the solid waste management should consider both short-term and long- term
effects on the environment (including conservation of resources and prevention of pollution) and the
system should be reliable and environmentally compatible.

Risks associated with poor management of solid waste:

• Breeding ground for diseases carriers.

• Spread of disease by animals and other vectors, and food.

• Spread of diseases by direct contact.

• Air pollution

• Contaminated water.
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
• Fire risk - piles of waste and gas generated by these present a fire risk.

• Connection to other services.

• Environmental pollution.

Financial Effects

• The management of solid waste absorbs a huge amount of the municipal budget and
the cost of public cleansing, transportation, and transfer is much higher in low-and
middle-income countries compared with that of industrialized countries.

• Indirect financial loss involving the costs associated with the environmental damage and
overall waste mgt. expenditures.

• The optimization of the productivity of collection vehicles and workers involved in public
cleansing & collection services can improve the situation to achieve greater efficiency
and cutting the cost of solid waste mgt. systems.

The table below (by Cointreau-Levine – 1994) estimated the municipal solid waste management costs:
Costs in US$/capita/yr (as % of income)

Low-income Middle-income Industrialized

country country
country

Collection 3 to 6 9 to 21 42 to 72

(0.9 to 1.7) (0.5 to 1.1) (0.2 to 0.4)

Public cleansing 0.6 to 1.2 1.8 to 4.2 4.2 to 7.2

(0.2 to 0.3) (0.1 to 0.2) (0.02 to 0.04)

Transfer 0.62 to 1.0 1.5 to 4.5 9.0 to 12.0

(0.2 to 0.3) (0.1 to 0.2) (0.05 to 0.07)

Disposal 0.2 to 0.6 0.9 to 3.3 9.0 to 30.0

(0.05 to 0.2) (0.05 to 0.2) (0.05 to 0.2)

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
Composition of Solid Waste

The composition of solid waste depends on a number of factors:

• Living standards, lifestyle, culture, and religious habits of people, availability of resources,
geographic location, season of the year, climatic condition, and the like.

• Both industrialized countries and developing countries contain a huge amount of putrescible
materials (from the preparation & consumption of foods, papers, paperboard, garden waste and
similar materials which decomposes rapidly).

• Industrialized countries contain 55% of putrescible materials of total MSW whereas in

developing countries it is 90%.

• Industrialized countries contains higher% of papers than in developing countries.

Selected material composition (%) of solid waste in industrialized and developing countries:

City/country Putrescible Paper metal glass Plastic,rubber textiles Miscellaneous

including
paper

Bangladesh 66.0-90.0 1.0- --- --- 1.0-4.0 1.0-7.0 7.0-19.0

7.0

India,Banglore 76.7 1.5 0.1 0.2 0.9 3.1 19.0

United States 61.6 38.5 7.7 5.5 9.9 6.8 6.0

United 53.0 32.0 8.0 9.0 11.0 2.0 8.6

Kingdom

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
Functional Elements Included in Solid Waste Management System

• Waste generation/ source

• On-site processing and storage

• Primary collection.

• Communal storage

• Transfer station

• Secondary collection

• Intermediate treatment, recycling, and resource recovery

• Final disposal

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
Waste Generation/ Source:

• Waste generation encompasses activities in which materials are identified as no longer being of
value and are either thrown out or gathered together for disposal.

On-processing and storage Primary collection:

• Processing (includes separation of waste components and resource/ energy recovery) and
storage at or near the point of generation.

Communal Storage:

• Picking up of waste from sources by external bodies and transport to transfer station (if any) or
closely located disposal sites.

• Collection of waste by community organizations/voluntary organizations from source and

transport to communal bins/collected points.

Transfer Station:

• Common in low-income countries (for all categories of waste), storage at communal bins,
containers or designated places for picking up of solid waste by external organizations.

Secondary Collection:

• This element involves two steps:

i) The transfer of wastes from the smaller collection vehicle to the larger transport equipment.
ii) The subsequent transport of the wastes, usually over long distances, to a processing or disposal site.

Recycling, processing, resource recovery:

• Picking up of waste from secondary storage sites ( communal collection points or transfer
station) and

• Transport to final disposal sites.

• Includes separation of waste components and resource/ energy recovery at different stages
beyond the source of generation.

Final disposal:

Treatment plant and /or final destination of waste:

• Landfill is generally considered to be final disposal of wastes (land spreading of all solid wastes,
wastes collected and transported directly to a landfill site mostly in developing countries).
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2
• It also receives residual materials from materials recovery facilities (MRFs), residue from the
combustion of solid waste (e.g. ash), compost or other substances from various solid waste
processing facilities.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2

Fig: Waste collection system in Dhaka city

Energy Generation

Energy can be generated from solid waste in 2 different ways :

• Waste-to-Energy Plants (Incineration or biochemical processing ) :This type of generator burns

trash (that would otherwise go to the landfill) to create energy.

• Landfill Gas to Energy (LFGTE): This type of plant gets energy from the gas emitted by the
landfill.

Several technologies have been developed that make the processing of MSW for energy generation
cleaner and more economical than ever before, including landfill gas capture, combustion, pyrolysis,
gasification and plasma arc gasification.

The huge amount of putrescible solid waste can be converted to useful products or energy through
combustion or biochemical processing particularly-anaerobic digestion and composting.
Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a type of biofuel. Biogas is produced by anaerobic
digestion or fermentation of biodegradable materials such as biomass, manures, sewage, municipal
waste, green waste, and plant material and energy crops.

In Bangladesh the best possible use of the organic portion of solid waste through biogas generation can
supply clean cooking energy for about 50% of total population (Rahman, 1994 and Rahman, 1997).

Composting is nature's way of recycling & is relatively simple to manage. Since approximately 45 - 55%
of the waste stream is organic matter, composting can play a significant role in diverting waste from
landfills thereby conserving landfill space and reducing the production of leachate and methane gas. In
addition, an effective composting program can produce a high quality soil amendment with a variety of
end uses.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 1, 2

Fig: Proposed recycling and resource recovery system in urban centers

Rational steps in integrated waste management:

• Minimize waste and hazard

• Maximize waste recycling and reuse

• Recover energy

• Promote environmentally clean and economically feasible technologies – attempt for cost
effectiveness.

• Expand collection and disposal services

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Types of Waste Materials

Biodegradable materials:

• Degraded easily by microorganisms (either aerobic or anaerobic), into their basic

elements.

• Most organic solid wastes are biodegradable.

Putrsecible materials:

• Decompose rapidly, particularly in warm weather, and unless carefully controlled,

develop objectionable odours.

Non-putrescible material:

• Decompose very slowly.

• Plastic and polythene bags for shopping are classed under this category.

Refuse materials:

• Putrescible and non-putrescible materials wastes that is discarded or rejected including,

but not limited to , garbage, rubbish, incinerator residue, street cleaning, dead animals
etc.

Lechate :

• Comprises liquids seeping from solid waste as it degrades and decomposes. It generally
contains decomposed waste, water and microorganisms.

• In landfills, lechate percolates through soils, causing surface and groundwater pollution.

Categories of Solid Waste

• Household-residential

• Commercial/trade

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
• Instuitional

• Treatment plants

• Municipal

• Hazardous

• Healthcare

• And so on.

Quantity of Solid Waste

• The quantity of waste is required to know before attempting to identify appropriate

types of collection, waste collection routes and vehicles, material recycling and recovery
facilities, and waste treatment and /or disposal facilities.

• The quantity of waste by source of generation is important in establishing collection

design and financial strategies.

• The figures on collected waste are more reliable than the figures on waste generation.

Rate of Generation

• The generation of waste calculated as the total collected waste divided by the
population.

• The rates of generation are low in low-income countries or communities when

compared to the rates of generation in industrialized countries or wealthier
communities.

• It changes along its flow path from the generating source to final disposal depending on
how much material /resources are recycled or recovered at different stages of the solid
waste mgt.

Factors affecting the generation rates:

• Status of development of the country

• Socio-economic conditions

• Availibity of resources

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
• Geographic location

• Attitude of waste generators and / or manufactures.

• Availability and enforcement of laws to regulate waste, and promote recycling and
resources recovery.

• Culture

• Season of the year

• Level of technological advancement.

Table 3.1: Suggested rates of generation of municipal solid waste

(where reliable data is not available, especially for developing countries)

Source MSW generation rate (kg/capita/day)

Residential 0.3 – 0.6
Commercial 0.1 – 0.2
Street sweeping 0.05 – 0.2
Institutional 0.05 – 0.2
Industrial 0.1 – 1.0
(Source: Contreau-Levine, 1982)

Composition of Solid Wastes

Nature and composition of solid waste is essential in selecting:

• Method of storage
• Method and frequency of collection
• Equipment used for collection
• Size of workforce
• Potential for resource recovery
• Choice of method of disposal
• Environmental impact

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
Table 3.2: Composition of solid waste in different cities of Bangladesh

% by dry weight
Constituent
Range Typical
Food waste 65 – 88 78
Paper 1–7 3
Plastic, rubber 1–4 1.5
Textiles 1–7 2.5
Glass, metals, ceramics, grass, other construction material 7 – 19 15
(Source: Rahman and Muyeed, 2010)

• In order to design an effective material recovery and recycle system, knowledge of the
individual materials present in the waste stream is as important as the general trend in
the quantity.

• To meet this objective, more detailed compositional analyses have been undertaken in
some countries. In United States sample data sheet developed for detailed
compositional studies.

• Physical, mechanical, chemical and biological properties are important in addition to the
composition of waste (presented in sample data sheet) , when organizing effective
waste management programs.

Physical properties:

1) Density

• Density is the mass occupied by a unit volume of material.

• A high-density volume waste capture system can reduce the volume in a solid waste
mgt. significantly reduces the cost of: collection, transportation and final disposal.

• Density plays an important role of choosing the size and nature of collection vehicle,
capacity of treatment and disposal facilities (area required for a certain tonnage of
storage).

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
• The densities of waste in countries with low per capita income are high (because they
contain a higher proportion of organic material, ashes, soil and relatively small particle)
compared to that in industrialized countries.

• Compacting equipment is not required on collection vehicles handling waste from low-
income communities where the density of the waste is often high whereas this
equipment is essential to reduce the volume of waste in industrialized communities
where relatively low-density waste is found.

• The composition of materials and the variations in their shape and size, play an
important role in changing the density of a waste stream.

• The bulk density (kg per cubic meter) of waste is generally determined by dividing the
total weight of the waste found in the collection container (compacted or uncompacted)
by its volume.

2) Moisture content

• The ratio of the amount of water present to the total weight of waste material for a
given waste stream. The percentage of moisture content in solid waste is generally
determined by one of the following equations:

• Moisture content (wet weight method)=100(Ww – Wd)/Ww

• Moisture content (dry weight method)=100(Ww – Wd)/Wd

• Where, Ww=wet weight of sample

Wd=dry weight of sample.

3) Size distribution

• Waste is composed of many discrete objects of different sizes. The size of objects may
influence the collection and disposal system used, such as diameter of the storage bins.

• Size distribution is important in designing the collection vehicles and mechanical

recovery system, and in designing biological treatment methods.

• Size distribution can be measured using manually-manipulated screens and reported as

size distribution curves (which represent cumulative percentages of matter passing
through increasing screen size.)

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
Chemical properties

1) Ultimate analysis
• It is an analysis used to ascertain the percentage of each element present in a waste
sample.
• It frequently involves the % of the five primary elements shown below:

Table 3.3: Ultimate analysis of solid waste (percent by weight in dry basis)

• An ultimate analysis comprises a mass balance analysis of chemical and thermal

processes. It is apparent that the four elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen
make up the bulk mass of the materials listed and ash contains both residues from the
combustion of the organic matter in the waste and in many situations, a percentage of
inorganic material.

2) Proximate analysis

• Proximate analysis is used to evaluate the combustion properties of solid waste and to
determine the possibility of its use in combustion system.

• It frequently involves the determination of moisture content, volatile combustible

matter, fixed carbon and ash content.
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
Table 3.4: Proximate analysis and calorific value of solid waste

3) Fusing point of ash

• This is the temperature at which the ash resulting from the burning of waste will from a
solid clinker by fusion and agglomeration.

• The typical fusion temperatures for the formation of clinker from solid waste range
between 11000C and 12000C (Tchobanoglous et al., 1993).

4) Energy content

• It is essential of an organic fraction of solid waste for evaluating its potential for use as a
fuel in a combustion system.

• Determined using bomb calorimeter and estimated by Dulong formula:

Energy content (kJ/kg)= 338.2C + 1430( H – 1/8 O) + 95.4S

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
PROBLEMS TO SOLVE

Example 1: Determine the energy content/value of a typical sample of municipal solid waste
(MSW) of 100 kg with the average composition shown as in the table (3.5) below.

Table 3.5: Physical constituents of a typical municipal solid waste sample

Solution:
1. Determine the energy value for each of the constituent of MSW using the following equation

Energy content (kJ/kg)= 338.2C + 1430( H – 1/8 O) + 95.4S

And the data in Table 3.3, mentioned before.

Table 3.6: Energy value for each of the constituents of MSW

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
2. Determine energy values using a computation table

Table 3.7: Computation of energy content for MSW

Now, the energy content for the given MSW sample = 1790385/100 = 17904 kj/kg

Example 2: Determine the energy content/value of 100 kg of a typical MSW sample as given in
the following table (3.8).

Table 3.8: Physical constituents of a typical municipal solid waste sample

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
Solution:

1. Prepare a summary table of the data provided.

Mass of constituents = 28.7 + 3.32 + 16.4 + 1.72 + 0.6 + 4.1 = 54.4 kg

Therefore, moisture content = 100 – 54.4 = 45.6 kg

2. Convert the moisture content in step 1 to Hydrogen and Oxygen mass

a. Hydrogen = 2/18* 45.6 = 5.06 kg

b. Oxygen = 16/8* 45.6 = 40.53 kg

3. Prepare a revised summary table computing percentage of the chemical constituents of

MSW

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
4. Estimate the energy content of the waste using the following equation and the data from
step 3

Energy content (kJ/kg) = 338.2C + 1430( H – 1/8 O) + 95.4S

= 338.2 × 28.7 + 1430 (8.38 – 1/8 × 56.93) + 95.4 × 0.16
= 11,527

Methods of Sampling and Measurement

Factors to be considered choosing sampling points:

• Proper selection of sampling points and collection of representative samples are both
essential in quantifying and characterizing solid wastes.

• Before sampling one should clearly understand the objectives of the analysis (e.g.
whether this data will be used to optimize collection vehicles or to plan a disposal
system).

• In high-income countries there is , in general , an insignificant change in the quantity

and quality of waste in their flow cycle from source to final disposal site. (unless there
are intermediate formal recycling or recovery processes). Moreover, it is easy to identify
the no. of households served by a particular collection system.

• In low-income and/or middle income countries, due to extensive informal recycling,

quantities and characteristics of solid waste vary widely. Often it is difficult to identify
the no. of waste generators and the origin of the waste (household, industrial,
commercial, etc). Even municipal cleaners (involved in street cleaning) are observed to
dispose of their collected waste into communal waste storage bins or storage points.

• The moisture content of waste collected from open storage bins may not be
representative, and will depend on the prevailing weather conditions.

Methods used in determining the quantity, the composition & the physico-chemical
properties of solid waste are:

1. household survey methods

2. load-count methods

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
3. material balance methods

Variations in quantity & composition of solid waste

• The quantity of waste generated varies from country to country, city to city and even
from generator to generator.

• The quantity and composition of household waste varies with population density as well
as with the people's living standards.

• The amount of commercial waste varies with the nature of local commerce.

The UK Institute of waste mgt (c.1992) reported the significant changes with time in the
quantities and composition of solid waste in UK (table below)

Table 3.9: Composition of household waste in UK

Forecasting future waste quantities

• An assessment of probable quantities and composition of waste to be handled is

essential when planning, designing, financing, and regulatory decision -making of a
waste mgt. system.

• To provide an accurate estimate of future waste quantities, the planner or designer

should consider the changes over time for a wide range of factors including:

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 3
 Rate of population growth

 Waste generation rate

 Waste characteristics

 Degree of commercial and industrial development

 per capita consumption

 Future policy directives and their effect on waste mgt. practices

• There are many models for estimating the quantity and characteristics of waste in
industrialized countries as for example mathematical models.
• In developing countries due to lack of such data, they commonly used to extrapolate the
per capita daily waste generation rates into the future.

• More recently the macro-economic factors that cause, or drive, changes in waste
generation have been used as a basis for predicting the quantity of waste that is likely to
be generated in the future. The factors are:

 Population and the waste generation per capita

 Income

 Gross national product (GNP)

 Personal consumption expenditure (PCE)

Reference book:

Solid and Hazardous Waste Management – M. Habibur Rahman and Abdullah Al-Muyeed

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Functional Elements of Integrated Solid Waste Management

(1) Waste minimization and hazard reduction

(2) On-site processing and storage

(1) Source Reduction:

• Source reduction means reducing the amount and /or toxicity of waste before it enters
the municipal waste management system or is discharged into the environment.

• At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janerio in

1992, (Agenda 21) an agreement among the participating nations emphasized that
reducing waste and maximizing environmentally sound waste, recycling and reuse
should be the first step in waste management.

• The term “Source Reduction” is used to describe waste minimization, waste utilization
and hazard reduction at source.

• Waste minimization refers to waste avoidance through the actions of the waste
generators to avoid generating solid waste.

• Waste utilization comprises actions that make the waste a useful product or raw
material for other processes, eliminating the need for disposal.

• Hazard reduction means finding ways to reduce the toxicity of waste.

Significance of Source Reduction:

Source reduction has a significant impact on a waste management system, as it reduces both
the quantity and the toxicity of the waste. It helps to promote the efficient use of discarded
products and resources, as they have not been contaminated by the toxic or contaminated
waste removed at source. This saves the cost of construction, operation and maintenance of
centralized waste treatment and disposal options.

It has other beneficial consequences in relation to climate change issues:

1. It reduces the consumption of energy through reuse of goods by consumers and use of
minimum quantities of materials in industry. This leads to the production of fewer
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
products, which ultimately saves the energy required to collect raw materials, to
produce the products, and to transport them to the consumers.

2. Emissions at treatment and disposal sites are reduced.

3. Pressure on vegetative cover and trees are decreased as source reduction minimizes the
demand for raw materials for new products.

Advantages of source reduction and on-site processing-

• Generation of clean recyclable material

• Removal of hazardous material from general waste streams in order to minimize
health risks to the general population, particularly the waste handlers
• Improved working condition within waste recycling plants
• Improved efficiency of energy recovery processes. It helps to operate the waste
treatment system cost-effectively
• Improved quality of end-products
• Minimization of overall waste management cost

Main strategic options to minimize waste as well as reduce hazards at source:

• Decreasing consumption of products

• Resource recovery
• Reduction of toxicity
• Awareness development

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
Table 4.1: Main strategic options for waste minimization and hazard reduction at source

(2) On-site Processing:

On-site processing includes separation of components and treatment of solid wastes at or near
the source of generation. The key concepts around on-site processing are:
 Resource recovery to generate less waste
 Hazard reduction
 Separation of different fraction of waste

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4

Significance of On-site Processing:

• On site processing is one of the most effective and sustainable ways to achieve resource
recovery.
• It reduces hazards and diverts different fractions of material present in the waste
stream to locations for appropriate treatment in the solid waste mgt.
• It reduces the quantity of general waste and minimizes the toxicity of the general waste
stream (if hazardous materials are diverted).
• It minimizes the cost of the operation and reduces maintenance problems of biological -
treatment and recycling technologies. The economic viability of most biological
treatment options largely depends on separation of waste materials at source.
• Without sorting at source, expensive pre-sorting and final refining technologies are
required in central treatment plants to process mixed wastes.
• Within an industrial setting, on-site processing reduces waste treatment costs,
minimizes the regulatory burden and maximizes production economics.

Source Separation and Collection System in Developed Countries Vs Developing

Countries:

• Most developed cities or countries (North America, Australia, Japan, Korea etc) have
adopted municipally – sponsored source separation and collection system. In some
cases, separation of post-consumer materials by waste generators has been made
mandatory (IETC, 1996).

• For example, in Japan and Australia, cities have implemented laws and regulations
governing disposal that bans substances such as batteries, tires, waste oil, CFC gases,
etc. In Japan, to ensure that separation of waste is carried out properly; households are
required to use transparent plastic bags for waste disposal, so that collection crews can easily
identify the contents.

• In many developing countries a large number of people who are involved in informal
waste trading, resource recovery and waste processing are exposed to severe health
risks. They often lack of technological and financial resources needed to improve their
traditional systems.

• In many instances, the most common problem in the poorer parts of the developing
world is that there is a considerable overlap between administrative and enforcement
authorities concerning environmental control, particularly in the field of waste mgt.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
Collection Systems Based on Common Practices:

Mixed (commingled) materials:

 The most traditional system, involves collection of all (non- separated) wastes from
residential and commercial establishments as well as from industrial enterprises.

 External actors either collect mixed waste from the source of generation, or the waste
generators are responsible for bringing their waste to communal collection points or
containers.

Source separated materials:

 Waste material that have been separated at source are collected and transported to
recycling and resource recovery facilities which generally done by formal sectors in
industrialized countries and

 This task is often done by the informal sectors in poorer parts of the developing
countries or by the waste generators who are responsible for bringing their waste to
communal collection points or containers designated for different fractions of the
waste.

 A common practice in industrialized countries is for the generators to be responsible for

delivering selected separated materials and bulky waste (furniture, garden waste etc) to
drop-off centers and buy-back centers.

 If external factors involved in the collection system, then color coded bags, bins or roll-
out containers are given to the waste generators for sorting appropriate fractions of
waste for collection by external actors.

Waste collection containers and box:

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4

Communal bin:

Processing and collection methods for some of the commonly on-site recyclable and
recoverable materials:

(1) Dry recyclable materials

 Collection of dry recyclable (paper, glass, metal, and plastic) is common both in
industrialized and developing countries. In industrialized countries, a single –material or
mono-material bank is one of the most popular forms of material recovery process. In
Europe using this method high levels of glass recovery have been achieved. Similar
examples can be seen in Bangladesh that customers are required to pay a deposit for
the bottles when buying beverages. They get back the money when the empty bottles
are returned (Rahman, 1993).

 Collection of mixed dry recyclables either from communal collection points (particularly
from high rise buildings) or from the other sources of waste generation, is practiced in
some countries which leads further expensive sorting at material recovery facilities.

(2) Biodegradable materials:

 In industrialized and developing countries a substantial parts of wastes is biodegradable

organic wastes .The digestion of these waste, particularly at landfills, produces a very
strong leachate and greenhouse gases and become a great threat to the environment
but represent a significant source of renewable energy.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
 In waste treatment technologies based on establishing a natural eco-balance,
composting and fermentation should be the main routes for the treatment of waste
containing organic matter. The organic fraction of solid waste can be used for biogas generation,
aquaculture and / or composting and these techniques can be applied near or at the source of
generation (e.g, anaerobic digestion, home composting). If this waste is not treated on –site, it
can be treated at a central treatment unit.

 In the UK, the community Composting Network (CCN) is actively involved in popularizing
home composting of source-separated biodegradable material, using a home
composting bin for kitchen waste.

Fig. Green bin used in home composting

(3) Hazardous materials:

 Hazardous waste contains materials which are difficult to dispose of or which put
human health or environment at risk because of their chemical or biological nature.

 It includes tubes, batteries, bulbs, lubricating oil, coatings, decorative paints, tires,
pharmaceutical, refrigerants etc.

 These wastes are found in relatively small quantities compared to the total volume of
household waste, their presence significantly influences the available treatment options
and the market for end products. It is therefore very important to handle the hazardous
wastes separately.

 In developing countries a large fraction of hazardous substances (like batteries, tyres,

paints, pharmaceuticals etc) escape the waste stream, mostly because of their waste

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
trading. Whereas in Industrialized countries attention has been given to separate these
materials.

 Hazardous wastes from other sources such as commercial or trade premises, civic
amenity services, treatment plants and construction and demolition sites contain
materials similar to those found in household hazardous waste. These fractions of wastes are
small but potentially highly polluted for human and environment whose separation at source
can minimize the costs of waste treatment. If these wastes are not treated on-site, can be
treated on at a central treatment unit, but increase the overall waste mgt. costs.

PROBLEMS TO SOLVE

Example 1: Effect of home recovery on energy content of collected solid wastes

Using the typical percentage distribution data given in Table 3.5 (Lecture 2), estimate the
energy content of the remaining solid wastes if 80% of the cardboard, 70% of the paper and
90% of the wood is recovered by the homeowner.

Solution:

From Lecture 2 (Example 1) -

Table 3.7: Computation of energy content for MSW

Now, the energy content for the given MSW sample of 100 kg = 1790385 kJ
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
Energy content by 80% cardboard = 0.8× 61460 = 49168 kJ

Weight of 80% cardboard = 0.8 × 4 = 3.2 kg

Energy content by 70% paper = 0.7× 527520 = 369264 kJ

Weight of 70% paper = 0.7 × 35 = 24.5 kg

Energy content by 90% wood = 0.9× 54270 = 48843 kJ

Weight of 90% wood = 0.9 × 3 = 2.7 kg

Now, the total energy after recovery = 1790385 – 49168 – 369264 – 48843

= 1323110 kJ

Total weight after salvage = 100 – 3.2 – 24.5 – 2.7 = 69.6 kg

Energy content per kg after recovery = 1323110 / 69.6 = 19010 kJ/kg

Implementation of source reduction and on-site processing:

Source reduction and on-site processing can be effectively implemented by raising

public awareness (through education programs, legislation, etc) to change the behavior
of consumers and industries, and to place the responsibility for certain products on
manufactures (product-stewardship) throughout the products entire life cycle including
its disposal.

The success of source reduction and on-site processing depends primarily on:

1. Competence of waste generators

2. Motivation of waste generators

3. Economic incentives

4. Convenience

5. Environmental education

6. Legislation

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
1. Competence (Ability) of waste generators:

• Home composting and biological treatment of organic waste is promoted in some

communities to reduce the quantity of waste.

• It is evident from Forrest et al.(1990) that households in Leeds, UK are able to sort their
waste into six different categories with a 96.5% success rate. A survey was conducted on
43 municipalities in Italy where the dominant (paper & compostable organic waste)
were separated at source and excellent quality of material was collected (97% to 99%
compostable).

• This eliminated the need for expensive pre-sorting and final refining technologies in
central composting plants (Warmer, 2000e).

2. Motivation of waste generators:

• It is apparent from the waste prevention and minimization study undertaken for the
European Commission's Environment Directorate that many industrial sectors
independently initiate voluntary measures to reduce the hazardous nature or quality of
the waste they generate (Warmer, 2000d).As a part of solid waste minimization
schemes (White et al., 1996), production improvement as well as product changes have
been introduced by many companies. These measures include internal recycling of
materials & on-site energy recovery.

3. Economic incentives:

• Warmer (2000e) has shown that economic incentives reduce garbage collection
quantities, and simultaneously increase ways in which waste is used. Informal recycling,
in poorer parts of developing world, is very effective because of waste trading.

4. Convenience:

• It is evident from Lardinios and Furedy(1999) that daily collection of separated organic
wastes was considered more important in Hanoi than incentive such as bins or even
payments.

5. Environmental education:

• Effective public education & participatory programs always improve public involvement
and motivate waste generators to cooperate with waste mgt. policies and services.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
• They may also change traditional waste disposal habits, encourage source reduction and
on-site processing and thus increase waste mgt. efficiency.

6. Legislation:

• Legislation action (with proper enforcement) can be used to improve waste mgt.
practices. For example, legislation in Italy provided a strong impetus to overhaul waste
mgt. systems.

Calculation of Source Reduction:

• Source reduction for a given period of time involves the following formula:

Source reduction=(projected waste generation at a given time) – ( actual waste

generation at that time)

• For a small community, this can be measured by conducting a survey at the source of
waste generation for a given period of time.

• For nationwide information, the estimate generally involves the calculation of the
difference between the amount of waste generated during a given period and the actual
amount of waste generated during the period.

On-site storage:

• On-site storage is essential to contain waste prior to their collection. Solid waste may be
generated at source on a continuous basis throughout the day and night.

• The effectiveness and efficiency of a particular collection system largely depends on the
method of storage of solid waste at the point of collection.

• It is generally collected by external actors once a week (particularly in cold climate) or at

some other appropriate interval depending on the quantity and type of waste and also
the climate.

On-site storage of solid waste is influenced by a number of factors including:

• Type of storage containers used

• Location of storage containers

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
• Public health and aesthetics

• Availability of resources for waste mgt.

• Available methods for waste collection & further transportation.

Storage at source or near source of generation may be broadly classified as:

1) Individual storage on premises – in high income and low-density areas, individual

closed storage containers placed on the premises may be a more feasible option for
storing waste materials.

2) Communal storage – in high-density areas, communal (large) container storage may be

a more realistic option. These containers can be split into compartments to accommodate
different fractions of waste.

Present practices of on-site storage:

 At present both standardized (more common in industrialized countries) and non-

standardized (more common in poorer parts in developing countries) storage containers
are used to store waste materials at or near the source of generation.

 In industrialized countries, for single family residential sources, materials are collected
from the household in paper or plastic bags (sacks), or from paper or plastic bags placed
in a plastic or metal dustbin. Sometimes a paper or plastic is used within a metal or
wooden frame.

 The size and location of storage containers depends on the type of available collection
services. Rollout containers (wheeled containers) are used. Sizes of containers vary from
20 gallons to 50 gallons. The special rollout containers of 75 gallons to 120 gallons
capacities are used as a part of a mechanized collection system. A wide range of
container volume varying from 0.4m3 to 30m3 is used.

 For recyclable materials, special containers, such as “blue boxes” or large wheeled blue
or green bins are used to store waste materials at or near the source of generation.

 In many developing countries communal storage facilities are common; they are used to
store domestic, commercial, and industrial waste.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
 They include containers or enclosures ( both fixed or movable) made of concrete , brick,
metal, and wood and have capacities from 0.5 m3 to 10.0 m3.Empty oil drums and
sections of wide-bore pipes are used in certain localities.

 Small storage containers can be made from truck tyres and plastic and galvanized steel
bins. They have capacities ranges from 7.5 gallons to 50 gallons.

 Plastic buckets, boxes, clay pots, concrete or brick vats, temporary containers are used
also; they have capacities from 2 to 5 gallons.

 In many places in the poorer parts of the developing world, waste materials are simply
heaped on the street or on the ground because of the dearth or cost of containers.

Design of Storage Containers:

General considerations:

 Nature of waste

 Capacity margin

 Compatibility

 Standardization

 Efficiency

 Convenience

 Public health

 Social

 Cost

 Ownership

Capacity margin:

The design and selection of containers requires that an allowance that be made for a
margin of capacity over the average rate of waste generation. This allowance is
necessary because the cycle of production varies from day to day. As for example:
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 4
holidays and short periods after them usually give rise to significant surges in waste
generation.

Size of storage containers:

• Size of storage containers (m3) =(N*G*F)/D + capacity margin

Where,

N=number of population served (nos, cap)

G=average rate of waste generation (kg/cap/day)

F=weekly frequency of collection(=7 days/ numbers of collection trip)

D=density (kg/m3)

Table 4.2: Capacity margin of storage container

Excess capacity required (%)

Collection per week Communal
Individual
Attended Unattended
6 66 66 100
7 33 33 50

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Mathematical Problems on Physical Properties of MSW

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Moisture Content of MSW

 a −b
Moisture content (%) =   ×100 ……………………….. (5.1)
 a 

Where, a = initial mass of sample a delivered = wet mass

b = mass of sample after drying = dry mass

Example 5.1: Estimate the moisture content of a solid waste sample with the following
composition

Solution:

(1) Calculating dry mass

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Note:

• The moisture contents (%) are taken from typical moisture content values in Table 10-4,
mentioned before.

• Dry masses are calculated using equation 5.1, mentioned before. For example – for food
waste,

70 ×15
Dry mass = 15 − = 4.5 kg
100

(2) Determining moisture content

 100 − 79 
Moisture content =   ×100 = 21%
 100 

Density of MSW

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Example 5.2: Estimate the “as-discarded density” (without compaction) of a solid waste sample
with the following composition

Solution:

Components Percent Mass Typical density Volume *

by mass (kg) (kg/m3) (m3)
Food waste 15 150 290 0.52
Paper 45 450 85 5.29
Cardboard 10 100 50 2.00
Plastic 10 100 65 1.54
Garden trimmings 10 100 105 0.95
Wood 5 50 240 0.21
Tin cans 5 50 90 0.56
11.07
*Based on a 1000 kg sample of waste

Density of the sample = 1000/11.07 = 90.33 kg/m3

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Mathematical Problems on Chemical Composition of MSW

Energy content (dry basis)

100
kJ/kg (dry basis)= kJ/kg (as discarded) …………………………….. (5.2)
100 − %moisture

Energy content (ash-free dry basis)

100
kJ/kg (ash-free dry basis)= kJ/kg (as discarded) ……… (5.3)
100 − %ash − %moisture

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5

Example 5.3: Estimate the energy content of a solid waste sample with the following
composition. What is the content on a dry basis and on an ash-free dry basis?

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Solution:

(i) Total as-discarded energy content

(ii) Energy content on a dry basis

Moisture content of the sample = 21 % (From Example 5.1)

100
Energy content on a dry basis = 14740 = 18658 kJ/kg
100 − 21

(iii) Energy content on an ash-free dry basis

Let, ash content = 5%

100
Energy content on ash-free dry basis = 14740 = 19919 kJ/kg
100 − 5 − 21

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Chemical Content

Modified Dulong Formula:

 O
Energy Content (kJ / kg ) = 337C + 428 H −  + 95S …………….. (5.4)
 8

Where, C = carbon content

H = hydrogen content

O= oxygen content

S = sulfur content

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Example 5.4: Derive an approximate formula for the organic portion of a solid waste ample
with the composition given below

Solution:

Step (1) Computation of the chemical composition of the waste sample

Step (2) Summary of mass data

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
Step (3) Converting the moisture content to hydrogen and oxygen

Hydrogen = (2/18)×20.9 = 2.32 kg

Oxygen = (6/18) )×20.9 = 18.58 kg

Step (4) Revised mass data summary

Step (5) Computing molar composition of elements

Step (6) Determining the approximate chemical formula with and without sulfur

(a) Computing normalized mole ratios

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 5
(b) Chemical formula with sulfur : C718.2H1708O759N7.8S

(c) Chemical formula without sulfur : C92.7H220.4O97.9N

Step (7) Estimating energy content of the waste

 51.1 
Energy content kJ / kg = 337(36.3) + 1428 7.3 −  + 95(0.1)
 8 

[Using equation 5.4 and values from Step 4]

= 12233 + 1303 + 9.5 = 13546

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Waste Collection System:

Solid Waste collection system (by external stakeholders) involves collection of waste from its various
sources or from communal storage facilities and transportation of this waste into collection vehicles and
unloading of waste from collection vehicles at communal collection points, processing places , transfer
stations and final disposal sites.

This system is the largest cost functional element in most municipal solid waste management systems
whereas its efficient management can result in significant cost savings.

Classification of Collection System:

The following divisions of collection systems may help the solid waste manager to optimize the design
and operation of collection services more efficiently, particularly if a wide range of collection vehicles is
required.

They are:

1. Primary collection

2. Secondary collection

1. Primary Collection System:

The first stage of collection system which involves the transportation of collected waste from or near
the source of generation by external stakeholders to the final disposal sites but more often it involves
transportation to communal collection bins or points, processing or transfer station.

Although this service is not common in poorer parts of the developing world, but increasing no. of micro
enterprises and (or) community based organizations forming in wealthier communities (both in
industrialized and developing countries) perform this task.

2. Secondary collection System:

It involves the collection of waste from communal bins, storage points or transfer station and
transportation to the final disposal site.

Solid waste collection systems are classified on the basis of the availability of collection services, the
mode of operation and type of waste materials collected.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
The basic collection scheme on the basis of availability of services is categorized into four groups. They
are:

Communal system

Block system

Kerbside/ Alley collection

Door- to -door collection

Communal system:

This system is common (for all categories of waste) in low-income countries where cost savings is more
important than service provision, as this system reduces considerably the no. of collection points. In this
system waste generators are responsible for bringing their waste to one or no. of (if a separate
collection system exists for different fractions of solid waste) communal collection points or bins.

The principal disadvantages of this system is that containers or collection points are located in a public
place which in many situations , leads to indiscriminate disposal of waste outside the container.

Hence, the economy of this system mostly depends on public-co-operation. It is therefore essential to
pay more attention to improving the design, operation & maintenance practices of a communal system
to increase public acceptance and to optimize the productivity of this system.

Communal systems in many industrialized countries are common for a selected fraction of waste
materials such as waste generators are expected to bring their bulky items (furniture or household
electrical appliances) & garden waste to central collection sites, material banks & drop-off centers. The
use of portable storage containers maximizes the productivity of labour and vehicle of such collection
system.

Block Collection:

Waste generators are responsible for bringing their waste to collection vehicles (vehicles follow are
predetermined route at prescribed intervals) at the time of collection. The collection vehicles generally
stop at all street intersections or selected collection points & a bell is rung on their arrival so people can
bring their waste to the collection vehicles.

This system has low to medium labour and vehicle productivity, but it minimizes the spread of waste on
streets.

A regular and well organized collection services is essential so that generators know exactly when to
bring out their waste.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
Kerbside/Alley Collection Method:

Waste generators place the waste containers or bags (sacks) on the kerb or in the alley on a specific day
(or specific days) for collection by external actors. They retrieve their containers from the kerb or alley
after the waste has been collected.

This method is most common in industrialized countries and in the wealthier communities of some
developing countries.

A regular and well organized collection service is essential so that generators know exactly when to
leave out their waste. In case of irregular collection, generators may place their storage container
permanently at the kerb. The sparse collection system (once weekly) may be a cost effective option
even in developing economies.

Door- to-door collection:

In this method, generators place waste containers at their back gate or intermediate vicinity of their
property on a specific day (or days) for collection. The collection crews enters each property , takes out
the containers or bags & if appropriate sets the containers back after emptying waste into collection
vehicles.

This is more common in industrialized countries, but an increasing no. of micro enterprises and/ or
community based organizations are forming in wealthier communities in many developing countries.

This system involves increased labour costs compared to the Kerbside/alley connection method as it
involves entering all premises.

In dustbin exchange system, each member of collection crews starts the day with a clean standard
dustbin, which is taken to and deposited at the first property. The full containers is carried out &
emptied into the collection vehicle, & this empty bin is then taken into the next property.

This system has yet to be receiving public attention, but as with the use of bags for waste it maximizes
the productivity of crew, as retrieval of containers is not required.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
Table 6.1: Comparison of various methods of solid waste collection

Table 6.2: Typical values for haul constant coefficients, m and n

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
Table 6.3: Typical data for computing equipment and labour requirements for hauled and stationary
container collection

Collection methods on the basis of mode of operation may be broadly categorized into two systems

1. Hauled containers - In this system an empty container (known as a drop-off box) is hauled to the
storage site to replace the container that is full of waste, which is then hauled to the processing point,
transfer station or disposal site.

2. Stationary containers -In this system, containers used for the storage of waste remain at the point of
collection. The collection vehicles generally stop alongside the storage containers and collection crews
loads the waste from the storage containers into the collection vehicles and then transport the waste to
the processing, transfer or disposal site.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7

Definition of term

The activities involved in collection of solid wastes can be resolved into four unit operations: pick up,
haul, at-site and off route.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
Table 6.4: Definition of term for the activities involved in the collection of solid wastes

Hauled container system:

Thcs = Time required per trip, which also corresponds to the time required per container, is equal to the
sum of pick-up, at-site and haul times and given by the following equation:

Thcs = PThcs + q + m+ nx

where,

PThcs = pick-up time per trip for hauled – container system, h/trip

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
q = at-site time per trip, h/trip

m= empirical haul constant, h/ trip

n = empirical haul constant, h/ km

x = round- trip haul distance, km/trip

PThcs = the time spent picking up the loaded container, the time required to redeposit the container
after its contents have been emptied and the time spent driving to the next container.

PThcs = pc + uc + dbc

where, pc = pick-up time per trip, h/trip

uc = time required to unload empty container, h/trip

dbc = average time spent driving between container locations, h/ trip( determined locally)

Haul time (hhcs): the time required to reach the disposal site, starting after a container whose contents
are to be emptied has been loaded on the truck plus the time after leaving the disposal site until the
truck arrive the location where the empty container is to be re-deposited . Time spent at the disposal
site is not included.

hhcs = m + nx

Where, m= empirical haul constant, h/ trip

n = empirical haul constant, h/ km

x = round- trip haul distance, km/trip

Md = The number of trips that can be made per vehicle per day with a hauled – container system,
including a factor to account for off-route activities, is determined using equation,

Md =
(1 − W )L − (t1 + t 2 )
Thcs

Where, Md = no. of trips per day, trip /d

L= length of the working day, h/d

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
W= off-route factor, expressed as a fraction

t1 = time from garage to the first container location, h

t2 = time from garage to the last container location to garage, h

Assuming that the number of containers to be emptied per week is known, the time required per week
can be estimated by,

Dw = Nw [PThcs + q + m+ nx]/ {(1- W ) * L }

If weekly number of trips is unknown, it can be estimated as follows:

Nw = Vw /Cf

Nw = number of trips per week, trip/ wk

Vw = weekly waste generation rate , Yd3 / wk

C = average container size carried per trip, Yd3 / trip

f = weighed average container utilization factor

Stationary Container

Tscs = PTscs + q + m+ nx

Where,

Tscs = Time required per trip, for stationary container system,

PTscs = pick-up time per trip for stationary container system, h/trip

q = at-site time per trip, h/trip

m= empirical haul constant, h/ trip

n = empirical haul constant, h/ km

x = round- trip haul distance, km/trip

PTscs = the time spent in loading the collection vehicle, beginning with the stopping of the vehicle prior
to loading the contents of the first container and ending when the last container to be emptied have
been loaded.
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
PTscs = Ctuc + (S-1) (dbc)

Where,

Ct= Number of container emptied per trip, h/trip

uc= average time required to unload container, h/container

S = Number of container pick up locations per trip,

dbc = average time spent driving between container locations, h/ location( determined locally)

Haul time (hscs )= the time required to reach the disposal site, starting after last container on the route
has been emptied or the collection vehicle is filled plus the time after leaving the disposal site until the
truck arrives at the location of the first container to be emptied on the next collection route . Time spent
at the disposal site is not included.

hscs = m +nx

Where, m= empirical haul constant, h/ trip

n = empirical haul constant, h/ km

x = round- trip haul distance, km/trip

The number of containers that can be emptied per collection trip is related directly to the volume of the
collection vehicle and the compaction ratio that can be achieved. This number is given by:

Ct = Vv z / VC f

Where,

Vv = volume of collection vehicle, m3 /trip

Vc = container volume , m3 / container

z= compaction factor

f = weighted container utilization factor

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 6, 7
The number of trips required per day, trips/d

Mdc = Vd/ Vv Z

Where,

Mdc = number of collection trips required per day, trips/d .

Vv = volume of collection vehicle, m3 /trip

Vd = daily waste generation rate, m3 /d

z= compaction factor

L = length of the working day

L=
(t1 + t 2 ) + M dc (PTSCS + q + m + nx )
1−W

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 8
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Point of Collection:

Access to the solid waste storage point for waste collection requires special attention in planning and
approval of bld. Plans and design, particularly in towns and cities.

The choice of collection of storage and collection points mostly depends on:

Access to the property (housing).

Physical characteristics of the property.

Availability of waste management resources.

The common collection services available to particular types of properties, particularly in industrialized
countries.

Detached dwellings:

Block collection, kerbside/alley or door-to-door collection services are all practical for detached
dwellings (a small cottage to a luxurious villa).

The detached dwellings are surrounded by a garden or a walled courtyard is suitable for door-to-door
collection. The waste generators can place their bins outside the house and use of proper storage
containers (protected from rain, diseases carriers, view) minimizes the demand for frequent collection
while in tropical climate, frequent collection may be required to minimize the odour nuisance.

Terraced dwellings:

Block collection, kerbside/alley or door-to-door collections are common in terraced dwellings (no. of
single or two-storey dwellings in a continuous block). If there is an access to the back yard or a small
walled courtyard in the front of house, then door-to-door collection is suitable. From small portable bins
and roll- out containers are used in here.

Low and medium -rise dwellings:

Block collection, kerbside/alley or door-to-door collection are also practiced at low and medium-rise
dwellings .Apartment blocks which have balconies at the rear, can be reached by external staircase, if
bins are kept, door-to-door collection is possible otherwise waste crews can go to the door of each
apartment to collect waste bins or bags; alternatively communal bins or containers may be placed at a
convenient location for waste collection.
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 8
High – rise dwellings:

The following waste handling and storage methods are commonly practiced:

Waste generators are responsible for bringing their waste to no. of selected small bins or communal
containers placed in a suitable location within their premises.

Bld. maintenance personnel or porters are responsible for bringing their waste to communal containers.

Communal containers receive waste through waste chutes (to reduce volume in conjunction with waste
chute large waste compactor are used in industrialized countries).

Frequency of waste collection:

The frequency of waste collection by external stakeholders greatly influences the waste collection costs
and depends on a no. of factors such as:

Quantity of waste

Rate of generation

Characteristics of waste

Climate

Density & type of housing

Availability of space within the premises

Size & type of storage facilities (small, large, individual or communal)

Attitude of generators

Available resources

The countries have tropical and sub-tropical climates need frequent collection of waste as the
decomposition of organic /putrescible fractions of solid waste occurred rapidly than in the countries of
temperate climate. More frequent collection may be necessary in the case of block / kerbside collection
to improve convenience of waste handling for generators and collection crews.

Street Cleansing:

Street waste generally arises from public behavior, littering in the street. In many developing countries;
however, this waste also arises from failure / inadequacy of waste collection services which leads to
generators to dispose of their waste in the streets.
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 8
The cost of removing waste which has been scattered in the street is much higher than that of collecting
the same waste from their source of origin.

The street cleansing is a very important part of solid waste management, because absence of this
service can block drainage systems, can be hazard to traffic, and ultimately can pose a serious threat to
public health and the environment.

The street cleansing can be both manually and mechanically by using a wide variety of tools and
equipment. Although mechanical equipment is widely used in industrialized countries, many developing
countries still rely on the manual labour working with small tools (brooms, shovels & handcarts).

The ways to minimize environmental damage and to maximize the cost-effectiveness of the street
cleansing services:

1. Expansion of collection services

2. Minimization of street waste by education campaign (also law enforcement)
3. Optimization of systems (both labour and equipment)
4. Selection of appropriate tools and equipment

Transfer Station

Definition:

 A transfer station is a building or processing site for the temporary deposition of waste. Transfer
stations are often used as places where local waste collection vehicles will deposit their waste
cargo prior to loading into larger vehicles. These larger vehicles will transport the waste to the
end point of disposal in an incinerator, landfill, or hazardous waste facility, or for recycling.

 In the future, transfer stations could be equipped with material recovery facilities and with
localized mechanical biological treatment systems to remove recyclable items from the waste
stream.

 A materials recovery facility or materials reclamation facility or materials recycling facility (MRF -
pronounced "murf") is a specialized plant that receives, separates and prepares recyclable
materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers. Generally, there are two different types:
clean and dirty MRFs.

• Benefits of transfer station:

 Costs--The main reason for waste transfer is to optimize the productivity of vehicles and
collection crews as they remain closer to routes, while larger vehicles make the longer trip to
processing and disposal sites and ultimately reduces overall costs. It can also be integrated with
other functional elements of integrated waste management options (recycling , resources
recovery & waste –to- energy facility) to improve overall waste mgt. performance.
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 8
 Minimize collection vehicle routing complexities-- Makes the planning process more flexible and
a combination of human & animal powered small motorized and more sophisticated vehicles
with hydraulic or pneumatic system can be used in different areas depending on the accessibility
to those areas and collection method.

 Provide an opportunity to increase waste density-- In areas where compaction vehicles are not
available , transfer station may be use d to compact the waste so that greater quantities can be
carried( most economical) at once to the final disposal sites.

 Minimize illegal waste dumping--Particularly in developing countries where the human-and –

animal powered and small motorized vehicles are used for the collection of waste are often
unsuitable for traveling long distances.

 Can serve as a controlled place for sorting and processing the waste- Particularly in many low-
income countries where a thriving informal economy exists in recycling of waste, these stations
can minimize health hazard and may limit the amount of waste picking that is done in the
streets, which will reduce the amount of waste that is scattered around communal bins and
waste accumulation points.

 Minimize traffic congestion—It reduces the no. of vehicles for long distance haulage and may
reduce fuel consumption thus reduce environmental pollution.

 Reduce maintenance costs of collection vehicles—These vehicles stay on well paved roads and
are not traveling on rough roads, particularly in landfill sites.

 Improve waste dumping efficiency at final disposal site– A reduced no. of vehicles at the
disposal sites.

The main problems of transfer station:

 Increased traffic volume, noise and air pollution in the surrounding areas .

 Unless they are properly maintained there is a potential for environmental damage (lechate,
odour, disease carriers, aesthetic and similar problem) in surrounding areas.

In the planning and design of transfer station a no. of factors should be considered:

• Location- governed by the proximity of the collection route, access to the major haulage routes,
isolation from the community.

• Quantity of waste to be transferred/ handled

• Types & no. of primary and secondary vehicles served.

• Types of transfer operations( recycling, resource recovery, garage for vehicles etc.).

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 8
• Equipment requirements( depends on activities at a particular transfer station).

• Waste characteristics.

• Climate.

• Sanitation provision.

• Costs.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 9
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Problem on Hauled-Container Collection System

Solid waste from an industrial park is to be collected in large containers, some of which will be
used in conjunction with stationary compactors. Based on traffic studies on similar parks, it is
estimated that the average time to drive from the garage to the first container (t1) and rom the
last container to the garage (t2) each day will be 15 and 30 minutes respectively. If the average
time required to drive between containers is 6 minutes and the one-way distance to the
disposal site is 30 km (speed limit: 88km/h), determine the number of containers that can be
emptied per day, based on a 7-hr working day.

Solution: pc = pick-up time per trip, h/trip

(a) Determine the pick-up time per trip, PThcs uc = unloading/depositing time for
empty container, h/trip
PThcs = pc + uc + dbc
dbc = avg time spent driving
= 0.5 + (6/60) = 0.6 h/trip
between container locations,
h/trip

pc + uc q

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 9
(b) Determine the time required per trip, Thcs

Thcs = PThcs + q + m + nx q = at-site time per trip, h/trip

= 0.6 + 0.129 + 0.016 + 0.011 × 30 × 2 m = empirical haul constant, h/trip

= 1.40 h/trip n = empirical haul constant, h/km

x = round trip haul distance, km/trip

(c) Determine the number of trips per day, Md

Md =
(1 − W )L − (t1 + t 2 ) W = off-route factor = 0.17 (assumed)
Thcs
L = length of working day, h/d = 7 h
= [(1-0.17) × 7 – (0.25+ 0.5)]/ 1.40
t1 = time from garage to first container
= 3.11 trips/d location, h = 15/60 = 0.25 h

Md (actual) = 3 trips/d t2 = time from last container location

to garage, h = 30/60 = 0.5 h

(c) Determine the actual length of the working day

3 = [(1-0.17) × L – (0.25+ 0.5)]/ 1.40

L = 6.75 h (essentially 7 hrs)

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 9
Problem on Stationary-Container Collection System

Solid wastes from commercial area are to be collected using a stationary-container collection
system having 5 cubic meter containers. Determine the appropriate truck capacity for the
following conditions:

• Container utilization factor = 0.70

• Average number of containers at each location = 2
• Collection vehicle compaction ratio = 2.5
• Container unloading time = 0.15h/container (uc)
• Average drive time between container location = 0.15h
• One way haul distance = 25km
• Speed limit = 88 km/h
• Time from garage to first container location = 0.35h
• Time from last container location to garage = 0.25h
• Number of trips to disposal site per day = 2 (Mdc)
• Length of working day = 8h

Solution:

(a) Determine the time available for each trip, Tscs L = 8h

L = [(t1 + t2) + Mdc (Tscs)]/(1- W)
W = 0.15 (assumed)
Tscs = [{8× (1-0.15)} –(0.35+0.25)]/ 2
t1 = 0.35 h
Therefore, Tscs = 3.1h
t2 = 0.25 h

Mdc = 2

(b) Determine the pick-up time per trip, PTscs q = 0.15

Tscs = PTscs + q + m + nx m = 0.016
PTscs = 3.1 – [0.15 + 0.016 + 0.011×25×2] m = 0.011
= 2.38 h/trip
x = 25 km

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 9
(c) Determine the number of containers emptied per trip, Ct

PTscs = Ct uc + (S-1) dbc

PTscs = 2.38 h/trip
2.38 = Ct × 0.15 + (0.5Ct – 1) × 0.15
uc = Container unloading time = 0.15
Ct = 11.24 = 11 containers/trip hr/container (for scs)

dbc = 0.15 h

Ct = number of containers emptied per trip,

container/trip

S = number of container pick-up locations

per trip, locations/trip

= Ct /2 (as 2 containers/location)

[ 1 location = 2 containers

Therefore, S locations = 2S containers

So, Ct = 2S , i.e. S = Ct /2]

(c) Determine the required capacity of the collection vehicle, Vv

Ct = (Vv × z)/ (Vc × f)

Ct = 11 containers/trip
3
Vv = 15.4 m
z = compaction ratio = 2.5
3
16 m or nearest standard size can be used.
Vc = container volume, m3/container = 5 m3

f = weighted container utilization factor = 0.7

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 9
Problem on Economic Comparison of Transport Alternatives

Determine the break-even time for a stationary-container system and a separate transfer and
transport system for transporting wastes collected from a metropolitan area to a landfill
disposal site. Assume the following cost and system data are applicable.

1. Transportation costs:
(a) Stationary-container system using an 18 m3 compactor = $20/h
(b) Tractor-trailer transport unit with a capacity of 120 m3 = $25/h
2. Other costs:
(a) Transfer station operating cost, including amortization = $0.40/m3
(b) Extra cost for unloading facilities for Tractor-trailer transport unit = $0.05/m3
3. Other data:
(a) Density of wastes in compactor = 325 kg/m3
(b) Density of wastes in transport units = 150 kg/m3

Solution

1. Convert cost data to units of $/ton. min

(a) Stationary-container system:

Operating cost = ($20/h)/(60 min/h) = $0.33/min
Tons/load = (18 m3 × 325 kg/m3)/ (1000 kg/ton) = 5.85 ton
Therefore, operating cost = ($0.33/min) / 5.85 ton = $0.0564/ ton. min
(b) Transfer-transport system:
Operating cost = ($25/h)/(60 min/h) = $0.42/min
Tons/load = (120 m3 × 150 kg/m3)/ (1000 kg/ton) = 18 ton
Therefore, operating cost = ($0.42/min) / 18 ton = $0.0233/ ton. min
(c) Transfer station cost:
Operating cost = ($0.40/ m3)/ (0.15/ton) = $2.67/ ton
(d) Unloading cost:
Operating cost = ($0.05/ m3)/ (0.15/ton) = $0.33/ ton

2. Prepare a plot of cost versus haul time in minutes and determine break-even time.
(a) Fixed cost for transfer and transport system:
Cost/ ton = $2.67 +$ 0.33 = $3.00
(b) Variable cost at 100 min:
(i) Stationary container system
Cost/ton = ($0.0564/ ton. min) × 100 min = $5.64 /ton
(ii) Transport system
Cost/ton = ($0.0233/ ton. min) × 100 min = $2.33 /ton

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 9
(c) The above data are plotted in the following figure, where the break-even point is found as
83 min.

10 SCS with direct haul Transfer transport system

8
Break-even time = 83 min
6
Cost, $/ton

0
0 25 50 75 100 125

Round-trip driving time to disposal site, min

Comparison of two systems:

(i) Before the break-even time, SCS seems to be more economic

(ii) At break-even time, two systems are indifferent.

(iii) After the break-even time, transfer transport system seems to be more economic

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Solid Waste Collection Vehicle:

Selection of Collection Vehicle:

The careful selection of appropriate vehicles is crucial for a well functioning solid waste
management. The general considerations for selecting a suitable vehicle are:

1. Territory- hilly, plain land, density of housing

2. Type of properties- detached dwellings , high – rise dwellings, commercial bld. etc

3. Transport regulation- permitted maximum load

4. Travel distance- distance to communal / transfer station or final disposal

5. Integration- possibility of integration with existing practices

6. Performance- convenience( loading height), material loading/ unloading efficiency ,

operating dimensions, and turning radius, safety mechanism

7. Access road- width of road, type of surface, corner radius, maneuvering space

8. Storage facilities- enclosure, bins, roll-out bins, bags, etc

9. Quantity of waste- rate of generation and frequency of collection

10. Waste characteristics- constituents, abrasive, dense, low-density

11. Traffic levels- vehicles should be harmonious with existing traffic

12. Standardization- minimize overall maintenance costs

13. Payload capacity- the amount of waste that can be carried depends on the weight of
vehicles( i.e, vehicles with lower body weight can carry more waste)

14. Size of cab- often it is overlooked although it does not cost much

15. 0Technical know-how- availability of skilled labour for operation and maintenance

16. Cost- capital, operation, and maintenance cost

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
Types of Collection Vehicle:

A range of waste collection vehicle types, from the basic human- and – animal powered
vehicle(handcarts etc) which is more common in developing countries, to the most
sophisticated motorized vehicles (world. more common in industrialized countries) , are useful
in different parts of the world.

Some of these vehicles have been specially designed for this purpose, while others were initially
intended for use in different activities.

Waste collection and transportation equipment (mostly used in industrialized countries),

depending on the types of collection bodies adapted and available with a compaction
mechanism, can be divided into 4 general categories:

• Compaction vehicle

• Semi-compaction vehicle

• Non-compaction vehicle

• Container handling systems

Compaction vehicle:

 Widely used in industrialized countries to compact waste before long-range

transportation, and in many cases this is done during collection.

 The heavy weight of the body a compacting mechanism ( in the range of 3-5 tons)
reduces the payload capacity of the vehicle and thus increases operation and
maintenance costs.

Non-compaction vehicles:

 Solid waste in developing countries is typically of higher density , so pay full load of
waste collection vehicles can be obtained without any compaction mechanism.

 In many industrialized countries , these vehicles are also used to carry specific waste(
large bulky items, furniture etc).

 However , non-compaction collection vehicles generally require a larger body than

compaction vehicles to attain their full payload.

Examples:
Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
• Open trucks/ high – sided open –top- vehicles

• Tractor and open trailers, Side loading roll-top vehicles, Front loading high-sided
enclosed vehicles etc.

Semi-compaction vehicles:

Side – loading , moving barrier semi-compaction vehicles, Fore-and-aft semi-compaction

vehicles, Side-loading –hopper semi-compaction vehicles.

Container handling systems:

 Container handling systems are used in attempt to reduce the loading time,and hence
maximize the productivity of the vehicles.

 The containers can be placed just about anywhere that space allows ; for example , at a
transfer station or throughout residential areas as communal bins.

 They are filled with waste while not attached to the vehicles and subsequently either
emptied into a vehicle on site, or collected and taken ( in case of hauled-container
systems) to the final disposal site for emptying.

Example:

 Truck-mounted front-loading container-handling vehicles

 Truck-mounted rear-loading container-handling vehicles

 Tractor and trailer container systems

 Container hoist vehicles

 Roll-on roll-off (hook lift) trucks

• Others transports are :

 Rail transport, river transport, pneumatic and hydraulic transport

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10

Maintenance of collection vehicles:

Purchase of waste collection vehicles does not solve the waste management problem unless
they are properly maintained. The overall productivity of a vehicle depends on the total
amount of time the vehicle remains operational during its productive life.
Generally vehicle maintenance is being carried out in the following two types:

1. Preventive maintenance
2. Breakdown maintenance

Preventive maintenance:
Preventive maintenance in the service of vehicle that occurs when they seems to be working
efficiently in order to identify problems before they occur. Preventive maintenance should be
carried out at regular intervals that are generally based on distance of a vehicle travelled or
hours of operation. Minor preventive maintenance activities should be carried out daily or
weekly.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
Breakdown maintenance:
Breakdown or crisis maintenance is the repair of the vehicle once problem have already
occurred. In the developing countries, this is the only sort of maintenance that occurs. It is easy
to plan and works to simply as a response to problems as they occur. However, it may lead to
long down times (the length of time that the vehicle is out of operation).

Collection vehicle routing

The selection of proper collection routes is important to maximize the productivity of

collection vehicles to reduce waste collection costs. The principal approaches to design the
collection routes may be broadly classified as:

• Heuristic

• Deterministic

Heuristic

This is an old system of assigning routes which mainly based on experience and intuition and
therefore depends on the experience of the users

In large urban centres, often micro-routing is done with equitable distribution of equipment
and labour taking the consideration of the following factors:

• identification of existing policies as regard collection and its frequency

• lowest street retracing

• Initiation of collection routes as close to garage as possible considering heavily travelled

routes.

• Rounds should be of a similar length (for similar vehicles) related mainly to the quantity
of waste that can be carried in the vehicle at one time ( and hence generation rates and
waste composition) but also related to distance and working hours of the collectors.

• Routes having traffic should be served before or after the rush hours.

• Large quantity waste sources should at the beginning of the day.

• In case of a one- way street, collection routes should began near upper end of the
street and working down it through the looping process.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10

• Using the above principal the steps involved in the heuristic method:

• Preparing the maps showing sources and quantities of solid waste

• Identification of introductory routes to develop balance routes by trial and error.

• Deterministic

• The deterministic approach attempts to detect the optimum solution through

developing mathematical models with the input of local data.

Economic costs - It includes:

• The economic costs of solid waste collection includes:

• Planning and design

• Procurement , operation and maintenance of waste collection equipment

• Skilled and unskilled labour and drivers involved directly in collection services

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
• A percentage of administrative costs

• Resource recovery( if there is a resource recovery system not a source but in the
collection stream)

Economics of collection-

To decide on the truck size that would provide the cheapest waste transport, it is need to
know the annual cost of owning and operating trucks including the cost of the crew that
makes the pick-ups.

Transfer station-

The cost of transfer station itself depends on many factors, including its size, local
construction costs and the price of land. In addition, transfer stations can employ a variety of
technological features that also contribute to costs.

 Calculation of economic costs

• Annual cost-In most cases, operating and maintenance costs are generally available as
annual costs, but often, capital costs are not available as annual costs. Thus the capital
costs can be converted into annual costs by multiplying the total capital cost by the
appropriate capital recovery factors (CRF):

CRF= [i (1 + i )N] / [(1 +i) N - 1]

where,

i= interest per annum

N= loan maturity period

 Present value

• In solid waste management , the present value( either cost of waste management or
weight of solid waste) are generally estimated by using a set of financial tables or the
following equation( Habitat)

PV= [ ct ]/ [(1 + r)t-1]

where,

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
c= cost incurred (or total tonnage of waste collected) in year t

r= opportunity cost of capital*

* Capital Opportunity Costs – This is the benefit/ profit that can be achieved by investing the
money in a profitable venture (for example, investing money in a share market, bank and
similar institutions). In developing countries, the profit margin often lies in the range of 8 – 15
percent, but the country often invest money to manage solid waste collection with the interest
rate of 0 – 4 percent.

Environmental costs:

The major environmental impacts associated with collection systems involve:

• Consumption of energy and generation of atmospheric emissions

• Production of storage facilities( e.g., bags, bins)

• Maintenance of storage containers

• Treatment (e.g, separation , home composting) of waste materials at sources

• Environmental benefits

Economics of Solid Waste Collection

To decide on the truck size that would provide the cheapest waste transport, we need to know
the annual cost of owning and operating trucks, including the cost of the crew that makes the
pickups.

Finding the annualized cost of each truck involves using an engineering economy calcuation in
which capital cost, amoortized over the lifetime of the vehicle, is added to the estimated annual
maintenance and fuel costs.

The relationship between the purchase price of capital equipment, such as trucks and the
amortized yearly cost is given by –

(
 i 1 + i)n 
A = P
)
( ) 
 1 + i ) − 1
n

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
where, A = annual cost ($/yr)
P = purchase price, ($)
i = interest rate, discount rate (yr-1)
n = amortization period (yr)

The quantity in brackets in the above equation is known as the “capital recovery factor”, CRF (i,
n). One way to interpret the equation is to think of A being annual payments that would pay off
a loan of P dollars in n years, if the loan interest is i (in decimal).

For example, a mid-size collection vehicle costing $180000, if amortized over a 5-yr period using
a 10 percent discount rate, would have an annualized cost of

(
 0.10 1 + 0.10) 5 
A = $180000
)
(
 1 + 0.10) − 1 
5
)

= $180000 × 0.2638/yr = $47484/yr

These vehicles are usually heavy and their start-and-stop driving pattern leads to very low fuel
efficiency – less than 2 miles per gallon is typical. An average truck drien 50 miles/day, 260 d/yr,
at 2 mile/gallon and $3 per gallon would cost almost $20000 per yr in fuel alone.

If maintenance, insurance and other costs are added, this typical packer truck can easily cost on
the order of $80000 per year, excluding the labor cost of the crew.

The annualized cost of a vehicle will depend on its size and usage. One approach to analyzing its
economics is to use a simple linear model as follows:

Annualized cost ($/yr) = α+ βV

where, α and β are empirically determined estimates based on a survey of available vehicles

V = truck volume

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
Problem: An Economic Analysis of Refuse Collection

Suppose the annualized cost of purchasing, fueling and maintaining a compactor truck is given
by the following expression:

Annualized cost ($/yr) = 25000 + 4000V

Where, V is the truck volume in cubic yards. Suppose these trucks require two person crews,
with labor charged at $24 per hr each (including benefits).

Perform an economic analysis of the collection system, in which a 14.4 yd3 truck collects refuse
from 340 households each day. Each household generates 60 lbs of refuse per week. The trucks
and crew work 5 days per week and curb-side pickup is provided once a week for each house.
What is the cost per ton of refuse collected and what is the cost per household?

Solution

Assuming 8-hr working days, for 5 days/week and 52 weeks/yr, the annualized cost of labor per
truck would be

Labor cost = 2 persons × $24/hr × 8 hr/d × 5 d/wk × 52 wk/yr Crew size = 2 persons / truck
= $99840/yr Labor charge = $24 per hr each

Annualized truck cost ($/yr) = 25000 + 4000 × 14.4

= $82600/yr Annualized cost = 25000 + 4000V
Truck volume, V =14.4 yd3

Total annual cost of truck and crew = $82600 + $99840 = $182440/yr

Over a 5-day week, 1700 households (5 × 340 = 1700) are served by each truck.

Refuse collected from 340 households per day

Refuse generation rate = 60 lbs/week

The total amount of refuse collected by 1 truck in 1 yr is

Annual refuse = (1700 households × 60 lb/week × 52 wk/yr) / 2000 lb/ton = 2652 ton/yr

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
Therefore, the annual cost per ton = ($182440/yr) / (2652 ton/yr) = $68.80/ton

Annual cost per household = ($182440/yr) / 1700 households = $107.32/yr

However, the total amount billed to each customer will be considerably higher after
incorporating transfer station fees, administrative costs, overhead, profits and so on.

Note:

Under the assumptions made in the analysis mentioned above, mid-sized trucks are optimum.
Larger trucks make fewer runs to the disposal site, but their capital cost is too high. On the
other hand, use of smaller trucks holds their capital cost down, but the extra time spent driving
back and forth reduces the number of customers served, which more than offsets that
advantage.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10

Transfer Stations
As convenient, local landfills close it is often the case that the replacement site is located many
miles away from the community that is being served. As that distance from the collection area
increases, it takes more and more time to haul the refuse to disposal site, which leaves less and
less time for each truck to actually collect the wastes.

At some point, it is better to construct a temporary repository for wastes dropped off by local
garbage trucks. Larger, long-haul trucks are then used to transport wastes from the transfer
station to the disposal site.

The cost of a transfer station itself depends on many factors, including its size, local
construction costs and the price of land. In addition, transfer stations can employ a variety of
technological features that also contribute to costs. For example –

(a) Simple transfer stations may consist of just a lightweight building shell with a thick concrete
slab called a tipping floor. Collection vehicles drop their refuse onto the tipping floor while a
front loader scoops it up and loads the transfer vehicles.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
(b) More complex facilities may include hoopers for direct deposit of refuse from collection
vehicles into transfer vehicles. They may also have compaction equipment to compress the
waste before loading.

Trucks that haul wastes from transfer stations to disposal site are usually large tractor-trailer
vehicles. The trailers may be open-topped or closed, but closed trailers are preferred since they
are less likely to spread debris along the highway and the wastes can be more easily compacted
in the trailer.

Open trailers carry on the order of 40 to 120 yd3 of refuse with densities of 200 to 300 lb/yd3.
Since the density of wastes in closed trailers may be higher (500 to 800 lb/yd3), closed trailers
are usually smaller (40 to 80 yd3) in order to keep the total vehicle weight below highway load
limits.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
Problem: Costs of a Transfer Station and Its Vehicles

A transfer station handling 300 tons/day, 5 days per week, costs $5 million to build and
$150000 per year to operate. An individual tractor-trailer costs $140000 and carries 15
tons/trip. Operation and maintenance costs (including fuel) of the truck are $50000/yr; the
driver makes $40000 per year 9including benefits). The capital costs of the building and transfer
trucks are to be amortized over a 10-yr period using a 12% discount factor.

Suppose, it takes 30 minutes to make a one-way trip from the transfer station to the disposal
site and 7 round trips per day are made. Find the transfer station and hauling cost in dollars per
ton.

Solution

( )
 i 1 + i ) n  0.12(1 + 0.12)10
CRF = 
CRF = Capital Recovery factor
=
( )
 1 + i ) − 1
n
(
1 + 0.1210 − 1 ) P = purchase price = $5000000
i = discount factor = 12% = 0.12
= 0.1770/yr n = amortization period = 10yr
Operating cost = $150000/yr

The annualized cost of the transfer station is therefore

$5000000 × 0.177/yr + $150000/yr = $1035000/yr

Station capacity = 300 tons/day

Per ton of waste, that works out to be Working period = 5 days/week

$1035000 / yr
Transfer station cost =
300ton / day × 5days / week × 52 weeks / yr

= $13.27/ton

Single truck cost = $140000

O&M costs of truck = $50000/yr
Driver cost = $40000/yr
The annualized cost of a single truck and its driver is Truck capacity = 15 tons/trip

$140000 × 0.177/yr + $50000/yr + $40000/yr = $114780/yr

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD
(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 10
Per ton of waste hauled, the truck and driver cost
Truck capacity = 15 tons/trip
$114780 / yr No of round trip = 7 trip/day
Truck and driver cost = (52 week/yr × 5day/week
15ton / trip × 7trips / day × 260day / yr
= 260 day/yr)
= $4.20/ton

Total cost of transfer station, trucks and driver = $13.27 + $4.20 = $17.47/ton

Here, $4.20/ton trucking cost was worked out for a particular trp time from transfer station to
the disposal site of 30 min (0.5 hr) each way. That is, it is $4.20/ton per 0.5 hr of distance
between transfer station and disposal site, or $8.40ton per hour of distance. The transfer
station itself has a fixed cost of $13.27/ton.

A variable trucking cost over variable trip time, along with the fixed cost of the transfer station
itself, results in the following graph.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 11
CE 431
Solid Waste Management
(Credit 2.0, Class Period 2 hours/week)

Collection vehicle Routing Layout

The layout of collection routes is a four step process.

(i) Prepare location maps. On a relatively large-scale map of the area to be serviced, the
following data should be plotted for each solid-waste pick-up point: location, number of
containers, collection frequency and if a stationary-container system with self-loading
compactors is used, the estimated quantity of wastes to be collected at each pick-up location.

(ii) Prepare data summaries. Estimate the quantity of wastes to be collected from pickup
locations serviced each day that the collection operation is to be conducted. Where a stationary
container system is used, the number of locations that will be serviced during each pickup cycle
must also be determined.

(iii) Lay out preliminary collection routs starting from the dispatch station or where the
collection vehicles are parked. A rout should be laid out that connects all the pickup locations to
be serviced during each collection day. The rout should be laid out so that the last location is
nearest the disposal site.

(iv) Develop balanced routes. After the preliminary collection routs have been laid out, the haul
distance for each route should be determined. Next, determine the labor requirements per day
and check against the available work times per day. In some cases, it may be necessary to
readjust the collection routes to balance the work load and the distance traveled.

After the balanced routes have been established, they should be drawn on the master map.

Collection vehicle Routing Schedule

A master schedule for each collection route should be prepared for use by the engineering
department and the transportation dispatcher. A schedule for each route, on which can be
found – the location and order of each pickup point to be serviced, should be prepared for the
driver. In addition, a route book should be maintained by each truck driver.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 11
Problem on Laying Collection Routes

Lay out collection routes for the residential area shown in the accompanying figure. Assume the
following data are applicable:

1. General

(a) Occupants per resident = 3.5

(b) Solid waste generation rate = 1.6 kg/person.d

(c) Collection frequency = 7 day/week

(d) Type of collection service = curb

(e) Collection vehicle capacity = 20 m3

(f) Collection crew size = one person

(g) Compacted density of solid wastes in collection vehicle = 325 kg/m3

2. Route constraints

(a) No U-turns in streets

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 11
(b) Collection from each side of street with stand-up right-hand-drive collection vehicle

Solution

1. Determine the number of residences from which wastes are to be collected

Residences = 10 × 16 + 4× 36 + 1× 28 = 332

2. Determine the compacted volume of solid waste to be collected per week

Vol/wk = (332 residences × 3.5 persons/residence × 1.6 kg/person. d × 7d.wk) / 325 kg/m3

= 40.0 m3/wk

3. Determine the number of trips/wk

Trip/wk = (40 m3/wk) / (20 m3/trip) = 2

4. Determine the average number of residences, from which wastes are to be collected each
day

Residences/ trip = 332 / 2 = 166

5. Lay out collection routs by trial and error, using the route constraints cited above as a guide.
The two routes are shown in the figure.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)
 CE 431
Solid Waste Management
Lecture – 11

Note: It should be noted that there is no single correct solution to this problem. It just works
out that some solutions are better than others when they are implemented. It is only with
experience that an intuitive sense can be developed about the layout of collection routes.

Course Teacher: Kazi Shamima Akter, PhD

(Assistant Professor)