SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT

Solid waste is a problem that must be properly managed in order to protect the
human health and environment and preserve the natural resources. Many do not
realize that solid wastes also make a definite impact on the climatic change. The
manufacturers, users, distributers of the products as well as the disposal of the
resulting wastes all results in emission of the atmospheric gases- “Green House gases”
which has affected the earth’s environment to a large extent. When the organic wastes
decompose on the landfills and uncontrolled it produces the methane gases one of the
major greenhouse gases contributing to a drastic change in the surrounding climate
and the environment.

Solid waste management is one of the basic essential services provided by

municipal authorities, NGO, private sector to keep the clean cities. Solid waste
management include the collection, transporting, treatment and disposal of solid waste
together with monitoring and regulation. Solid waste is managed by three basic rules
reduce, recycle and reuse. Improper solid waste management causes a hazardous
inhabitant. The study of solid waste management has been carried out to evaluate the
current status and identify the major problem. Solid waste is treated and dispose by a
various method-incineration, composting, landfill, recycling and windrow
composting. Solid waste is used as a waste energy. Study of solid waste management
is modified the present system of solid waste disposal and further use as energy.

INTRODUCTION

Solid waste management is defined as the discipline associated with control of

generation, storage, collection, transport or transfer, processing and disposal of solid
waste materials in a way that best addresses the range of public health, conservation,
economic, aesthetic, engineering, and other environmental considerations.
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In contemporary society, many of the items used daily are designed to be used
and discarded. Single-use packaging and the disposable items defines many of our
consumer’s patterns. With increased availability of the disposals, it has added to the
problem of how to get rid of all these wastes. Solid waste is the unwanted or useless
solid materials generated from combined residential, industrial and commercial
activities in a given area. It may be categorized according to its origin (domestic,
industrial, commercial, construction or institutional); according to its contents
(organic material, glass, metal, plastic paper etc.); or according to hazard potential
(toxic, non-toxin, flammable, radioactive, infectious etc.). A number of processes are
involved in effectively managing waste for a municipality. These include monitoring,
collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal.

OBJECTIVES
1. To reduce the volume of the solid waste stream through the implementation of
waste reduction and recycling programs.
2. To reduce and eliminate adverse impacts of waste materials on human health
and the environment to support economic development and superior quality of
life.
3. To improve air and water quality as well as reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

METHODOLOGY
Impact of Solid Waste on Climate Change

Even before a material or the product becomes solid waste, it goes through a long
cycle that involves removing and processing the raw materials, manufacturing the
product, transporting the materials and products to the market and using energy to
operate the product. Each of these activities has the potential to generate greenhouse
gas emissions through one or more of the following means:

1. Energy consumption: Extracting and processing raw materials, manufacturing

products, and transporting materials and products to market all greenhouse gas
emission by consumption of energy.
2. Methane Emissions: When organic wastes decompose in landfills it generates
methane which is major component of greenhouse gases.
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3. Carbon storage: Trees absorb CO2 from air and store it in wood through
carbon sequestration. Waste prevention and recycling of wood and paper
products allow more trees to remain standing in the forest where they can
continue to remove CO2 from air which helps in minimizing the climatic
changes. Now recycling reduces the methane emission by preventing the
consumption of energy for extracting and processing the raw materials.
Communities that are looking for ways to help prevent climatic changes
should do it by implementing and integrated solid waste management
program.

Reduction and Reuse

Methods of waste reduction, waste reuse and recycling are the preferred options
when managing waste. There are many environmental benefits that can be derived
from the use of these methods. They reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions,
reduce the release of pollutants, conserve resources, save energy and reduce the
demand for waste treatment technology and landfill space. Therefore, it is advisable
that these methods be adopted and incorporated as part of the waste management plan.

Waste reduction and reuse of products are both methods of waste prevention.
They eliminate the production of waste at the source of usual generation and reduce
the demands for large scale treatment and disposal facilities. Methods of waste
reduction include manufacturing products with less packaging, encouraging
customers to bring their own reusable bags for packaging, encouraging the public to
choose reusable products such as cloth napkins and reusable plastic and glass
containers, backyard composting and sharing and donating any unwanted items rather
than discarding them, all of the methods of waste prevention mentioned require public
participation.

Integrated Solid Waste Management

Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) takes an overall approach to

creating sustainable systems that are economically affordable, socially acceptable and
environmentally effective. An integrated solid waste management system involves the
use of a range of different treatment methods, and key to the functioning of such a
system is the collection and sorting of the waste. It is important to note that no one
single treatment method can manage all the waste materials in an environmentally
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effective way. Thus, all of the available treatment and disposal options must be
evaluated equally and the best combination of the available options suited to the
particular community chosen. Effective management schemes therefore need to
operate in ways which best meet current social, economic, and environmental
conditions of the municipality.

Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Solid waste management can be divided into five key components:

 Generation
 Storage
 Collection
 Transportation
 Disposal

Generation

Generation of solid waste is the stage at which materials become valueless to

the own and since they have no use for them and require them no longer, they wish to
get rid of them. Items which may be valueless to one individual may not necessarily
be valueless to another. For example, waste items such as tins and cans may be highly
sought after by young children.

Storage

Storage is a system for keeping materials after they have been discarded and prior
to collection and final disposal. Where on-site disposal systems are implemented,
such as where people discard items directly into family pits. Storage may not be
necessary. In emergency situations, especially in the early stages, it is likely that the
affected population will discard domestic waste in poorly defined heaps close to
dwelling areas. If this is the case, improved disposal or storage facilities should be
provided fairly quickly and these should be located where people are able to use them
easily. Improved storage facilities include.

 Small containers: household containers, plastic bins, etc.

 Large containers: communal bins, oil drums, etc.
 Shallow pits
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 Communal depots: walled or fenced-in areas

In determining the size, quantity and distribution of storage facilities the number of
users, type of waste and maximum walking distance must be considered. The
frequency of safe from theft or vandalism.

Collection

Collection simply refers to how waste is collected for transportation to the

final disposal site. Any collection system should be carefully planned to ensure that
storage facilities do not become overloaded. Collection intervals and volumes of
collected waste must be estimated carefully.

Transportation

This is the stage when solid waste is transported to the final disposal site. There
are various modes of transport which may be adopted and the chosen method depends
upon local availability and the volume of waste to be transported. Types of
transportation can be divided into three categories:

 Human-powered: open hand-cart, hand-cart with bins, wheelbarrow, tricycle

 Animal-powered: donkey-drawn cart
 Motorized: tractor and trailer, standard truck, tipper-truck

Disposal

The final stage of solid waste management is safe disposal where associated risks
are minimized. There are four main methods for the disposal of solid waste:

 Land landfilling
 Burning or incineration
 Composting
 Recycling (resource recovery)

The most common of these is undoubtedly land application, although all four are
commonly applied in emergency situations.

Methods of Solid Waste Disposal

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1. Sanitary Land Filling:

In a sanitary landfill, garbage is spread out in thin layers, compacted and

covered with clay or plastic foam. In the modern landfills the bottom is covered
with an impermeable liner, usually several layers of clay, thick plastic and sand.
The liner protects the ground water from being contaminated due to percolation of
leachate. Leachate from bottom is pumped and sent for treatment. When landfill is
full it is covered with clay, sand, gravel and top soil to prevent seepage of water.
Several wells are drilled near the landfill site to monitor if any leakage is
contaminating ground water. Methane produced by anaerobic decomposition is
collected and burnt to produce electricity or heat. Sanitary Landfill Site Selection:

 Should be above the water table, to minimize interaction with

groundwater.
 Preferably located in clay and silt.
 Do not want to place in a rock quarry, as water can leech through the
cracks inherent in rocks into a water fracture system.
 Do not want to locate in sand or gravel pits, as these have high leeching.
Unfortunately, most of long island is sand or gravel, and many landfills are
located in gravel pits, after they were no longer being used.
2. Incineration:

The term incinerates means to burn something until nothing is left but ashes.
An incinerator is a unit or facility used to burn trash and other types of waste until
it is reduced to ash. An incinerator is constructed of heavy, well-insulated
materials, so that it does not give off extreme amounts of external heat.

The high levels of heat are kept inside the furnace or unit so that the waste is
burned quickly and efficiently. If the heat were allowed to escape, the waste
would not burn as completely or as rapidly. Incineration is a disposal method in
which solid organic wastes are subjected to combustion so as to convert them into
residue and gaseous products. This method is useful for disposal of residue of both
solid waste management and solid residue from waste water management. This
process reduces the volumes of solid waste to 20 to 30 percent of the original
volume.
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Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are

sometimes described as “thermal treatment”. Incinerators convert waste materials
into carried out both on a small scale by individuals and on a large scale by
industry. It is used to dispose of solid, liquid and gaseous waste. It is recognized
as a practical waste material. Incineration is a controversial method of waste
disposal, due to issues such as emission of gaseous pollutants.

3. Compositing:

Due to shortage of space for landfill in bigger cities, the biodegradable yard

waste (kept separate from the municipal waste) is allowed to degrade or

decompose in a medium. A good quality nutrient rich and environmentally
friendly manure is formed which improves the soil conditions and fertility.

Compositing is a biological process in which micro-organisms, mainly fungi

and bacteria, convert degradable organic waste into humus like substance. This
finished product, which looks like soil, is high in carbon and nitrogen and is an
excellent medium for growing plants.

The process of compositing ensures the waste that is produced in the kitchens
is not carelessly thrown and left to rot. It recycles the nutrients and returns them to
the soil as nutrients. Apart from being clean, cheap, and safe, composting can
significantly reduce the amount of disposable garbage.

The organic fertilizer can be used instead of chemical fertilizers and is better
specially when used for vegetables. It increases the soil’s ability to hold water and
makes the soil easier to cultivate. It helped the soil retain more of the plant
nutrients.

4. Recycling:

Complex recycling system are unlikely to be appropriate but the recycling of

some waste items may be possible on occasions. Plastic bags, containers, tins and
glass will often be automatically recycled since they are likely to be scare
commodities in many situations. In most developing country contexts, there exists
a strong tradition of recycling leading to lower volumes of waste than in many
more developed societies.
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DISSICUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Urban solid waste management is an essential social service for protection of

environment and health of the citizens. Therefore, a least cost most appropriate
technological option for safe management should receive the needful funding.
Industries, institutions, non-government agencies and individual citizen should all co-
operate with the municipal authorities in ensuring safe management. As society
moves waste to the forefront of public policy, it is more apparent that what we discard
annually contains a multitude of valuable and recoverable materials. An intergraded
waste management system entails a careful analysis of what is in the waste stream
and offers ideas on practices to recover the various materials at the point of highest
value. The best strategy for a community is to match its unique position with the mix
of activities that will best serve it now and far into the future.

In closing, it is important to stress that better solid waste management

programs are urgently needed in some countries. Only about half of the waste
generated in cities and one-quarter of what is produced in rural areas is collected.
Internationally, the World Bank warns that global waste could increase from 2016 to
2050 by 70% in a business-as-usual scenario. Ongoing efforts to improve the waste
management system are an important part of preserving a healthy human and
ecological future.

REFERENCES
1. “Solid Waste Management” by Elizabeth Thomas and Hope.
2. “Solid Waste Management” by Sarshi Kumar and Gopal Krishna
3. “Sustainability and supply chain” by Rick Leblanc