SOLID WASTE
MANAG E M ENT
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What are Wastes?
Waste (also known as rubbish, refuse,
garbage, junk) is unwanted or useless
materials. In biology, waste is any of the many
unwanted substances expelled from living
organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea and
sweat.
Kinds of Wastes
Solid wastes: wastes in solid forms, domestic, commercial and industrial
wastes Examples:plastics ,bottles,cans,papers,scrap iron,and other trash
Liquid W astes:wastes in liquid form Examples: domestic washings, chemicals,
oils,waste water from ponds,manufacturing industries and other sources.
Bio-degradable :can be degraded (paper,wood,fruits and others)
Non-biodegradable :cannot be degraded (plastics, bottles, old machines,
cans,Styrofoam containers and others)
Hazardous wastes: Substances unsafe to use commercially, industrially,
agriculturally, or economically and have any of the following properties-
ignitability,corrosivity,reactivity & toxicity.
Non-hazardous : Substances safe to use commercially, industrially,
agriculturally, or economically and do not have any of those properties
mentioned above.These substances usually create disposal problems.
Classification of wastes
according to their origin and type
⦁ Municipal Solid wastes: Solid wastes that include household garbage,
rubbish, construction & packaging materials, trade refuges etc. are managed by
any municipality.
⦁ Bio-medical wastes: Solid or liquid wastes including containers, products
generated during diagnosis, treatment &research activities of medical sciences.
⦁ Industrial wastes: Liquid and solid wastes that are generated by
manufacturing & processing units of various industries like chemical, petroleum,
coal,metal gas,sanitary & paper etc.
⦁ Agricultural wastes: Wastes generated from farming activities.
These substances are mostly biodegradable.
⦁ Fishery wastes:Wastes generated due to fishery activities.
E-wastes: Electronic wastes generated from any modern establishments.
They may be described as discarded electrical or electronic devices. Some
electronic scrap components, such as CRTs, wires,circuits, mobile,computers etc.
Sources of
Wastes
Households
Industry
Sources of
Wastes
Agriculture
Fisheries
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HEALTH IMPACTS OF SOLID WASTE
⦁ Exposure to hazardous waste can affect human health,
children being more vulnerable to these pollutants.
⦁ Improperly operated incineration plants cause air pollution and
improperly managed and designed landfills attract all types of
insects that spread disease.
⦁ Direct handling of solid waste results in chronic diseases
with the waste workers.
1.LAND FILL
⦁ It is the most traditional method of waste disposal.
⦁ Waste is directly dumped into disused quarries, mining voids or borrow
pits.
⦁ Disposed waste is compacted and covered with soil
⦁ Gases generated by the decomposing waste materials are often
burnt to generate power.
⦁ It is generally used for domestic waste.
ADVANTAGES
⦁ Landfill site is a cheap waste disposal option for the local council.
⦁ Jobs will be created for local people.
⦁ Lots of different types of waste can be disposed of by landfill in
comparison to other waste disposal methods.
⦁ The gases given off by the landfill site could be collected and used
for generating power.
DISADVANTAGES
⦁ The site will look ugly while it is being used for landfill.
⦁ Dangerous gases are given off from landfill sites that cause local air pollution
and contribute to global warming.
⦁ Local streams could become polluted with toxins seeping through the ground
from the landfill site.
⦁ Once the site has been filled it might not be able to be used for
redevelopment as it might be too polluted.
2. INCINERATION
⦁ Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of solid
waste at 10000C.
⦁ waste materials are converted into ash,flue gas, and heat.
⦁ The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste and gases due to
organic waste.
⦁ the heat generated by incineration is used to generate electric power.
ADVANTAGES
⦁ Minimum of land is needed compared to other disposal methods.
⦁ The weight of the waste is reduced to 25% of the initial value.
⦁ N o risk of polluting local streams and ground waters as in landfills.
⦁ Incineration plants can be located close to residential areas.
⦁ Gases are used to generate power.
DISADVANTAGES
⦁ Expensive
⦁ Required skilled labour.
⦁ The chemicals that would be released into the air could be strong
pollutants and may destroy ozone layer (major disadvantage).
⦁ high energy requirement.
3. COMPACTION
⦁ The waste is compacted or compressed. It also breaks up large or fragile
items of waste.
⦁ This process is conspicuous in the feed at the back end of many garbage
collection vehicles. Deposit refuse at bottom of slope for best compaction
and control of blowing litter.
The 3 R’s
⦁ REDUCE
⦁ You can help by PRECYCLING. 1/3 of all garbage is packaging.
⦁ Buy things that are in packages that can be recycled or are made of
recycled materials.
⦁ When you buy something small, say no thanks to a bag.
⦁ REUSE
⦁ Many things can be reused before you throw them out.
⦁ Use coffee cans and cottage cheese containers for storage
⦁ Use backs of paper or backs of used envelopes for jotting notes
⦁ Put leftovers in resalable containers instead of using wraps and foil
⦁ Use old clothes as rags for cleaning instead of paper towels
⦁ Have a garage sale or donate clothes, books or toys that you don't use
anymore
⦁ RECYCLE
⦁ Each year we use:
⦁ 25 billion plastic containers
⦁ 30 billion bottles & jars
⦁ 65 billion aluminum cans
⦁ 100 billion pounds of paper
C O N C L U S I O N:
⦁ It is found that with increase in the global population and the
rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise
in the amount of waste being generated daily by each
household.Waste that is not properly managed, especially excreta
and other liquid and solid waste from households and the
community, are a serious health hazard and lead to the spread of
infectious diseases.
