Waste Management

 Waste is a general term used for any unwanted material that is discarded, after it has served its purpose,
and is no longer useful. Waste is matter that occupies some space, produces smell and has weight.
 Waste management can be defined as all the activities that are required to manage waste from the point
of collecting the waste to recycling and monitoring.
 Waste in waste management refers to unwanted material that is produced through the activity of humans
and can have different forms. Waste can be liquid, solid, or gas with each having its disposal method and
way of managing the waste. Besides the state of the matter, there are also different types of waste, such as
household, biological, commercial and industrial waste.
 Some types of waste can form a threat to the environment and human health, such as radioactive and
chemical waste. These types of waste are called hazardous waste. The aim of waste management is to
reduce the dangerous effects of such waste on the environment and human health. A big part of waste
management deals with municipal solid waste, which is created by industrial, commercial, and household
activity.
 SPOILAGE OF LANDSCAPE

Heaps of trash left unattended and untreated.

Spoils the beauty of the landscape
Pollutes the environment
Damages flora and fauna
Breeding ground for disease spreading agents
Spoils cultivable lands
Contaminates ground water
Affects food chains
 SPOILAGE OF
LANDSCAPE
 It refers to the accumulation of heaps of
garbage and waste that is simply dumped
into vacant land and left to decompose.
 Open dumps ruin the natural beauty and
aesthetic beauty of the land.
 They become a breeding ground for
rodents, mosquitoes and other disease
carrying organisms.
 They also may contain poisonous and
toxic substances that seep into the
underground water or flow into streams
and lakes.
 These open dumps emanate foul smell as
well.
 AIR POLLUTION

Air
Primary pollution- ash, carbon
monoxide, sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide, CFC’s & SPM
Secondary pollution- reactions
between primary pollutants and
atmospheric compounds-Ozone
Effects-
Acid rain
Global warming
Depletion of ozone layer
Smog
 Transmission of diseases- due to
airborne and water borne diseases

 Various diseases spread on an epidemic scale due to waste accumulation on land and water
bodies. There is an increase in airborne and water borne diseases. Vectors like flies, mosquitoes,
rodents and pet animals transmit these diseases. The waste is a breeding ground for such vectors.
Hence, there is an urgent need to manage waste disposal in an effective manner.
 Housefly: Typhoid, diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, gastro- enteritis.
 Sandfly: Sandfly fever, Kala Azar
 Tsetse fly: Sleeping sickness
 Mosquitoes: Malaria, Filaria, yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, encephalitis
 Rodents: plague, salmonellosis
 Pet animals: Dog – Rabies, hydrated diseases and cats spread anthrax, dermatophytosis.
POLLUTION
Large piles of garbage and overflowing drains lead to pollution
of air, water and soil.
Substances causing pollution are called pollutants.
Waste in water

 Rapid growth of population, increase in number of vehicles and

airplanes, industrialization, urbanization pollute environment and water
otherwise water without human interference is in its pure form.
 Sewage has pathogens and contains organic matter that cannot be
decomposed.
 Industrial and commercial waste has toxic agents including metal salts
and complex synthetic organic chemicals.
 Fertilizers and pesticides produce pollutants and there are other
pollutants like radioactive substances which affect human beings by
drinking contaminated water and by using contaminated water for
purposes of personal hygiene and recreation.
 WHAT IS ACID RAIN?  THE EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN:
 Increases acidity in the soil and destroys forests
Acid rain means the presence of excessive and crops.
acids in rainwater. Burning of coal, wood or
petroleum produces Sulphur and nitrogen.
These two react with oxygen and are
converted to their respective oxides-  Corrodes buildings, monuments, statues, bridges,
Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide which etc.
are soluble in water. During rain, these
oxides react with large quantities of water
vapor and form their respective acids.  Poses a serious threat to human health, since it
When these acids precipitate together with contaminates air and water.
rain or snow, they form acid rain.
 Effects of Global Warming

 Rise in global temperature by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius.

 Due to rise in temperature, the Polar ice caps are melting, which will result in the
rise of sea levels. This in turn will submerge low lying areas, coastal areas and
island countries.
 Serious climatic changes bringing in wind and rain pattern, due to rise in
temperature.
 Higher temperature will cause rise in transpiration, which in turn, will affect ground
water table.
 Insects and pests increase in warmer areas leading to an increase in pathogenic
diseases.
soon
 SOME TOXIC WASTES AND THEIR EFFECTS..
• lead- affects brain development.
• Asbestos- causes asbestosis, lung cancer , chest cancer.
• Mercury- attacks nervous system, brain damage, death.
• Arsenic- causes cancer.
Waste that is not managed properly is a serious health hazard:
Unattended wastes dumped in the open attracts flies, insects
and rats that act as vector of the diseases and spread them
among humans.
Decomposition of waste produces harmful gases that pollute
the air we breathe.
Waste dumped near water bodies percolates through the soil
and enter into the water bodies, thus contaminating them.
Direct dumping of untreated waste into water bodies, resulting
in the accumulation of toxic substances and harms the creatures
further through the food chain.
Radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants and
weapon factories, are extremely harmful to human health as it
may cause various kinds of disorders.
 EFFECT ON TERRESTRIAL LIFE
EFFECT ON HUMAN BEINGS:
Accumulation of solid waste looks ugly, smells foul , attracts insects and rodents that spread
diseases. Burning of waste in open dump yard causes smoke, making the air we breathe harmful.
Sanitary landfills are not fit for human settlements because carbon dioxide and methane gas are
evolved in the process, which are poisonous.
EFFECT ON PLANTS:
Plant life is either affected by direct deposition of harmful toxins by wastes or indirectly through
soil. The toxins cause:
oDifferent types of leaf injuries
oPremature leaf fall
oDecrease in transpiration
oReduction in rate of photosynthesis
oReduction in rate of biological nitrogen fixation.
EFFECT ON ANIMALS AND BIRDS:
Scavengers and stray animals like dogs, cows, rats are badly affected when they feed on the waste
for food. They may even at times consume non-biodegradable and toxic waste like plastic bags and
die due to choking . Birds feeding on agricultural waste suffer from defective egg shells and
increased mortality.
 IMPACT ON TERRESTRIAL LIFE.

EARTHWORMS AND SOIL ORGANISMS ARE EXTREMELY

SUSPECTIBLE TO CADMIUM POISONING.
AIR CONTAMINATED WITH OZONE HAS IRRITANT QUALITIES.
ANOTHER POLLUTANT IS FLUORIDE. CATTLE AND SHEEP ARE MOST
COMMONLY AFFECTED ANIMALS.
DIARRHOEA, WEIGHT LOSS , LOWERED FERTILITY AND REDUCED
MILK PRODUCTION ARE SOME EFFECTS OF FLUORIDES SEEN IN
ANIMALS AND CATTLES.
 BIOMAGNIFICATION: it means increasing the
concentration of various toxic substances along
the food chain by sufficiently changing the pH of
water . Toxic substances at the level of primary
consumers get concentrated at each trophic level
as they move up the food chain.
 BIO ACCUMULATION :it is the phenomenon of
concentrated toxic deposition at the higher
trophic level.
SEGREGATION OF WASTE

 ‘Segregation of waste’ means dividing the waste

into different categories like dry and wet or bio-
degradable and non-biodegradable.

 HOW IS SEGREGATION EFFECTIVE IN WASTE

MANAGEMENT?
When waste is segregated, there occurs a reduction
in the volume of waste that reaches landfills. Air and
water pollution is considerably reduced and it
becomes easier to apply different processes of
waste disposal like composting, recycling and
incineration.
 The waste is segregated before it is disposed of.
 DUMPING

 OPEN DUMPING :
o in this method, waste materials are dumped in
lowlands far away from the city.
o This method is not environment friendly.
o It is the cheapest method and does not need
much planning.
 IMPACT OF DUMPING:
• Open pits spoil the sight of the area.
• They become a breeding ground for insects,
flies, etc. thus spreading diseases.
• Give out foul odour .
• Burning of wastes in such dumps pollutes the air.
Social Initiatives for
Environment Protection
Sanitary landfill system of disposing of
wastes is a biological method

 Waste undergoes five phases-

First phase of operation- Aerobic bacteria deplete the available oxygen
resulting in temperature rise.
Second phase-Anaerobic conditions become established and hydrogen and
carbon dioxide are evolved.
Third phase- formation of bacterial population and methane from
decomposed organic matter.
Fourth phase – methanogenic activity becomes stabilised.
Fifth phase- organic matter is depleted and the system returns to aerobic
state.
 SANITARY LANDFILLS: in this method, the waste is packed
and dumped daily at the site and is covered with earth to
prevent insects or rodents from entering into the landfill. A
vegetation cover is also provided over the site. The waste is
then subjected to bacterial decomposition. In the process,
harmful gases like carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia are
produced which can be recovered and used to generate power.

 ADVANTAGES OF SANITARY LANDFILL:

 It is free from air pollution and burning.
 The health problems are minimised since flies and rats cannot
breed.
 It is mostly free from fire hazards.
 E-waste is one of the fastest
growing waste, constituting
more than 5% of all the
municipal solid waste.

 ELECTRONIC WASTE: Various forms of electronic equipment that have ceased to be of any
value to its users because they have exhausted their utility value due to redundancy, replacement
or breakage. Example: refrigerators, washing machines, television, used batteries etc.
o E-waste is a valuable as a source for secondary raw material, but hazardous if untreated and
discarded improperly.
o Uncontrolled burning of e-waste causes environmental problems and is of concern largely due to
some toxic substances like lead, mercury, cadmium etc.
o E-waste presents difficulties for recycling due to the complexity of each item and lack of viable
recycling systems.
o Up to 36 separate chemical elements are incorporated into e-waste items.
 METHODS USED FOR TREATING WASTE

• Composting
– Biodegradable organic waste converted to
useful manure
– All such waste dumped into a pit
– Covered with soil
– Decomposition of waste into humus
– Earthworms are added- Vermi composting
– With oxygen(aerobic)- very expensive
– Without oxygen (anaerobic)- less odour
ADVANTAGES OF COMPOSTING:

 ADVANTAGES OF COMPOSTING:
 It enhances soil nutrients and water retaining capacity of
soils.
 It suppresses plant diseases.
 It checks soil erosion and silting on embankments.
 rejuvenates poor soils by adding humus.
 Reduces cost as there is no need of fertilizers, water or
pesticides
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances
contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment
systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts
the waste into ash, flue gas and heat.
 Reduce the waste

 Change of process – Making best use of raw materials reduces

waste generation. Fly ash from power plants is used as a cement
substitute. Bricks and roads are made from fly ash and also for filling
up the low lying areas.
 Waste concentration – By using scientific techniques such as
precipitation and evaporation, the amount of liquid waste can be
reduced. Incineration is used to get rid of inflammable wastes.
 Segregation of waste – Non hazardous and hazardous wastes have
to be segregated as the hazardous waste can be treated.
DEBRIS Construction waste
 Government Initiatives

 Ministry of Environment and forests is the main nodal agency for generating Environment
consciousness and implementing environmental protection schemes which focuses on-
 Checking land and water degradation through wasteland management and
programmes for restoration of river water quality.
 Conservation of natural resources by direct action such as declaration of reserved
forests, biosphere reserves, wetlands, mangroves and protection of endangered species.
 Laws and acts made for environment protection and initiate penal measures against
those who violate these laws.
 Monitor development through Environment Impact Assessment Studies of major project
proposals.
 METHODS USED FOR TREATING WASTE

• Drainage- Sewage Treatment Plant

– Combination of filtering and chemical and biological
technologies
– Some plants are so efficient
• Sewage is turned into clean fertilizers
• Clean water can be used in non-food farming
– Cant completely solve problem
• Outdated lines- storm sewers & wastewater sewers
• Plants cant handle both lines in case of heavy
rains
• Water is released without treatment into waterways
Use of Scrubbers

Device sprays water to catch pollutants during emissions

Dry scrubber used to remove acid gases
Spraying of wet lime powder into hot exhaust chamber
This lime is used to neutralize acid gases.

Dry scrubber
Wet scrubber
 Government
Initiatives for
Environment
Social Initiatives for Protection
Environment
Protection
Plastic Man of India, Prof. Rajagopalan Vasudevan, who first implemented the use
of plastic waste on a road constructed inside the premises of his college.
 “Plastic Man” of India
A government of India order in 2015 made it mandatory for all road developers in the country to
use waste plastics along with bituminous mixes, for constructing the roads. This was done to
overcome the problem of increasing plastic waste in the country.
The technology for this was developed by the “Plastic Man” of India, Prof. Rajagopalan
Vasudevan, who first implemented the use of plastic waste on a road constructed inside the
premises of his college.
The plastic waste items that can be use for road construction are: plastic carry bags, plastic
cups, plastic packaging for potato chips, biscuits and chocolates.
For making roads, the plastic material is first shredded to a particular size using a shredding
machine. The aggregate mix is heated at 165 degree Celsius and transferred to the mixing
chamber, and the bitumen is heated to 106 degree Celsius to result in good binding.
The shredded plastic waste is then added to the aggregate. It gets coated uniformly over the
aggregate within 30 to 60 seconds, giving an oily look. The plastic coated aggregate is mixed with
hot bitumen and the resulting mix is used for road construction.
ADVANTAGES:
The process is easy and does not need any new machinery.
This road construction process is eco-friendly, with no toxic gases being released.
Plastic waste helps increase the strength of the road, reducing road fatigue.
These roads have better resistance towards cold weather and rain water.