Solid Waste and Management, Controlling Pollution, Philippine Efforts in

Controlling Solid
Waste, A Case in Point: Material Recovery Facility

WELCOME CWTS 2 BSEE & BIndTech –

ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

I. INTRODUCTION:

Solid waste refers to the range of garbage materials arising from animal and human activities that
are discarded as unwanted and useless. Solid waste is generated from industrial, residential, and
commercial activities in a given area, and may be handled in a variety of ways. As such, landfills are
typically classified as sanitary, municipal, construction and demolition, or industrial waste sites.

Waste can be categorized based on material, such as plastic, paper, glass, metal, and organic waste.
Categorization may also be based on hazard potential, including radioactive, flammable, infectious,
toxic, or non-toxic wastes. Categories may also pertain to the origin of the waste, whether industrial,
domestic, commercial, institutional, or construction and demolition.

Regardless of the origin, content, or hazard potential, solid waste must be managed systematically
to ensure environmental best practices. As solid waste management is a critical aspect of
environmental hygiene, it must be incorporated into environmental planning.

II. OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the module, students should be able to:

1. Identify the application of 3Rs principle.
2. Distinguish the solid waste management.
3. Determine the solid waste management.

I. PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES:

Before you proceed to the main lesson, read the summary video entitled: “What a
Waste 2.0: Everything You Should Know about Solid Waste Management.”
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSm4GG2VrU
 What a Waste 2.0: Everything You Should Know about Solid Waste Management

Fig. 2 Solid Waste

Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSm4GG2Vr

Each year, the world generates over 2 billion tons of municipal waste. Without urgent
action, global waste will increase by 70% from current levels by 2050. Plastics alone
take up 12% of global waste, equivalent to the weight of 3.4 million adult blue whales.

GREAT!!!
You may now proceed to the main lesson.

II. LESSON PROPER

Based on the preliminary activities, how many tons of waste

does the world generate?
______________________________________________
CONGRATULATIONS!
You may now proceed to the lesson.

LET’S BEGIN!

Solid-waste management, the collecting, treating, and disposing of solid material that is discarded
because it has served its purpose or is no longer useful. Improper disposal of municipal solid waste
can create unsanitary conditions, and these conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment
and to outbreaks of disease that is, diseases spread by rodents and insects. The tasks of solid-waste
management present complex technical challenges. They also pose a wide variety of administrative,
economic, and social problems that must be managed and solved.
 Fig. sanitary landfill
Source:
https://cdn.britannica.com/02/141102-050-

Sources of Solid Wastes

1. Municipal solid wastes:

These are solid wastes from home, offices, stores, schools, hospitals, hotels etc. These domestic
solid wastes one usually, thrown in municipal garbage collecting cans or on road side open waste
lands. They are collected by municipality vehicles to certain garbage disposal site. They are
dumped over a large area of land which becomes the breeding ground of flies and rats. Usually
they are not burnt to reduce the volume because burning would cause air pollution which is still
more dangerous.

2. Industrial Solid Wastes:

Most of the toxic industrial wastes are dumped on waste lands for slow and gradual
decomposition. Some industries dump their effluents on barren land, road sides creating very
unhygienic environment for the local population. Some heavy metals have been found slowly
accumulating on farmland soils. One such most toxic heavy metal is cadmium which is present in
traces in some fertilizers.

3. Mining solid wastes:

They include mine dust, rock tailing, slack and slag. Open cast mining completely spoil the
surrounding soil. Toxic chemicals and metals present in the mining wastes destroy vegetation
and produce many deformities in animals and human beings.

4. Fertilizers:
Chemical fertilizers increase soil fertility and gives better crop yield in lesser time. Shortly, the
land becomes saline, acidic or alkaline and loses fertility.

5. Pesticides and Biocides:

These toxic chemicals used in crop field which are not ecofriendly. They enter into crop and then
into primary and secondary consumers. Even human beings are affected due to bio-
magnification.

6. Excretory products of humans and livestock:

In underdeveloped and developing countries, the poor sanitary conditions aggravate soil pollution.
The excreta of man and animals, digested sewage sludge used as manure pollute the soil.
Several germs present in such wastes contaminate soil, vegetables, and water bodies causing
severe health hazards.
 7. Electronic wastes:
The latest solid waste that has appeared in last twenty years commonly known as e-wastes is no
less harmful. Irreparable computer and electronic goods. Frequently, more efficient and user-
friendly electronic items appear in the market thus discarding the old generation equipment which
simply become garbage or solid wastes.

Over half of the e-wastes generated in developed countries are exported to developing countries
where they ultimately increase the e-garbage proportions.

8. Hospital Wastes:
Hospitals generate hazardous wastes that contain disinfectants, other harmful chemicals and
pathogenic microorganism. Such wastes require careful treatment and disposal. The use of
incinerators is crucial for disposal of hospital wastes.

Importance in Waste Management

In communities where appropriate sites are available, sanitary landfills usually provide the most
economical option for disposal of non-recyclable refuse. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult
to find sites that offer adequate capacity, accessibility, and environmental conditions. Nevertheless,
landfills will always play a key role in solid-waste management. It is not possible to recycle all
components of solid waste, and there will always be residues from incineration and other treatment
processes that will eventually require disposal underground. In addition, landfills can actually
improve poor-quality land. In some communities properly completed landfills are converted into
recreational parks, playgrounds, or golf courses.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3Rs Principle) is another concept in waste management.

1. Reduction is the best option. If we reduce at source, there is a smaller chance of waste
generation and the pressure on our already stretched natural resources is reduced.
2. Reuse is the next best option, as the product is reused in its current form without any energy
expended to convert it into a new item.
3. Recycling is the last option, as although it converts a waste into a resource, it uses energy to
transform that resource into a new useable product.

Application of 3Rs Principle in the following ways:

1. Use only as much as you need, be it any re- source water, food, paper, and others
2. Next time you throw away something, think about whether it is really a waste. If it is of no use
to you, could someone else use it? Reuse rinses water to water your garden, etc. Donate old
clothes to the needy instead of throwing them away.
3. If you are sure the item is not usable ii its present form, can it be recycled? Paper, plastics,
glass, metal can all be recycled.
4. Segregate your waste into wet and dry garbage. Wet garbage includes most kitchen wastes.
Most of this can be used for composting. Most dry garbage is recyclable.
5. Avoid the use of non-biodegradable materials such as Styrofoam and certain types of plastics.
Although most plastics are recyclable, recycling still takes up energy, which is another precious
resource not to be wasted. If thrown away as waste, Styrofoam and plastics can take hundreds
of years to decompose.
 6. Do not litter or throw garbage in public places. Garbage and litter is a visual contaminant and
can cause diseases health problems. Proper disposal of garbage is an important part of waste
management.
7. Be a conscious consumer and do not buy products that are over packaged. Try choosing
products that are made from recycled material or are organically grown.
8. Resources must be conserved by proper selection, production technologies, recovering and
recycling what is usable and reducing unnecessary demands for consumption and inventing
technologies which would make it possible for reusing the waste resources so as to reduce
overexploiting of our existing resources.

Pollution control, in environmental engineering, any of a variety of means employed to limit damage
done to the environment by the discharge of harmful substances and energies. Specific means of
pollution control might include refuse disposal systems such as sanitary landfills, emission control
systems for automobiles, sedimentation tanks in sewerage systems, the electrostatic precipitation of
impurities from industrial gas, or the practice of recycling. For full treatment of major areas of pollution
control, see air pollution control, wastewater treatment, solid-waste management, and hazardous-
waste management.

Solid pollution control methods which are typically used include landfilling, composting,
and incineration. Sanitary landfills are operated by spreading the solid waste in compact layers
which are separated by a thin layer of soil. Aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms help to break
down the biodegradable substances in the landfill and produce carbon dioxide and methane gas
which is typically venter to the surface. Landfills also generate a strong wastewater called leachate
which must be collected and treated to avoid groundwater contamination.

Composting of solid wastes is the microbiological biodegradation of organic matter under either
aerobic or anaerobic conditions. This process is most applicable for readily biodegradable solids
such as sewage sludge, paper, food waste, and household garbage, including garden waste and
organic matter. This process can be carried out in static pile, agitated beds, or a variety of reactors.

In an incineration process, solids are burned in large furnaces thereby reducing the volume of solid
wastes which enter landfills, as well as reducing the possibility of groundwater contamination.
Incineration residue can also be used for metal reclamation. These systems are typically
supplemented with air pollution control devices.

What are the problems of urban development?

Poor air and water quality, insufficient water availability, waste-disposal problems, and high energy
consumption are exacerbated by the increasing population density and demands of urban
environments. Strong city planning will be essential in managing these and other difficulties as the
world’s urban areas swell.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Intensified environmental protection: solid waste management

Secretary Cimatu’s main priority is to improve the quality of our environment, particularly our air,
water and address solid waste problems. thus, the DENR will be implementing environmental
protection programs and projects.
FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT, OUR PRIORITY ACTIVITIES ARE THE FOLLOWING:
1. CLOSURE OF DUMPSITES
2. ESTABLISHMENT OF MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITIES (MRFS)

• The Philippines has endeavored to improve its management of solid waste through the
passage of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act that provides for a
systematic, comprehensive and ecological waste management program to ensure the
protection of public health and the environment. It mandates the bureau to provide secretariat
support to the National Solid Waste Management Commission in the implementation of the
solid waste management plans and prescribes policies to achieve the objectives of the
National Ecology Center that is in charge of information dissemination, consultation,
education and training of various local government units on ecological waste management.

• The ecological solid waste management program is expected to assist Local Government
Units in implementing RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act particularly
in the development of their 10 yr. SWM Plan, closure and rehabilitation of dumpsites,
establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities, and an environmentally sound disposal
system.

• The issuance of Guidelines and provisions of technical support in the establishment and
operation of Waste to Energy facilities will enhance the sustainability of disposal system for
municipal residual wastes to all provinces and highly urbanized areas. The significant
contribution of this project is expected to enhance the economic development of the country
through formalizing the waste collection and recycling, and promotion of job opportunities. It
also helps the economy to reduce reliance on imported oils and increased in power
generation.

WHAT IS A MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY (MRF)?

A materials recovery facility, or MRF (pronounced like ’murph’), receives, separates, and prepares
recyclables to be sold to an end buyer. An MRF uses a combination of equipment, machines, and
manual labor to separate and prepare the materials. There are two main types of materials recovery
facilities used by traditional hauling companies, which are detailed below:

DIRTY MRF
Dirty MRFs accept recyclable materials combined with municipal solid waste. To separate the
recyclables from the waste, the facilities use a combination of manual and machine-based
sorting. The recyclable materials then undergo processing to meet industry quality standards.
According to Waste 360, a large dirty MRF can process more than 700 tons of materials per
day. Although they are able to process very high volumes of materials, a large percentage of
the processed materials, especially cardboard and paper, are not recyclable due to material
contamination.

CLEAN MRF
Clean MRFs accept recyclable materials from residential and commercial businesses that are
already separated from solid waste. In most cases, Clean MRFs process single-stream
recyclables, which is the most common recycling method where all materials (paper, plastics,
metals, glass, and cardboard) are collected together in one recycling dumpster. Single-stream
materials get sorted by specification and then they are processed and prepared for the end buyer.
Clean MRFs recycle more materials than dirty MRFs, but the final number of materials that end
 up being recycled is still low due to contamination issues that arise from ’commingling’ the
materials in one dumpster.

We had just finished the discussion about the Waste and Management,
Controlling Pollution, Philippine Efforts in Controlling Solid Waste, A Case
in Point: Material Recovery Facility. Let’s move on to the next higher level of
activity/ies or exercise/s that demonstrate your potential skills/knowledge of
what you have learned.

V. ANALYSIS, APPLICATION AND EXPLORATION

Name: _________________________________________ Course: __________________

ACTIVITY 1

Direction: Fill in the blank with the Application of 3Rs Principle. Write your answer on the
space provided.
____________________1. Segregate your waste into wet and ________________ garbage.
____________________2. Avoid the use of non-biodegradable materials such as _________ and
certain types of plastics.
____________________3. Do not ________ or throw garbage in public places.
____________________4. Try choosing products that are made from _______ material or are
organically grown.
____________________5. __________old clothes to the needy instead of throwing them away.

Litter Styrofoam Donate Dry Recycled

ACTIVITY 2

Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is correct about solid waste management and
FALSE if not. Write your answer on the space provided.
________________1. Understanding of social and legal aspects is not necessary in Solid waste
management.
________________2. Waste is a material that has further value to his owner and is not thrown away.
________________3. Proper disposal of garbage is an important part of waste management.
________________4. Recycling means changing old materials into new products.
________________5. Once we throw away something it disappears after a few years in a landfill.

Finally, let us summarize the lesson of what we had discussed today.

 lOMoAR cPSD| 26266385

VI. GENERALIZATION

Direction: List the following.

Sources of Solid Waste:

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

KUDOS!
You have come to an end of the module.
OOPS! Don’t forget that you have still an assignment to do.
Here it is….

VII. ASSIGNMENT

Direction: Write a check mark () if the statement is about the Application of 3Rs Principle, and
(X) if not. Write your answer on the space provided.

_________________1. Do not litter or throw garbage in public places. Garbage and litter is a
visual contaminant and can cause diseases health problems. Proper
disposal of garbage is an important part of waste management.
________________ 2. Avoid the use of non-biodegradable materials such as Styrofoam and
certain types of plastics. Although most plastics are recyclable,
recycling still takes up energy, which is another precious resource not
to be wasted. If thrown away as waste, Styrofoam and plastics can take
hundreds of years to decompose.
 lOMoAR cPSD| 26266385

________________3. Toxic chemicals and metals present in the mining wastes destroy
vegetation and produce many deformities in animals and human
beings.
________________4. The significant contribution of this project is expected to enhance the
economic development of the country through formalizing the waste
collection and recycling, and promotion of job opportunities. It also
helps the economy to reduce reliance on imported oils and increased
in power generation.
________________5. If you are sure the item is not usable ii its present form, can it be recycled?
Paper, plastics, glass, metal can all be recycled.

After your long journey of reading and accomplishing the module, let us
now challenge your mind by answering the evaluation part of this
module.

VIII. EVALUATION

Direction: Choose the letter of the word described in each sentence.

1. Why plastics are difficult to recycle?
A. Because it is very hard material
B. Because it is very adhesive in its nature
C. Because of different types of polymer resins
D. Because of different sizes of plastic
2. How does organic material in the buried solid waste will decompose?
A. By the action of oxidation
B. By the action of microorganisms
C. By the flow of water
D. By the soil particles
3. This is the collecting, treating, and disposing of solid material that is discarded because it
has served its purpose or is no longer useful.
A. Solid
B. Waste
C. Recycle
D. Solid waste management
4. The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act that provides for a systematic, comprehensive
and ecological waste management program to ensure the protection of public health and
the environment.
A. RA 9147
B. RA 7586
 lOMoAR cPSD| 26266385

C. RA 9003
D. RA 8749
5. How long has garbage been around?
A. As long as people have been on earth
B. Forever
C. 100 years
D. 1000 years
6. Recycling paper can save which natural resource?
A. Rocks
B. Trees
C. Air
D. Coal
7. Which of the following is NOT a source of solid waste?
A. Municipal solid waste
B. Industrial solid waste
C. Fertilizer
D. Soil
8. Accept recyclable materials from residential and commercial businesses that are already
separated from solid waste.
A. Clean MRFs
B. Dirty MRFs
C. MRF
D. Solid waste
9. Accept recyclable materials combined with municipal solid waste.
A. Clean MRFs
B. Dirty MRFs
C. Solid waste
D. MRF
10. Which of the following can be recycled many times?
A. Plastic
B. Wood
C. Organic materials
D. Aluminum
 lOMoAR cPSD| 26266385

CONGRATULATIONS
on reaching the end of this module!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
.
Well Done!!!