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Solid Waste Management

August 3, 2018 Sandesh Adhikari Health Promotion and Education 0

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT?

 Solid waste are any unwanted and useless solid materials generated from different domestic, trade,
commercial, agricultural and industrial activities
 It refers to any garbage, rubbish, sludge and other rejected solid and semi-solid materials obtained
from different industrial, commercial, household or other activities.
 These are non-liquid and non-gaseous wastes (durable goods, non-durable goods, containers and
packaging, food scraps, yard trimmings, miscellaneous inorganic wastes, construction waste etc.)
 The term solid waste usually includes:
 Garbage: Includes food waste and other degradable organic wastes
 Rubbish: Includes combustible and non-combustible solid wastes, except food waste
 Refuse: Includes both garbage and rubbish
 Litters: Includes paper bits, discarded wrappings, bottles etc.

DIFFERENT SOURCES OF SOLID WASTE:

 Domestic/Household: Ash, rubbish, garbage,etc

 Industrial: Wide variety from inert to highly toxic and explosives.
  Street/ Market: Rubbish, paper, droppings, Putrid vegetables,etc.
 Stable waste: From stables, animals
 Hospital waste: cottons, bandages, medicine containers, glass, plastics,etc.

TYPES OF SOLID WASTE:

Depending on the source of waste, solid wastes can be mainly divided into three categories. They are

 Municipal solid waste: It excludes industrial hazardous wastes but mainly includes:
 Domestic waste
 Commercial waste
 Community waste
 Construction waste
 Institutional waste
 Industrial solid waste: Also known as hazardous waste as it may include toxic substances
 Biomedical waste/hospital waste: Discarded medicines, chemical substances, disposable syringes,
swabs, bandages etc.

NEW HIERARCHY FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT:

Advanced approach for solid waste management is based on the principle of “waste hierarchy”. It can be
understood from the figure given below:

TREATMENT FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT:

Thermal Treatment: Thermal waste treatment refers to the processes that use heat to treat
waste materials. Following are some of the most commonly used thermal waste treatment
1. techniques:
Incineration:

– Most common waste treatment involves the combustion of waste material in the presence of
oxygen.

– The combustion process converts wastes into ash, flue, gas, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.

– This thermal treatment method is commonly used as a means of recovering energy for
a. electricity or heating.
Gasification and Pyrolysis:

– Done by decomposing organic waste materials by exposing waste to low amounts of oxygen
and very high temperature.
b.
 – Pyrolysis uses absolutely no oxygen

– Gasification allows a very low amount of oxygen in the process

2. Dumps and Landfills: It mainly includes three methods for waste management. They are:
Sanitary landfills:

– Provide the most commonly used waste disposal solution.

– The landfill area can be comprised of clay soil which is quite resistant to hazardous wastes or
is characterized by an absence of surface water bodies or a low water table, preventing the risk
of water pollution.

– The use of sanitary landfills presents the least health and environmental risk, but the cost of
a. establishing such landfills is comparatively higher than other waste disposal methods.
Controlled dumps:

– These dumps comply with many of the requirements for being a sanitary landfill but may lack
one or two.

b. – Such dumps may have a well-planned capacity but no cell-planning.

Bioreactor landfills:

– These landfills use superior microbiological processes to speed up waste decomposition.

– The controlling feature is the continuous addition of liquid to sustain optimal moisture for
c. microbial digestion where the liquid is added by re-circulating the landfill leachate.

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF SOLID WASTE:

 Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) is a comprehensive waste collection, treatment,

recovery and disposal method that aims to provide environmental sustainability, economic
affordability and social acceptance for any specific region.
 Integrated solid waste management is therefore the process of optimizing the waste management
system as a whole with application of a variety of suitable technologies.
 It includes technical as well as managerial aspects of solid waste management.
 Integrated solid waste management seeks to integrate various aspects of SWM by involving all
stakeholders to optimize all the elements of the waste management system as a whole.
 Integrated solid waste management is intended to help guide decisions about the generation of
wastes, recycling of materials, and ultimate disposal of waste residues.

Technical aspects of integrated solid waste management include the following activities:

 Waste handling and storage at source

  Waste reduction
 Waste separation
 Street sweeping
 Effective waste collection system
 Waste transfer
 Primary and secondary transportation
 Recycled product manufacturing and marketing
 Waste treatment
 Sanitary landfilling
 Hazardous waste management
 Special waste (construction debris, bulky waste etc)
 Remediation of polluted sites

Managerial aspects of ISWM include the following activities

 Formulation and implementation of policies

 Strategic and operational planning
 Community mobilization
 Public education
 Private sector participation
 Dispute resolution
 Enactment of legislation and standards
 Enforcement of regulations
 Monitoring and evaluation
 Organizational development
 Human resource management and capacity building
 Cost reduction and revenue generation
 Management of information and communication
 1. Source Reduction:
 Not using unnecessary materials. For example: we can avoid using some packaging materials (or
use less).
 Using more durable alternative for example we can use a single canvas bag for multiple times
instead of using plastic bags.
 Reusing the same material for example soft drink bottles are reused to fill same product, it
minimize new product cost as well burden to manage waste.
 Onsite mulching and composting: Garbage (food waste) and agricultural residue are raw materials
needed to prepare compost/soil conditioner and can be utilized in every house. So it must not be
collected by municipality. If this principle can be utilized, more than half waste to be collected will
be reduced.
2. Recycling
 Recyclable wastes are collected from waste stream and processed in industry.
 Using recycled material is a good practice to reduce environmental burden.
3. Treatment and Transformation
 Thermal treatment like combustion with energy recovery and biological treatment like composting
4. Land Filling
 Sanitary landfill: sealing and suppressing the wastes for decomposition.

IMPORTANCE OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT:

 Unsanitary conditions due to accumulation of the Solid wastes

  Epidemic outbreaks
 Diseases; Cholera, Diarrhoea, Plague, Dysentery, Jaundice, GI infections, etc.
 Decomposition and putrefaction may occur
 Intolerable odours.
 Waterborne diseases such as gastro and cholera can form when an area of water is contaminated
with waste, having an effective waste management plan greatly reduces the risk of the spread of
disease.

References and for more information:

https://www.britannica.com/technology/solid-waste-management

https://www.google.com.np/search?q=importance+of+solid+waste+management+pdf&sa=X&ved=0
ahUKEwjd_Ly9vcHcAhUO7mEKHfTcCO4Q1QII5wEoAQ&biw=1366&bih=635

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/sources-effects-methods-of-solid-waste-management.php

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/30366/solid-waste-

https://www.adb.org/publications/solid-waste-management-nepal-current-status-and-policy-
recommendations

http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/solwaste/types.htm

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reason-why-solid-waste-management-important-your-raine-xiong/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-waste-management-recycling-dee-mohammed/

http://www.toxfree.com.au/importance-solid-waste-management-plan/

https://www.cleantechloops.com/significance-swm/

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-importance-of-solid-waste-management-1

http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/solid-waste-management

https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8732.html

http://www.indiawaterportal.org/topics/solid-waste

http://www.smartranger.net/index.cfm?menuid=3
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/17388

http://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/7733/1/SOLID%20WASTE%20TREATMENT%20TECHNOLOGIES.p
df

http://www.tslambiental.com.br/en/solid-waste-management-and-treatment

http://www.encapafrica.org/egssaa/solidwaste.pdf

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/an-introduction-to-solid-waste-management-2878102

An Introduction to Solid Waste

Management
Integrated Approach Needed for Successful Diversion and Recycling
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•••

BY RICK LEBLANC

Updated October 20, 2018

What Is Solid Waste?

Before introducing solid waste management, let's start with a discussion of the
material being managed — solid waste. Solid waste refers to the range of garbage
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. Categories may also pertain to
the origin of waste, such as 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 needs to be incorporated
into environmental planning.

North American Waste Generation: Key Insights

 On a per capita basis, North American region generates the highest average amount
of waste, at 2.1 kilograms per day; total waste generated was 289 million tonnes
annually in 2016.
 Waste collection coverage in North America is nearly universal, at 99.7 percent, with
the gap in collection coverage occurring in Bermuda.
 More than 55 percent of waste is composed of recyclables including paper,
cardboard, plastic, metal, and glass.
 At 54 percent, more than half of waste in North America is disposed of at sanitary
landfills and one-third of waste is recycled. (Source: World Bank).

What Is Solid Waste Management?

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, economics, aesthetic, engineering and other environmental
considerations.

In its scope, solid waste management includes planning, administrative, financial,

engineering and legal functions. Solutions might include complex inter-disciplinary
relations among fields such as public health, city and regional planning, political
science, geography, sociology, economics, communication and conservation,
demography, engineering and material sciences.

Solid waste management practices can differ for residential and industrial producers,
for urban and rural areas, and for developed and developing nations. The
administration of non-hazardous waste in metropolitan areas is the job of local
government authorities. On the other hand, the management of hazardous waste
materials is typically the job of the generator, subject to local, national and even
international authorities.

Objectives of Waste Management

The primary goal of solid waste management is reducing and eliminating adverse
impacts of waste materials on human health and environment to support economic
development and superior quality of life.

6 Functional Elements of the Waste Management System

There are six functional components of the waste management system as outlined
below:

1. Waste generation refers to activities involved in identifying materials which are no

longer usable and are either gathered for systematic disposal or thrown away.
2. Onsite handling, storage, and processing are the activities at the point of waste
generation which facilitate easier collection. For example, waste bins are placed at
the sites which generate sufficient waste.
3. Waste collection, a crucial phase of waste management, includes activities such as
placing waste collection bins, collecting waste from those bins and accumulating
trash in the location where the collection vehicles are emptied. Although the
collection phase involves transportation, this is typically not the main stage of waste
transportation.

1. Waste transfer and transport are the activities involved in moving waste from the
local waste collection locations to the regional waste disposal site in large waste
transport vehicles.
2. Waste processing and recovery refer to the facilities, equipment, and techniques
employed both to recover reusable or recyclable materials from the waste stream
and to improve the effectiveness of other functional elements of waste management.
3. Disposal is the final stage of waste management. It involves the activities aimed at
the systematic disposal of waste materials in locations such as landfills orwaste-to-
energy facilities.
Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM)

As the field of solid waste management advances, solutions are being looked at in a
more systematic and holistic way. ISWM, for example, is an increasingly important
term in the field of waste management. It refers to the selection and use of
appropriate management programs, technologies, and techniques to achieve
particular waste management goals and objectives. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) states that ISWA is composed of waste source reduction,
recycling, waste combustion, and landfills.

These activities can be done in either interactive or hierarchical way.

On a closing note, 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 that produced in rural areas is collected.
Internationally, the World Bank warns that global waste could increase by 70% by
2050 under a business-as-usual scenario.

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/sources-effects-methods-of-solid-waste-
management.php

What is Solid Waste

Management?
Solid waste management is a term that is used to refer to the process of collecting and
treating solid wastes. It also offers solutions for recycling items that do not belong to
garbage or trash. As long as people have been living in settlements and residential
areas, garbage or solid waste has been an issue. Waste management is all about how
solid waste can be changed and used as a valuable resource. Solid waste management
should be embraced by each and every household including the business owners
across the world. Industrialization has brought a lot of good things and bad things as
well. One of the negative effects of industrialization is the creation of solid waste.
According to Britannica, “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 vector-borne disease—that is, diseases spread by rodents and
insects.”

Various Sources of Solid Waste

Everyday, tonnes of solid waste is disposed off at various landfill sites. This waste
comes from homes, offices, industries and various other agricultural related activities.
Theselandfill sites produce foul smell if waste is not stored and treated properly. It
can pollute the surrounding air and can seriously affect the health of humans, wildlife
and our environment. The following are major sources of solid waste:

Residential

Residences and homes where people live are some of the major sources of solid waste.
Garbage from these places include food wastes, plastics, paper, glass, leather,
cardboard, metals, yard wastes, ashes and special wastes like bulky household items
like electronics, tires, batteries, old mattresses and used oil. Most homes have garbage
bins where they can throw away their solid wastes in and later the bin is emptied by a
garbage collecting firm or person for treatment.

Industrial

Industries are known to be one of the biggest contributors of solid waste. They include
light and heavy manufacturing industries, construction sites, fabrication plants,
canning plants, power and chemical plants. These industries produce solid waste in
form of housekeeping wastes, food wastes, packaging wastes, ashes, construction and
demolition materials, special wastes, medical wastes as well as other hazardous
wastes.

Commercial

Commercial facilities and buildings are yet another source of solid waste today.
Commercial buildings and facilities in this case refer to hotels, markets, restaurants,
go downs, stores and office buildings. Some of the solid wastes generated from these
places include plastics, food wastes, metals, paper, glass, wood, cardboard materials,
special wastes and other hazardous wastes.

Institutional

The institutional centers like schools, colleges, prisons, military barracks and other
government centers also produce solid waste. Some of the common solid wastes
obtained from these places include glass, rubber waste, plastics, food wastes, wood,
paper, metals, cardboard materials, electronics as well as various hazardous wastes.

Construction and Demolition Areas

Construction sites and demolition sites also contribute to the solid waste problem.
Construction sites include new construction sites for buildings and roads, road repair
sites, building renovation sites and building demolition sites. Some of the solid wastes
produced in these places include steel materials, concrete, wood, plastics, rubber,
copper wires, dirt and glass.

Municipal services

The urban centers also contribute immensely to the solid waste crisis in most countries
today. Some of the solid waste brought about by the municipal services include, street
cleaning, wastes from parks and beaches, wastewater treatment plants, landscaping
wastes and wastes from recreational areas including sludge.

Treatment Plants and Sites

Heavy and light manufacturing plants also produce solid waste. They include
refineries, power plants, processing plants, mineral extraction plants and chemicals
plants. Among the wastes produced by these plants include, industrial process wastes,
unwanted specification products, plastics, metal parts just to mention but a few.

Agriculture

Crop farms, orchards, dairies, vineyards and feedlots are also sources of solid wastes.
Among the wastes they produce include agricultural wastes, spoiled food, pesticide
containers and other hazardous materials.

Biomedical

This refers to hospitals and biomedical equipment and chemical manufacturing firms.
In hospitals there are different types of solid wastes produced. Some of these solid
wastes include syringes, bandages, used gloves, drugs, paper, plastics, food
wastes and chemicals. All these require proper disposal or else they will cause a
huge problem to the environment and the people in these facilities.

Effects of Poor Solid Waste Management

Due to improper waste disposal systems particularly by municipal waste management
teams, wastes heap up and become a problem. People clean their homes and places of
work and litter their surroundings which affects the environment and the community.

This type of dumping of waste materials forces biodegradable materials to rot and
decompose under improper, unhygienic and uncontrolled conditions. After a few days
of decomposition, a foul smell is produced and it becomes a breeding ground for
different types of disease causing insects as well as infectious organisms. On top of
that, it also spoils the aesthetic value of the area.

Solid wastes from industries are a source of toxic metals, hazardous wastes, and
chemicals. When released to the environment, the solid wastes can cause biological
and physicochemical problems to the environment and may affect or alter the
productivity of the soils in that particular area.

Toxic materials and chemicals may seep into the soil and pollute the ground
water. During the process of collecting solid waste, the hazardous wastes usually mix
with ordinary garbage and other flammable wastes making the disposal process even
harder and risky.

When hazardous wastes like pesticides, batteries containing lead, mercury or zinc,
cleaning solvents, radioactive materials, e-waste and plastics are mixed up with paper
and other scraps are burned they produce dioxins and gasses. These toxic gases have
a potential of causing various diseases including cancer.
Methods of Solid Waste Management
There are different methods of solid waste management. The following are some of
the recognized methods:

Sanitary Landfill

This is the most popular solid waste disposal method used today. Garbage is basically
spread out in thin layers, compressed and covered with soil or plastic foam. Modern
landfills are designed in such a way that the bottom of the landfill is covered with an
impervious liner which is usually made of several layers of thick plastic and sand.
This liner protects the ground water from being contaminated because of leaching or
percolation. When the landfill is full, it is covered with layers of sand, clay, top soil
and gravel to prevent seepage of water.

Incineration

This method involves burning of solid wastes at high temperatures until the wastes are
turned into ashes. Incinerators are made in such a way that they do not give off
extreme amounts of heat when burning solid wastes. This method of solid waste
management can be done by individuals, municipalities and even institutions. The
good thing about this method is the fact that it reduces the volume of waste up to 20 or
30% of the original volume.

Recovery and Recycling

Recycling or recovery of resources is the process of taking useful but discarded items
for next use. Traditionally, these items are processed and cleaned before they are
recycled. The process aims at reducing energy loss, consumption of new material
andreduction of landfills.

Composting

Due to lack of adequate space for landfills, biodegradable yard waste is allowed to
decompose in a medium designed for the purpose. Only biodegradable waste materials
are used in composting. Good quality environmentally friendly manure is formed from
the compost and can be used for agricultural purposes.

Pyrolysis

This is method of solid waste management whereby solid wastes are chemically
decomposed by heat without presence of oxygen. This usually occurs under pressure
and at temperatures of up to 430 degrees Celsius. The solid wastes are changed into
gasses, solid residue and small quantities of liquid.
In summary, proper solid waste management is an integral part of environmental
conservation that should be observed by individuals and companies globally. This will
keep the environment clean and reduce health and settlement problems.

Conclusion
Human ways of life have placed pressure on the environment and have caused imbalance in the eco
systems by the producing, consuming and wasting of natural resources. Most countries evidently have
major effects on the environment due to SW generation with economic development since the natural
resources are used, and waste and pollution are produced. Therefore, the concern towards the management
of solid waste as an integral part for sustainable development has increased.

This study explored the importance of SWM for sustainable development with the concern of new
development process in HMC in Sri Lanka. There were four research objectives to be achieved with the
study. The first objective was to study the characteristics of solid waste management practices in
Hambantota Municipal council. The researcher investigated the environmental impacts of solid waste
management practices in Hambantota Municipal council and assessed how waste management practices
can contribute to sustain the development processes in Hambantota District. Establishing an understanding
of the perception amongst local communities regarding solid waste management for sound environmental
development was also a concern.

In summary, the research findings revealed that there are significant issues with unauthorized waste
disposal practices due to the lack of proper waste management process. This has significantly impacted on
the natural environment and on Sound Environmental Development (SED) in the study area. The lack of
Public waste bins and proper waste collection processes have significantly affected the unauthorized waste
disposal practices. Moreover, the absence of sanitary land filling and inadequate processes by HISWMC
are significant issues with SWM. The absence of practical usage of regulation and laws is identified as a
barrier to residents engaging in proper waste management processes with recycling and waste separation
because the council could not enforce these practices. The lacks of knowledge, awareness and cooperation
have been identified.

It is clear that improper waste management practices have a significant impact on the natural environment
and sustainable development in the study area. Thus, awareness about SWM impact on sound
environmental development or/and sustainable development in seemingly low. Therefore, it is important
that the SWM should be developed from the primary level. Waste storage and primary disposal are the
dominant means of managing waste. Thus, it has caused significant challenges in the study area. Therefore,
waste separation from the household level, proper storage, more efficient waste collection systems, and
sustainable recovery and disposal practices are identified as needed processes in the study area.
Considering the nature and components of waste generated by households and business places, the waste
reduction, reuse, recycling and composting processes would be more suitable in managing the challenge.
These management options should be integrated in a sustainable framework. Adequate consideration
should be given to monitoring processes. Public education and properly planned waste management
programs also need to be introduced into the current waste management system. Especially awareness
programmes must be conducted in order to improve the knowledge about the importance of SWM for
sound environmental development in the area. The authorities should provide for the introduction of
complimentary programs and policy development.

The researcher identified SWM as the backbone of sound environmental development. Therefore, this
research study contributes to knowledge by determining the importance of SWM for sustainable
development in the newly developing HMC areas. The strength of this research study is the case study’s
setting which is the newly developed area, HMC, Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Further, this research study
incorporates the views of the HMC community to explore their level of understanding of environmental
and sustainable development. This is strength because community views have been largely examined with
the research. Nevertheless, there is a need for further scientific studies about the SWM process and its
impact on the environment and sustainable development.