STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF WASTE

Introduction
Cleanliness and sanitation of catering establishments and premises includes not
only maintenance of clean and well sanitized surfaces of all equipment in contact
with food but also good housekeeping practices and adequate treatment and
disposal of wastes.
Adequate treatment and proper disposal of all wastes arising from the catering
industry is directly or indirectly the responsibility of the management. The
management should ideally ensure that wastes are disposed without causing any
danger to human life, without damaging plant and animal life and without
polluting any part of our environment.
In the food industry, wastes must be disposed off regularly and efficiently to
prevent contamination of any food product. Wastes arising from catering
establishments are broadly classified into three groups: solid wastes (garbage
and refuse), liquid wastes (sewage) and gaseous wastes (smoke and fumes)
Solid wastes in the form of refuse and garbage is the major waste which arises
from the catering industry. They pose a problem in disposal to the caterer. Liquid
wastes are normally disposed through sewers provided by the municipality in
town and cities and gaseous wastes are expelled into the atmosphere where they
get diluted by diffusion and air currents.
It is essential to collect and dispose off all types of waste separately as they are
easier to deal with if they are kept separate.

SOLID WASTES
A part from the usual trash and litter like empty cartons, tins and boxes, solid
wastes from the food industry include agricultural wastes like unusable portions
of plant and animal foods resulting from food production. Solid wastes should
preferably be sorted into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, and
stored separetly. They may be compacted or concentrated before disposal.
Agricultural wastes can be used as feed or fertilizer after appropriate treatment.
Garbage or swill is the waste matter resulting from the preparation, cooking and
consumption of food. It includes all inedible, spoilt and useless scraps of food,
which need to be disposed off. Waste matter from preparation will include
vegetable and fruit peels and trimmings, rotten food stuffs, spoilt canned food,
etc. Cooking wastes include peels, skin and bones, charred preparation an spoilt
food. Sometimes food is wasted after it is served. Plate waste also accounts for a
large portion of garbage.

Refuse refers to any waste material, either non food or swill. Non food waste from
the kitchen includes all cans, bottles, paperbags, polythene bags, lids, cardboard
cartons, etc. From the service area, single service items, papernapkins and
straws, toothpicks, etc. also contribute significantly to the overall solid waste
matter.
If waste is allowed to accumulate it is dangerous to health.
This is because of the following reasons.
1. Organic portions of solid waste ferments and gives off foul odours
2. Piled up waste favours the breeding ofinsects and rodents, especially flies
3. Pathogens present in waste may be conveyed to humans through pests
and dust.
4. It may pollute the water supply
5. There is a risk of air pollution in case of accidental or spontaneous
combustion of rotting refuse because of the production of gas
6. Hogs, cattle and gods feed on garbage and spread it still further
7. Heaps of refuse lying around is an unattractive sight
It is therefore necessary that the refuse from catering establishments is properly
collected, stored and disposed off in a sanitary manner. If it is not disposed off
immediately, then it should be stored in proper containers in a cool place.
Garbage should always be kept well away from food, utensils and food
preparation, storage and service areas.

Collection
Refuse should always be collected from the place where it is produced,i.e. near
pre-preparation tables, meat blocks, kitchen sinks, dishwashing area, pantry
table, etc. it can be collected in small bins or swill bowls. Nowadays, modern
work tables are fitted with garbage bins on a trolley placed underneath the table.
The waste can be immediately pushed off the table into the bin.
All small bins must be emptied into a large bin outside the kitchen at least twice
a day or whenever the bins are full.

Storage of Garbage

It is important to store garbage correctly before it is disposed off. It should not be

left overnight near the kitchen area. The kitchen area is warmer than the other
areas and decay is faster near the kitchen. The ideal storage area is in a yard
behind the premises. Garbage should be filled in bins and these bins should be
kept in the coolest place. Care should be taken to ensure easy cleaning and
absence of pests. The garbage storage area should be large enough for the
amount of garbage that will accumulate.

In large establishments and places where it is not desposed off frequently, it is

stored in the basement at low temperatures.

The Garbage Bin

The garbage bin should have the following characteristics:

1. It should be made of metal, preferably galvanized
2. Stoutly constructed and durable
3. Painted or treated with bitumen to prevent rusting
4. Unridged
5. Covered with tightly fitting lids, preferably with a clip to prevent the lid
from blowing off
6. Leakproof
7. Pestproof
8. Easy to clean
9. Of the correct size
10. Adequate in number
The bins may be lined with plastic or wet strength bags. The bins should be kept
dry. This will prevent or reduce bacterial growth, spoilage and putrefaction and
the resultant foul odours. To control pathogens and keep down odours, cover
garbage with bleaching powder, lime or chlorine.
The bins should be placed on cemented platforms approximately 35cm
(14inches) to 45cm (18 inches) above the ground and 23 cm (9inches) away from
the wall. This will prevent legged pests from reaching the bin.
The top of the platform should be slatted to avoid accumulation of moisture
around the base of the bin. The bins should not be exposed to the sun or rain.
Ideally, there should be separate bins for swill and rubbish. They should be
adequate in numbr and size to ensure that there will be no overflow. If trolleys
are available to carry the bins to the garbage truck, the work of lifting the bins is
reduced.

Cleaning the Bins

Garbage bins may be used in rotation. They should be cleaned often. A tap, a
pipe and a drain should be provided near the disposal area. After the bins are
emptied they should ideally be rinsed with warm water and scrubbed with a long
handled brush using soap and disinfectant. The floors of the disposal area should
be clean and free from any spilt refuse.
Kitchen waste and plate scrapings should be collected in closed containers or a
strong polythene bag or disposable cartoons. To check pilferage, transparent
bags may be used.
After the bag is full it is should be tied up.
These can be directly emptied into or placed in the main bins at regular intervals.
This waste should never be carried through the dining areas. The containers
should always be covered and cleaned thoroughly as soon as they are empty.

Methods of Disposal

After refuse is collected, it is important to dispose it off in such a way that it does
not create any nuisance.
The variety and quantity of waste products to be disposed off has increased
tremendously with improvement in the standard of living and the population
explosion.
Waste arising from catering establishments is mainly composed of biodegradable
or organic matter (bimass). This waste needs prompt disposal because it is highly
perishable and decomposes rapidly, giving rise to foul odours and encouraging
the growth of micro-organisms and pests.
Before selecting a method for proper disposal of wastes, it is necessary to
understand the value of the waste matter which isto be disposed off and the
nuisance it is likely to cause if improperly disposed.

Disposal of Biodegradable wastes

Bacteria act on organic matter and decompose it either aerobically or
anaerobically. In aerobic decomposition complete combustion of organic matter
takes place. This happens in vermiculture.
In anaerobic decomposition incomplete combustion takes place and is
accompanied with the production of methane gas. If anaerobic conditions are
created in garbage heaps, ponds or septic tanks, a foul odour emanates because
of gas formation. This principle ismade use of in the production of biogas.

Vermiculture Vermiculture is a cheap, practical, innovative technology which

conserves the humus content of the soil. This is achieve with the help of the
earthworm pheretima oblongata. Aerobic bacteria multiply in the gut of the
earthworm and decompose waste like sugars, starch, cellulose and protein into
humus and simpler forms which can be easily assimilated by plants. The
burrowing action of the worm tills the soil ten times deeper than the traditional
plough. It increases porosity and aeration by breaking up the soil.

The worm feeds on garbage and excretes it as manure, known as vermicastngs,

which is a highly enriched kind of biofertiliser and contains hundreds of tiny
earthworm cocoons to continue the process. It restores fertility to degraded soils
and wastelands.
Vermiculture can be done in a garbage bin in the kitchen. All food waste is
chopped or crushed and spread in a layer in the bin, or on the soil in garden beds
or special beds to which vermicastings have been applied.
Sewage can also be treated by vermiculture, and the water released in the
process can be reused for gardening, flushing, etc. soils treated with vermiculture
yield bumper crops and return the plant nutrients to the soil.

Biogas Generation Human excreta, animal droppings and plant and agricultural
wastes can be processed in a biogas or gobar gas plant to produce fuel gas and
rich manure. The plant consists of a circular tank shaped like a well. The tank is
divided into two sections by a partition wall. It is covered on top by a cylindrical
dome for the collection of gas.
Exeta or night soil from the water closet and other diluted organic wastes are
directly fed into the round digestion tank through an inlet pipe. The gas produced
by anaerobic digestion is collected in the cylindrical dome and is conveyed by a
pipe to the kitchen. The digested effluent sludge comes out through the outlet
pipe.
The two main products formed by anaerobic digestion are
1. Fuelgas, which is approximately 55 percent methane and 45 percent
carbon dioxide
2. Manure, which is rich in nitrogen and humus.
The gas produced can be used for cooking, lighting and running engines. Many
companies are working towards large scale production of biogas and manure
from refuse collected by municipal corporatins.
Recycling Recycling is the reprocessing of waste products so that they can be
reused.

Recycling food waste One way of utilizing the energy from waste food is by using
it as feed for pigs and poultry. It should be collected separately, taking care not
to mix other refuse like cans, broken glass, etc. waste food may be used for
preparation of poultry feed after it is boiled well, shredded dried and enriched
with minerals. Destruction of all pathogens should be ascertained, otherwise they
may find their way into the flesh of animals and ultimately reach the food
consumed by humans.

Recycling non-biodegradable waste All kinds of glass, plastic, polythene, paper

and metal can be recycled. Each of these items should be collected in separate
containers or bags and sent for recycling. This will drastically reduce the volume
of garbage to be disposed off daily and indirectly reduce pollution.
The use of recycled plastics is, however, not permiteed in the food industry.

LIQUID WASTES OR SEWAGE

Liquid wastes or sewage includes waste water from sinks and drains from the
kitchen, dishwashing area, laundry, bathrooms, toilets and other drains from the
building and yard which is normally carried away by under ground sewers.
It contains human excreta, chemicals like detergents, pesticides and oiland clean
up waste water rich in nutrients from animal and vegetable foods. It is one of the
most dangerous sources of hman pathogens and should not come in contact with
food, water, utensils, equipment or any other food contact surface.
Sewage must be kept separate from other wastes because of the possible
presence of human intestinal pathogens and the importance of guaranteeing
their destruction. Disposal of sewage in a sanitary manner thus forms a
prerequisite for good food sanitation.
As far as possible, sewage should be dispose off in a public sewerage system or
in a manner approved by the health authority. Care should be taken to preven
contamination of the ground and water supply and to keep all pests away. The
temporary food service establishment operator needs to take special care.
In catering establishments located in towns and cities, sewage is removed
through a system of under ground sewers and drains called the water carriage
system. These sewers take the sewage to a far off place away from the city.
Before it is disposed off, it is treated in sewage treatment disposal farms or
modern sewage treatment plants.
If the water carriage system is not available, sewage is treated in specially
constructed septic tanks. Sewage should be treated before it is disposed off to
reduce the possibilities of pollution and contamination.
Kitchen and wash up area wastewater should not be allowed to stagnate if
sewers or drains are not available. This water could be filtered and drained into
the subsoil through a simple soakpit.

GASEOUS WASTES
Gaseous wastes include strong fumes originating from food being cooked and
smoke from the kitchen, especially when wood or coal is used as cooking fuel.
Gaseous wastes are a problem in the tandoor and barbeque sections of the
Indian kitchen.