Solid Waste Management
Solid Waste Management
Solid Waste Management
com/soli
d-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.
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.
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
– 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.
– 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.
Technical aspects of integrated solid waste management include the following activities:
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df
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•••
BY RICK LEBLANC
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.
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).
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.
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.
There are six functional components of the waste management system as outlined
below:
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.
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/sources-effects-methods-of-solid-waste-
management.php
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.