Different Types of Waste
Different Types of Waste
Different Types of Waste
Waste is an issue in different parts of the world since waste quantities are
generally growing. Waste is generated by human activities in all economic sectors and
is definitely regarded as an unavoidable by-product of economic activities. The
generation of waste reflects loss of materials and energy and imposes economic costs
on society for its collection, treatment and disposal.
Calculated that from 37, 427.46 tons per day in 2012, the country’s waste
generation steadily increased to 40,087.45 tons in 2016. On the average, each person
in the country produces about 0.5 kilogram and 0.3 kilogram every day in the urban
and rural areas respectively. For Metro Manila, it is estimated that 8,636 tons of
garbage is generated per day.
Approximately, 0.7 kilogram of waste per person per day is added to the
country’s waste due to its more modernized lifestyle. The household is the major
source of waste in the Philippines at 74 percent.
Wastes- the United Nations Environment described wastes as unwanted or unusable
materials which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to
be disposed of by the provisions of national law.
Kinds of Wastes
1. Solid waste- type of wastes is in solid form like domestic, commercial and
industrial wastes such as plastics, styrofoam, papers, scrap iron, and sludge
from a wastewater treatment plant or air control facility.
2. Liquid waste- wastes in liquid form such as chemicals, oils, and waste water
from ponds and manufacturing industries. It includes sewage as well as
wastewater from industrial processes and agricultural processing.
3. Gaseous waste- waste in gaseous form which usually originates from chopping
and dissolution operations. Example, wolatile radionuclides are discharged to
the stack after scrubbing with sodium hydroxide and filtration through
charcoal filter devices. Electrostatic precipitation, wet scrubbers and gaseous
waste treatment are some ways of minimizing gaseous waste.
-To reduce the quantity and type of hazardous substances used to avoid
adverse impact on human health and environment. Transformation of waste into usable
secondary products can be done through recycling, reusing, repurposing, reducing, and
recovering. Thus, the waste generated from different industries and societies must
be classified in order to apply the correct form of management.
Solid Waste- Solid waste is defined as any garbage, refuse, sludge from waste
treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and
other materials, including solid, liquid, semisolid, contained gaseous resulting from
industrials, commercials, mining, and agricultural operations from community
activities.
Types of Waste
1. Biodegradable- These are the wastes that come from our kitchen, and include
food remains, garden waste, etc. These are also known as moist waste. These can be
composted to obtain manure. They decompose themselves over a period depending on
the material.
2. Non-Biodegradable- These are the wastes which include old newspapers, broken
glass pieces, plastics, etc. These are known as dry waste. Dry wastes can be recycled
and can be reused. Non-biodegradable wastes do not decompose by themselves and
hence are major pollutants.