MCB 452: WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT (2CU)

OUTLINE
 CAUSES OF WASTE GENERATION
 CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES
 EFFECTS OF WASTES ON THE ENVIRONMENT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
 Waste (also known as rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, junk, litter, and ort) is unwanted
or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or
toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea and
sweat.
 Basel Convention Definition of Wastes:
 “substances or objects which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of
or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of the law”
 Disposal means
 “any operation which may lead to resource recovery, recycling, reclamation,
direct re-use or alternative uses (Annex IVB of the Basel convention)”
 The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known simply as Basel Convention, is an

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 international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste
between nations, specially to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to
less developed countries (LDCs). It does not, however, address the movement of
radioactive waste. The convention is also intended to minimize the amount and
toxicity of wastes generated, to ensure their environmentally sound management as
closely as possible to the source of generation, and to assist LDCs in environmentally
sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate.
 The Convention was opened for signature on 22nd March 1989, and entered into force
on 5 May 1992.
 Produced by the United Nations Statistics Division (U.N.S.D.):
"Wastes are materials that are not prime products (that is products produced for the
market) for which the generator has no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of
production, transformation or consumption, and of which he/she wants to dispose.
Wastes may be generated during the extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw
materials into intermediate and final products, the consumption of final products, and
other human activities. Residuals recycled or reused at the place of generation are
excluded."
CAUSES OF WASTE GENERATION
Waste is an unavoidable by-product of most human activity. Economic development and
rising living standards have led to increases in the quantity and complexity of generated
waste, whilst industrial diversification and the provision of expanded health-care
facilities have added substantial quantities of industrial hazardous waste and
biomedical waste into the waste stream with potentially severe environmental and
human health consequences.

CAUSES OF SOLID WASTE POLLUTION

Causes of solid waste pollution are many. Every day, tons of solid wastes are disposed of at
various landfills. These wastes come from various places such as schools, office complexes,
industrial establishments, construction and demolition activities. One of the major causes of
solid waste pollution can be attributed to various industries that manufacture numerous
products. The actual amount of waste generated may vary by countries.

CAUSES OF SOLID WASTE POLLUTION

Causes of solid waste pollution are many. Every day, tons of solid wastes are disposed of at
various landfills. These wastes come from various places such as schools, office complexes,
industrial establishments, construction and demolition activities. One of the major causes of
solid waste pollution can be attributed to various industries that manufacture numerous
products. The actual amount of waste generated may vary by countries.

EXAMPLES OF SOLID WASTE

 Tyres
 Scrap metal

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  Demolition wastes
 Asbestos
 Vehicle Scraps
 Electronic appliances

MAJOR CAUSES OF SOLID WASTE POLLUTION

The following are some of the major factors that contribute to solid waste pollution:

 Commercial establishments
 Residential houses
 Debris from construction and demolition
 Debris from roads (such as asphalt and scrap metal)
 Scrap from vehicles
 Agriculture
Apart from the ones mentioned above, improper waste management is also one of the
causes of solid waste pollution.

CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES (SOURCES AND TYPES OF WASTES)

It is important to recall that waste is any unwanted and unusable materials and is regarded as
a substance which is of no use. Garbage is mainly considered as a solid waste that includes
wastes from our houses (domestic waste), wastes from schools, offices, etc (municipal
wastes) and wastes from industries and factories (industrial wastes).

SOURCES OF WASTE
Sources of waste can be broadly classified into four types: Industrial, Commercial,
Domestic, and Agricultural.

KINDS OF WASTES

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Solid wastes: wastes in solid forms, domestic, commercial and industrial wastes
 Examples: plastics, Styrofoam containers, bottles,
cans, papers, scrap iron, and other trash

Liquid Wastes: wastes in liquid form

 Examples: domestic washings, chemicals, oils, waste
water from ponds, manufacturing industries and other sources

 According to EPA regulations, SOLID WASTE is

 Any garbage or refuse (Municipal Solid Waste)

 Sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air
pollution control facility

 Other discarded material

 Solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material from industrial, commercial,

mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities

CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES ACCORDING TO THEIR PROPERTIES

Bio-degradable
 can be degraded (paper, wood, fruits and others)

Non-biodegradable
 cannot be degraded (plastics, bottles, old machines, cans, styrofoam
containers and others)

CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES ACCORDING TO

THEIR EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Hazardous wastes
 Substances unsafe to use commercially, industrially, agriculturally, or economically
and have any of the following properties- ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity &
toxicity.

Non-hazardous
 Substances safe to use commercially, industrially, agriculturally, or economically and
do not have any of those properties mentioned above. These substances usually create
disposal problems.

CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES ACCORDING TO THEIR ORIGIN AND

TYPE

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 Municipal Solid wastes: Solid wastes that include household garbage, rubbish,
construction & demolition debris, sanitation residues, packaging materials, trade
refuges etc. are managed by any municipality.
Bio-medical wastes: Solid or liquid wastes including containers, intermediate or end
products generated during diagnosis, treatment & research activities of medical
sciences.
Industrial wastes: Liquid and solid wastes that are generated by manufacturing &
processing units of various industries like chemical, petroleum, coal, metal gas,
sanitary & paper etc.
Agricultural wastes: Wastes generated from farming activities. These substances are
mostly biodegradable.
Fishery wastes: Wastes generated due to fishery activities. These are extensively
found in coastal & estuarine areas.
Radioactive wastes: Waste containing radioactive materials. Usually these are by-
products of nuclear processes. Sometimes industries that are not directly involved in
nuclear activities, may also produce some radioactive wastes, e.g. radio-isotopes,
chemical sludge etc.
E-wastes: Electronic wastes generated from any modern establishments. They may be
described as discarded electrical or electronic devices. Some electronic scrap
components, such as CRTs, may contain contaminants such as Pb, Cd, Be or
brominated flame retardants.
SUMMARY

Industrial Waste
These are the wastes created in factories and industries. Most industries dump their wastes in
rivers and seas which cause a lot of pollution.
Example: plastic, glass, etc.

Commercial Waste
Commercial wastes are produced in schools, colleges, shops, and offices.
Example: plastic, paper, etc.

Domestic Waste
The different household wastes which are collected during household activities like cooking,
cleaning, etc. are known as domestic wastes.
Example: leaves, vegetable peels, excreta, etc.

Agricultural Waste
Various wastes produced in the agricultural field are known as agricultural wastes.

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Example: cattle waste, weed, husk, etc.
BIODEGRADABLE AND NON-BIODEGRADABLE WASTE

Biodegradable waste (moist waste)

These are the wastes that can be decomposed by decomposers such as decomposing bacteria
and fungi. These wastes could be generated from the kitchen and it includes food remains,
garden waste, etc. This can be composted to obtain manure. Biodegradable wastes are
decomposed over a period of time depending on the material. Fungi are the active
decomposers they can degrade the complex or woody organic matter (cellulose, chitin, lignin
and pectin) found in biodegradable wastes that are hard to decompose by the bacteria.

They degrade the plant’s and animal’s wastes into accessible nutrients. Bacteria primarily
decompose the dead organic waste before decomposition by fungi.
Examples: Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens etc.

Non-biodegradable waste (dry waste)

These are the wastes which include broken glass pieces, plastics, etc. Dry wastes can be
recycled and can be reused. Non-biodegradable wastes do not decompose by themselves and
hence are major pollutants.

EFFECTS OF WASTES ON THE ENVIRONMENT (EFFECTS OF Improper Waste

Disposal ON the Environment)

Waste disposal is one of the most important industries in the world. Without waste disposal,
the massive production industries produce too much and quickly destroy the environment.
This is apparent when improper waste disposal effects on the environment is considered.

LAND POLLUTION

Land pollution occurs whenever waste ends up on soil or other land that people should
process instead. This garbage doesn’t just sit there; the contents break down, whether by
rotting or time and seep into the area around it. This means the dirt and all surrounding areas
absorb the pollution and become dangerous for people and animals.

WATER POLLUTION

Whatever waste doesn’t go into landfills or other disposal areas usually finds its way into the
ocean or other bodies of water. It then breaks down into the ocean, slowly contaminating the
water and choking out the life that water hosts. This process raises the toxicity of the water,
making freshwater unsafe for human consumption and any body of water toxic for those
swimming in the water. Since water travels and is a great solvent, the pollutants don’t easily
leave the area and can contaminate other water sources.

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AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is a major issue worldwide. A basic understanding of air pollution states that
greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere and cause massive global climate change.
Improper waste disposal is a contributor to excess gases entering the atmosphere and causing
these problems. The breakdown of the waste releases gases like methane, which is a major
factor in global climate change.

CLIMATE CHANGE

A huge issue that comes from all forms of pollution is the contribution and impact it has on
the global climate. Waste contributes to the gases that thicken the ozone layer. This, in turn,
worsens the weather and melts the ice caps, raising the sea level and negatively impacting
natural habitats and the homes of billions of people.

Extreme Weather

Climate change has also caused a gradual increase in the frequency of extreme weather and
natural disasters. Due to the change in climate, there has been a noticeable increase in
disasters like tornadoes (destructive windstorms) and floods. Even the presence of hurricanes
( severe tropical cyclone( rapid inward circulation of air masses about a low pressure centre)
usually with heavy rains and winds) has become more prevalent because of climate change.

DISEASE

Unprocessed waste is a huge breeding ground for major diseases. All kinds of diseases can
use places like landfills; even contaminated waters can host all manners of horrible diseases.
These diseases can affect animals, plants, and people alike—improperly processed waste is
horrible for the health of all living things.

PLANT DEATH

Contaminants in both the air and water have horrible effects on plants, as soil with
contaminants will kill most plants. Even if there are no contaminants in the soil, the water
brought by the rain can be toxic for plants and kill them.

ANIMAL AND MARINE DEATH

Plants aren’t the only things that suffer when it comes to waste; both land and sea animals die
from waste left around. From sea turtles and fish dying because of plastic in the sea to
animals eating hazardous materials left lying around, there’s a lot of death in nature because
of this waste. In this way, improper waste disposal directly leads to the extinction of many
species every day, causing permanent damage to ecosystems across the globe.

LOSS OF HABITATS

Every animal has a range of environments it can survive in. This is why you only see specific
species in certain locations. However, waste contributes to global climate change, which

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changes the size of the habitats animals need to survive. A decreasing habitat size drives
species like polar bears to extinction as they attempt migrations out of the areas.

LOWER BIODIVERSITY

The extinction of species and deaths of crops means the biodiversity across the world is
slowly lowering. This is bad for the health of nature, as lower biodiversity increases the
chances of complete extinction during a disaster. With fewer different species, diseases have
an easier time traveling, and leaving fewer species that can survive environmental changes.

WORSENING INFRASTRUCTURE

There are a lot of changes to the world outside of global climate change that comes from
waste; even infrastructure suffers from waste problems. Plastics and other wastes in local
water sources will clog drains and contaminate drinking water. Areas of land pollution (dirty
environment) are breeding grounds and spread for pests, like rats, breeding site for
mosquitoes, flies, and insects vectors which flourish in dirty environments.

RADIATION AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Most people don’t consider the dangers of radioactive waste because of strict regulations, but
improper handling can lead to radiation poisoning in areas near the waste. Even other
materials that prove harmful to humans can find their way into local areas if industries don’t
properly process their waste with an industrial disposal service capable of handling their
waste.

“DEAD” ZONES

We often don’t consider places like landfills as “dead” space, but they’re exactly that. The
more trash and waste flows into these fills, the bigger they grow and the more numerous they
become. These create places where nothing else can exist, as the space is useful only for
waste and garbage, thus creating an area that serves no other purpose

HEALTH IMPACTS OF SOLID WASTE

Modernization and progress has had its share of disadvantages

and one of the main aspects of concern is the pollution it is
causing to the earth – be it land, air, and water. With increase
in the global population and the rising demand for food and
other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of waste
being generated daily by each household. This waste is
ultimately thrown into municipal waste collection centres
from where it is collected by the area municipalities to be
further thrown into the landfills and dumps. However, either
due to resource crunch or inefficient infrastructure, not all of
this waste gets collected and transported to the final
dumpsites. If at this stage the management and disposal is

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 improperly done, it can cause serious impacts on health and
problems to the surrounding environment.

Waste that is not properly managed, especially excreta and

other liquid and solid waste from households and the
community, are a serious health hazard and lead to the spread
of infectious diseases. Unattended waste lying around attracts
flies, rats, and other creatures that in turn spread disease.
Normally it is the wet waste that decomposes and releases a
bad odour. This leads to unhygienic conditions and thereby to
a rise in the health problems. The plague outbreak in Surat is
a good example of a city suffering due to the callous attitude
of the local body in maintaining cleanliness in the city. Plastic
waste is another cause for ill health. Thus excessive solid
waste that is generated should be controlled by taking
certain preventive measures.

IMPACTS OF SOLID WASTE ON HEALTH

The group at risk from the unscientific disposal of solid waste

include – the population in areas where there is no proper
waste disposal method, especially the pre-school children;
waste workers; and workers in facilities producing toxic and
infectious material. Other high-risk group include population
living close to a waste dump and those, whose water supply
has become contaminated either due to waste dumping or
leakage from landfill sites. Uncollected solid waste also
increases risk of injury, and infection.

In particular, organic domestic waste poses a serious threat,

since they ferment, creating conditions favourable to the
survival and growth of microbial pathogens. Direct handling
of solid waste can result in various types of infectious and
chronic diseases with the waste workers and the rag pickers
being the most vulnerable.

Exposure to hazardous waste can affect human health,

children being more vulnerable to these pollutants. In fact,
direct exposure can lead to diseases through chemical
exposure as the release of chemical waste into the
environment leads to chemical poisoning. Many studies have
been carried out in various parts of
the world to establish a connection
between health and hazardous waste.

Waste from agriculture and

industries can also cause serious
health risks. Other than this, co-
disposal of industrial hazardous waste

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 with municipal waste can expose people to chemical and
radioactive hazards. Uncollected solid waste can also obstruct
storm water runoff, resulting in the forming of stagnant water
bodies that become the breeding ground of disease. Waste
dumped near a water source also causes contamination of the
water body or the ground water source. Direct dumping of
untreated waste in rivers, seas, and lakes results in the
accumulation of toxic substances in the food chain through
the plants and animals that feed on it.

Disposal of hospital and other medical waste requires special

attention since this can create major health hazards. This
waste generated from the hospitals, health care centres,
medical laboratories, and research centres such as discarded
syringe needles, bandages, swabs, plasters, and other types of
infectious waste are often disposed with the regular non-
infectious waste.

Waste treatment and disposal sites can also create health

hazards for the neighbourhood. Improperly operated
incineration plants cause air pollution and improperly
managed and designed landfills attract all types of insects and
rodents that spread disease. Ideally these sites should be
located at a safe distance from all human settlement. Landfill
sites should be well lined and walled to ensure that there is no
leakage into the nearby ground water sources.

Recycling too carries health risks if proper precautions are not

taken. Workers working with waste containing chemical and
metals may experience toxic exposure. Disposal of health-
care wastes require special attention since it can create major
health hazards, such as Hepatitis B and C, through wounds
caused by discarded syringes. Rag pickers and others who are
involved in scavenging in the waste dumps for items that can
be recycled, may sustain injuries and come into direct contact
with these infectious items.

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 Diseases
OCCUPATIONAL
Certain chemicals if released HAZARDS
untreated, e.g. cyanides, mercury, ASSOCIATED WITH
and polychlorinated biphenyls are WASTE HANDLING
highly toxic and exposure can lead
to disease or death. Some studies Infections
have detected excesses of cancer Skin and blood
in residents exposed to hazardous infections resulting from
waste. Many studies have been direct contact with
carried out in various parts of the waste, and from infected
world to establish a connection wounds.
between health and hazardous Eye and respiratory
waste. infections resulting from
exposure to infected
dust, especially during
The role of plastics landfill operations.
Different diseases
The unhygienic use and disposal that results from the
of plastics and its effects on bites of animals feeding
human health has become a matter on the waste.
of concern. Coloured plastics are Intestinal infections
harmful as their pigment contains that are transmitted by
heavy metals that are highly toxic. flies feeding on the
Some of the harmful metals found waste.
in plastics are copper, lead,
chromium, cobalt, selenium, and Chronic diseases
cadmium. In most industrialized Incineration
countries, colour plastics have operators are at risk of
been legally banned. chronic respiratory
diseases, including
cancers resulting from
Preventive measures exposure to dust and
hazardous compounds.
Proper methods of waste disposal
have to be undertaken to ensure Accidents
that it does not affect the Bone and muscle
environment around the area or disorders resulting from
cause health hazards to the people the handling of heavy
living there. containers.
Infecting wounds
At the household-level proper resulting from contact
segregation of waste has to be with sharp objects.
done and it should be ensured that Poisoning and
all organic matter is kept aside for chemical burns
composting, which is undoubtedly resulting from contact
the best method for the correct with small amounts of
disposal of this segment of the hazardous chemical
waste. In fact, the organic part of waste mixed with
the waste that is generated general waste.
decomposes more easily, attracts Burns and other
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occupational accidents
at waste disposal sites or
from methane gas
SUMMARY ON THE IMPACTS/EFFECTS OF WASTE IF NOT MANAGED
WISELY
• Affects our health

• Affects our socio-economic conditions

• Affects our coastal and marine environment

• Affects our climate

• GHGs are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities,

causing global mean surface air temperature and subsurface ocean temperature to
rise.

• Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea levels and change
precipitation and other local climate conditions.

• Changing regional climates could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies.

• This could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems.

• Deserts might expand into existing rangelands, and features of some of our
national parks might be permanently altered.

• Buildup of GHGs primarily carbon dioxide (CO 2) methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide
(N20).

• C02 is released to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels, wood and wood
products, and solid waste.

• CH4 is emitted from the decomposition of organic wastes in landfills, the raising of
livestock, and the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil.

• N02 is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during

combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels.

• Chemical poisoning through chemical inhalation

• Uncollected waste can obstruct the storm water runoff resulting in flood

• Low birth weight

• Cancer

• Congenital malformations

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 • Neurological disease

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