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. The industrialization has brought a lot of good things and bad things as well. One
of the adverse effects of industrialization is the creation of solid waste.
CATEGORIES OF WASTES
Organic waste: Kitchen waste, waste from food preparation, vegetables, flowers, leaves,
fruits, and market places
Combustibles: Paper, wood, dried leaves, packaging for relief items etc. that are highly
organic and having low moisture content.
Non-combustibles: Metal, Tins, Cans, bottles, stones, etc.
Toxic waste: Old medicines, paints, chemicals, bulbs, spray cans, fertilizer and pesticide
containers, batteries, shoe polish.
Recyclables: Paper, glass, metals, plastics.
Ashes or Dust: Residue from fires that are used for cooking.
Construction waste: Rubble, roofing, broken concrete etc.
Dead animals: Carcasses of dead livestock or other animals.
Bulky waste: Tree branches, tires etc.
Soiled waste: Hospital waste such as cloth soiled with blood and other body fluids.
TYPE OF LITTER
APPROXIMATE TIME TAKEN TO DEGENERATE THE LITTER
Organic Waste such as vegetable and fruit peels, leftover foodstuff, etc.
A week ot two
Paper
10-30 days
Cotton cloth
2-5 months
Wood
10-15 years
Woolen items
1 year
Tin, Aluminum, and Metal cans
100-500 years
Plastic bags
One million years ?
Glass bottles
Undetermined
VARIOUS SOURCES OF SOLID WASTE
Every day, tonnes of solid waste are disposed of at various landfill sites. This waste comes from
homes, offices, industries and various other agricultural related activities.
These landfill 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:
1. RESIDENTIAL
Residences and homes where people live are some of the major sources of solid waste. The garbage
from these places includes food wastes, plastics, paper, glass, leather, cardboard, metals, yard wastes,
ashes and special wastes like bulky household items such as 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.
2. INDUSTRIAL
Industries are known to be one of the biggest contributors to 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 the form of housekeeping wastes, food wastes, packaging
wastes, ashes, construction and demolition materials, special wastes, medical wastes as well as other
hazardous wastes.
3. 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, godowns, 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.
4. 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.
5. CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION AREAS
Construction 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.
6. 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.
7. TREATMENT PLANTS AND SITES
Heavy and light manufacturing plants also produce solid waste. They include refineries, power
plants, processing plants, mineral extraction plants and chemical plants.
Among the wastes produced by these plants, there are industrial process wastes, unwanted
specification products, plastics, metal parts, just to mention a few.
8. AGRICULTURE
Crop farms, orchards, dairies, vineyards and feedlots are also sources of solid wastes. Among the
wastes they produce are agricultural wastes, spoiled food, pesticide containers and other hazardous
materials.
9. 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 for the
environment and the people in these facilities.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF IMPROPER WASTE MANAGEMENT
1. SOIL CONTAMINATION
Have a look at the informative image below.
Source: memuco.com
Contamination occurs by spilling and burying hazardous components in soil. So, we need to be
watchful of how we process petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, heavy metals and lead.
For example, here’s what happens when a plastic water bottle is incorrectly sent to a landfill,
or left, at any other place, to be absorbed by the soil:
Plastic water bottles eventually break down to release a harmful component called,
DIETHYLHYDROXYLAMINE (DEHA). (A carcinogen which hurts our reproductive capabilities, causes liver
dysfunction and weight loss issues.)
DEHA seeps into the surrounding areas of the soil and water bodies to harm the animal and
plant life depends on it.
You can see this nice, short, animated video explaining why plastic is so harmful.
Water is an excellent solvent; it can contain numerous dissolved chemicals. As a result, while
moving through, water picks up pollution along the way. It often has dissolved substances like various
chemicals and gases.
Rainfall easily mixes to toxic liquid substances and seeps into the water streams to end up in
nearby water bodies. Thus, the neighbourhood fountain, pond, lake or even drinking water taps are
susceptible to the dangers of contamination.
The victims? All living organisms including us, humans.
3. LITTER SURROUNDINGS
Source: fyidenmark.com
Due to improper waste disposal systems, particularly by municipal waste management teams, wastes
heap up and become a menace. While people clean their homes and places of work, they litter their
surroundings, which affect the environment and the community.
4. IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH
Source: metropolitantransferstation.com
Improper waste disposal can affect the health of the population living nearby the polluted area
or landfills. The health of waste disposal workers and other employees involved with these landfill
facilities are also at a greater risk.
Exposure to wastes that handled improperly can cause skin irritations, respiratory problems,
blood infections, growth problems, and even reproductive issues.
5. DISEASE-CAUSING PETS
Source: depositphoto.com
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.
6. ENVIRONMENT PROBLEMS
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 that may affect or alter the productivity of the soils in that particular area.
7. EMISSION OF TOXIC GASES
Source: metropolitantransferstation.com
When hazardous wastes like pesticides, batteries containing lead, mercury or zinc, cleaning
solvents, radioactive materials, e-waste and plastics mixed up with paper and other non-toxic scraps are
burned they produce dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other gases. These toxic gases have the
potential of causing various diseases, including cancer.
8. IMPACT ON LAND AND AQUATIC ANIMALS
Source: totalsoftwater.com
Our carelessness with our waste and garbage also affects animals, and they suffer the effects of
pollution caused by improperly disposed of wastes and rubbish.
Consuming styrofoam and cigarette butts have been known to cause deaths in marine animals. Animals are also
at risk of poisoning while consuming grasses near contaminated areas or landfills as the toxins seep into
the soil.
METHODS OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
There are different methods of solid waste management. The following are some of the recognized
methods:
1. 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
groundwater from being contaminated because of leaching or percolation.
When the landfill is full, it is covered with layers of sand, clay, topsoil and gravel to prevent
seepage of water.
Advantages: If landfills are managed efficiently, it is an ensured sanitary waste disposal
method.
Constraint: It requires a reasonably large area.
2. INCINERATION
This method involves the 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.
Incinerators that recycle heat energy through furnace and boiler are called waste-to-energy
plants. These waste-to-energy systems are more expensive to set up and operate compared to plain
incinerators because they require special equipment and controls, highly skilled technical personnel, and
auxiliary fuel systems.
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.
Advantages:The volume of combustible waste is reduced considerably by burning waste. In
the case of off-site pits, it is an appropriate method to minimize scavenging.
Constraint:It can cause smoke or fire hazard and also emits gaseous pollutants.
3. RECOVERY AND RECYCLING
Recycling or recovery of resources is the process of taking useful but discarded items for the
next use. Plastic bags, tins, glass and containers are often recycled automatically since, in many
situations, they are likely to be scarce commodities.
Traditionally, these items are processed and cleaned before they are recycled. The process aims
at reducing energy loss, consumption of new material and reduction of landfills. The most developed
countries follow a strong tradition of recycling to lower volumes of waste.
Constraint:It is expensive to set up, and in most emergencies, there is limited potential.
4. COMPOSTING
Due to a 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.
It is a biological process in which micro-organisms, specifically fungi and bacteria, convert
degradable organic waste into substances like humus. This finished product, which looks like soil, is high
in carbon and nitrogen. Good quality environmentally friendly manure is formed from the compost that is an
excellent medium for growing plants and can be used for agricultural purposes.
Advantages:Composting is environmentally friendly as well as beneficial for crops.
Constraint:It requires intensive management and experienced personnel for large scale
operation.
5. PYROLYSIS
This is a method of solid waste management whereby solid wastes are chemically decomposed by heat
without the presence of oxygen. It usually occurs under pressure and at temperatures of up to 430 degrees
Celsius. The solid wastes are changed into gasses, solid residue of carbon and ash and small quantities of
liquid.
Advantages:This will keep the environment clean and reduce health and settlement problems.
Constraint:The systems that destroy chlorinated organic molecules by heat may create
incomplete combustion products, including dioxins and furans. These compounds are highly toxic in the parts
per trillion ranges. The residue it generates may be hazardous wastes, requiring proper treatment, storage,
and disposal.
To summarize, proper solid waste management is an integral part of environmental conservation
that should be observed by both individuals and companies globally.
