Solid Waste Management

WSSCK > Solid Waste Management

Anything that is not of further use in a process is known as waste for that process. That can be useful for other processes and can be termed as raw material for that process. So actually, waste is a misplaced resource. When this waste is in a comparatively solid form it is known as solid waste. Whatever may be the form of waste, it deteriorates the environment if it is disposed of in an offensive manner. The wastewater and its treatment and disposal have already been discussed.

Solid waste is defined as a discarded solid fraction produced from domestic, commercial,trade, industrial, agricultural, institutional, mining activities, and public services. The waste is a term that means useless, unwanted or discarded material. According to the American Public Works Association, the solid waste is classified in twelve categories as, garbage, rubbish, ashes, street sweepings, dead animals, abandoned vehicles, construction/demolition waste, industrial refuse, special waste such as hospital waste, bulky waste, animal and agricultural waste, and sewage treatment residue (semi-solid fraction known as sludge).

Solid waste includes domestic waste, municipal waste, commercial waste, garbage (animal and vegetable waste), rubbish (inorganic excluding ashes), ashes and industrial waste, sludge from wastewater treatment plants, etc. Actually, mainly the population living in an urban area produces much more solid waste than the rural one. As there is more employment potential in an urban area the urban population has increased from 10.84% in 1901 to 25.7% in 1991. The class I cities has increased from 212 to 300 from 1981 to 1991, while class II cities have increased from 270 to 345 in the same period. As the living style in urban areas is totally different from the rural area (sanitary system, industrialization, etc.), much more solid waste is produced in the urban area. Actually more is the (so-called) advancement, higher is the solid waste production. Because of poverty, lifestyle, the habit of living with nature, and lesser population density, lesser waste is produced in rural areas of our country. So basically, the solid waste problem is more related to the cities or towns and as the cities are increasing the problem is being aggravated.

To handle the problem of solid waste in an efficient manner is known as solid waste management.

DUST BINS

Painted dustbins.

Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM).

The selection of a combination of techniques, technologies, and management programs to achieve waste management objectives is called integrated solid waste management (ISWM).

This approach has made major strides in recent years. The EPA proposed a hierarchy of actions to implement ISWM: source reduction (including reuse and waste reduction), recycling and composting, and disposal in combustion facilities and landfills. The most obvious effect of the integrated approach is to reduce the size of the incineration facility. This reduces the capital cost of the incineration facility. Although the energy output is also reduced, the waste that remains has a higher energy content so that the reduction in energy output is less than the reduction in plant size. Recycling also reduces waste elements that can damage the boilers and removes those components that slag in the furnace and foul it.

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Construction/Rehabilitation of Water Supply Tube Wells

Sanitation Scheme in Urban-3

Replacement of Rusted Pipeline of Water Supply Schemes

Integrated Solid Waste Management Components:

The four components or functional elements of ISWM include source reduction, recycling and composting, waste transportation and land filling. These waste management activities can be undertaken either in interactively or hierarchically.

Following are brief discussion of each of these functional elements of ISWM:

Source Reduction

It is also known as waste prevention, which aims at reducing unnecessary waste generation. Source reduction strategies may include a variety of approaches, such as:

products that are designed for recycling, durable, sustainable goods, and, where possible, in concentrated form.
reusable products, including reusable packaging, as reuse and increasingly becomes an important component of the circular economy.
refurbishing of goods to prolong product life, another important element of the circular economy model.
redesign of goods and utilize less or no packaging.
reduction of food spoilage and waste through better attention to food processing and storage
avoidance of goods that don’t last long and can’t be reused or recycled, such as Halloween decorations.

Recycling and Composting

These are crucial phases in the entire ISWM process. Recycling includes the accumulation, sorting and recovering of recyclable and reusable materials, as well as the reprocessing of recyclables to produce new products. Composting, a component of organics recycling, involves the accumulation of organic waste and converting it into soil additives. Both recycling and composting wastes have a number of economic benefits such as they create job opportunities in addition to diverting material from the waste stream to generate cost-effective sources of material for further use. Both recycling and composting also significantly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Waste Transportation

It is another waste management activity that must be integrated systematically with other waste management activities to ensure smooth and efficient waste management. Typically, this includes the collection of waste from curb side and businesses, as well as from transfer stations where waste may be concentrated and reloaded onto other vehicles for delivery to the landfill.

Waste Disposal

Waste disposal in particular through the use of landfills and combustion, are the activities undertaken to manage waste materials that are not recycled. The most common way of managing these wastes is through landfills, which must be properly designed, well-constructed and systematically managed.

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