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SOLID WASTE MANAGMENT

WHAT IS SOLID WASTE?


• Solid or semi-solid material (including gases and liquids in containers) which
are non soluble in nature are solid waste.
• It may be hazardous or not and includes agricultural refuse, demolition waste,
industrial waste, mining residues, municipal garbage, and sewage sludge.
SOURCES OF WASTES:
• HOUSEHOLDS
• BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIES
• AGRICULTURE
• HOTELS

TYPES OF SOLID WASTE:


Solid waste can be classified into different types depending on their source:
• Household waste or municipal waste: includes food, paper, cardboard, plastic,
textiles, leather, glass, metal, ashes, electronics waste etc.
• Industrial waste: includes toxic chemicals, oil, debris from construction site,
packaging waste, ashes etc.
• Biomedical waste or hospital waste: medicine bottles, expired medicines,
syringes, medical instruments such as scissors, blades etc.
• Agriculture waste: includes pesticides, crops, water coming from the fields also
consists of small amount of toxic chemicals.
• Nuclear waste: includes radioactive substances coming from reactors, fuel
(uranium, thorium, plutonium etc.). It’s highly dangerous and requires proper
disposal.
• Hazardous waste: includes toxic chemical, acids, corrosive, ignitable and
reactive materials, gases etc.
• Special Waste: Cement kiln dust, mining waste, oil and gas drilling muds and
oil production brines
• Uranium waste, fossil fuel combustion waste

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, containers and
others)

EFFECTS OF WASTE IF NOT MANAGED PROPERLY:


• Affects our health
• Affects our socio-economic conditions
• Affects our coastal and marine environment
• Affects our climate
METHODS OF DISPOSALS:
These are the following methods for disposal of the solid waste.
• LAND FILLS
• INCINARATION
• BIOLOGICAL REPROCESSING
• RECYCLING
• OCEAN DUMPING
• PLASMA GASSIFICATION

LAND FILL:
• It is the most traditional method of waste disposal.
• Waste is directly dumped into disused quarries, mining voids or borrow pits.
• Disposed waste is compacted and covered with soil to prevent vermin and
wind-blown litter.
• Gases generated by the decomposing waste materials are often burnt to
generate power.
• It is generally used for domestic waste.
ADVANTAGES:
• Landfill site is a cheap waste disposal option for the local council.
• Jobs will be created for local people.
• Lots of different types of waste can be disposed of by landfill in comparison to
other waste disposal methods.
• The gases given off by the landfill site could be collected and used for
generating power.
DISADVANTAGES:
• The site will look ugly while it is being used for landfill.
• Dangerous gases are given off from landfill sites that cause local air pollution
and contribute to global warming.
• Local streams could become polluted with toxins seeping through the ground
from the landfill site.
• Once the site has been filled it might not be able to be used for redevelopment
as it might be too polluted.

INCINERATION:
• Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of solid
waste at 1000C.
• Waste materials are converted into ash, flue gas, and heat.
• The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste and gases
due to organic waste.
• The heat generated by incineration is used to generate electric power.
ADVANTAGES:
• Minimum of land is needed compared to other disposal methods.
• The weight of the waste is reduced to 25% of the initial value.
• No risk of polluting local streams and ground waters as in landfills.
• Incineration plants can be located close to residential areas.
• Gases are used to generate power.
DISADVANTAGES:
• Expensive
• Required skilled labour.
• The chemicals that would be released into the air could be strong pollutants
and may destroy ozone layer (major disadvantage).
• high energy requirement

OCEAN DUMPING
• Ocean dumping is the dumping or placing of materials in the ocean, often on
the continental shelf.
• A wide range of materials is involved, including garbage, construction and
demolition debris, sewage sludge, dredge material, waste chemicals, and
nuclear waste.
• Sometime hazardous and nuclear wastes are also disposed but these are highly
dangerous for aquatic life and human life also.
ADVANTAGES
• Convenient
• Inexpensive
• Source of nutrients for fishes and marine mammals.
• Vast amount of space is available.
• All type of wastes are disposed.
DISADVANTAGES
• There are three main direct public health risks from ocean dumping:
• (1) occupational accidents, injuries, and exposures
• (2) Exposure of the public to hazardous or toxic materials washed up on beach
sand.
• (3) Human consumption of marine organisms that have been contaminated by
ocean disposal.
• Highly dangerous for aquatic life.

BIOLOGICAL REPROCESSING:
• Materials such as plants, food scraps, and paper products can be decomposed
into the organic matter.
• The organic matter that is produced from this type of recycling can then be
used for such things as landscaping purpose or agricultural uses.
• Usually this method of recycling is done by putting the materials in a container
and let to stay there until it decomposes.
RECYCLING
• It is basically processing or conversion of a waste item into usable forms.
• Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastic,
textiles, and electronics.
• But recycling is not a solution to managing every kind of waste material.
For many items like plastic bags, plastic wrap, yogurt cups, margarine container etc.
recycling technologies are unavailable or unsafe.
ADVANTAGES
• Reduction of air and water pollution.
• Reduction in the release of harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases from
rubbish.
• Saves space required as Waste Disposal Landfill.
• Reduce financial expenditure in the economy.
it helps in conserving a lot of energy resources like petroleum and coal deposits.
SAVING THROUGH RECYCLING
• When aluminum is recycled - considerable saving in cost.
• Making paper from waste saves 50% energy.
• Every tone of recycled glass saves energy equivalent to 100 liters of oil.
• Recycling about 54 kg of newspaper will save one tree.

PROCESS OF RECYCLING
• COLLECTION: The first step required for recycling is collecting recyclable
materials from communities. Today many major cities and larger communities
offer a curbside pickup service for recyclable materials.
• SORTING: The second step involves processing the recyclable materials. This
includes sorting the materials into groups, cleaning them and getting them
ready to be sold to manufacturers who will turn the materials into new
products.
• MANUFACTURING: It is the third step in the recycling process. The
collected material is sent to industries those convert them into new products.
• PURCHASING: The last step involves the purchasing of recycled products.
When consumers purchase products that have been made with post consumer
material the recycling process has been completed and then can be repeated.
RECYCLING NOT A SOLUTION TO ALL PROBLEMS!
• Recycling is not a solution to managing every kind of waste material
• For many items recycling technologies are unavailable or unsafe
• In some cases, cost of recycling is too high.

PLASMA GASSIFICATION
• Plasma gasification is a new garbage disposal solution using plasma
technology.
• Uses electrical energy and the high temperatures (4000°C to over 7000°C)
created by an plasma torches.
• Almost completely breaks down the waste into syngas which are used to
generate electricity.
• The remaining material (slag) is used to produce material for building projects.
BYPRODUCTS OF THE PROCESS:
• SYNGAS:
A mixture of several gases but mainly comprises hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
Can be used as a fuel source.
• SLUG:
Solid byproduct from the gasification process.
The weight of the slag is about 20 percent of the weight of the original waste.
The volume of the slag is about 5 percent that of the original waste volume

WHAT IS E-WASTE?
• Material which is not suitable for use and is thrown away is called waste.
• Electronic Waste (E-Waste) comprises of waste electronic goods which
are not fit for their originally intended use. These range from household
appliances such as refrigerator, air conditioner, cellular phone, personal
stereos and consumer electronics to computers
Categories of e-waste?
• Large household appliances
• Small household appliances
• IT and telecommunications equipment
• Consumer equipment
• Lighting equipment
• Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary
industrial tools)
• Toys, leisure and sports equipment
• Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products)
• Monitoring and control instruments
• Automatic dispensers

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