PART I INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

1
INTRODUCTION

In the past, solid waste management primarily included collection, land disposal, and incineration of household waste. Industrial waste disposal did not receive much attention. Environmental awareness by the general public increased over time because of various reasons such as advancements in environmental science and technology and interest in pollution-related health problems. Attention was also drawn toward the fact that Earths material and energy resources are nite (Meadows et al., 1972). It became apparent that landlling and incineration have signicant environmental impacts and that landlling and incineration are not enough to deal with the huge volumes of solid waste generated by communities and industries. All these issues and the emergence of the sustainable development concept (WCED, 1997) helped to foster the idea of recycling as a way to reduce waste volume. It became apparent that besides landlling and incineration, solid waste can be managed by other means (e.g., composting of putrescible waste). Subsequently, the concept of integrated solid waste management (ISWM) emerged. The goal of sustainable solid waste management is the recovery of more valuable products from that waste with the use of less energy and a more positive environmental impact (McDougall et al., 2001). The practice of the three Rs (reduction, reuse, recycle) ts very well within the sustainable development concept. Rather than relying on a waste reduction hierarchy (Fig. 1.1), integrated solid waste management suggests optimization of the system. Although the concept of integrated waste management can be applied to both hazardous and nonhazardous wastes, discussion in this book will be restricted to municipal and industrial nonhazardous wastes. Integrated solid waste management lacks a clear and widely accepted definition. Although many prefer to use a hierarchy (Fig. 1.1) in dening ISWM,
3

INTRODUCTION

Land Disposal Incineration

(Without Energy Recovery)

Incineration
(With Energy Recovery)

Recycling Reuse Waste Minimization

FIG. 1.1 Waste management hierarchy.

it may not always provide an optimum choice between cost and environmental impacts. The current consensus is to allow ISWM planners exibility to choose from different elements of waste management options, which will result in minimum energy use, minimum environmental impact, and minimum landll space at a cost affordable to the community. This goal can be achieved by various means such as recycling of certain types of waste, benecial reuse of industrial by-products, and segregating waste type (e.g., infectious from noninfectious waste). Figure 1.2 is a simplied diagram showing the various sources of solid waste generation. Source reduction is an important part of an ISWM program. On a global (or perhaps national) scale industries, governmental bodies, and citizenry need to work together for a comprehensive program to reduce the volume and toxicity of waste. On a local level, a designer of an ISWM program has very little control over the volume and toxicity of the waste generated by a community. Thus, the strategies for an ISWM program at a local level are signicantly different from those at the global level. From a practical standpoint, at a local level an ISWM program essentially means reduction of volume and toxicity of waste destined for disposal or incineration. The planner also needs to ensure that the chosen elements have low environmental impacts and are energy efcient. All these have to be done at a cost acceptable to the community. On a local level a designer of an ISWM program needs to identify sources and generation rates of different waste types, characteristics and total volume of each waste stream, and so on. Based on this information, the planner needs to optimize management of all the waste streams generated in a community with an aim of minimizing environmental impact at an affordable cost. To integrate a solid waste management program within a community, the program should address the needs of the community as a whole. In other

INTRODUCTION

Mining Waste

Raw Materials

Energy

Manufacturing

Industrial Waste

Recycling

Product Use

Municipal Waste

FIG. 1.2 Simplied diagram showing solid waste generation sources.

words waste generated from individual homes and apartments, public places, businesses, and industries located within a community should be taken into consideration for efcient management of all types of solid waste generated within the community. The program must satisfy the regulatory requirements and address the economic parameters set by the community. Enough exibility should be built into a program so it can protect the environment in a variable marketplace. Educating the public (including managers of industrial and commercial institutions) regarding the benets of an ISWM program is key to the success of the program in the long term. Willing participation of the community as a whole (which includes both industrial and nonindustrial sectors) in reducing waste is essential. Thus, apart from management practices, due consideration should be given to educating the public regarding the waste reduction program. The goal of the book is to provide information regarding ISWM pertinent to the local level. The various wastes generated within a community, their characteristics, ideas regarding reduction, reuse, and recycling of these wastes, and the management options are included. ISWM should not be viewed as a hierarchical scheme but as an optimization tool for maximum environmental benet at an affordable cost. There can be many sequence combinations for an ISWM program. Rather than discussing the combination of sequences in detail, attempt has been made to provide basic information regarding the characteristics and management options for the various waste types. This in-

INTRODUCTION

formation will help the planner to choose the needed elements and sequence them to t the needs of a specic community. 1.1 BASIC CONCEPTS OF AN INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Integrated solid waste management is a complex task. An ISWM program involves various disciplines. A successful program must include both shortterm and long-term goals. It must also provide a balance between three main factors: environmental regulations, cost of running the program, and community needs. To develop a program one needs to comprehend the basic principles involved in managing each component and their effect on one another. For instance, if the ash generated by incineration of municipal waste tests out to be hazardous, then either the ash must be detoxied or it must be disposed in a specially designed landll/landll cell. Therefore, prior to including incineration in the program, one needs to ascertain the characteristics of the incinerator ash so that correct disposal practice is included in the program. On a local or community level, ISWM programs essentially consists of the following ve steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Waste source identication and characterization Efcient waste collection Reduction of volume and toxicity of the waste to be discarded Land disposal or incineration of the waste past the reduction goal Optimization of the rst four steps to reduce cost and environmental impact

The actions on the rst four steps are interdependent. For instance, method of waste collection depends on the method chosen for reduction and disposal of waste. Several distinct issues are associated with each step and several choices are available to optimize the solid waste management program. Although public comments are reected in environmental regulations, there are a rigid set of rules for the ISWM planner. A thorough knowledge regarding the rules and necessary environmental permits is very crucial for a successful program. The total cost of running an ISWM program may vary primarily due to the cost of achieving the waste reduction goal mentioned in step 3. ISWM programs are planned on a long-term basis. However, it should be exible enough to accommodate a change in the waste stream. For example, a paper mill located within a community may decide to close its own landll and request permission to dispose of its waste in the communityowned landll. This change in waste prole and volume may signicantly impact the community-owned landll operation and future landll needs. An ISWM program should be exible enough to accommodate this community need.

1.2

SCOPE AND ORGANIZATION OF BOOK

The main goal of a community-based ISWM program is to reduce the volume and toxicity of waste being disposed or incinerated. Many believe that recycling is an additional nancial burden on a community. They judge land disposal based solely on the current tipping fee, which in most cases is lower than recycling cost. However, the total cost of siting future landlls and the hauling cost is overlooked. A second group of citizenry may think that if recycling is adopted, there will be no need for landlls in the future. This is also a wrong perception because the entire municipal waste stream cannot be reduced to zero through a waste reduction program. In summary an ISWM program attempts to optimize a solid waste program so that the community will benet both in the short and long term while providing environmental benets as well. 1.2 SCOPE AND ORGANIZATION OF BOOK

This book is divided into two parts. Part I includes various components of ISWM with an emphasis on principles and practices for reuse, reduction, and recycling of waste. Part II includes principles and practices of waste disposal. Until about late 1980s, solid waste professionals were involved mainly in managing land disposal of municipal and industrial solid wastes. However, over the last decade the job responsibilities of these professionals expanded and changed. Currently, many of them are involved with various other types of issues such as recycling, reuse of both municipal and industrial wastes, infectious waste, and redevelopment of contaminated land. Because of this change, Part I is being added to the original book to reect current professional needs. The book is expected to provide fundamental concepts regarding ISWM to students and working professionals so that they can meet todays challenge. The book provides information regarding various options for reduction and reuse on a local level. Although federal/state regulations followed in the United States are cited occasionally, the book concentrates on principles and practices for developing a good understanding of an ISWM program. The book is written primarily for professionals and students interested in learning the subject. However, others such as lawyers, government ofcials, and industry managers involved in solid waste management issues will also nd the book helpful in gaining a basic understanding of the principles of ISWM and landll technology. Both theories and practices of an ISWM program have been discussed in a comprehensive manner in Part I. The following is a brief summary of the chapters in Part I: This chapter has given a brief history of ISWM and basic concepts of an ISWM program. Chapter 2 discusses the basic concepts of ISWM. Information regarding collection and transportation of waste, transfer stations, and waste composition studies are also included.

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 3 considers the basic approaches for reduction of both the volume and toxicity of waste destined for land disposal or incineration. Chapter 4 discusses the management of waste generated in health-carerelated institutions. Storage, transportation, treatment technologies, and ideas regarding source reduction of this waste stream are also included. Chapter 5 discusses incineration. Various types of incinerators, environmental issues related to incineration, and issues related to siting an incinerator are included. Chapter 6 considers composting. Facility design as well as issues related to marketing and economics are included. Chapter 7 discusses reuse and recycling of municipal solid waste. Information on various recyclable materials, quality control, and data collection are included. Information regarding material recovery facilities (MRF), refuse-derived fuel (RDF) processing plant, and land spreading of sludge are also included. Chapter 8 considers information on reuse of industrial by-products in civil engineering projects. Comments on engineering characteristics and testing protocols of industrial by-products are included. Chapter 9 discusses information on both in situ and ex situ remediation technologies. Methods involving physical, chemical, and biological remediation methods are discussed. Basic concepts of contaminant transport, project life, cost estimation, and maintenance of wells used for remediation are included. Chapter 10 discusses primarily the redevelopment of lands contaminated by industrial activities. Fundamentals of risk assessment are included in this chapter. Part I includes information on issues related to ISWM but does not consider land disposal. Part II is dedicated to issues related to land disposal of solid waste. The range of issues in ISWM is quite wide. Knowledge is required in various disciplines such as planning, mass communication, marketing, economics, chemistry, hydrogeology, civil engineering, and so on. Therefore, running a successful ISWM program requires professionals from various disciplines to work together. As the list implies, some of the issues require background in science-related elds whereas for others knowledge in the liberal arts is required. Although the book focuses mainly on issues related to science and technology, comments on nontechnical issues are also included. The primary purpose is to provide well-round information for professionals involved in ISWM. While environmental engineers will benet from both Parts I and II, Part I is written for all professionals involved in solid waste management. Currently in most organizations, both government and private, job duties no longer focus on just one discipline; employees and managers are involved in multidisciplinary tasks. While in-depth knowledge in one discipline is required, it is also becoming essential to have functional knowledge in other related disciplines. The book is written with this idea in mind. Professionals

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SCOPE AND ORGANIZATION OF BOOK

involved in ISWM will nd it very helpful in performing their day-to-day job duties. The book may also be used in undergraduate environmental science and engineering courses. Attempts have been made to provide information on various topics in sufcient detail, but justice could not be done in some cases. References are cited for readers interested in follow-up reading.