2012

S0LID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Menuka Wijayananda
Practical Action 4/21/2012

S0LID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Contents
01. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 02. ISSUS OF SOLIDWASTE .................................................................................................. 3 01-Sheer Quantity of Waste Produced ............................................................................... 3 02- Change in characteristics of the waste generated ........................................................ 3 03. CONCEPT OF WASTE TO ENERGY ............................................................................... 7 03.1Benefits ........................................................................................................................... 7 03.2 Different proven technologies........................................................................................ 7 03.3 Why not in Sri Lanka? ................................................................................................... 8 4 WASTE GENERATED BY THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ..................................... 8 4.1 Types of Waste Generated by the Construction Industry ................................................ 8 Process waste ..................................................................................................................... 8 Demolition waste ............................................................................................................... 8 05. TYPE OF WASTE ............................................................................................................... 9 05.1 Natural waste ................................................................................................................. 9 05.2 Reuse and Recycle of C & D Materials ......................................................................... 9 05.3 BENEFITS OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE MANAGEMENT ................................ 10 TrimCosts......................................................................................................................... 10 Establish a Market Advantage. ........................................................................................ 10 Create Environmental Benefits ........................................................................................ 10 Help the Economy............................................................................................................ 10 Assist Charitable Organization ........................................................................................ 10 05.4 How to Reduce Construction Waste ............................................................................ 11 1. Construction Material Management ............................................................................ 11 2. The demolition plan ..................................................................................................... 11 3. Reuse/Recycling Plan .................................................................................................. 11 4. Disposal Plan ............................................................................................................... 12 06. ROLE OF PROVINCIAL COUNCILS IN MANAGING MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE .................................................................................................................................................. 12 07. SEVEN WASTE MANAGEMENT STEPS ..................................................................... 13

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT 01. INTRODUCTION

Waste as we all know, is what we have no use for maybe we have used it and it is not suitable for further use, or the useful material came with some useless material that has to be discarded, or perhaps we have an excess supply that we cannot use, or return to the supplier, and therefore has to be thrown away. Anyway, we throw them away because we feel that we have no further use for them. Many things have changed in the world within the last 50 years or so. In the 60s and 70s, US was called the throwaway society, while our lifestyles were much more sustainable. We wore cotton clothes (which were biodegradable), and our eating habits were such that food was hardly wasted, and always there were domestic cats and dogs that were fed on table scrap unlike the pets of today that have to be fed special foods from cans. There were no plastic shopping bags or lunch sheets there were brown paper bags that could carry a decent weight, and carrying a bag when you go marketing was the done thing. Food was wrapped in plantain leaves or carried in reusable containers or between two plates, (often metal). Take away food was a rarity. You had to go and eat at a restaurant or hotel, where cutlery, crockery and all other utensils were reusable. There were no fancy names like 3-R principle. Reduce Reuse Recycle But these three are common sense. Bottles were almost entirely glass, and was never thrown away because the Bottle-paper man was a regular visitor, and aerated water and liquor bottles were not sold without an empty bottle or a thumping deposit which itself was a deterrent. Newspapers went for wrapping all kinds of goods at the grocers and used exercise books were destined to go to the gram sellers for the kadala gottas. Metals like cast iron and aluminium were collected from door to door for recycling, coconut shells were used as firewood or for ironing, and

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Even coconut residue either had uses like for floor cleaning or could be sold after sun drying, as a raw material for oil production. Almost everyone had a small plot of land, where you could have a small pit for the garden waste and any other stuff that needed to be thrown away and since most of it was biodegradable, the pit seemed to last forever. As far as I know, the solid waste collection and disposal was only happening in the few Municipal Councils, and the simple lifestyle of the majority of the people resulted in quite manageable quantities to be collected, and incineration was practiced - perhaps not the best choice of technology even those days when oil prices were not high but we did not see heaps of garbage lying around. So basically, we were living by the 3-R principle, without calling it that. A fine example of this is found in the Buddhist teachings, Vinaya Pitakaya, where I understand that the Buddhist priests have been advised to reuse the good parts of the robes as undergarments when they were too old to be worn as outer wear, and then used as bed linen, and then as towels or napkins, door mats and finally when it is no longer useable as a cloth, to mix it with clay and use as a filler material for the walls. Unfortunately, that era is now gone, and we in Sri Lanka have got caught up in the Winds of Change, and have become a throwaway society in a big way. Our opportunities for reuse are masked by the availability of so many consumer items, so that the temptation is to purchase something new rather than reuse an old thing as a substitute. Mostly due to lack of storage space, we prefer to throw away things regardless of the possibility of reuse, and purchase again when we need it next time. This is apparent when we look at the solid waste generation statistics in the recent past. The average per capita solid waste generation is reported as 0.4 kg/person-day, which is higher than India, but still lower than the more developed countries like China, Malaysia, Singapore and the western countries. This figure shows the situation of solid waste generation as it stood in several Asian countries as reported in a study carried out in 2004 led by the AIT, Bangkok.

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02. ISSUS OF SOLIDWASTE

01-Sheer Quantity of Waste Produced So we can see that our first issue is the sheer quantity of waste generated, that needs to be managed. There are many reasons for this enormous increase in waste quantities, such as the population increase, urbanization and migration of population from the rural to the urban areas leading to much higher population densities, changes in lifestyle, and economic activities etc. A study carried out by Bandara et al (2007) in Sri Lanka has shown that the per capita waste generation rate is directly related to the social status of the people. 02- Change in characteristics of the waste generated The second issue is the change in characteristics of the waste generated. Changes in lifestyle, introduction of cheap plastic and polythene items such as disposable tableware, takeaway foods in polystyrene packing and polythene lunch sheets, household electronic items and computers, higher level of sophistication in clothing and households leading to use of more chemical cleaners and laundry products in plastic cans, aerosols etc., replacement of glass bottles with plastic containers that are not reusable, etc., have resulted in a change in composition of the waste, with approximately 10% of the weight being now contributed by plastics. next set of issues comes from what happens to the waste if we just allow it to remain in the environment. Unfortunately, this is what we seem to have been doing in the past, except for a few sporadic attempts at treatment by composting and incineration. Garbage dumped by the roadside, water bodies and in low-lying areas became a common sight So what are the issues related to this poor management of solid waste? Obviously, it degrades the aesthetic value of the environment, and along with it socioeconomic issues such as lowering of land values, increase in informal sector employment like rag-picking and scavenging and related activities

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Health issues due to the breeding of stray cats, dogs, rats and other vermin, mosquitoes

Effects on wild animals that are attracted to these waste dumps, like deer, bandicoots, and even elephants, which may cause death (due to suffocation or consumption of plastics and toxic substances) as well as whose feeding habits change causing changes to their immune systems and other vital processes that may even lead to irreversible changes.

Air pollution due to the anaerobic degradation of the biodegradable portion resulting in emission of air pollutants like methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and other offensive gases

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Surface and ground water pollution from the leachate that seeps through the ground or is washed off with the surface runoff during wet weather.

Increasein Global Warming potential due to the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4 and nitrous oxide. The contribution to the greenhouse gas budget of Sri Lanka associated with the methane released into the atmosphere from MSW open dumps has been found to be significant. So why have we allowed our environment to be so degraded by solid waste, and let the solid waste management issues reach such huge proportions? 01 Is it ignorance of the consequencesz I dont think so. Perhaps some of the consequences like contribution to global warming and ground and surface water pollution due to leachate may not be obvious, and needed research and access to information beyond the common mans reach, But the aesthetic effects are so obvious that any person should be able to see the effects 02. Is it lack of technology? There are high tech solutions, but there are many low tech solutions too, particularly to manage at the source, so that only the portion that we really cannot handle at source is collected for disposal. 03. Lack of Policies, Laws, and Standards? Major role of Pilisaru, it is also empowered to take legal action against those local Authorities that are not managing their solid waste properly. Thus we can see that lack of policies or legal provisions cannot be cited as a major barrier for a clean and healthy environment free from garbage dumps. 04. Lack of Funding? 21-04-2012 Page 5

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Yes, lack of funding is a factor, because the legal responsibility of solid waste management is with the local Authorities and the Provincial Councils, which are not profit making organizations. Most of the local Authorities pay more attention to the improvement of physical infrastructure coming within their purview, and their concern toward SWM issue is low and the amount of resources utilized for SWM is relatively low. 05. Attitude? However, I think the main reason behind the poor state of affairs with regard to our Solid Waste Management is our attitude. We are so used to not taking responsibility for the waste that we produce, that it is very easy to blame the Local Authorities for not doing their job, and absolve ourselves from the blame. If we stop for a moment to think who is actually responsible, any reasonable person would realize that we, who produce the waste, should be held responsible for safe disposal of it too. True enough, we are paying taxes and the local authorities are expected to provide services, but when it comes to resource wastage, how much can money compensate? All these heaps and mountains of garbage contain so much of resources that should not have gone there in the first place. This is what we should be thinking about. Not throwing good stuff away and then trying to recover some resources from it, but not throwing it away at all. 06.How can we change this? Ideally, if we could go back to the lifestyle that we had 50 years ago, we would be undoubtedly much better as far as sustainability goes. However, that is unlikely to happen; but we can still keep our hopes for a better future, because the younger generation seem to be more conscious about the diminishing resources than ours. If we can even at this late stage provide them with the right kind of platform, we may be able to redeem our losses, at least to a certain extent. Most of us are familiar with the hierarchy of actions in Solid Waste Management. o o o o o o Avoid Do you really need it? Reduce How much is enough? Reuse Can it be used for another purpose? Recover At least some parts, metals, chemicals Recycle Dont waste your waste convert to usable products or energy Dispose safely

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03. CONCEPT OF WASTE TO ENERGY

Waste to energy is Conversion of MSW into either thermal or electrical energy through a process of combustion or biochemical transformation

03.1Benefits
Solution for ever increasing demand of fossil fuel by making use of other raw materials Greenhouse gas free emissions with less burden on climatic change Sustainable solution for our own garbage management Electricity generation for grid connection

03.2 Different proven technologies

Combustion processes Incineration Gasification Pyrolysis Plasma technology

Biochemical processes Biogas technology

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03.3 Why not in Sri Lanka?

Issues on lands Issues on substrate (MSW) supply Issues on other approvals Most of developers are not the real investors but the agents Fluctuation of Rupee Political involvement

4 WASTE GENERATED BY THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Waste is best defined as any material by-product of human and industrial activity that has no residual value, but construction industrys waste has a residual value and is avoidable. Construction waste can be defined as the by-product generated and removed from construction, renovation and demolition work places or sites of building and civil engineering structures.

4.1 Types of Waste Generated by the Construction Industry

Mainly there are two types of waste in the construction industry Process waste -The difference between the value of those materials delivered and ac-

cepted on site and those used properly as specified and accurately measured in the work, after deducting the cost saving of substituted materials and those transferred elsewhere. Demolition waste -The waste generated in dismantling of buildings or infrastructure and

which are consisting of high percentage of granular hard materials. The demolition waste can be biodegradable (subject to decomposition by micro-organisms: wood) and nonbiodegradable (Heavy metal) wastes.

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05. TYPE OF WASTE

05.1 Natural waste
Direct waste Substitution waste Delivery waste Site storage and internal site transit waste Conversion waste Fixing waste Cutting waste Application and residue waste Waste due to uneconomic use of plant Management waste Criminal waste Waste due to wrong use Waste stemming from materials wrongly specified Learning waste

Production waste Operational waste Negligence waste

05.2 Reuse and Recycle of C & D Materials

The Reuse and recycling industry is one which brings back the rejected and neglected waste into material cycle. Hence it makes materials to transit in a cyclical nature and assists to minimize the impact on the environment, which would otherwise be very significant and hazardous.

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05.3 BENEFITS OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE MANAGEMENT

TrimCosts. Recycling, reusing, and salvaging construction waste can save money. Many of the contractors that have embraced Construction Waste Management have made changes to their operations and practices to take advantage of reduced waste disposal costs and revenues derived from recycle, reuse and salvage materials. Utilizing reuse and salvage methods on site reduce the need for new materials, reduces materials that end up in the landfill, creates a cleaner and safer project site, and improves community relations.

Establish a Market Advantage. A companys experience in waste prevention and recycling is a valuable marketing tool for bidding on projects in response to customer interest in Construction Waste Management. Efforts to prevent waste, to recycle, and to use recycled-content materials on a project can help the project team earn points towards qualifying for LEED and other local and national programs Create Environmental Benefits Environmental benefits also result from recycling and waste prevention programs. In the long run, preventing waste reduces dependence on natural resources such as trees, oil, and minerals plus creates less pollution by reducing manufacturing and transportation related emissions. Reduction of the energy and water required to produce building supplies from virgin materials contributes to reduced greenhouse gasses related to the manufacturing and transportation of those materials. Help the Economy. Recycling and reuse of construction waste can also help the economy through the creation of jobs related to salvaging and recycling of construction waste. New products create jobs through the manufacture of recycled content materials. Assist Charitable Organization Organizations such as Habitat for Humanity can use surplus building materials. Pick-up of materials at the project site can sometimes be arranged.

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05.4 How to Reduce Construction Waste

1. Construction Material Management Order the right amount of raw material at the right time Store material in allocated area with suitable protective Measures Design with standard sizes for building materials Collect the exact amount of materials and return the Surplus to stock Maximize the utilization of materials Avoid unnecessary use and cutting Consider off-cuts for sections when small lengths are Required

2. The demolition plan Assess dust control and implement it! Negative pressure needed? Inventory of what will be demolished Plan - where will the material go? Estimate the amount of material -helps conserve dump yards DO NOT MIX THE MATERIAL INERT VS. HAZARDOUS

3. Reuse/Recycling Plan 1. Identify recyclable materials & Identify Hazardous Waste Considerations 2. Determine the costs/savings of recycling 3. Develop a site-specific waste management plan and include it in the contract documents. 4. Implement the waste management plan and train all contractors and employees. 5. Monitor and encourage the participation of contractors and employees. 6. Balance cut and fills in site 7. Reuse items such as hoardings, formworks, scaffoldings and trench support 8. Reuse debris, rubble, sand, rock, concrete, tile and brick for backfilling 9. Recycle the following materials: paper, paperboard, packaging material, plastics, timber, metals, concrete, rocks & sand. 21-04-2012 Page 11

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4. Disposal Plan 1. Evaluate the composition and estimate the volume of solid wastes that will be generated 2. Determine the re-use/recycle potential and implement it Evaluate disposal options available 3. Match disposal options to volume and composition of wastes considering economy, environmental protection, and resource depletion 4. Reuse public fill for filling areas for reclamation 5. Dispose of non-recyclable C & D waste at landfills

06. ROLE OF PROVINCIAL COUNCILS IN MANAGING MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

In Sri Lanka, there are 335 Local Governments mainly categorised as Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradesheeya Sabas which have been identified as independent .political entities to address human welfare and economic development of the areas of their jurisdiction. According to the Local Government Acts and Ordinances of the country, all street refuse, house refuse, night- soil, or other similar matter collected by Local Authorities shall be a property of the Council, and the Council shall have full power to sell or dispose of all such matter. Every Local Government shall provide places convenient to people for the proper disposal of their Solid Waste and take care all vehicles and other equipment required to ensure that no such refuse is removed in such a way as to cause any nuisance to the general public of the area. How Provincial Councils can support their Local Authorities for the management of MSW? Provincial Councils can have their own Statute to acquire more powers to support their own Local Authorities for the management of their MSW. In this way PCs can: Delegate powers to LAs to charge User fees for generators and Fines for offenders, Promote private sectors to optimize their services to LAs, Promote Private Public Partnership Programs, Extend financial supports for the execution of identified activities, 21-04-2012 Page 12

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Coordinate with line ministries, donor agencies to obtain maximum supports, etc.

07. SEVEN WASTE MANAGEMENT STEPS

STEP 01 Management of waste at Source: Minimizing, collecting, segregating and disposing of all types of domestic, commercial & industrial wastes are considered and also the dumping of waste on streets or public places and open burning of wastes are restricted. STEP 02 -Proper Collection/Acceptance of MSW from the Source of Generation: Collection/ acceptance of wastes from different sources of generation as mentioned in the Step 01 are being considered STEP 03 -Cleaning of Streets and Public Places. Under this step, daily Cleaning of main road and other public roads, places and their utility areas, sidewalks (payments), drains, pruning of road side trees, removal of tree cuttings and improving the aesthetic beauty of the area are considered. STEP 04 -Abolition of Open MSW Storage Bins: Removal of open storage bins from main roads, public places and introducing close type appropriate waste receptacles are considered STEP 05 - Improved System for Mass Transportation of MSW Under this step prohibition of waste transportation in open vehicles, optimizing the efficiency of the vehicle usage for waste transportation is considered. STEP 06 Use of Collected MSW as a Resource Under this step encourage re-cycling of MSW and re-using of MSW for Composting, Power generation, etc. and uses of state-of- the-art technologies for this purpose are considered. STEP 07 -Improved System for the Final Disposal of MSW Management of waste facilities accept more than 25MT of solid waste per day is considered. Establishing of engineering/ sanitary landfills, Waste to Energy projects, and use of the state of the art technologies for such events at zonal or District levels are excepted. 21-04-2012 Page 13