WASTES MANAGEMENT

Wastes are unwanted or unusable materials, any substance which is discarded after primary
use, or it is worthless, defective and of no use. Wastes can be of solid, liquid or semi-solid
type. Examples are pieces of papers, woods, bottle, water from the bathrooms and sludges.
Wastes management is all those activities and action required to manage waste from its
inception to its final disposal. This includes other things such as collection, transport,
treatment and disposal of waste together with monitoring. There are many waste types
defined by modern systems of waste management, notably including: Municipal waste
includes household waste, commercial waste, and demolition wastes, Hazardous waste
includes industrial waste, Biomedical waste includes clinical waste and Special hazardous
waste includes radioactive waste, explosive waste, and electronic waste (e-waste).
Waste collection methods vary depending on the location. Hospital wastes are collected and
being kept in bins coded according to colours. Other ways of collecting wastes in homes,
industries require the use of bins that are not necessary coded as they do not contain
hazardous materials. Bins can be made of plastics or metals coded with red, green, black, or
yellow colours.
Wastes management is important because it prevents contamination to the soil and water,
which can lead to issues with both the environment and human health. Burning the wrong
types of waste can release gases into the atmosphere. When waste is properly discarded,
special liners are used to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking out and precautions are taken
so that any methane related to burning trash is safely contained. Example wastes containing
chemicals. When waste is disposed of properly, it helps to prevent additional pollution which
can improve public health. Polluted air increases the risk of respiratory illness. Waste that is
properly disposed of has a lesser chance of getting into the water supply and causing illness.
In Sokoine University of Agriculture wastes are managed by the use of dustbins with covers
being placed in different areas elevated high enough to prevent scattering. After collecting the
wastes, responsible workers burn these wastes in a pit located within the compound. For the
case of hospital located in SUA wastes are burnt in an incinerator to render them harmless to
the environment.