WHAT IS SOLID WASTE?

Waste - is everything that no longer has a use or purpose and needs to be disposed of.

Hindi porke sinabi na waste o kalat, wala na talagang halaga or hindi na dapat bigyang-pansin. Di
pwedeng sabihin na "kalat lang to, kahit saan ko itapon okay lang". Di mo alam yung mga kalat na to na
walang halaga, sila pa yung sisira satin.

Ikaw na bahala pre magexplain. Kung pano mo siya bibigyan ng magandang intro.

Solid waste - is any garbage or refuse, regardless of whether it's actually solid in physical form,
generated from human activities in residential, industrial or commercial areas.

Solid waste means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply
treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials including solid, liquid,
semi-solid, or contained gaseous material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural
operations, and from community activities.

WHEN IS WASTE CONSIDERED HAZARDOUS?

Hazardous waste - are solid waste that are potentially dangerous or harmful to the environment or
human health.

It is hazardous if:

● Ignitable

An ignitable material can burst into flames easily. It poses a fire hazard; can iritate the skin and eyes and
may give off harmful vapors. Gasoline, paint and furniture polish are ignitable.

Liquids that have a flash point less than 140° F (60° C.), e.g., xylene, acetonitrile, ethanol, toluene, paint
thinner, methyl ethyl ketone.

Solids capable of causing fire by friction, absorption of moisture, or spontaneous chemical change and
when ignited burn vigorously and persistently to create a hazard, e.g., picric acid, sodium dithionite.

Flammable compressed gases, e.g., hydrogen, ethylene, methane.

Oxidizers: substances that yield oxygen readily to stimulate combustion, e.g., potassium permanganate,
sodium chlorate, sodium nitrate.

● Corrosive

A corrosive material can wear away or destroy a substance. Most acids are corrosive that can eat
through metal, burn skin on contact and give off vapors that can burn the eyes.
Aqueous solutions with pH equal to or less than 2 or greater than 12.5.

Liquids capable of corroding steel at a specified rate and temperature.

● Toxicity

Toxic materials can poison people and other life. It can cause illness or even death if swallowed or
absorbed through the skin. Pesticides, weed killers and many household cleaners are toxic.

Materials that contain certain heavy metals above regulated levels, e.g., silver, cadmium, mercury,
arsenic.

Materials that contain certain organic constituents, mainly solvents and pesticides, above regulated
levels, e.g., benzene, chloroform.

● Reactive

A reactive material can explode or create poisonous gas when combined with other chemicals. For
example, chlorine bleach and ammonia are reactive and create poisonous gas when they come in
contact with each other.

Substances that react with water violently, or produce toxic gases or explosive mixtures with water, e.g.,
potassium, sodium, and sodium hydride.

Substances that are normally unstable or explosive, e.g., phosphorous.

Chemicals containing cyanide or sulfide that generate toxic gases when exposed to pH between 2 and
12.5, e.g., potassium cyanide, sodium sulfide.
WHERE DOES HAZARDOUS WASTE COME FROM?

Manufacturing industries, agricultural industries, mining sites, households, automotive garages, power
plants, laboratories & hospitals

Hazardous wastes are poisonous byproducts of manufacturing, farming, city septic systems,
construction, automotive garages, laboratories, hospitals, and other industries. The waste may be
liquid, solid, or sludge and contain chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, dangerous pathogens, or
other toxins. Even households generate hazardous waste from items such as batteries, used
computer equipment, and leftover paints or pesticides.

SOLID WASTE

NON HAZARDOUS WASTE

Municipal solid waste - is a broad category of non-hazardous solid waste that includes animal carcasses
as well as the typical garbage or trash.

Agricultural solid waste - is a subcategory of municipal solid waste and is waste that is generated by the
rearing of animals and the production or harvesting of crops or trees. This category includes animal
waste and animal carcasses.

Industrial solid waste - is a second subcategory of non-hazardous solid waste and includes solid waste
generated by industrial processes and manufacturing.

Medical waste is industrial solid waste "generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of
human beings or animals.

Depending on situation, medical waste can be potentially infectious:

● Equipment, instruments, utensils, and fomites (any substance that may harbor or transmit pathogenic
organisms) of a disposable nature from the rooms of patients who are suspected to have or have been
diagnosed as having a communicable disease and must, therefore, be isolated as required by public
health agencies;

● Laboratory wastes, such as pathological specimens (e.g. all tissues, specimens of blood elements,
excreta, and secretions obtained from patients or laboratory animals) and disposable fomites attendant
thereto;

● Surgical operating room pathologic specimens and disposable fomites attendant thereto and similar
disposable materials from outpatient areas and emergency rooms.

HAZARDOUS WASTE
Listed waste - A subcategory of hazardous waste, listed waste is subdivided into 4 categories: F-listed, K-
listed, P-listed and U-listed wastes.

F-listed wastes are solid wastes from non-specific/not readily-known sources and include certain spent
solvents and chemical baths as well as certain waste water items and other categories. Examples include
acetone, methanol, toluene, xylene, and methylene chloride.

K-listed wastes include those generated during the manufacture of pesticides, pigments, chemicals,
wood preservatives, etc.

P-listed wastes are products or chemicals that are acutely toxic, which means that a very small amount
has severe or lethal effects (oral dose LD50 of 50 mg/kg or less), and include arsenic, warfarin,
epinephrine (but not epinephrine salts), nitroglycerine, certain chemotherapeutic agents, and others.

U-listed wastes are products that are toxic and some also possess other characteristic waste properties
such as ignitability, corrosivity or reactivity, and include acetone, chloral hydrate, ethylene oxide,
formaldehyde, mercury, phenol, reserpine, certain chemotherapeutics, and others.

Characteristic wastes - are hazardous solid wastes that possess the certain characteristics of ignitability,
corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. You'll notice that this overlaps with the definition of U-listed wastes –
characteristic waste is a category of waste that is somewhat of a "catch-all" for waste that isn't
specifically listed (K-, F-, P- or U-listed) but possess one or more of the 4 characteristics of ignitability,
corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity.

Universal wastes - are hazardous solid waste items that are widely generated by all sectors of the
population. This category includes items such as batteries, certain light bulbs, pesticides in some
situations, and mercury-containing equipment.

Mixed wastes - are hazardous solid waste items that are radioactive. This includes waste materials
associated with radionuclide (radioisotope) generation.

Dual wastes - are both hazardous solid waste and infectious or potentially infectious items (regulated
medical waste). Examples include non-empty syringes containing hazardous waste pharmaceuticals with
needles attached.

Household hazardous wastes - are hazardous solid wastes that are generated in small amounts by
individual households across the nation. This category includes various household cleaners, paints,
solvents and other chemicals. Some of the items in this category, such as batteries, light bulbs and
pesticides, are also considered universal waste.

HOW DOES HAZARDOUS WASTE AFFECT ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH?

Environment:
● Hazardous waste poisoned our oceans, lakes, and rivers. Each year, thousands of fish, whales, and
other aquatic animals wash up on our shores filled with enough trash and toxins to kill a human being
several times over. Frogs and other amphibious and marine creatures are showing more and more signs
of mutation, and this is a hazardous-waste-disposalheralding sign of the negative impact human waste
has on the environment.

● Land-dwelling wildlife and insect populations have also been greatly affected by the amount of waste
generated by developed nations. Everything from plastic six-pack soda packaging to improperly disposed
bodily fluids filled with harmful diseases have sickened, altered, and harmed scores of animals every
year. Populations of insects such as bees, which are crucial to preserving the fertility of plant life, are
dying off faster than they can repopulate due to human pollution.

● Waste break down in landfill to form methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

● Leaching is a process by which solid waste enter soil and groundwater and contaminating them. When
rain falls on soil in a waste site, it can carry hazardous waste deeper into the ground and the underlying
groundwater and poisons it.

Human Health:

● A direct link exists between air pollution and respiratory conditions such as asthma. Exposure to
hazardous waste from emissions irritates the mucous membranes of your mouth and throat. A 2008
study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found that individuals merely living
near a hazardous waste site had an increased risk of developing respiratory diseases.

● Skin and blood infections resulting from direct contact with waste, and from infected wounds. It could
be also corrosive and toxic waste that can burn your skin.

● American farmers apply more than 300 million pounds of pesticides to farmlands each year. Of the 27
most commonly used pesticides, the EPA has classified 15 of them as carcinogens or cancer-causing
agents. Cancer has also been linked to air pollution from industry as well as in the home. Radon, for
example, is a radioactive by-product of uranium decay. Uranium is found within the Earth's crust and is
everywhere in the environment. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer according to
the National Cancer Institute.

A 2004 study published in the Archives of Environmental Health found an elevated risk of the
development of congenital heart disease in the offspring of pregnant women living within one mile of a
hazardous waste site. The threat is also more innocuous. Auto emissions also carry an increased risk of
heart attack and stroke from thickening of arteries. Fossil-fuel emissions contain several toxins
considered non-specific hazardous waste by the EPA. A non-specific hazardous waste is one without a
readily identifiable source.
AS A STUDENT/PERSON, HOW DO WE CONTROL/REDUCE HAZARDOUS WASTE?

● Use natural-ingredient products to clean whenever possible. Keep drains clear with baking soda and
hot water, use vinegar and lemon, and opt for other non-toxic household cleaning products.

● Use alternative ways to handle unwanted plants and pests, such as natural grade diatomaceous earth
to get rid of bugs, pulling weeds out by hand, and using covers in gardens to ward off insects.

● Use a different container for hazardous waste. Ignitable and toxic waste can cause harm to the
wasteworkers and also in environment.

● Use rechargeable batteries to lessen the consumption of batteries that contain harmful chemicals such
as nickel and cadmium which can cause damage to soil, water and even plants. Take note that it is
advisable to recycle rechargeable batteries than to toss in the trash.

● Even though food waste is organic and will generally decompose, when it mixes with other waste in
landfill it can contribute to the production and release of dangerous gases, like methane, which is
harmful to the environment.

Food waste can also easily be recycled into compost. Composted mulch applied to your garden helps
capture carbon in the soil, which means you improve the health of your soil and assist water retention.

You can also recycle food waste by turning it into rich fertiliser through a worm farm. You can have a
worm farm even if you live in an apartment and don't have much space. Worm liquid and castings (the
organic material that has been digested by the worms) are excellent for pot plants or can be given to
neighbours with gardens in exchange for fresh vegetables. You can buy worm farm kits that fit under
your sink or on your verandah which make it easy if you have limited space.