SOLID WASTE

MANAGEMENT

Anushi Jain
MSc II
Roll No. : 08
Paper II
 INTRODUCTION
• A waste can be defined as any unwanted and useless material.
• The waste can be either solid, liquid or gaseous.
• Solid Waste in general can be defined as ‘As a material which has
negligible value to the producer and there is no direct
consumption of the generated waste’.
• It is generated due to various activities that can be residual and
commercial, agricultural, etc.
• Whatever the origin, content or hazard potential is, solid waste
must be managed systematically to ensure environmental best
practices.
 SOURCES
• There are many sources of solid wastes such as :
• Municipal solid waste – street sweeping, sewage treatment plant
waste, waste from schools and other institution.
• Domestic waste – Garbage, rubbish, paints, paper, glasses, old
toys, old clothes, spoiled food, etc.
• Commercial waste – From different stores and offices.
• Mining – From coal mining, strip mining, etc.
• Agricultural waste – Fertilizers and pesticide containers, organic
waste, etc.
• Hospital waste – Disposable syringes, swabs, body fluids,
bandages, etc.
• Industrial waste – solvents, resins, metals, plastics, rubber,
leather, abrasives, sludge's, etc.
• E waste – Waste like wires, circuits, mobile phones etc.
 EFFECTS
• Solid waste changes properties of soil, air, and water causing
pollution.
• Solid waste produces foul smell, breeds insects and organism.
• Leads to spread of many diseases, infections, etc affecting
human and animal population.
• Harmful chemicals are released into the environment.
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
• Solid Waste Management is defined as the discipline
associated with control of generation, storage, collection,
transport or transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste
materials.
• Solid waste management includes planning, administrative,
financial, engineering and legal functions in the process of
solving problems arising from waste materials.
• The primary goal of solid waste management is reducing and
eliminating adverse impacts of waste materials on human
health and environment to support economic development
and superior quality of life.
Functional Elements of the Waste
Management System
• There are five functional components of the waste
management system as outlined below:
Waste generation (materials of no value are thrown away or gathered
Onsite handling, storage and processing
includes gathering and transpot of Waste collection
waste and recyclable material by vehicle to the landfill
disposal site or transfer station. Collection carried out
through 2 stages.
Waste transfer and transport
1. Primary collection: collect
-ion from its source (domestic/commericial premises)
and transported to communal sites, transfer points,
disposal sites.
2. Secondary collection: Waste processing and recovery
collection from communal sites/transfer point
and its transport to a transfer station, recycling
centre, intermediate treatment facilities or disposal site.
PLACING of any solid waste
into or on land.Landfill is the
disposal facility or a part of the
facility where waste is placed
into or on land for treatment. (it
is not a land treatment)
together for disposal)
(activities associated with
management of waste until they are placed in bags or stored
in containers for collection. Handling> movement of waste/bags
containers to the point of collection. Sorting of components> an
important step in waste handling and storage at source. Saleable
items separation (paper, shoes, clothes etc) Example: composting
of kitchen components.
Involves two steps. 1. transfer from
secondary collection point to larer transport
equipment or transfer point. 2. the transport of waste usually over
long distances to a processing or disposal site.
Disposal is the process of final displacement of solid waste
with or without previous treatment, processing, or recycling
in a landfill. Waste disposal can be defined as DISCHARGE,
DEPOSIT, INJECTION, DUMPING, SPILLING, LEAKING OR
 SOLID WASTE TREATMENT
• The processing methods available for management of solid
waste includes : Segregation , Reduction, Reuse and Recycling,
Chemical, Biological And Thermal Conversion, etc.
1. SEGREGATION
• Segregation or Waste sorting is the process by which waste is
separated into different elements.
• Waste segregation means dividing waste into dry and wet.
• Waste can also be segregated as
1. Biodegradable
2. No biodegradable
2. REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE
• Reduction is the most important strategy of the three Rs. It focus
on the source of the waste, or where the waste is originally
coming from. Source reduction is carried out when products are
designed, manufactured, packaged, and used in a way that limits
the amount or toxicity of waste created.
• The second most important strategy of the three Rs is to Reuse,
which is when an item is cleaned and the materials are used
again.
Advantages of reuse :
Reduced disposal needs and costs.
Energy and raw material savings.
• The third R in the hierarchy is Recycle, which means reprocessing
of disposed material into new and useful products.
Advantages of recycling :
Saves energy
Conserves resources
3. CHEMICAL PROCESSING
• Chemical processing involves the chemical transformation or
conversion of organic fraction of wastes into various useful
compounds such as glucose, synthetic oils, gases, etc.
• e.g. glucose is recovered from wastes containing cellulose
(paper).

4. BIOLOGICAL PROCESSING
• It involves processes like composting, anaerobic conversion,
anaerobic fermentation and digestion.
• The products formed by these processes include compost,
methane, various proteins, alcohols, and a wide variety of
intermediate organic products.
A. COMPOSTING
• It is controlled biological decomposition of organic matter, such
as food and yard wastes, into humus. (partially deomposed organic matter: the organic
component of soil)
• Composting is the natural process of 'rotting' or decomposition
of organic matter by microorganisms under controlled
conditions.
• It can be anaerobic and aerobic.
• This process takes about 4 to 6 weeks.

Benefits of composting :
Provides nutrients to the soil.
Increases beneficial soil organisms.
Protects soil from erosion.
Assists pollution remediation.
B. LANDFILLING
• A landfill site is a site for the disposal of waste materials by
burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment.
• Waste is directly dumped into mining voids or borrow pits.
Disposed waste is compacted and covered with soil.
• Gases generated by the decomposing waste materials are
often burnt to generate power.
• Landfilling can be done by three methods :
1) Trench method
2) Area method
3) Ramp method
1. TRENCH METHOD
• The trench method consists of
an excavated trench into
which the solid wastes are
spread, compacted and
covered.
• The trench method is best
suited for nearly level land
where the water table is not
near the surface.
2. AREA METHOD
• The area method is best
suited for flat or gently
sloping areas where some
land depressions may exist.
• The wastes are spread,
compacted and then covered.
3. RAMP METHOD
• It is also know as depression method.
• The slope or ramp is sometimes used in combination with the
other two methods. The wastes are spread on an existing
slope, compacted and covered.

Advantages :
Landfill site is a cheap waste disposal option.
The gases given off by the landfill site could be collected and
used for generating power.
Lots of different types of waste can be disposed of by landfill
in comparison to other waste disposal method.

Disadvantages :
Landfills can pollute air, water and also the soil.
Landfill can contribute to the global warming.
C. INCINERATION
• Incineration is a waste management technology that involves the
combustion of organic materials and/or substances.
• It is carried out at high temperature.
• The waste material is converted into ash, flue gases, particulates
and heat.
• Types of incinerators :
i. Moving grate
ii. Fixed grate
iii. Fluidized bed
iv. Rotary kiln

Advantages :
Less space requirement.
Hygienic process.
Disadvantages :
Expensive process.
Special care required.
D. PYROLYSIS
• Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition of organic
material at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen.
• It involves the simultaneous change of chemical composition
and physical phase, and is irreversible.
• External heat source is employed.it yields gaseous, liquid and
solid fractions.