WASTE MANAGEMENT

What are wastes?

Wastes are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is

any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless,
defective and of no use. A waste product may become a by-
product, joint product or resource through an invention that raises
a waste product's value above zero.

Examples include municipal solid waste (household trash/refuse),

hazardous waste, waste water, radioactive waste and others.

Types of waste

• Municipal Waste

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development also known as OECD defines municipal solid waste
(MSW) as “waste collected and treated by or for municipalities”.
Typically this type of waste includes household wastes,
commercial wastes, and demolition or construction waste.

• Household Waste and Commercial Waste

Household Waste, also known as domestic Waste or

residential waste, is disposable materials generated by
households. This waste can be comprised of non-Hazardous
Waste and hazardous waste. Non-hazardous waste can include
food scraps, paper, bottles, etc. which can be recycled or
composted.

• Construction and Demolition Waste

Construction and demolition waste comprises multiple

economically valuable materials such as reusable aggregates,
bitumen, brick, cardboard, concrete, metals, mineral wool and
wood, many of which can be sold directly or used in new
products, construction materials or in energy production.

• Radioactive Waste

Activities that produce or use radioactive material can

generate radioactive waste. Radioactive waste is hazardous
because it emits radioactive particles, which if not properly
managed can be a risk to human health and the environment.

• Electronic Waste

Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or

electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for
refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material
recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informal
processing of e-waste in developing contriescan lead to adverse
human health effects and environmental pollution.

Impacts of waste.

Waste impacts the environment indirectly as well. Whatever

is not recycled or recovered from waste represents a loss of raw
material and other inputs used in the chain, i.e. in the production,
transport and consumption phases of the product. Environmental
impacts in the life-cycle chain are significantly larger than those
in the waste management phases alone.
Directly or indirectly, waste affects our health and well-being in
many ways: methane gases contribute to climate change, air
pollutants are released into the atmosphere, freshwater sources are
contaminated, crops are grown in contaminated soil and fish
ingest toxic chemicals, subsequently ending up on our dinner
plates.
 How waste can be managed?

Waste management refers to the various schemes to manage

and dispose of wastes. It can be by discarding, destroying,
processing, recycling, reusing, or controlling wastes. The prime
objective of waste management is to reduce the amount of
unusable materials and to avert potential health and environmental
hazards.

Ways to prevent the production of waste.

• Use a reusable bottle/cup for beverages on-the-go.

• Use reusable grocery bags, and not just for groceries.
• Purchase wisely and recycle.
• Composite the decomposables.
• Avoid single-use food and drink containers and utensils.
• Shop eco-friendly with reusable bags.
• Ditch decomposables in the kitchen.
• Reduce food waste.
• Dispose of e-waste responsibly.

CONCLUSION

Waste management involves the processes of waste

collection, transportation, processing, as well as waste recycling
or disposal. Sustainable waste management systems include
advanced management strategies to minimize environmental
challenges and protect resources. India has been ranked as the
bottom and worst performer(180th rank).Hope we show progress
in this field too and protect our nature for our future generations.