9.1.

INTRODUCTION
Solid waste also known as dry refuse includes house refuse, trade
refuse and street refuse, and are practically in dry state. Sometimes it is
also referred as all the solid and semi-solid waste matters except night
soil. The refuse may be broadly divided into two types:
1. Organic or Combustible matters: It includes dry animal and
vegetable refuse, cow-dung, excreta of birds, tree leaves, sticks, plastic
bottles, paper wastes, rags, etc. These waste subject to decay with time
and evolve offensive odour and gases which are highly detrimental to
health. These wastes can be burnt to ashes.
2. Inorganic or mineral or non-combustible matters: This consists
of non-combustible materials such as grits, dust, mud, metal pieces,
metal containers, broken glass and crockery, tiles, waste building
material. These do not decay and are therefore not harmful to public
health. They do not get burnt as easily as organic matters.
The organic matter of the refuse is very offensive and creates health
problems. It also breeds flies and other pathogens which can cause
various diseases like diphtheria, typhoid, diarrhea, etc. to spread on the
locality. Thus, the refuse should be removed from the community as
soon as possible.
 9.2. COLLECTION OF SOLID WASTES
The frequency of collection of solid waste depends upon the quantity of
the refuse and the season. Generally, refuse is collected in individual
houses in small containers or cans kept inside or outside the premises of
the house, from where it is removed daily by sweepers. Sometimes public
dustbins are provided by the municipalities/local authorities at convenient
places. Dry refuse fallen on the public streets and roads, along with road
sweepings, are usually collected once or twice a day by the sweepers
employed by the local authority. The containers or cans used for the
refuse collection should be clean, without any dirt left in, otherwise fresh
refuse gets seeded with the putrefactive organisms and start giving foul
smell.
The frequency of refuse collection is kept such that the refuse may not
start giving nuisance by odour and fly breeding. During summer, it should
be collected twice a day, whereas in cold season it should be collected at
least once a day. The collection of refuse from business areas should be
done in non-working hours, preferably at nights whereas in case of
residential areas it may be done in day times to avoid noise, nuisance and
difficulty in the location of refuse bins. The refuse is collected in closed
trucks, tractors, etc. and taken out of the town for disposal. The body of
vehicles used for the collection and transportation of refuse should be
water tight so that while transporting, the liquid in the refuse may not leak
on the road and create nuisance.
9.3. METHODS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL

The disposal of refuse can be done by various methods.

Following are common methods of refuse disposal:
1) By dumping into sea
2) By sanitary landfilling
3) By incineration
4) By composting
1) Disposal of refuse by dumping into sea
In this method, the refuses from the coastal cities are carried into
the large barges and dumped into the sea at a reasonable distance
(15 to 30 km). This is necessary because the refuses so dumped
may get carried back to the shores by the action of sea waves and
may cause nuisance. This method has several disadvantages or
limitations. Some of them are listed below.
a) Bulky and lighter matters in the refuse may float, spread out
and tend to return to the shores during high tides.
b) During stormy weather and monsoons, it is not possible to
send barges out into the sea.
c) The method is applicable only in the coastal cities.
2) Disposal by sanitary landfilling

This is the simple, effective and cheap method of refuse disposal.

In this method, the refuses are dumped into low lying areas or
depressions available nearby. Dumping is done in layers of 1 to
2m, and each layer is covered by 0.2m thickness of earth or ash.
A rest of 2 to 3 weeks is given before dumping the second layer.
The refuse is compacted by movement of vehicles for its
settlement, before filling the second layer. The reclaimed areas
may be used for various recreational purposes such as parks, golf
courses, etc. It is advantageous in the way that it is simple,
economical and there are not any by-products. On the other
hand, it is disadvantageous because proper site may not be
available nearby for landfilling.
3) Disposal by incineration
This is the best method of disposal of combustible refuse. In this
method, the combustible refuse is burnt in an incinerator plant.
This is commonly used in disposing of garbage from hospitals
and industrial plants. Before incineration, non-combustible and
inert materials like earth, broken glass, metal parts, etc. are
separated so as to reduce the load on the incinerator plant. The
by products are ash and clinker which can be easily disposed of
by land filling. The advantages of incineration are as follows:
i) It is the most hygienic method since it ensures the complete
destruction of pathogens.
ii) The heat generated can be used for raising steam power.
iii) Lesser space is required for disposal of residues.
iv) Adverse weather has no effect on the incinerator’s plant.
Besides, it has several disadvantages as well. Some of them are
as follows:
i) It requires large initial cost.
ii) Improper operation results in air pollution problems.
iii) Disposal of remaining residue is required.
4) Disposal by composting
This method is similar to landfilling, but it yields a stable end
product early due to controlled microbial reactions. In this
method, putrescible organic matters in the refuse are separated
and converted to stable mineral compounds which can be used as
good manure in the fields. Composting can be done by trenching,
open window method and mechanical method.
In case of composting by trenching, trenches of 4 to 10m long, 2
to 3m wide and 0.7 to 1m deep are excavated at a spacing of 2m.
The trenches are then filled with refuse in layers of 15cm. On the
top of each layer, 5 cm thick sandwiching layer night soil/animal
dung is spread in semi-liquid form. Within 2 to 3 days, intensive
biological actions start to decompose the organic matter present
in the refuse. The refuse gets stabilized in about 4-5 months
period and get converted into humus.