SOLID WASTE

MANAGEMENT
Why is solid waste disposal a major
problem for towns and cities?
 It is an expensive undertaking, the second
largest expenditure after education
 It takes up valuable and expensive land close
to towns and cities
 It devalues nearby land properties
 Pollutes groundwater, air and produces
pungent odor
 The garbage disposal process represent a
waste of natural resources.
Open waste dumps

Abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard

waste, appliances, old barrels, used tires, and debris
such as lumber, shingles, pipes and asbestos can
threaten the health of humans, wildlife, and the
environment.
1. Open waste dumps – demerits
 Open dumps create
a public nuisance,
divert land from
more productive
uses, and depress
the value of
surrounding land.
 Open dumps have
become the feeding
grounds for children
from poor homes
A growing concern for Urban
Dwellers: Plastic bags?
Plastic Bags
A major source of
municipal solid waste
Open dumps pose the following health,
safety, and environmental threats:
 Fire and explosion
 Inhalation of toxic gases in nearby homes
 Injury to children playing on or around the dump site
 Disease carried by mosquitoes, flies, and rodents
 Contamination of streams, rivers and lakes
 Contamination of soil and groundwater
 Contamination of drinking water
 Damage to plant and wildlife habitats
 Decrease in the quality of life to nearby residents and
the local community
2. Landfills
Machines compact the clay
to meet required density and
depth

Looking right to left we find

the bottom clay liner, the top
double synthetic liner, and
then gravel being applied by
bulldozers.
Preventing groundwater pollution in
a landfill
An adequate lining
Liner system is a necessary
component for any
landfill. The liner is
designed as a barrier
to intercept leachate
and direct it to a
collection system to
prevent contamination
of local groundwater.
Methane emissions from Landfills
3. The Incineration process
Concerns over Incineration
Does the Fume
Contain Dioxins?

 Incineration recovers
energy that would otherwise
be lost
 Requires less land
 Reduces odor but…
 Emits dangerous cancer
causing compounds called
dioxins
Modern Waste Management
Systems

1. RE USE

2. REDUCE

3. RECYCLE
Recycling
Recycling is a form of
Reuse .

However, Recycling
involves some
transformation of the
original material into new
forms.
REDUCE: Suggestions for reducing
waste at source
 Purchase more durable and less of disposable
items
 Buy more efficient products – cars, appliances
and houses
 Reduce consumption of luxury items
 Purchase items that can be reused over and
over
 Manufacturers must reduce packaging and
design small-sized products.
Waste management systems and their
impacts on the environment
Maximum impact on the environment
Open dump
Landfil
lIncineration without energy recovery

Incineration with energy recovery

Recycle
Reuse

Reduce waste
Minimum impact on environment
Managing hazardous waste materials

Reduction
 Modify or redesign manufacturing processes

Reuse & recycling

 Substitute safe materials for harmful ones

Discard approach
 Detoxification – physical and biological conversion

of harmful substances into harmless material

 Secured toxic waste landfills

 Use of deep injection wells

Designing a secured landfill for disposing
of hazardous waste materials