MUNICIPAL SOLID
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste
It is defined as Waste (also known as rubbish, trash, refuse,
garbage, junk) is any unwanted or useless materials.

Types of waste
 Solid waste  Biodegradable waste
 Liquid waste  Chemical waste
 Gaseous waste  Commercial waste/ Business waste
 Animal by  Biomedical waste
 product(ABPs)  Bulky waste
Solid Waste
• Solid waste is the unwanted or useless solid materials generated from
combined residential, industrial and commercial activities in a given area.

Solid waste also include:

 Garbage
 Rubbish
 Demolition products
 Sewage treatment residue
 Dead animals
 Manure and other discarded material.

-- Per capita solid waste out put 0.25-2.5 Kg/day

 Types of solid Waste

Broadly there are 3 types of waste which as follows:

1. Household waste as municipal waste

2. Industrial waste as hazardous waste

3.Biomedical waste or hospital waste as infectious waste

 Main Sources of Municipal Waste
Hazardous Waste

 Industrial and hospital waste is considered hazardous as they may

contain toxic substances

 Hazardous waste could be highly toxic to humans, animals and

plants.
They are
- corrosive
- highly inflammable or explosive

 In the industrial sector the major generators of hazardous waste

are the metal’ chemical’ paper, pesticide, dye and rubber goods
industries.

 Direct exposure to chemicals in hazardous waste such as mercury

and cyanide can be fatal
Bio Medical or Hospital waste
• Bio-medical waste means “Any waste which is
generated during the diagnosis, treatment or
immunization of human beings or animals or in research
activities pertaining thereto or in the production or
testing of biological”

• It may includes wastes like sharp waste, pathological

waste, pharmaceutical waste, genotoxic waste,
chemical waste, and radioactive waste etc.
 Effects of Solid waste
A:Health hazard
 If solid waste are not collected and allowed to accumulate , they may create
unsanitary conditions.

 This may lead to epidemic outbreaks .

 Many diseases like cholera. Diarrhea, dysentery, plague, jaundice, or

gastrointestinal diseases may spread and cause loss of human lives.

 In addition improper handling of the solid wastes ,a health hazard for the
workers who come in direct contact with the waste.

B: Environmental impact
 If the solid wastes are not treated properly decomposition and
putrefaction( decay) may take place .

 The organic solid waste during decomposition may generate obnoxious

(intolerable odour)
Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in India
• In India the biodegradable portion dominates the bulk of Municipal Solid
Waste. Generally the biodegradable portion is mainly due to food and yard
waste
Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in India
• With rising urbanization and change in lifestyle and food habits, the amount
of municipal solid waste has been increasing rapidly and its composition
changing. There are different categories of waste generated, each take their
own time to degenerate (as illustrated in the table below).
Life Cycle of Municipal Solid Waste/Management
Generation
Segregation
 Storage and Collection
• Waste from our homes is generally collected by our local authorities through
regular waste collection, or by special collections for recycling. Within hot
climates the waste should be collected at least twice a week to control fly breeding,
and the harbouring of other pests in the community. Other factors to consider when
deciding on frequency of collection are the odours caused by decomposition and the
accumulated quantities.

• Descriptions of the main types of collection systems are given in the table below.
System Description Description Disadvantages

SHARED: Residents can bring out waste at any time

Dumping at Residents and other generators are Low capital Loading the waste into trucks is slow
designated required to dump their waste at a costs and unhygienic. Waste is scattered
location specified location or in a masonry around the collection point. Adjacent
enclosure. residents and shopkeepers protest
Shared Residents and other generators put Low operating If containers are not maintained they
container their waste inside a container which is costs quickly corrode or are damaged.
emptied or removed. Adjacent residents complain about
the smell and appearance.

Table 1 Descriptions of the main collection systems. (Sourced from

http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/upgrading/issues-tools/issues/waste-collection.html#Anchor- Collection-45656)
 Storage and Collection
System Description Description Disadvantages

INDIVIDUAL: The generators need a suitable container and must store the waste on their
property until it is collected.
Block Collector sounds horn or rings bell Economical. If all family members are out when
collection and waits at specified locations for Less waste on collector comes, waste must be left
residents to bring waste to the streets. No outside for collection. It may be scattered
collection vehicle. permanent by wind, animals and waste pickers.
container or
storage to cause
complaints.
Curb side Waste is left outside property in a Convenient. No Waste that is left out may be scattered by
collection container and picked up bypassing Permanent wind, animals, children or waste pickers.
vehicle, or swept up and collected by public storage. If collection service is delayed, waste
sweeper. may not be collected or some time,
causing considerable nuisance.
Door to Waste collector knocks on each door Convenient for Residents must be available to hand
door or rings doorbell and waits for waste resident. Little waste over. Not suitable for apartment
collection to be brought out by resident. waste on street. buildings because of the amount of
walking required.
Yard Collection labourer enters property to Very convenient The most expensive system, because of
collection remove waste. for residents. the walking involved. Cultural beliefs,
No waste in security considerations or architectural
street. styles may prevent labourers from
entering properties.
Storage and Collection
Transportation
Treatment
Waste treatment techniques seek to transform the waste into a form that is
more manageable, reduce the volume or reduce the toxicity of the waste
thus making the waste easier to dispose of. Treatment methods are selected
based on the composition, quantity, and form of the waste material. Some waste
treatment methods being used today include subjecting the waste to extremely
high temperatures, dumping on land or land filling and use of biological
processes to treat the waste.

1. Thermal treatment
This refers to processes that involve the use of heat to treat waste. Listed
below are descriptions of some commonly utilized thermal treatment processes.

a. Incineration
Incineration is the most common thermal treatment process. This is the
combustion of waste in the presence of oxygen. After incineration, the
wastes are converted to carbon dioxide, water vapour and ash. This method
may be used as a means of recovering energy to be used in heating or the
supply of electricity.
Treatment
b. Pyrolysis and Gasification
Pyrolysis and gasification are similar processes they both decompose
organic waste by exposing it to high temperatures and low amounts of
oxygen. Gasification uses a low oxygen environment while pyrolysis allows
no oxygen. These techniques use heat and an oxygen starved environment
to convert biomass into other forms. All of these products have a high heat
value and can be utilised.
Treatment
c. Open burning
Open burning is the burning of unwanted materials in a manner
that causes smoke another emissions to be released directly into the
air without passing through a chimney or stack. Open burning has been
practiced by a number of urban centres because it reduces the volume of
refuse received at the dump. Also, because of the ease and convenience of
the method or because of the cheapness of the method.
Open burning has many negative effects on both human health and
the environment. This uncontrolled burning of garbage releases many
pollutants into the atmosphere. All of these chemicals pose serious risks to
human health.
The harmful effects of open burning are also felt by the environment,
resulting in acid rain, ozone depletion, smoke, smog and global warming.
Treatment and Disposal
Treatment and Disposal
 Treatment
2. Dumps and Landfills
This refers to processes that involve the use of heat to treat waste. Listed below are
descriptions of some commonly utilized thermal treatment processes.

a. Sanitary landfills
• Sanitary Landfills are designed to greatly reduce or eliminate the risks that
waste disposal may pose to the public health and environmental quality.

• The bottom and sides of landfills are lined with layers of clay or plastic to keep
the liquid waste, known as leachate, from escaping into the soil.

• A landfill is divided into a series of individual cells and only a few cells of the
site are filled with trash at any one time. This minimizes exposure to wind and rain.

• Some sanitary landfills are used to recover energy. The natural anaerobic
decomposition of the waste in the landfill produces landfill gases which include
Carbon Dioxide, methane and traces of other gases. Methane can be used as an
energy source to produce heat or electricity. Thus some landfills are fitted with
landfill gas collection (LFG) systems to capitalise on the methane being produced.
Treatment

Figure 3 Main features of a modern landfill (source http://

www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwaste/landfiller .html )
 Treatment
b. Controlled dumps
Controlled dumps are disposal sites which comply with most of the
requirements for sanitary landfill but usually have one deficiency. They may have a
planned capacity but no cell planning, there may be partial leachate management,
partial or no gas management, regular cover, compaction in some cases, basic
record keeping and they are fenced or enclosed. These dumps have a reduced risk
of environmental contamination, the initial costs are low and the operational costs
are moderate. While there is controlled access and use, they are still accessible by
scavengers and so there is some recovery of materials through this practice.
 Treatment
c. Bioreactor Landfills
• Recent technological advances have lead to the introduction of the
Bioreactor Landfill.
• The Bioreactor landfills use enhanced microbiological processes to accelerate
the decomposition of waste.
• The main controlling factor is the constant addition of liquid to maintain optimum
moisture for microbial digestion.
• This liquid is usually added by recirculating the landfill leachate. In cases where
leachate in not enough, water or other liquid waste such as sewage sludge can
be used.
• The landfill may use either anaerobic or aerobic microbial digestion or it may be
designed to combine the two.
• These enhanced microbial processes have the advantage of rapidly reducing the
volume of the waste creating more space for additional waste, they also
maximise the production and capture of methane for energy recovery systems
and they reduce the costs associated with leachate management.
 Treatment
3. Biological waste treatment

a. Composting
• Composting is the controlled aerobic
decomposition of organic matter by the action
of micro organisms and small invertebrates.
The process is controlled by making the
environmental conditions optimum for the
waste decomposers to thrive. The C/N ratio:
The micro organisms require carbon as an
energy source and nitrogen for the synthesis of
some proteins.
• Moisture content greatly influences the
composting process. The microbes need the
moisture to perform their metabolic functions.
• A high temperature is desirable for the
elimination of pathogenic organisms. Optimum
temperatures for the process are in the range
of 50-60oC with the ideal being 60oC.
• Aeration is a very important and the
quantity of air needs to be properly controlled
when composting. Air can be incorporated by
churning the compost.
 Treatment
b. Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion uses biological processes to decompose organic waste.
However, where composting can use a variety of microbes and must have air,
anaerobic digestion uses bacteria and an oxygen free environment to decompose the
waste.
Aerobic respiration, typical of composting, results in the formation of Carbon dioxide
and water. While the anaerobic respiration results in the formation of Carbon Dioxide
and methane, humus. Anaerobic Digestion is also used as a method of producing
biogas which can be used to generate electricity.
 Integrated Solid Waste Management
Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) takes an overall approach to creating
sustainable systems that are economically affordable, socially acceptable and
environmentally effective. An integrated solid waste management system involves the use of
a range of different treatment methods, and key to the functioning of such a system is the
collection and sorting of the waste. It is important to note that no one single treatment method
can manage all the waste materials in an environmentally effective way. Thus all of the
available treatment and disposal options must be evaluated equally and the best combination
of the available options suited to the particular community chosen. Effective management
schemes therefore need to operate in ways which best meet current social, economic, and
environmental conditions of the municipality.

Figure 4 Elements of Integrated Solid Waste Management (source http://viso.ei.jrc.it/iwmlca/ )

 Adverse Effect of open dump
• Health Effect
• Rodents, insects, and other vermin attracted to open dump sites may also pose health
risks. Dump sites with scrap tires provide an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes, which
can multiply 100 times faster than normal in the warm stagnant water standing in scrap
tire causing several illnesses. 
• Poisoning and chemical burns resulting from contact with small amounts of hazardous,
chemical waste mixed with general waste during collection & transportation.
• Environment pollution
 Air pollution
Dust generated from on-site vehicle movements, and placement of waste and materials
 Water pollution
Runoff from open dump sites containing chemicals may contaminate wells and surface
water used as sources of drinking water
 Soil Contamination 
Permanent or temporary loss of productive land
• Global Warming and Climate Change 
The waste in the dumping ground undergoes various anaerobic reactions produces
offensive Green House gases such as CO2, CH4 etc. These gases are contributing
potentially to Global Warming & Climate Change phenomenon.
Bibliography

• United Nations Environment Programme International Source Book on

• Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) for Municipal Solid Waste
• Management (MSWM) <http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/ESTdir/Pub/MSW/index.asp
• Sewerage and Solid Waste Project Unit. 2000. The solid waste management
• programme. Sewerage and Solid Waste Project Unit, Barbados.
• <http://www.solid.gov.bb/Resources/Brochures/Programme/program02.asp >
• http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/WasteDisposal.htm
• http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwaste/landfiller.html
• http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/upgrading/issues-tools/issues/wastecollection.
• html#Anchor-Collection-45656
• http://www.sustainability-ed.org/pages/example2-2.htm
• http://www.massbalance.org/downloads/projectfiles/1826-00237.pdf
• http://msw.cecs.ucf.edu/Lesson8-Incineration.html
• http://www.csiro.au/org/ps16w.html
• http://viso.ei.jrc.it/iwmlca/