Professional Documents
Culture Documents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Waste disposal management is an important part of the urban infrastructure as it ensures the
protection of the environment and of human health .It is not only a technical environmental
issue but also a highly political one. Waste disposal management is closely related to a
number of issues such as urban lifestyles, resource consumption pattern, jobs and income
levels, and other socio-economic and cultural factors.
Waste prevention and minimization has positive environmental, human health and safety
and economic impacts. Implementing a less is better concept provides better protection of
human health and safety by reducing exposures, generating less demand for disposal on the
environment. Less Waste also lowers disposal cost.
Arising quality of life and high rates of resource consumption patterns have had an
unintended and negative impact on the urban environment generation of wastes far
beyond the handling capacities of urban governments and agencies. Cities are now
grappling with the problems of high volumes of waste, the costs involved, the disposal
technologies and methodologies and the impact of wastes on the local and global
environment.
But these problems have also provided a window of opportunity for cities to find solutionsinvolving the community and the private sector, involving innovative technologies and
disposal methods, and involving behavior changes and awareness raizing. These issues have
amply demonstrated by good practices from many cities around the world. There is a need
for a complete rethinking of waste- to analyze if waste is indeed waste.
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS WASTE?
Waste is rubbish, trash, garbage or junk is unwanted or undesired material. There are a
number of different types of waste. It can exist as a solid, liquid or gas or as waste heat.
When released in the latter two states the wastes can be referred to as emissions. It is usually
strongly linked with pollution. Waste may also be intangible in the case of wasted time or
wasted opportunities. The term waste implies things, which have been used inefficiently or
inappropriately.
Some components of waste can be recycled once recovered from the waste stream. E.g.
plastic bottles, metals, glass or paper The biodegradable component of wastes e.g. paper &
food waste) can be composted or anaerobic digested to produce soil improvers and
renewable fuels. If it is not dealt with sustainably in this manner biodegradable waste can
contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and by implication climate change.
There are two main definitions of waste. One view comes from the individual or the
organization preceding the material, the second is the view of government, and is set out in
different acts of waste management. The two have to combine to ensure the safe and legal
disposal of the waste.
SOURCES OF WASTE
Below waste is categorized according to the sector generating it. Different sectors generate
specific types of waste, and collection systems are adapted to the sectors and their specific
waste.
Information on specific waste sectors:
TYPES OF WASTE
Waste can be divided into many different types. The most common methods of classification
are by their physical, chemical and biological characteristics. One important classification is
by their consistency. Solid waste is waste materials that contain less than 70% water. This
class includes as household garbage, some industrial waste, some mining waste, and oilfield
waste such as drill cutting. Liquid wastes are usually waste water that contains less than 1 %
solids. Such waste may contain high concentrations of dissolved salts and metals. Sludge is
a class of waste between liquid and solid. They usually contain between 3% & 25% solids,
while the rest of the material is water dissolved materials.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
Industrial waste is waste type produced by industrial factories, mills and mines. It has
existed since the outset of the industrial revolution. Toxic waste and chemical waste are two
designations of industrial waste. It is considered hazardous as they may contain toxic
substance. Certain types of household waste are also hazardous. Hazardous waste could be
highly toxic to humans, animals, and plants; are corrosive, highly inflammable or explosive;
and react when exposed to certain things e.g. gases. India generates around 7 millions tones
of hazardous wastes every year, most of which is concentrated in 4 states: Andhra Pradesh,
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. In the industrial sector, the major generators of
hazardous waste are the metal, chemical paper, pesticide, dye, refining, and rubber goods
industries. Direct exposure to chemicals in hazardous waste such as mercury and cyanide
can be fatal.
HAZARDOUS WASTE
Hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to
human health or the environment. The universe of hazardous wastes is large and diverse.
Hazardous waste can be liquids, solids, contained gases, or sludges. They can be the byproducts of manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercial products like cleaning
fluid or pesticides. It exhibits at least one of four characters ignitability, corrosivity,
reactivity, or toxicity. Hazardous waste is regulated under the Resource Conservation and
the Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle.
HOSPITAL WASTE
Hospital waste is generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of the human
beings or the animals or in research activities in these fields or in the production or testing
of biological. It may include wastes like sharps, soiled waste, disposables, anatomical,
waste, discarded medicines, chemical waste etc. These are in the form of disposable
syringes, swabs, bandages, body fluids, human excreta etc. This waste is highly infectious
and can be a serious threat to the human health if not managed in a scientific and
discriminate manner. It has been roughly estimated that 4 kg of waste generated in hospital
at least 1 kg would be infected.
Municipal solid waste consists of household waste, construction and demolition debris,
sanitation residue, and waste from streets. This garbage is generated mainly from residential
and commercial complexes. With rising urbanization and change on lifestyle and food
habits, the amount of municipal solid waste has been increasing rapidly and its composition
changing. In 1947 cities and towns in India generated an estimates 6 millions tones of solid
waste; in 1997 it was about 48 millions tones.
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RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Radioactive waste arises primarily from nuclear generation; smaller quantities are derived
from military sources and a variety of uses in medical, industrial and university
establishments. There are many types of radioactive waste which can be classified either
according to their radioactive properties or according to the sources from which they
originated. Low level radioactive wastes generally consist of contaminated laboratory
debris, biological materials, building materials. High level of radioactive waste consists
of spent fuels from nuclear power reactors, together with liquid and solid residues from
reprocessing of spent fuels.
NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE
Non-hazardous are those that pose no immediate threat to human health and the
environment. Household garbage is included into this category.
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WHAT IS MANAGEMENT?
The term management characterizes the process of and/or the personnel leading and
directing all or part of an organization (often a business) through the deployment and
manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible)
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word mange comes from the Italian
mangier (to handle-especially a horse), which in turn derives from the Latin Manus (hand).
The French word management (later management) influenced the development in meaning
of the English word management in the 17th and 18th centuries.
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WASTE MANAGEMENT
Historically the amount of waste generated by human population was insignificant mainly
due to the low population densities, coupled with the fact there was very little exploitation
of natural resources. Common waste produced during the early ages were mainly ashes and
human & biodegradable wastes, and these were released back into the ground locally, with
minimal environmental impact.
Before the widespread use of metals, wood was widely used for most applicants. However,
reuse of wood has been well documented nevertheless, it is once again well documented
that reuse and recovery of such metals have been carried out by earlier humans.
With the advent of industrial revolution, waste disposal management became a critical issue.
This was due to the increase in the population and the massive migration of people to the
industrial towns and cities from rural areas during the 18th century. There was a consequent
increase in the industrial and domestic waste posing threat to human health and
environment.
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Waste has played a tremendous role in the history. The plague, cholera, and typhoid fever, to
mention a few, were diseases that altered the populations of many countries.
They were perpetuated by filth that harbored rats and contaminated water supply. It was not
uncommon for everybody to throw their waste and human waste out of the window which
would decompose in the street.
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Waste hierarchy The waste hierarchy refers to the 3 Rs reduce, reuse and recycle
which classify waste disposal management strategies according to their desirability in terms
of waste minimization. The waste hierarchy remains the cornerstone of most waste
minimization strategies. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical
Polluter pays principle- The polluter pays principle is a principle where the polluting
party pays for the impact caused to the environment. With respect to waste management,
this generally refers to the requirement for a waste generator to pay for appropriate disposal
of the waste.
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There are a number of concepts about waste management, which vary in their usage
between countries or regions. The waste hierarchy:
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
REDUCE
Waste minimization or reduction is a process of waste disposal management at the top of the
Waste hierarchy.
Waste disposal management has traditionally been focused on processing wastes after they
are created rather than reducing their production. This latter process usually requires
specific knowledge of the production process, unlike post creation processes such as re-use,
recycling, composting or waste to-energy.
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To reduce waste volume, it is first necessary to determine the composition of the waste and
reason for its creation. Therefore, no general procedures apply to the general case, and each
case must be processed individually.
Commercial waste is often produced because of delivery procedures set by a central supply
system, or it may be the result of the machinery used, which often requires considerable
investment for appropriate upgrades.
Most waste comes from the (manufacturing) industry, agriculture, construction and
demolition industries. Household waste only constitutes a small percentage of overall waste,
and therefore has less affect on the overall waste volume.
REUSE
Reuse is using an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is
used a number of times for the same function, and new life reuse where a new use is found
for the item. It is distinct from recycling, where the used item is broken down into raw
materials which are used to make new items.
Reuse can have both financial and environmental benefits, and either of these can be the
main motivation for it. The financial motivation historically did, and in the developing
world still does, lead to very high levels of reuse, but rising wages and consequent
consumer demand for the convenience of disposable products made the reuse of low value
items such as packaging uneconomic in richer countries, leading to the demise of many
reuse schemes indeed we have gone a long way down the road to being a disposable
society. Current environmental awareness is gradually changing attitudes and regulations,
such as the new packaging regulations, are gradually beginning to reverse the situation. The
classic example of conventional reuse is the doorstep delivery of milk in reusable bottles;
other examples include the retreading of tyres and the use of plastic delivery trays (transit
packaging) in place of cardboard cartons
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RECYCLING
Recycling is the reprocessing of materials into new products. Recycling prevents useful
material resources being wasted, reduces the consumption of raw materials and reduces
energy usage, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, compared to virgin production.
Recycling is a key concept of modern waste disposal management and is the third
components of the waste hierarchy. Recyclable materials, also called recyclables or
recyclates may originate from a wide range of sources including the home and industry.
They include glass, paper, aluminum, asphalt, iron, textiles and plastics. Biodegradable
waste, such as food waste or garden waste is also recyclable with the assistance of
microorganisms through composting or anaerobic digestion.
Some waste disposal management experts have recently incorporated a fourth R: Rethink
with the implied meaning that the present system may have fundamental flaws, and that a
thoroughly effective system of waste disposal management may need an entirely new way
of looking at waste. Some re-think solutions may be counterintuitive, such as cutting fabric
patterns with slightly more waste material left the now larger scraps are than used for
cutting small parts of pattern, resulting in a decrease in net waste. This type of solution is by
no means limited to the clothing industry. Source reduction involves efforts to reduce
hazardous waste and other materials by modifying industrial production. It also involves
changes in manufacturing technology, raw materials input, and product formulation. At
times the term pollution prevention may refer to source reduction.
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The overall goal of urban solid waste disposal management is to collect, treat and
dispose of solid wastes generated by all urban population groups in an environmentally and
Local governments are usually authorized to have responsibility for providing solid waste
disposal management services, and most local government laws give them exclusive
ownership over waste once it has been placed outside a home or establishment for
collection.
As cities grow economically, business activity and consumption patterns drive up solid
waste quantities.
At the same time, increased traffic congestion adversely affects the productivity of the
solid waste fleet.
Productivity loss is exacerbated by longer hauls required of the fleet, as open lands for
disposal are further and further away from urban centers.
Over the last few years, the consumer market has grown rapidly leading to products being
packed in cans, aluminium foils, plastics, and other such non biodegradable items that cause
incalculable harm to the environment. In India, some municipal areas have banned the use
of
Plastics and they seem to have achieved success.
For example, today one will not see a single piece of plastic in the entire district of Latah
where the local authorities imposed a ban on plastics in 1998.
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Other states should follow the example of this region and ban the use of items that cause
One positive note is that in many large cities, shops have begun packing items in reusable
or biodegradable bags.
Certain biodegradable items can also be composted and reused. In fact proper handling
of the biodegradable waste will considerably lessen the burden of solid waste that each city
has to tackle.
Radioactive waste disposal management involves dealing safely with the wastes from
This waste comes from a number of sources, and ranges from paper towels used in
hospitals to nitric acid solution formed as a result of reprocessing nuclear fuel.
Most radioactive waste is currently stored safely on major sites under license from the
Health and Safety Executives Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and is subject to strict
regulatory control.
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SEGREGATION
Certain things that are not needed around the house are kept aside to be sold to the
kabadiwala or the man who buys old items. These items are newspapers, used bottles,
magazines, carry bags, old exercise books, oilcans, etc. This is one form of segregation,
which is done as a routine in all households in India. Separating our waste is essential as the
amount of waste being generated today causes immense problem. Segregation of municipal
solid waste can be clearly understood by schematic representation. Certain items are not
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biodegradable but can be reused or recycled.In fact, it is believed that a larger portion can
be recycled; a part of it can be converted to compost, and only a smaller portion of real
waste that has no use and has to be discarded.
Household waste should be separated daily into different bags for the different
categories of waste such as wet and dry waste, which should be disposed of separately.
One should also keep a bin for toxic wastes such as medicines, batteries, dried paint, old
bulbs, and dried shoe polish. Wet waste, which consists of leftover foodstuff, vegetable
peels, etc., should be put in a compost pit and the compost could be used as manure in the
garden. Dry waste consisting of cans, aluminium foils, plastics, metal glass, and paper
could be recycled. If we do not dispose of the waste in a more systematic manner, more
than 1400 sq. km of land, which is size of the city of Delhi, would be required in the
country by the year 2047 to dispose of it.
Waste can be segregated as
1
2
Biodegradable.
Non biodegradable
Biodegradable waste:
It includes organic waste, e.g. kitchen waste, vegetables, fruits, flowers leaves from the
garden, and paper.
Non biodegradable waste:
It can be further segregated into.
a
b
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Waste Processing
Waste Minimization
Waste Disposal
Waste Recycling
Waste Disposal:
Historically, efforts in the management of waste have focused primarily on
the disposal part of the waste. Whilst there is now a general move towards the recovery of
resources from waste, disposal is still the most common form of managing waste. Dumping,
land filling of waste and incerination are some of the common methods of waste disposal.
Waste Processing
Waste Minimization
Waste disposal
Waste Recycling
Recycling is the breaking down of materials from waste streams into raw materials, which
are then, reprocessed either in to the same material or a new product, generally including
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waste separation and material reprocessing. There are various materials that are capable of
being recycled, and technology is advancing to allow the recycling of more materials.
The benefits of recycling do not lie solely in diversion of waste away from disposal but,
even more importantly, in the reduction of the amount of virgin resources that need to be
harvested and processed for the manufacture of new products.
Waste Processing
Waste Minimization
Waste Disposal
Waste Recycling
Waste processing is the range of activities characterized by the treatment and recovery of
materials or energy from waste through thermal, chemical, or biological means. It also
covers hazardous waste handling. Generally there are two main groups of processes to be
considered,
1.
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WASTE DISPOSAL
RESOUR
CE
LANDFILL
Disposing of waste in a landfill is one of the most traditional methods of waste
disposal, and it remains a common practice in most countries. Historically, landfills were
often established in discussed quarries, mining voids or borrow pits. A properly designed
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and well-managed landfill can be a hygienic and relatively inexpensive method of disposing
of waste materials in a way that minimizes their impact on the local environment. Older,
poorly designed or poorly managed landfills can create a number of adverse
environmental impacts such as wind-blown litter, attraction of vermin, and generation of
leach ate where result of rain percolating through the waste and reacting with the products
of decomposition, chemicals and other materials in the waste to produce the leach ate which
can pollute groundwater and surface water.
Another byproduct of the landfills is landfill gas (mostly composed of methane and carbon
dioxide) which is produced as organic waste breaks down anaerobic ally. This gas creates
odor problems, kills surface vegetation, and is a greenhouse gas. Characteristics of a modern
landfill include methods to contain leach ate, such as clay or plastic lining material.
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Disposed waste is normally compacted to increase its density and stabilize the new
landform, and covered to prevent attracting vermin (such as mice or rats) and reduce the
amount of wind-blown litter. Many landfills also have a landfill gas extraction system
installed after closure to extract the landfill gas generated by the decomposing waste
materials. Gas is pumped out of the landfill using perforated pipes and flared off or burnt in
a gas engine to generate electricity. Even flaring the gas is a better environmental outcome
than allowing it to escape to the atmosphere, as this consumes the methane, which is far
more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Many local authorities, especially in urban areas, have found it difficult to establish new
landfills due to the opposition from owners of adjacent land. Few people want a landfill in
their local neighborhood. As a result, solid waste disposal in these areas has become more
expensive as material must be transported further away for disposal (or managed by other
methods)
This fact ,as well as growing concern about the impacts of excessive materials
consumption , has given rise to efforts to minimize the amount of orts include taxing or
levying waste sent to landfill , recycling the materials , converting material to energy,
designing products that use less material , and legislation mandating that manufactures
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become responsible for disposal costs of products or packaging. A related subject is that of
industrial ecology, where the material flows between industries is studied. The byproducts
of one industry may be a useful commodity to another, leading to a reduced materials waste
stream.
INCINERATION
Incineration is a disposal method that involves combustion of waste material. Incineration
and other high temperature waste treatment systems are sometimes described as thermal
treatment. Incinerators convert waste materials into heat, gas, team and ash.
Incineration is carried out both on a small scale by individuals and on a large scale by
industry. It is used to dispose of solid, liquid and gaseous waste. It recognized as a practical
method of disposing of certain hazardous waste materials (such as biological medical
waste). Incineration is a controversial method of waste disposal, due to issues such as
emission of gaseous pollutants.
Incineration is common in countries such as Japan where land is scarcer, as these facilities
generally do not require as much area as landfills. Waste to-energy (WtE) or energy-fromwaste (EfW) is broad terms for facilities that burn waste in a furnace or boiler to generate
heat, steam and/or electricity. Combustion in an incinerator is not always perfect and there
have been concerns about micro-pollutants in gaseous emissions from incinerator stacks.
Particular concern has focused on some very persistent organics such as dioxins, furans;
PAHs.which may be created within the incinerator and afterwards in the incinerator
plume which may have serious environmental consequences in the area immediately around
the incinerator. On the other hand this method or the more being anaerobic digestion
produces heat that can be used as energy.
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RESOURCE RECOVERY
A relatively recent idea in waste disposal management has been to treat the waste material
as a resource to be exploited, instead of simply a challenge to be managed and disposed of.
There are a number of different methods by which resources may be extracted from waste:
the materials may be extracted or recycled, or the calorific content of the waste may be
converted to electricity.
The process of extracting resources or value from waste is variously referred to as
secondary resource recovery, recycling and other terms. The practice of treating waste
materials as a resource is becoming more common, especially in metropolitan areas where
space for new landfills is becoming scarcer. There is also a growing acknowledgement that
simply disposing of waste materials is unsustainable in the long term, as there is a finite
supply of most raw materials.
There are a number of methods of recovering resources from waste materials, with new
technologies and methods being developed continuously.
In some developing nations some resource already takes place by way of manual laborers
who sift through un-segregated waste to salvage material that can be sold in the recycling
market. These unrecognized workers called waste pickers or rag pickers are part of the
informal sector, but play a significant role in reducing the load on the Municipalities solid
waste disposal management departments. There is an increasing trend in recognizing their
contribution to the environment and there are efforts to try and integrate them into the
formal waste disposal management systems, which is proven to be both cost effective and
also appears to help in urban poverty alleviation. However, the very high human cost of
these activities including diseases, injury and reduced life expectancy through contact with
or infectious materials would not be tolerated in a developed country.
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RECOVERY (RECYCLING)
Recycling means to recover for other use a material that would otherwise be considered
waste the popular meaning of recycling in the most developed countries has come to refer
to the widespread collection and reuse of various everyday waste materials. They are
collected and sorted into common groups, so that the raw materials from these items can be
used again (recycled).
In developed countries the most common consumer items recycled include aluminum
beverage cans, steel, food and aerosol cans, HDPE and PET plastic bottles, glass bottles and
jars, paperboard cartons, newspapers, magazines and cardboard. Other types of plastic
(PVC, LDPE, PP and PS: see resin identification code) are also recyclable, although not as
commonly collected. These items are usually composed of a single type of material, making
them relatively easy to recycle into new products. The recycling of obsolete computers and
electronic equipment is important, but, more costly due to the separation and extraction
problems. Much electronic waste is sent to Asia, where recovery of the gold and copper can
cause environmental problems (monitors contain lead and various heavy metals such as
selenium and cadmium; both are commonly found in electronic items)
Recycled or used materials have to compete in the marketplace with new (virgin) materials.
The cost of collection and sorting the materials often the case in developed countries where
industries producing the raw materials are well-established. Practices such as trash picking
can reduce this value further as choice items are removed9such as aluminum cans). In some
countries, recycling programs are subsidized by deposits paid on beverage containers (see
container deposit legislation)
However, most economic systems do not account for the benefits to the environment of
recycling these materials, compared with extracting virgin materials. It usually requires
significantly less energy, water and other resources to recycle materials than to produce new
materials. For example , recycling 1000 kg of aluminum cans saves approximately 5000 kg
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of bauxite ore being mined and prevents the generation of 15.17 tones CO2 greenhouse
gases; recycling steel saves about 95% of the energy used to refine virgin ore.
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Disposal of hospital and other medical waste requires special attention since this can
create major health hazards. This waste generated from the hospitals, health care centers,
medical laboratories and research centers such as discarded syringe needles, bandages,
swabs, plasters and other types of infectious waste are often disposed with the regular noninfectious waste.
Waste treatment and disposal sites can also create health hazards for the neighborhood.
Improperly operated incineration plants cause air pollution and improperly managed and
designed landfills attract all types of insects and rodents that spread disease. Ideally these
sites should be located at a safe distance from all human settlement. Landfill sites should be
well lined and walled to ensure that there is no leakage into nearby ground water sources.
Recycling too carries health risks if proper precautions are not taken. Workers working with
waste containing chemical and metals may experience toxic exposure. Disposal of health
care wastes require special attention since it can create major health hazards, such as
Hepatitis B and C, through wounds caused by discarded syringes. Rag pickers and others,
who are involved in scavenging in the waste dumps for items that can be recycled, may
sustain injuries and come into direct contact with these infectious items.
INFECTIONS
Skin and blood infections resulting from direct contact with waste and from infected
wounds. Eye and respiratory infections resulting from exposure to infected dust, especially
during landfill operations.
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Different diseases that result from the bites if animals feeding on the waste. Intestinal
infections that are transmitted by flies feeding on the waste
CHRONIC DISEASES
Incineration operators are at risk of chronic diseases, including cancers resulting from
exposure to dust and hazardous compounds.
ACCIDENTS
Bone and muscle disorders resulting from the handling of heavy containers infecting
wounds resulting from contact with sharp objects.
Poisoning and chemical burns resulting from contact with small amounts of hazardous
chemical waste mixed with general waste.
Burns and other injuries resulting from occupational accidents at waste disposal sites or
from methane gas explosion at landfill sites.
DISEASES
Certain chemicals if released untreated example cyanides, mercury and polychlorinated
biphenyls are highly toxic and exposure can lead to disease or death. Some studies have
detected excesses of cancer in residents exposed to hazardous waste. Many studies have
been carried out in various parts of the world to establish a connection between health and
hazardous waste.
cobalt, selenium, and cadmium. In most industrialized countries, color plastics have been
legally banned. In India, the government of Himachal Pradesh has banned the use of plastics
and so has Latah district. Other states should emulate their example.
PREVENTION MEASURES
Proper methods of waste disposal have to be undertaken to ensure that it does not affect the
environment around the area or cause health hazards to the people living there.
At the household level proper segregation of waste has to be done and it should be ensured
that all organic matter is kept aside for composting which is undoubtedly the best method
for the correct disposal of this segment of the waste. In fact the organic part of the waste
that is generated decomposes more easily, attracts insects and causes disease. Organic waste
can be composted and then used as a fertilizer.
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WATER CONSERVATION
Our ancient religious texts and epics give a good insight into the water storage and
conservation systems that prevailed in those days. Over the years rising populations,
growing industrialization and expanding agriculture have pushed up the demand for water.
Efforts have been made to collect water by building dams and reservoirs and digging wells;
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some countries have also tried to recycle and desalinate (remove salts) water. Water
conservation has become the need of the day. The idea of ground water recharging by
harvesting rainwater is gaining importance in many cities.
In the forests, water seeps gently into the ground as vegetation breaks the fall. His
groundwater in turn feeds wells, lakes and rivers. Protecting forests means protecting water
catchments. In accident India, people believed that forests were the mothers of rivers and
worshipped the sources of these water bodies.
Some ancient Indian methods of water conservation
The Indus Valley Civilization that flourished along the banks of the river Indus and other
parts of western and northern India about 5000 years ago had one of the most sophisticated
urban water supply and sewage systems in the world. The fact that the people were well
acquainted with hygiene can be seen from the covered drains running beneath the streets of
the ruins at both Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Another very good example is the wellplanned city of Dholavira, on Khadir Bet, a low plateau in the Rann in Gujarat. One of the
oldest water harvesting systems is found about 130 km from Pune along Naneghat in the
Western Ghats. A large number of tanks were cut in the rocks to provide drinking water to
tradesmen who used to travel along this ancient trade route. Each fort in the area had its own
water harvesting and storage system in the form of rock-cut cisterns, ponds, tanks and well
that are still in use today. A large number of forts like Raigad had tanks that supplied water.
In ancient times, houses in parts of western Rajasthan were built so that each had a rooftop
water harvesting system. Rainwater from these rooftops was directed into underground
tanks. This system can be seen even today in all the forts, palaces and houses of the region.
Underground baked earthen pipes and tunnels to maintain the flow of water and to transport
it to distant places, are still functional at Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, Golkunda and
Bijapur in Karnataka, and Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The various methods of water
conservation are:
Rainwater harvesting
Agriculture
Reducing water demand.
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There is no Indian policy document, which remains examines waste as part of a cycle of
production consumption recovery or perceives the issue of waste through a prism of
overall sustainability. In fact, interventions have been fragmented and are often
contradictory. The new Municipal Rules 2000, which came into effect from January
2004, fails even to mange waste in a cyclic process. Waste disposal management still is a
linear system of collection and disposal, creating health and environmental hazards.
Urban India is likely to face a massive waste disposal problem in the coming years. Till
now, the problem of waste has been as one of cleaning and disposing as rubbish. But a
closer look at the current and future scenario reveals that waste needs to be treated
holistically, recognizing its natural resource roots as well as health impacts. Waste can be
wealth, which has tremendous potential not only for generating livelihoods for the urban
poor but can also enrich the earth through composting and recycling rather than spreading
pollution as has been the case. Increasing urban migration and a high density of
population will make waste disposal management a difficult issue to handle in the near
future, if a new paradigm for approaching it is not created.
Developing countries, such as India, are undergoing a massive migration of their
population from rural to urban centers. New consumption patterns and social linkages are
emerging. India will have more than 40% that is 400 million people clustered in cities
over the next thirty years (UN 1995). Modern urban living brings on the problems of
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waste, which increases in quantity, and changes in composition with each passing day.
There is, however, an adequate understanding of the problem, both of infrastructure
requirements as well as its social dimensions. Urban planners municipal agencies,
environmental regulators, labor groups, citizens group and non-governmental
organizations need to develop a variety of response which are rooted in local dynamics
rather than borrow non-contextual solutions from elsewhere.
There have been a variety of policy responses to the problem of urban solid waste in India,
especially over the past few years, yet sustainable either of organic or inorganic waste
remains an untapped and unattended area. All policy documents as well as legislation
dealing with urban solid waste mention or acknowledge recycling as one of the ways of
diverting waste, but they do so in a piece meal manner and do not address the framework
needed to enable this to happen. Critical issues such as industry responsibility, a critical
paradigm to enable sustainable recycling and to catalyze waste reduction through, say better
packing, has not been touched upon.
This new paradigm should include a cradle-to-grave approach with responsibility being
shared by many stakeholders, including product manufacturers, consumers and
communities, the recycling industry, trade, municipalities and the urban poor.
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The World Bank Group currently has about 120 active projects with solid waste disposal
management components. There are about 85 projects under supervision with $3.5 billion in
loan/grant commitments, of which about 85% is designated for urban environment
activities. Solid waste disposal management is the main component in more than half of
these projects. At least 20 projects with large solid waste components are now under
preparation within the $4.5 billion (minimum) urban environment pipeline. An estimated 20
additional projects are in the pipeline.
A large number of NGOs are working in the field of solid waste disposal management such
as clean Ahmadabad Abhiyan in Ahmadabad, waste wise in Bangalore, Mumbai
environmental action group in Mumbai, and Vatavaran and Srishti in Delhi. They are all
successfully creating awareness among the citizens about their rights and responsibilities
towards solid waste and the cleanliness of their city. These organizations promote
environmental education and awareness in schools and involve communities in the
management of solid waste.
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Education and awareness in the area of waste and waste disposal management is
increasingly important from global perspective of resource management. The Tallories
declaration is a declaration for sustainability concerned about the unprecedented scale and
speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the depletion of natural resources.
Local , regional and global air pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes;
destruction and depletion of forests, soil and water; depletion of the ozone layer and
emission of green house gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other
living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations and the
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CASE
STUDY
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CASE STUDY 1
WASTE DISPOSAL MANAGEMENT OF THE GRAND CENTRAL, PAREL
(INDIAN TOBACCO CORPORATION)
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ITC's Packaging & Printing Business was set up in 1925 as a strategic backward integration
for ITC's Cigarettes business. It is today India's most sophisticated packaging house.
In 1975 the Company launched its Hotels business with the acquisition of a hotel in Chennai
which was rechristened 'ITC-Welcome group Hotel Chola'. The objective of ITC's entry into
the hotels business was rooted in the concept of creating value for the nation. ITC chose the
hotels business for its potential to earn high levels of foreign exchange, create tourism
infrastructure and generate large scale direct and indirect employment. Since then ITC's
Hotels business has grown to occupy a position of leadership, with over 100 owned and
managed properties spread across India.
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ITC prides itself on being Solid Waste recycling positive - recycling more waste than its
businesses generates. All ITC units/businesses, apart from minimizing waste generation, are
mandated to recycle 100% of waste generated by their operations. Waste recycling provides
solutions for saving natural resources and energy. It also reduces costs and environmental
pollution. Recycling prevents wastes from reaching landfills and creates
significant
employment opportunities.
Waste paper is a key input in the manufacture of recycled paperboards. ITC PSPD has
commenced a strategic initiative for wastepaper recycling called "WOW" (Wealth Out of
Waste). This intervention has established an efficient collection and recycling chain targeting larger sources of aggregation such as schools, offices and residential colonies.
Apart from contributing to a cleaner environment, WOW is an important source of cost
competitiveness for the industry.
The waste that is generated in the hotel is been classified in to three types:
Food waste.
Water waste.
Oil waste.
TYPES OF
WASTE
FOOD
WATER
OIL
WASTE
WASTE
WASTE
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FOOD WASTE:
The waste that is collected from the kitchens contributes the food waste. It
consists of salads, vegetable cuttings, food that is ordered and wasted from the customers.
All the waste that is collected from the kitchen is segregated in to degradable and nondegradable waste.
FOOD WASTE
SEGREGATION
NONDEGRADABLE
WASTE
DEGRADABLE
WASTE
DEGRADABLE WASTE:
The degradable waste is collected in green bins. As the waste that is
collected is degradable that is it gets decomposed so it is collected in green colored
bins. To manage this degradable waste they have two types of machines i.e.
Degradable waste
collected is put in OWC
Grinding process.
Decomposition of
organic powder.
Manure obtained.
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The waste that is collected is poured in the organic waste controller then brown
powder that is saw dust and white powder that is vioculum bacteria is added to it.
The saw dust that is added to the waste is used to maintain the dryness of the wet
food waste.
This stuff is grinded and then finally an organic powder is obtained.
This organic powder is poured into crates and is placed in to storages racks. The
crates are arranged in a day wise manner. These crates are moved ahead day by
day.
During this day by day rotation the organic powder is been decomposed. During
this process the growth of bacteria occurs.
There is also an arrangement of a water pipeline which gives water to these crates
in every 15 minutes for 3-4 sec.
When the crates reach the last shelf that is after 7 days the organic manure is
prepared. This manure is used as a fertilizer for growing plants.
They also sell this manure in tones to contractors, vendors and then it is further
been supplied to the builders like Raheja , Rustomjee etc.
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WATER WASTE:
Waste water comprises of the water from the kitchens, toilets, swimming pools etc.
It is collected at the effluent treatment plant (ETP). This one of the waste water
management plant.
Through ETP process two layers of water are formed.
The lower water level is of bacteria. The upper level is the purified water.
This purified water is used for flushing purposes, irrigation purposes etc.
This water is also used in the cooling tower. This is a part of the air conditioning
system.
They use the entire water for the hotel purpose. They do not give it to the BMC.
OIL WASTE:
Oil waste is generated from the drainage water. This water contains a surface of oil
at the top of it. This oil is collected and then sold it to the vendors for further treatment.
The vendors convert this oil in to a bio diesel fuel. The vendors then sell it to many
hospitals etc. the hospitals that follow waste disposal management buy this bio diesel
fuel. They use this to treat their hospital waste as it cannot be disposed haphazardly. They
use this bio diesel fuel in incerinators to treat the bio medical waste.
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CONCLUSION
Vasundhara or earth is the only planet in our solar system which can support life
so it is very important to save it from various waste hazards.
Thus, waste disposal management is of great concern to mankind as it affects
the entire planet and all its living creatures. Increasing amounts of wastes generated
everyday is becoming a major problem particularly in urban cities around the globe.
With the rapid growth of population, there has been a substantial increase in the
generation of solid waste resulting into the contamination of air, water and land resources.
Human activities create waste, and it is the way these wastes are handled, stored, collected
and disposed of that pose risks to the environment and to public health.
Thus, it is rightly said that God Gives Enough to Satisfy Every Mans Need but
not
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