© Michie B.
☆
TOPIC: SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste Management - referred as the discipline
applied in the control of generation, storage, collection,
transport, processing and disposal of solid waste materials
in the best way that addresses our environmental issue and
health safety.
According to World Bank’s What A Waste 2.0 : A
Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management in
2050, global waste may increase by 70% on current levels
by 2050
On a national level, according to Senate Economic Planning
Office, Philippines’ waste generation firmly increased from
37,427.36 tons per day in 2012 to 40, 087.45 tons per day
in 2016. It is also expected to increase by 165% to 77,776
tons per day in 2025.
Solid waste – materials of no use anymore; unwanted
materials
CATEGORIES OF SOLID WASTE:
a. Biodegradable – can decompose thru biodegradation (ex.
Banana peels, food scraps)
b. Nonbiodegradable – cannot decompose or takes a very
long time to decompose
PLAN OF ACTION
1. Instead of massively accumulating solid wastes it is very
helpful to have composting bins at every house in
the community
2. Seminars that promote solid waste management
would educate people of the several benefits it could
give as residents of a community. Generating much more
responsible social units influencing the bigger society.
3. By promoting reusable materials at each household
generation of waste materials will decrease and reduces
the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or
sent to landfills and incinerators
4. Living in an age where technology is the forefront of the
society, promotions and petitions online would help
fund and direct the people to be much more responsible
inhabitants of this world.
3Rs- methods that help to cut down on the amount of
waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources,
landfill space and energy.
Reduce – most important R; lessen usage of produce
Reuse – using again the same material with the same
purpose
Recycle – making new material from waste by processing
it creating new purpose/function for the new product.
→ Reduce is more important because it doesn’t use
energy to produce, while recycle uses energy to create
new material which releases GHGs
→ Residential and domestic areas have the highest
percentage of solid waste
METHODS IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT:
1. Segregation – is the practice wherein waste materials
are separated or divided according to their category
(includes recycling and recovery)
2. Throw in sanitary landfills
Sanitary landfills- sites where solid waste is isolated from
the environment to avoid contamination of other places and
to keep the health of human and animals safe.
3. Material Recovery Facility (MRF)- facilities where
waste materials are generated to produce fuel or energy
4. Biodigesters – converts wastes to gases
- It is a tank or machine that digests organic
waste materials
5. Pyrolysis – burning of waste with the absence of O2
6. Incineration – burning of waste materials with the
presence of O2
7. Composting – lasagna method; backyard pits; at home
Decomposing- is the process of decaying in organic
materials. This happens in the presence of microorganisms.
- In the decomposition process, different products are
released: carbon dioxide (CO2), energy, water, plant
nutrients and resynthesized organic carbon
compounds. This release process is called
mineralization.
Lasagna method- a way of structuring a compost system
so that maintenance is minimized, pests are deterred, and
both large and small amounts of compostable can be
handled at any time. This simple layering system can be
used in any bin.
FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS OF SWM (flow; factors)
1. Waste generation – usable and non- usable; bins are
distributed for proper disposal
2. Waste handling storage & processing – put bins
where there are a lot of trash
3. Waste collection – empty bins
4. Transfer and transport – local to regional/landfills
5. Waste recovery and recovering – identifying whether
recyclable or not
6. Waste disposal- final step of solid waste process
RA 6969 – Toxic Substances and Hazardous and
Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990 - To control,
supervise, regulate activities ontoxic chemicals and hazardous
waste
RA 9003 – Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of
2000 - Providing for an ecological solid waste management
program, creating the necessary institutional mechanisms and
incentives, declaring certain acts prohibited and providing
penalties, appropriating funds therefore, and for other
purposes
Interview:
Problem stated:
The lack of final disposal sites of the local government units
- Every local government unit must have their own
sanitary landfill for the waste generation of the particular
community.
- The task of proper waste management is a collaboration
of all the stakeholders meaning the people that are in a
community together with the government.
- Good solid waste management is always anchored on
the stakeholders particularly who implement the
segregation of waste.
- Burning of wastes must be avoided because increase
concentration of greenhouse gases that aggravates
global warming.
E- wastes
- are wastes generated out of the use of electronic
gadgets and other appliance that are used at homes.
- should not be disposed in sanitary landfills but in
hazardous wastes.
© Michie B. ☆
TOPIC: WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Water Resource Management
- process of planning, developing, distributing, and
managing water resources, in terms of both water
quantity and quality, across all water uses
Water
- transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly
colorless chemical substance
- main constituent of earth's hydrosphere and fluids
of most living organisms
- vital for all known forms of life
Freshwater
- any naturally occurring water except seawater and
brackish water
- 3% of the world’s water supply (97% saltwater)
- includes water in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers,
icebergs, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and
even underground water called groundwater*
which has two zones**
- vulnerable to saltwater intrusion if over-extracted
*aquifers and water tables are terms when discussing
groundwater - the major difference between the two terms
is that the water table references a specific portion of
groundwater and an aquifer is all the groundwater present
in the area
**unsaturated zone - immediately below the land surface,
contains water and air in the open spaces, or pores;
saturated zone - zone where all the pores and rock
fractures are filled with water
USES OF WATER
❖ agriculture (irrigation and sustaining livestock)
❖ industry (processing and construction of products)
❖ electricity (hydroelectricity and thermoelectricity)
Water Scarcity/Shortage
- lack of fresh water resources to meet water
demand
- one of the largest global risks in terms of potential
impact over the next decade
TECHNOLOGY USED FOR WATER SCARCITY
❖ PRVs (pressure relief valving)
- a type of safety valve used to control or limit the
pressure in a system
- pressure might otherwise build up and create a
process upset, instrument or equipment failure, or fire
- pressure is relieved by allowing the pressurized fluid to
flow from an auxiliary passage out of the system
ISSUES
• Health
- women and children are the ones in charge of
collecting and handling water resources at home,
which makes them more susceptible to diseases in
a developing country.
• Environment
→ pollution
- when contaminants are introduced into the
natural environment; has several sources*
*point sources are easily identifiable and specific locations
causing pollution; non-point sources are sources whose
locations are unspecified and not easily identifiable
→ agricultural activities
- largest contributor to pollution
- irrigation washes chemicals (pesticides,
fertilizers)
- causes erosion and sedimentation
→ industrial activities
- second largest contributor to pollution
- release of harmful organic and inorganic
chemicals
- generally referred to the undesirable outcome
when factories (or other industrial plants)
emits harmful by-products and waste into the
environment such as emissions to air or water
bodies (water pollution), deposition on landfills
etc. (land pollution) or emission of toxic
chemicals into the atmosphere (air pollution)
→ mining activities
- third largest contributor to pollution
- occurs when chemical agents (such as cyanide
or sulphuric acid used by mining companies to
separate the target mineral from the ore) spill,
leak, or leach from the mine site into nearby
water bodies
- highly toxic to humans and wildlife
❖ National and Global Security
- dispute between nations over limited access to
water
- dispute between the masses and private sectors
because of water unaffordability
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE TO WATER SUPPLIES
❖ Excessive Rainfall
- causes flash floods and landslides
- can cause turbidity in water sources because of
suspended particles
❖ Drought
- causes soil infertility and decreased food supply
SEWAGE TREATMENT
❖ Primary
- physical treatment
- usage of screens and filters (where pollutants are
collected as sludge)
❖ Secondary
- biological treatment
- makes (common) use of aerobic bacteria
- removes dissolved and suspended organic
compounds
❖ Tertiary
- through chlorination
- final cleaning process that improves wastewater
quality before it is reused, recycled or discharged to
the environment
- removes remaining inorganic compounds, and
substances, such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
HOW TO INCREASE FRESHWATER SUPPLY
Government Action
- increased construction of dams and water
reservoirs
- lessening wastage of water by checking for leaks
and initiating repairs
Desalination
- expensive method
- takes away mineral components from saline water
- need to be careful of disposing the residue