CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The unstoppable waste problem has been overrated nowadays. It has

been a problem for decades now and doesn’t have proper solutions then. For
reasons that people produce wastes more than they clean wastes, looming
garbage problems arise. Humans and animals have used the resources of the
earth to support life and dispose of wastes.

In those days, the disposal of human and other wastes did not pose any
spectacular problem as the population was limited and the area of land available
for the assimilation of such waste was unlimited. However, today, utmost
importance is being given across the globe to this burgeoning problem of solid
wastes. Rapid population growth and uncontrolled industrial development are
seriously degrading the urban and semi- urban environment in many of the
world’s developing countries, placing enormous strain on natural resources and
obstructing efficient and sustainable development.

People lack of waste management which results to the overrated garbage

problems in the country. Waste mismanagement has serious environmental
effects making the passage of the Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid
Waste Management Act of 2000. According to the law, it is a landmark
environmental legislation in the Philippines and declares the policy of the state in
adopting a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management
program that ensures the protection of public health and the environment and the
proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid
waste through the formulation and adoption of best environmental practices.

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Thus, it illustrates the potentials and benefits of recycling in addressing waste
management problems.

According to RA 9003, solid waste management is a discipline associated

with the control of generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport,
processing, and disposal of solid wastes. The manner by which these activities
are conducted shall be in accord with the best principles of public health,
economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics, other environmental
considerations, and public attitudes. The Act provides for a comprehensive
ecological solid waste management program by creating the necessary
institutional mechanisms and incentives, appropriating funds, declaring certain
acts prohibited, and providing penalties.

But still in accordance with the law, the people still not abide it. The waste
thrown and dumped is still wastes years after especially when not segregated
properly, dumped what’s can be dumped and thrown what can be recycled.
Separate containers for different kind of wastes aren’t enough for solving the
issue for segregating wastes and garbage are lots of work to do for people.

Through the said issue above, the proponents of the study proposed a
dump truck machine which offers an on-site automatic segregation and the
dumping of wastes in its proper places. The dump truck machine will help people
to segregate wastes effortlessly and will help saving our environment and
surroundings. The machine, like a work of a dump truck in a local city will drive
around localities to collect wastes. Waste segregation shall primarily be
conducted at the source including household, commercial, industrial and
agricultural sources. Thus, its difference from the simple dump truck was it will
not be difficult to segregate wastes and dump it to the right place. Combustible
wastes will be dump to landfills where it can produce a fertile land. Thus, less
and less land is available to deposit refuse, the volume of waste is growing so

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what can be recycled such as metal wastes, plastics and paper wastes will be
brought into industries where they are much needed and can be recycled.

Segregating waste is not just of environmental importance, but of

economic concern, too. Human activities contribute significantly in waste
management. The Dump Truck Machine will reduce improper segregation which
may cause mixing of wastes in landfills. This in turn can lead to toxic release in
the ground, eventual contamination of ground water and can cause many things
to be left out from the recycling process. Thus, the machine can be of great help
through proper segregation that can leads to proper recycling. Most of the waste
can be reused and recycled. Recognizing the effects of improper management,
garbage crisis can be prevented by practicing waste characterization and
segregation at source, proper collection and transfer, recycling, and composting
as mandated by the law. Thus, making a machine out of a simple dump truck
with an on-site segregation process can be of great help to localities and also to
surroundings.

The Problem

Waste has become one of the major problems our world is facing right
now. Due to the rapid increase in the population, the amount of wastes being
disposed also increased at an alarming rate. People produce an astonishing 3.6
million tons of municipal wastes each day and by 2025, it is projected to rise up
to 6.1 million tons per day. This dilemma is not only limited to the towns and
cities, but even in small villages, the collecting and disposing of wastes has
become a headache for the community.

The improper waste disposal which has been a problem from the start, the
inefficient wastes collection and the lack of disposal facilities are the major
concerns today. Unless, these are addressed, the waste generated from different

3
sources will continuously lead to various hazards and serious environmental
impacts.

Waste collectors are struggling in managing and separating the wastes

according to its type because people are just throwing their waste without proper
segregation. They lack of proper waste management that causes the mixing of
the wastes in the landfills to happen which have harmful effects. When the
wastes are not properly segregated, the volume of wastes increases resulting to
the overfilling of the landfills. This can lead to the different kinds of pollution such
as in land, water and air pollution and health issues to the people living near the
area because of the odor and gasses produced in landfills.

Thus, in order to address the issues stated above, the researchers aim to
create an improved garbage truck collector which offers an automatic on-site
segregation of wastes. Through the use of this, people can segregate their
wastes effortlessly and can help to save the environment from the effects caused
by these wastes.

Moreover, effective segregation of this truck will result to the reduction of

wastes in the landfills since wastes that are being separated through the use of
this machine can be recycled like metals, paper and plastic materials and
combustible materials which can be used as fertilizer.

Proper segregation of wastes is very important because as waste

transportation and emissions reduce, the life of the landfill increases and the risk
to the ecosystem goes down. Thus, this machine is important in order to
segregate waste easily and reduce health and safety risks to waste collectors
and to the ecosystems around the disposal sites.

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Objectives

The proposed study asserts to create a truck that improves systems for
the collection and segregation of wastes through a network of sensors.

Specifically, it aims to achieve the following:

1. To create a truck that has sensors to segregate different type of

wastes and place into their respective containers.

2. To reduce the environmental impacts through organization and

sanitation of wastes

3. To collect recyclable wastes that will use the 3R's (reduce, reuse,
recycle) waste treatment.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. Flowchart

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 This conceptual framework shows a concise overview of the project. It
serves as the presentation of the process of doing the project. Figure 1 shows
the flow of the study, research and dependency of each stage. The paradigm of
the study is presented to further understand the entire study and shows the
stages and steps on the due of the project.

Significance of the Study

This study sought to provide a deeper concern and insight about the
waste management and waste segregation. The proponents believed that the
result of this project would be beneficial in helping and guiding the following
sectors:

 Community
 Household and industries
 Environment

Scope and Delimitation of Investigation/Study

The proposed Dump Truck Machine focuses on the proper segregation of

waste. The machine is composed of different sensors which plays the vital role in
the truck. The sensors are the tools to segregate the wastes according to their
classifications.

It focuses mainly on how the dump truck machine separate wastes on-
site and how the sensor works inside the truck. However, it is limited only on the
essential wastes such as plastics, metals and combustible wastes.

Furthermore, the dump truck machine is composes of different tools such

as conveyors, capacitive sensors, claws, grinder and bins. It was directed to

6
attest the significant functions of the sensors on segregating different kinds of
waste when the wastes are not yet grouped according to the classification.

The dump truck machine can help people in segregating their waste
especially garbage collectors. In this matter, they can easily separate all the
waste according to their classification, recycle and make use of them again
through different forms which may minimize the mound of waste and its
environmental effects in landfills.
.

Definition of Terms

For the purpose of understanding the study, the following terms were
defined conceptually and operationally:

Biological Waste. This refers to any material that contains or has been
contaminated by a biohazardous agent. Biological waste includes, but is not
limited to; Petri dishes, surgical wraps, culture tubes, syringes, needles, blood
vials, absorbent material, personal protective equipment and pipette tips.

Metal Cans. This refers to a clean, empty metal containers made of

aluminum or tin-plated or zinc-plated steel, which are commonly used for
packaging food, beverages or other products, as specified by the Agency in the
rules and regulations and are free of food, beverage or other contamination.

Pet Bottle. This refers to one of the most commonly used plastics in
consumer products, and is found in most water and pop bottles, and
some packaging. It is intended for single use applications; repeated use
increases the risk of leaching and bacterial growth. PET plastic is difficult to
decontaminate, and proper cleaning requires harmful chemicals. Polyethylene
terephthalates may leach carcinogens.

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 Paper. This refers to a material manufactured in thin sheets from the pulp
of wood or other fibrous substances, used for writing, drawing, or printing on, or
as wrapping material.

Plastics. This refers to organic materials, just like wood, paper or wool.
The raw materials used to produce plastics are natural products such as
cellulose, coal, and natural gas, salt and, of course, crude oil. Plastics have
become the modern material of choice because they make it possible to balance
today’s needs with environmental concerns.

Recycling. This means the recovery and reprocessing of waste materials

for use in new products. The basic phases in recycling are the collection of waste
materials, their processing or manufacture into new products, and the purchase
of those products, which may then themselves be recycled.

Solid waste. This refers to any garbage, refuse, sludge from a

wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control
facility and other discarded materials including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or
contained gaseous material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and
agricultural operations, and from community activities.

Waste Segregation. This refers to the separation of

biodegradable waste from non-biodegradable waste for proper disposal and
recycling.

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 CHAPTER 2
RELATED LITERATURE

Theoretical Literature

Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena

and in many cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge within the limits
of critical bounding assumptions. The theoretical framework is the structure that
can hold or support a theory of a research study. The theoretical framework
introduces and describes the theory that help explains why the research problem
under study exists (Swanson, 2013).

Governance Network for Waste Disposal is the theoretical framework

used in this study to assess pa waste disposal to propose adequate solution.
According to this, significant changes occur when altering the role of local
governments that are traditionally responsible for waste disposal. Diverse actors,
including global entities, national and local governments, private actors, and civil
organizations are engaged in the production, transport and treatment of waste
that influence the environmental, social, economic and political conditions of a
nation (Davies, 2008). Thus, waste governance does matter, since “waste issues
are present in the discussion involving different spheres of governance (public,
private and civil society sectors) at a variety scales from the local to the global
(Davies, 2008).” In this situation, Davies mentions the benefit of waste
governance analyses, saying “Waste governance analyses would seek to
understand how decisions are made in relations to waste matter”.

Based these explanations, this thesis applies the governance network

analysis to examine waste governance as a regulatory structure. The
governance network analysis can be a useful for discovering the hidden story of
the policy-making processes between actors in waste governance. Theorists

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adapting the network approach assume that it takes a process of negotiations,
conflicts, and cooperation to come up with improved waste policies and
strategies (Fagan, 2004). Thus, the analysis of governance networks enables an
understanding of the following aspects: what waste governance is composed of;
what kinds of networks belong to it; how these networks shape waste policies
and public practices on waste issues; and who manages this governance, and
how.

Environmental Effectiveness is also one of the theoretical framework used

in this study. Environmental effectiveness prioritizes environmental matters over
institutional working. Based on the above explanation, Kutting refers
environmental effectives as “the degree to which the degrading or polluting
processes and consequences are arrested or reversed as a result of action”.
Kutting also makes a distinction between the two modes of effectiveness. By
distinction, environmental effectiveness is concerned with environmental
necessity.

In order to take an account of environmental effectiveness, it is necessary

to study four determinants of environmental effectiveness, which operate inside
and outside of an institution. The four determinants are regulatory structure, time,
economic structure, and science. The concept of environmental effectiveness
“explores four areas which are vitally important for understanding the relationship
between environmental degradation and its regulation,” Based on Kutting’s
assertion, it is possible to figure out how these four determinants define the
relationship between waste management, environmental problems, and social
structures.

Kutting sees economic structures as a major determinant of environmental

effectiveness, because economic structures generally determine social
organization, and these structures also decide the angle how the environment
and environmental issues are perceived in a society. For instance, Kutting uses

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the example of ‘green technology’ to explain how technology is seen in modern
society. She argues that green technology is perceived as a desirable method to
overcome environmental degradation and to sustain the economic growth at the
same time. This is because the current society has such a strong belief in the
possibility of infinite progress and economic growth.

When it comes to waste management, science is an important factor.

Science offers knowledge and enables to forecast negative impacts originating
from waste on the environment. Thus, this enlightens policy makers and citizens
about the negative effects of waste. Also, science brings about technological
advances in waste treatment that are more environmentally friendly. Science
mobilizes people’s attention to an environmental issue, but public attention can
encourage or discourage scientific research on the environmental issue as well.
If more people are concerned with a certain environmental issue, more
researchers will do their studies on the matter.

Solid Waste Management support worth mentioning is the Republic Act

No. 9003, popularly known as “The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of
2000”, an act 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. This law requires all Local Government Units in the country to
establish an ecological solid waste management program within their jurisdictions
and provides the necessary institutional mechanisms to attain its objectives.

The noticeable features of R.A. No. 9003: Creation of the National Solid
Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), the National Ecology Center (NEC)
and the Solid Waste Management Board in every province, city and municipality
in the country. The National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC)
shall be responsible in the formulation of the National Solid Waste Management
Framework and other policies on solid waste, in overseeing the implementation

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of solid waste management plans and the management of the solid waste
management fund. The National Ecology Center (NEC), on the other hand, shall
be responsible for consulting, information, training and networking services
relative to the implementation of R. A. No. 9003. The Solid Waste Management
Board of provinces, cities and municipalities shall be responsible for the
development of their respective solid waste management plans.

Conceptual Literature

In the Philippines Republic Act No. 9275 (An Act Providing For a
Comprehensive Water Quality management and for Other Purposes), waste
means “any material either solid, liquid, semisolid, contained gas or other forms
resulting from industrial, commercial, mining or agricultural operations, or from
community and household activities that is devoid of usage and discarded.”

Waste should be disposed in a manner that will not have an effect on the
environment and humans. Managing solid waste must be accomplished in an
efficient and systematic manner hence the fundamental aspects and
relationships accompanied with it need to be identified and tackled diligently.

Thus, waste management should be practiced. Waste management is the

process that involves the collection, transportation, and recycling or disposal of
waste. It encompasses management processes and resources that ensure
proper handling of waste products.

Management of the resources involves maintenance of the waste

transportation trucks and the dumping facilities so that they comply with the
environmental regulations as well as health codes. The primary objective of
waste management is to avoid the adverse effects of wastes to human health
and natural environment, but in most occasions, waste management companies

12
carry out the process to get useful resources. Waste materials can also be in all
forms of matter, which are gaseous, liquids, radioactive matter, and solid.

According to waste management companies, there are several waste

management methods. These methods differ from one nation to another. It also
differs from industrial and residential areas. Whichever the case, waste
management is usually the responsibility of the local government. Industries can
also manage their wastes, in case they are non-hazardous. The methods of
waste management involve proper dumping, recycling, transportation and
collection, and the creation of awareness.

The most common waste dumping methods include landfill and

incineration. A landfill is a conventional dumping method, which involves burying
of wastes in a common pit. The landfill should be economical and far from the
residential areas. On the other hand, incineration is a dumping method which
involves combustion of the waste materials. The method is used to convert waste
materials into steam, gas, ash, and heat. The advantage of using incineration
method is that it can be conducted at individual scale level.

Perhaps, products such as LDEP, PVC, PS, and PP are recyclable.

However, there are complex products that are not easy to recycle. Because of
the complexity of recycling these products, there exist processes such as
biological reprocessing. This approach is useful to waste materials that are
organic in nature. The waste materials are put in biological decomposition and
later recycled to form composts for agricultural purposes.

Collection and transportation of wastes vary from one place to another.

Some places prefer bin rental, which comes in different sizes. The price of
renting waste disposal bins depends on their sizes. Large waste disposal waste
bins cost more than the small ones. On average, the cost of renting 10-yard bin
in Ottawa is $225 including the tax and tipping fee. For the purpose of collection

13
and transportation of wastes, it is imperative that every residency is endowed
with three waste disposal bins. The first bin is for general wastes, the second one
is for recyclable wastes, and the third bin is for garden materials.

Management of waste is an area that requires proper awareness and

education for global preservation. Creating awareness is critical for the
perseverance of the security of the humankind and global health. Education on
waste management involves the introduction of the reverse vending machines to
supermarkets and public institutions. The advantage of employing these
machines is that they are affordable and hence, cut down cost on waste
management.

Thus, to move solid waste mankind is using wagons and other such
means from centuries. Therefore, for this purpose trucks were invented. 1920s
were the years during which first every open topped truck was seen and utilized
for hauling purposes. However, soon picture changed and covered trucks strike
the scene. The open tops failed because of they tend to drop waste and spread
odors. Covered trucks had strike the scene in Europe for the first this and then to
North America.

A waste collection vehicle is more generally known as garbage truck and

dustbin lorry. These trucks are used for picking up waste and then moving it to
landfills or other places where waste materials are managed and treated.

The difficulty the waste collectors were confronting was lifting the garbage
bin to the shoulder height to pour the content in to the truck container. So the
very first technique was introduced in late 20s. This techniques was to build
rounded compartments with colossal corkscrews that were meant to pick up the
load and bringing that load to the reat of the truck. However, in 1929 Hopper
developed a more competent model. This system had wires to bring the waste
bin to the truck.

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 Moving forward with dates, in 1937 a system named as Dempster-
dumpster was developed by George Dempster in which the wheeled container
for waste were mechanically poured in to the waste collecting vehicle. His
invention was named as Dumpster, which lead to the addition of word Dumpster
in the language.

In year 1938 Garwood Load Packer transfigured the waste management

industry with the inclusion of compactors or compressors to the truck. With
advent in 1955 Dempster Dumpmaster introduced the front loader for first time.
They were not much common until 1970s but with them being common the
smaller dumpsters were also introduced that today are recognized as wheelie
bins.

There are major types of garbage trucks that are used for different
purposes. These types include Front Loaders, Rear Loaders, Roll off Trucks and
Grapple Trucks. These types of trucks can be loaded either manually or
automatically from the side.

An Automated Side Loader or ASL is a garbage truck that has a

mechanical arm with an automated lift that reaches out to the side of the truck
and grabs a residential garbage container. It lifts the garbage container and
dumps the trash into the top front of the garbage truck. The trash is then forced
through an aperture into the main body and compacted towards the back of the
truck. One of the benefits of having an Automated Side Load truck is that it only
needs one person to operate the truck. The side load truck was invented
because its design is needed for certain types of streets and containers.

This loader picks up only MGB (mobile garbage bins). It is capable for
picking up bins ranging from 80 to 240 liters of capacity however; some
exceptional loader can even pick up 360 liter. ASLs are often used in residential
areas. They are general collectors for garbage and rubbish from houses under

15
Local Government management. The machine arm for such loaders is capable
for reaching as high as 9 feet. This helps the loader to go beyond obstacles and
throw in the garbage from Mobile Bins. This machine arm is operated using a
joystick. Additionally, automated side loaders only require a single person for
their operation while other loader lack this capacity and require two to three
persons for operation.

Front loader garbage trucks are generally used by commercial and

industrial businesses for lifting large commercial wastes. These trucks have
automated forks on the front of the cab that aligns with or is inserted into the
sleeves on the waste container known as dumpsters. The dumpsters are
mechanically lifted over the trucks and turned upside down over the rear of the
trucks, allowing all the waste to be emptied. The waste is then compacted by a
hydraulically powered moving wall that works to move the waste to the rear of the
truck. These trucks are employed for industrial services. They have large
containers which are covered with plastic lids. This truck has an automated fork
placed on the front that is operated by driver who aligns this fork using a joystick
to put sleeves on the garbage container to throw it in the container. As soon as
the container receives, the garbage it gets it compacted with the help of a Packer
blade. This blade has the content of the container pushed toward its rear.

While some trucks are meant to service residential customers, front

loaders are usually used to service commercial and industrial businesses that
use large dumpsters. Most of the newer front load trucks are more efficient
allowing the driver to hydraulically pack loads while driving.

Rear loaders are the most common type of garbage trucks which are used
for a variety of purposes. These trucks have a large opening at the rear of the
vehicle, from where a waste collector personnel can dump the waste directly—
can toss waste bags or empty the contents of containers into. Once the truck
container is filled, the waste is compacted. Several rear loader garbage trucks

16
have a mechanism of hydraulically lifting and emptying dumpsters. There is a
rearloader system which involves having a dumpster that is built to fit a groove in
the rearload truck. In this situation, the truck will have a chain or cable system
for lifting the trash container up. The container is turned upside-down and the
waste falls into the hopper of the truck. With most modern garbage truck
systems, the rear loader will use a hydraulic mechanical system to move a wall
or shovel to compact the waste.

. In a number of areas there are toters employed to have the garbage bag
thrown in the rear loader automatically. A bin, which is used to throw in the
garbage, has size ranging from 35 to 95 gallons. Another well-known system for
loading the rear loader is container. In this system, truck has some sort of chain
or wire to strap and lift the two hollows on the back portion of the truck. Through
the vacant place the waste then is slid in the tray. The normal size for the
container ranges from six to 22-meter cube. Rear loader is a sort of truck which
quit often compresses the waste. This compression is done with help of system,
which is recognized as sweep-and-slide. This waste is compressed while it is
pushed against the front wall of the loader.

Roll-offs, roll-off garbage trucks, or dumpster trucks, are widely used at

construction and demolition sites to collect large amounts of waste. They are also
used to transport heavy waste with containers known as dumpsters. These
dumpsters are loaded and unloaded from the trucks using wheels. Roll off Trucks
for Sale are rented by their volume (in cubic yards), but the weight is also
extremely important as many locations have a weight limit. Therefore, the type of
waste being hauled must be considered as its density is going to impact this. If it
weighs more, a smaller container may be necessary as going over the weight
limit will lead to unnecessary overage charges.

Grapple trucks are designed to lift and collect bulky waste such as broken
furniture, large appliances, wrecked cars, huge tree stems, etc. Such waste

17
products are generally too heavy or too large to be lifted by any other garbage
truck. Grapple loader is mounted on the frame with a claw-like device to grab the
waste and deposit it in a rear box mounted on the truck chassis. This truck
makes the operator to collect a volume of waste. A greater portion of the solid
waste is much heavy and large to be collected with hand. These oversized
wastes are named as “bulky waste”.

Due to the increase in demand and technological advancements, different

types of garbage trucks have been introduced in the market. Thus, an on-site
segregation in a garbage truck hasn’t been introduced yet.

Related Literature

Generating waste is almost unavoidable in today's world. Properly

segregating and disposing of your waste not only reduces the amount of toxins
that enter the atmosphere. Not all wastes are equal and some are so dangerous.
One can easily reduce all type of wastes with changes in habits, and save some
money in the process (Huebsch, 2017).

Waste can be described as "any substance or object the holder discards,

intends to discard or is required to discard", as defined by the Waste Framework
Directive (European Directive (WFD) 2006/12/EC), (amended by the new WFD
(Directive2008/98/EC, coming into force in December 2010).

In 2006 the total amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated

globally reached 2.02 billion tones, representing a 7 percent annual increase
since 2003. They also indicated that solid waste generation is increasing at a
faster rate globally. When comparing the less developed areas to the developed
areas of higher income, the less developed area produce more waste.

18
 The classification of wastes varies and depends country by country.
Waste can be divided into many different types. The most common method of
classification is by their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics.

Solid waste is broadly defined as including non-hazardous industrial,

commercial and domestic refuse including household organic trash, street
sweepings, hospital and institutional garbage, and construction wastes; generally
sludge and human waste are regarded as a liquid waste problem outside the
scope of MSW (Zerbock, 2003). These are waste materials that contain less than
70% water. Example of this type of waste are the domestic or household
garbage, some industrial wastes, some mining wastes, and oilfield wastes such
as drill cuttings.

Solid waste is defined as any garbage, refuse, sludge from waste

treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and
other materials, including solid, liquid, semisolid, contained gaseous resulting
from industrials, commercials, mining and agricultural operations from community
activities. It is any material that arises from human and animal activities that are
normally discarded as useless or unwanted. Furthermore, Solid wastes include
non-hazardous industrial, commercial and domestic waste including household
organic trash, street sweepings, and institutional garbage and construction
wastes. It is neither wastewater discharges nor atmospheric emissions, arising
from domestic, commercial, industrial, and institutional activities in an urban area.
Solid waste is any products in solid state that is useless or unwanted which is
generated from the activities of and discarded by society.

Solid waste can be defined as non-liquid material that no longer has any
value to the person who is responsible for it. The words rubbish, garbage, trash,
and refuse are often used as synonyms when talking about solid waste (Da Zhu
et al.). Any solid material in the material flow pattern that is rejected by society is
called solid waste. So, solid wastes are the organic or inorganic waste materials

19
produced by various activities of the society, which have lost their value to the
first user. It is generated by domestic, commercial, industrial, healthcare,

The term ‘municipal solid waste’ refers to solid waste from houses, streets
and public places, shops, offices, and hospitals. The management of these types
of waste is most often the responsibility of Municipal or other Governmental
authorities. Although solid waste from industrial processes is generally not
considered municipal waste, it nevertheless needs to be taken into account when
dealing with solid waste, because it often ends up in the MSW stream. Street
refuse, a major ingredient of MSW, contains a mixture of refuse from many
sources, because streets are used as dumping grounds by all generators of
waste. Where sanitation facilities are lacking and a large animal population
roams the streets, street refuse contains a lot of human faecal matter and
manure. Streets are also often used for extensive dumping of construction and
demolition debris—attracting further dumping of solid waste. (Da Zhu et al.).

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), also called urban solid waste, is a waste
type that includes predominantly household waste (domestic waste) with,
sometimes, the addition of commercial wastes, construction and demolition
debris, sanitation residue, and waste from streets collected by a Municipality
within a given area. They are in either solid or semisolid form and generally
exclude industrial hazardous wastes. So, any types of solid wastes generated in
Municipal limits are municipal solid wastes.

20
 Figure 2.1. Sources of Municipal Solid Waste in the Philippines, 2008-2013.

Figure 2.2. Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in the Philippines, 2008-2013.

Biodegradable wastes comprise about half (52.31%) of MSW although

primary data suggest that figures can range from 30% to as much as 78%.
Typical bio-waste consists of kitchen or food waste and yard or garden waste.
From the available information, it could be estimated that 86.2% of compostable
waste comes from food scraps while 13.8% are leaves and twigs. Recyclable
wastes account for almost a third (27.78%) of MSW with an estimated range of
4.1% to 53.3%. Plastic packaging materials comprise around 38% of this waste
fraction and followed by paper and cardboard waste, which contributes about
31%. The remaining 31% is made up of metals, glass, textile, leather and rubber.
Special wastes which consist of household healthcare waste, waste electrical

21
and electronic equipment (WEEE), bulky waste and other hazardous materials
contribute a measly 1.93% with values ranging from negligible up to 9.2%.
Finally, residuals have been found to make up 17.98% of generated MSW. Most
LGUs present this data as a combination of disposable wastes as well as inert
materials, which comprise about 12% of the residual waste.

Solid wastes are generally classified as the following on the basis of

source of generation, as residential waste refers to wastes from dwellings,
apartments, etc., and consists of leftover food, vegetable peels, plastic, clothes,
ashes, etc. Commercial wastes consist of leftover food, glasses, metals, ashes,
etc., generated from stores, restaurants, markets, hotels, motels, auto repair
shops, medical facilities, etc. Institutional waste consists of paper, plastic,
glasses, etc., generated from educational administrative and public buildings
such as schools, colleges, offices, prisons, etc. Municipal waste includes dust,
leaf matter, building debris, treatment plant residual sludge, etc., generated from
various municipal activities like construction and demolition, street cleaning,
landscaping, etc. Industrial wastes mainly consist of process wastes, ashes,
demolition and construction wastes, hazardous wastes, etc., due to industrial
activities. Agriculture Waste mainly consists of spoiled food grains and
vegetables, agricultural remains, litter, etc., generated from fields, farms and
granaries. (Ramachandra, T. V.)

Figure 2.3. Estimated Global Waste Composition (EPA 1999)

22
 Recycling is the method used to convert the waste materials into products
which can be reused. The common waste materials which have the potential to
be reused can be recycled as raw materials, can reduce energy consumption,
reduce pollution, reduce further pollution of water and landfills; reducing the need
for waste disposal. Recycling is processing used materials (waste) into new,
useful products. This is done to reduce the use of raw materials that would have
been used.

Combustible Waste means those wastes for which the best available
technique for management is incineration. Combustible Waste can typically
consist of: paper, cardboard, plastic, wood, gloves, overshoes, protective suits,
wipes, rags, oil, etc.

Hazardous wastes are wastes which, by themselves or after coming into

contact with other wastes, have characteristics, such as chemical reactivity,
toxicity, corrosiveness or a tendency to explode, that pose a risk to human health
or the environment. Hazardous wastes are generated from a wide range of
industrial, commercial, agricultural, and to a much less extent, domestic
activities. They may take the form of solids, liquids or sludge, and can pose both
acute and chronic public health and environmental risks.

Brought basically by their more developed industries and more advanced

technology, developed nations have more efficient and standard liquid waste
management plans. Developed countries, however, still employ different
methods of waste disposal (which largely depends on a country’s policies and
preferences). The large amount of solid waste (including its collection, transfer
and disposal) generated in developed nations has been generally assumed by
municipal governments. The format varies, however, in most urban areas, where
garbage is collected either by a government agency or private contractor, and

23
this constitutes a basic and expected government function in the developed
world. (Zerbock, 2003)

The placement of solid waste in landfills is probably the oldest and

definitely the most prevalent form of ultimate garbage disposal (Zerbock, 2003). It
is to be noted, however, that most landfills refer to nothing more than open
dumps. Nonetheless, in the case of developed countries, waste disposal is often
in the form of sanitary landfills, which differ from open dumps by their higher
degree of engineering, planning and administration.
 
Landfills account for the disposal of 90% of the United States solid wastes.
It is also the most common disposal method in the United Kingdom where
annually, approximately 111 million tons of controlled wastes are disposed in
their 4000 landfill sites (Baker, 2005).

In a modern landfill, refuse is spread thin, compacted layers covered by a

layer of clean earth. Pollution of surface water and groundwater is minimized by
lining and contouring the fill, compacting and planting the uppermost cover layer,
diverting drainage, and selecting proper soil in sites not subject to flooding or
high groundwater levels. The best soil for a landfill is clay because clay is less
permeable than other types of soil. Materials disposed of in a landfill can be
further secured from leakage by solidifying them in materials such as cement, fly
ash from power plants, asphalt, or organic polymers (Bassis, 2005).

Landfills can also be shifted to another use after their capacities have
been reached. The city of Evanston, Illinois, built a landfill up into a hill and the
now-complete ³Mt. Trashmore´ is a ski area. Golf courses built over landfill sites
are also increasingly common (Montgomery, 2000).

Another method, which sets off before waste disposal is waste reduction
through recycling or often coined as the 3 R’s:reuse, reduce, and recycle. On the

24
local or regional level, reducing wastes is accomplished through these methods
by source separation and subsequent material recovery.
 
Currently, the United States recycles about 10% of its glass and 25%of its
paper wastes; in countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands,
the proportion in the glass recycled approaches to 50% while Japan recycles
50%of its paper wastes (Montgomery, 2000).

Some countries, on the other hand, manage most of their solid waste
through Incinerators. Incineration, or the controlled burning of waste at high
temperatures to produce steam and ash, is another waste disposal option and an
alternative to land filling (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).
Incinerators are designed for the destruction of wastes and are commonly
employed in developed nations who could afford the costs of the burning
facilities, plus its operation and maintenance (Mc Cracken, 2005).

This type of waste disposal is the second largest disposal method in most
developed countries and ranks next to landfills in the United States and the
United Kingdom. In the UK, approximately 5% of household waste, 75 % of
commercial waste and 2% of industrial waste is disposed of through this method
(Baker,2005)

In spite of its huge capital requirements, incineration presents to be

a promising option for developed island nations whose small land area makes
land filling an unsuitable method for their waste disposal. Reduction by
incineration, along with sanitary disposal of the residue, has been proven useful
in nations such as Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands (Lettsome 1998 as
cited by Zerbock 2003). A further benefit of incineration can be realized if the
heat generated thereby is recovered. For years, European cities have generated
electricity using waste-disposal incinerators as sources of heat
(Montgomery,2000).

25
 There are negative issues, however, in the use of this burning method and
much of that circulate around its safety for the environment and to the human
health. It is argued that the combustion process creates air pollution, ash, and
waste water, all of which must be properly managed using technical monitoring,
containment, and treatment systems. Harmful pollutants are released into the
environment whenever these by-products are not controlled (US EPA,
2009).Operators of these facilities must be well-trained and certified to ensure
proper management.

Much of the concern of many countries regarding their waste management

circulates around the disposal of hazardous wastes. Due to their toxicity and
large threat to human and environment health, this type of waste requires more
stringent and sophisticated methods of disposal.

Landfilling is the ultimate disposal technology which is relevant even when

other advanced options are being used for recycling and/or volume reduction. It
is the method of choice in developing nations because it is the lowest cost
disposal option. Indeed, most industrial nations, including many European Union
countries and the USA, still rely on landfilling as an integral part of solid waste
management infrastructure. The steady increase in per capita waste generation
since the 1970s, and the total quantity of waste, has sustained and expanded the
demand for waste disposal capacity and increased the potential for releases of
landfill gas and leachate in the absence of properly designed, installed, and
operated emission control measures.

The amount and composition of municipal solid waste generated in a

community depends on the levels and patterns of consumption. However, the
quantity and quality of waste that finally enters the landfill is influenced by many
factors including national waste management strategy, volume reduction
measures, such as incineration, in place, and the availability and efficiency of

26
waste recycling programs. The latter is at a very low level (informal recycling
excluded) in most developing nations, or due to lack of transparency, accurate
data is not available. Informal recycling is the norm in several developing
countries, particularly at the larger dumps serving urban areas. An estimated 2%
of the urban population in Asia and Latin America depend on waste picking.
There are about six million waste pickers in China, whereas the third largest
economy in Asia, India, has one million people involved in waste picking. These
informal waste pickers undeniably contribute directly towards the quantity and
composition of waste that ends up in the landfill. When waste recycling rates are
high, landfilled waste is mainly the organic component, as in India, whereas the
recyclables are diverted for better income to middle men. Recycling undoubtedly
would enhance the lifespan of landfills, since it is estimated that in Mexico, waste
scavengers remove 10% of the waste, while in Bangalore (India) 15% of the
waste is reduced due to recycling. Materials diverted away from landfills via
recycling means resources are saved.

The recovery of waste is an area of opportunity to influence public policies

through the incorporation of valorization techniques such as gasification and
plasma among others. Implementing valorization as a priority can contribute
significantly to reducing the environmental lag in developing countries. The
search for circular economies in rural, urban or metropolitan communities could
facilitate the integral vision required to achieve waste management. Thus, it is
important to reinforce municipal environmental public policies, since legislation
must begin to incorporate the reuse of materials. This can be achieved through
the development of strategies that favor efficiency in each of the stages of waste
management.

Sustainability must be the priority that allows taking a concrete line of

action defined by all governments. Understanding that a great part of the waste
generated can be reused and put back into the market is a fundamental step to
achieve progress in this direction.

27
 After the Second World War and latest advancement in manufacturing
sciences different types of solid wastes were produced. Composting and land
filling were not potential processes to tackle the problem. A strict need was felt to
develop a method which could destroy the waste and hence can save the area
which was involved previously for solid waste management. This gave birth to
incineration. Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the
combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and
other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal
treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas,
and heat. The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste,
and may take the form of solid lumps or particulates carried by the flue gas. The
flue gases must be cleaned of gaseous and particulate pollutants before they are
dispersed into the atmosphere.

Hazardous waste management programs in developing countries follow

the same five major stages of development as in developed countries: problem
identification and legislation; selection of a lead agency, promulgation of rules
and regulations; development of treatment and disposal capacity; and creation of
a mature compliance and enforcement program. However, most developing
countries are still many years away from a mature hazardous waste
management program.

Hazardous waste is difficult to manage everywhere, but less developed

countries face a unique set of additional problems, including lack of advanced
waste management technologies (and inability to afford such technologies), as
well as acute economic and related difficulties that make hazardous waste
management a low priority. Hazardous waste management programs also suffer
from a general lack of awareness among citizens. Many less developed countries
suffer from waste dumping and mismanagement, and economic liberalization can

28
exacerbate such a situation by increasing the types, quantity and sources of
hazardous wastes.

As is the case in developed countries, industry is a major source of

hazardous waste in less developed countries. Notably, multinational companies
often shift their plants to less developed countries and use technology banned in
their home countries. Other sources of hazardous waste include transporters and
disposal facilities, which face less strict management standards than in the
developed world; as well as scavengers who reclaim and recycle wastes that are
hazardous or contaminated with hazardous wastes. The agricultural industry is
also a major source of hazardous wastes, and there are major problems
involving mismanagement of hazardous agrochemicals in developing countries.

The informal economic sector, as well as severe socioeconomic problems,

particularly set the developing world apart from the developed world in the area
of hazardous waste management. The informal sector is the unregulated part of
the economy in less developed countries that consists of small, labor-intensive
businesses. The informal sector is normally not monitored and it employs a very
large proportion of the workforce, which can result in widespread exposure to any
hazardous materials that are used. Socioeconomic issues, on the other hand,
contribute to low awareness of hazardous waste issues and to the general
inability to afford adequate waste management. Finally, many developing
countries do not have the trained specialists or technical knowledge necessary to
assess information concerning hazardous wastes and their handling.
Management practices should focus on basic functional elements of waste
management (storage, collection, transportation, and treatment/disposal), and
institutional deficiencies should be addressed. In many developing countries,
controls that ensure the separation of hazardous waste from the rest of the
municipal waste are ineffective. As such, hazardous wastes, including those from
industries and health care facilities, find their way to municipal waste disposal
sites.

29
 Waste is more easily recognized than defined. Something can become
waste when it is no longer useful to the owner or it is used and fails to fulfill its
purpose (Essuman, 2015).

In developing countries must deal with many difficulties, including low

technical experience and low financial resources which often cover only
collection and transfer costs, leaving no resources for safe final disposal. Solid
waste management is a discipline associated with the control of generation,
storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and disposal of solid
wastes in a manner that is in accord with the best principles of public health,
economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics and other environmental
considerations and that is also responsive to public attitudes.

For a healthy environment, there is the need for solid waste management
by systematically controlling generation, collection, storage, transport, source
separation, processing, treatment, recovery, and disposal of solid waste. There
should be an effective control of the production of waste, its storage, collection,
transportation, it’s processing as well as proper disposal system.

Thus, collection of solid waste is a big problem for the waste management
firms especially in Ghana. The process in collecting solid waste is not adequate
and poses a higher risk of health impact to the society. In the city of Thimphu in
Bhutan the collection of solid waste from households, commercial set-ups was
done in concrete receptacles placed at strategic points and conveyed by
trucks/tractors. In the populated area of Ghana, the containers usually full up
early and when not collected by the waste management firms, the residents finds
it very difficult to get a place to dump their waste which they turn to throw the
waste on the ground near the container.

30
 Transfer and transport involves two steps: (1) the transfer of wastes from
the smaller collection vehicle to the larger transport equipment and (2) the
subsequent transport of the wastes, usually over long distances to the final
disposal site. Sometimes, transporting collected solid waste to a disposal site is a
big problem in Ghana because of the poor nature of the roads. The vehicles for
waste collection normally breaks down during the transfer of the collected solid
waste and it take a longer time to be repaired and carried away. These waste
cars pollute the environment since odor is being emitted from the collected waste
even though they are helping solve sanitation problems. Processing and
recovery

Disposal is the final stage of generated waste. The most commonly

recognized methods for the final disposal of solid wastes were: dumping on land,
canyons and mining pits, dumping in water, ploughing into the soil, feeding to
hogs and reduction and incineration In most towns and cities in developing
countries, it is evident that waste are indiscriminately dumped opening on lands
and in gutters. Those in the peri-urban and rural communities usually burn there
waste. This practice causes air pollution and respiratory related diseases.

The element of processing and recovery includes all the technology,

equipment, and facilities used both to improve the efficiency of other functional
elements and to recover usable materials conversion products or energy from
solid wastes. The waste system in most developing countries are poorly
managed which makes sorting of waste for further processing very difficult. Thus,
wastes are not separated from the source.

Waste generations by residents in the Philippines, especially in the urban

areas, have accelerated recently due to fast pace industrialization, urbanization
and population growth. Since incineration of solid waste is not allowed under
Republic Act 9003 for the safety of human health and protection of environment,
land filling and the 3’R’s integrated waste management method (Reduce, Reuse

31
and Recycle) are the main types of SWM in the country. The law also requires
the mandatory segregation at source of solid waste into containers labeled as:
compostable, recyclable, non-recyclable, or special use.

Collection of waste in the country is done by the Department of Public

Service, city administrator and engineering office or private haulers. Informal
waste sector are also involved in the waste collection and storage in the country.
They are the itinerant waste buyers, jumpers at collection trucks, garbage crew,
and small and illegal junkshops. About 35,580 tons of garbage is generated
every day in the Philippines. On the average, each person in the country
produces about 0.5 kg and 0.3 kg of garbage every day in the urban and rural
areas, respectively. For Metro Manila, it is estimated that 8,636 tons of garbage
is generated per day, i.e., 0.7 kg per person per day due to its more modernized
lifestyle. The household is the major source of waste in the Philippines at 74%.
Moreover, of the total solid waste generated from households, 95% can still be
reused or recycled (43%), or turned into compost (52%). Only 5% is made up of
residuals (4%) and special/hazardous waste (1%) that are no longer usable or
biodegradable (JICA Waste Characterization Study, 1997).

Only 40-85% of the waste generated is collected nationwide, implying that

15-60% is improperly disposed of or littered. The maximum collection rate of 85%
is recorded in Metro Manila. The uncollected garbage is, unfortunately, burned
or dumped anywhere onto open areas, called open dumps, adding to the now
polluted air shed and water body, and global warming in the country. While
recycling through the establishment of Municipal Recovery Facilities (MRF), that
includes waste transfer station, and composting and recycling facilities, is
mandated under RA 9003, most Local Government Units (LGUs) do not comply
with this mandate. Even though the law requires the establishment of an MRF in
every barangay or cluster of barangays, only about 21% or 8,843 barangays are
being serviced by MRFs in the country.

32
 In Metro Manila, though, compliance rate is slightly higher at 56% which is
more than the national average. The Bureau of Industry-Board of Investment
(BOI) showed that the limiting factors to the recovery of recyclables materials are
the concentration of recycling industries in selected areas, i.e., high cost of
transporting recyclable materials, and weakness of local recycling industries due
to high operating costs. With regards to the disposal facilities, only about 4% or
56 local government units are now using sanitary landfills (SLF) as seen in Table
2.1.

Table 2.1. Waste Disposal Facilities (2012)

Indicator National Metro Manila
No. of disposal facilities 991 2
No. of open and 946 (95%)
controlled dumps
No. of open and 68 (7%)
controlled dumps under
rehabilitation and closure
No. of sanitary landfills 45 (4%) 2
No. of LGUs served by 56 (4%) 3
SLFs
Compliance rate 4.64% 88%
Source: National Solid Waste Management Commission Secretariat (NSWMCS)

The low compliance of LGUs to establish sanitary landfills were being

attributed to the high cost needed to close dumpsites, and limited financial and
technical assistance to implement the law. Hence, some LGUs are still using
common sanitary landfills. Of the 946 open and controlled dumps, 68 of these
are being rehabilitated for closure. Metro Manila LGUs are now using sanitary
landfills. Sanitary landfills being used by Metro Manila LGUs are: Navotas SLF,
Rizal Provincial SLF and the Pilotage SLF. This apparent use of unlined
unsanitary landfills and open dumps places the Philippines in a precarious
condition, since such pitiful state implies a condition that permit the mixture of
precipitation with degradable organic matter from MSW to form leachate

33
percolation into the soil that may eventually contaminate surface and
groundwater in the country.

Thus, despite the problems in waste segregation and waste management,

the waste production in the Philippines grows bigger every year. As the
population grows, the projected waste produced becomes bigger.

Figure 2.4. Projected Waste Generation 2008-2020, (metric tons per year).

The figure shows that the yearly amount of waste in the country is
expected to increase from 13.48 million tons in 2010 to 14.66 million tons in 2014
to 16.63 million tons in 2020. On the other hand, Metro Manila’s waste
generation continues to increase as it contributes 22.2%, 24.5% and 26.7% to
the country’s solid waste in the years 2010, 2014 and 2020, respectively.

CHAPTER 3
DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-TOTYPE AND DISCUSSIONS

34
 This chapter presents discussion of pre-totype development, design and
procedures. Includes identification of system components, its functions, how it
works, what principles involved, and as such.
Moreover, it includes discussions of findings, conclusions and
recommendations.

Appendix

35
 As we move towards a more digitalized future, it is directly proportional to
increase in urbanization and industrialization. This is the main cause of
generation of large amount of waste. As per the report published by World Bank,
approximately 1.3 billion tons of municipal waste is generated every year and it is
expected to rise to approximately 2.2 billion tons per year by 2025. Due to this
waste lies littered in the surrounding, dumped on open lands and this becomes
major problem for various types of disease causing bacteria and viruses which is
why waste management is of vital importance. Segregation makes it possible to
reuse and recycle the waste effectively. So the waste management becomes an
important concern for the health and well-being of the society. Presently, the
waste segregation is done manually by installing different bins for collecting
different type of waste such as wet, dry and metal etc. But this method has lot of
discrepancy; one is being the Unawareness of most people towards waste
management. Due to lack of proper segregation methods, a large amount of
untreated waste is dumped as landfills.

Thus, using an arduino as the program for the dump truck’s segregator

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