PHASES OF SOLID WASTE

COLLECTION
FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SWM
PHASES OF SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
 WASTE COLLECTION PHASES

Phase 1:
Transfer of waste to collection bins placed outside of houses - by
communities.
Phase II:
Transfer the refuse from bins to collection truck, generally done by the
collection workers of the solid waste management agency.
• Per House Fee
• Charges as per volume for waste collection (25-35% reduction)
• Charges as per weight
Phase III:
Collection of the solid waste from several homes, commercial and business
centers, educational institutions etc. to MRF / transfer station.
• Health / injury risks to workers in manual collection (40% workers take off due to injury).
• Hoist trucks with semi automatic collection system reduce the human contact / chance of
injury and compaction makes more space for collection
 WASTE COLLECTION PHASES
Phase IV:
Route planning is done for transfer of the collected waste on the
planed routes. The route is planned in such a way that the last
collection point is at minimum distance from the waste disposal

Phase V:
Transfer of waste to landfill site is done through most direct road
from end of the rout to the disposal site.
 TRUCK ROUTING
The routing of a vehicle within collection zone is often called micro-
routing. It is meant to route a truck through a series of one- or two
way streets so that the total distance traveled is minimized. The rules
of micro-routing are as under:
1. Routes should not overlap, should be compact, and should not be
fragmented.
2. The starting point should be as close to the truck garage as possible.
3. Heavily traveled streets should be avoided during rush hours.
4. One-way streets that cannot be traversed in one line should be
looped from the upper end of the street.
5. Dead-end streets should be collected when on the right side of the
street.
7. Clockwise turns around blocks should be used whenever possible.
Routing of Collection Truck
 COMMERCIAL WASTE
Commercial solid waste is collected with dumpsters, which are large steel
containers that are commonly lifted overhead by the collection truck.
 Dumpsters range in size from 1.5 to 8 cubic yards.
 The driver does not have to get out of the truck,.
 The driver does not see what has been placed in the container. Hazardous
or dangerous materials can be transferred to the truck.
 At the landfill, the refuse in the full truck is then pushed out.
Roll-off containers commonly used in construction sites range in size from
10 to 40 cubic yards.
 The containers are pulled onto trucks that then take the full containers to the
landfills.
TRANSFER AND TRANSPORT
 TRANSFER AND TRANSPORT
Transfer and transport refers to the means,
facilities and accessories used to affect the
transfer of waste from one location to another.
It involves :
 Transfer of waste from smaller collection
vehicles to larger transport equipment, and
 Subsequent transport of waste to disposal site
or a processing facility.
 TRANSFER STATIONS
Solid waste collection zone expands with the spread of the urban population.
The issue of collection of the solid waste from the scattered households is
addressed through setting up a waste transfer station
o The collected waste from the small and medium sized vehicles is transferred
to large containers.
o When the haul distances increase, it becomes uneconomical to transport
waste by the collection vehicles which are necessarily small capacity and
have mechanisms to pick-up waste.
o Transfer station reduces the fuel consumption per unit volume of the solid
waste and improves the transportation efficiency.
o Transfer stations can be large enough as 80m3 to lift waste upto 36,000 kg.
o For justification of a transfer station the cost of direct haul is compared to
the cost of a transfer station.
o The variable cost for direct haul and transfer vehicle is typically
expressed as a cost per mile.
o The fixed cost for a transfer station is based on cost per ton.
 CONGUSTED AREAS OF THE CITY
o Some times a transfer station is required for traffic and
environmental reasons regardless of distance from landfill site
o In congested areas of the cities, like the walled city in Lahore,
small capacity vehicles like donkey carts, tri-wheelers etc., are
used for collection of solid waste as such vehicles cannot go
to distant disposal sites for unloading. Transfer stations are to
be provided near the service areas in such cases.
 ECONOMY OF TRANSFER STATION

A. Without a Transfer Station

For a 60 km round trip to a landfill to
drive a garbage truck carrying 5 tons
of garbage @ Rs 150 per km the cost
is Rs1,800 per ton.
B. With a Transfer Station
Cost of a transfer vehicle carrying 20
tons of garbage @ Rs 200 per km
alongwith the fixed cost of transfer
station @ Rs 500 per ton.The total
cost is Rs 1,100 per ton.
Thus, a transfer station would be
more economical.
 COLLECTION OF RECYCLEABLE MATERIAL
o Recycling concepts were very new till 1990s.
o advanced countries recycle about 1/3rd of the material.
It not only recovers valuable recyclables but also
reduces re collection and disposal costs.
o Progressive communities like in USA have set a goal of
zero waste.
o Basic challenge in recycling is the finding and creation
of markets for recyclables in manufacture of products.
o Switching of non-recyclable material with recyclable
material in manufacturing is one of the suggestions
emerging from life cycle analysis.
o Recyclable material and waste can be collected through
different vehicles or through same vehicles with two
compartments
 COLLECTION OF RECYCLABLES IN USA
Materials Recovered
Millions of tonnes %age of generation
Paper and paperboard 38.95 55.5
Glass 2.55 23.1
Ferrous metals 4.80 33.7
Aluminum 0.65 21.1
Other nonferrous metals 1.10 68.6
Plastics 1.92 7.1
Rubber and leather 0.96 14.3
Textiles 1.71 15.3
Wood 1.43 9.6
Other materials 1.04 25.6
Food Waste 0.73 2.5
Yard Trimmings 19.32 64.7
Total recycled MSW 75.16 33.2
LITTER AND STREET CLEANLINESS
PARAMETERS FOR LOCATION OF TRANSFER STATIONS
1. Construction material of containers should be such that it
can be maintained and cleaned easily. It should also be
fire-proof.
2. To eliminate inadvertent emissions, enclosed facilities
should have air handling equipment that creates a
negative pressure within the facility.
3. Proper barriers need to be provided to restrict the
blowing of paper and bags.
4. Spilled solid wastes should be immediately picked up.
5. Transfer Stations are kept:
I. within easy access of major arterial highway routes as well as
near secondary or supplemental means of transportation,
II. Where there will be a minimum of public and environmental
objection to the transfer operations, and
III. Where construction and operation will be most economical.
Pneumatic Waste Collection Systems
COMPOSTING
 COMPOSTING AND COMPOST

 Description of the process,

 laboratory tests needed to check the quality of
compost,
 description of composting process,
 its environmental aspects, and
 comparison with other disposal methods and
utility of compost
 COMPOSTING COMPONENTS AND PROCESS

The major component of the solid waste in Pakistan is generally

organic in nature comprising of vegetable and fruit peelings,
wasted food and garden trimmings.
Composting is defined as biological decomposition of the
biodegradable organic fraction of MSW under controlled
conditions to a state sufficiently stable for nuisance-free storage
and handling and for safe use in land applications.
The term “controlled conditions” is different from the composting
process from the simple organic waste decomposition that
happens in open dumps and landfills.
During the composting process, heat, various gases and water
vapors are released, greatly reducing the volume and mass of the
pile.
COMPOSTING PROCESS
 COMPOSTING PROCESS

The end product remaining

after bacterial activity is
called humus or compost.
Decomposition of solid
waste may be accomplished
aerobically or anaerobically.
Anaerobic process however
involves offensive odors and
is extremely slow. Most
composting operations are
therefore aerobic.
GENERAL PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM FOR MSW
COMPOSTING FACILITIES
Composting process
consists of four basic
steps:
1. Preparation
2. digestion
3. curing,
4. finishing.
The material delivered to
the composting facility is
removed from the
container transfer
vehicles or bags. The non-
compostable materials
such as plastics, textile,
leather, bones, glass,
metals etc. are removed
from the feed stock.
 COMPOSTING PROCESS
Typical preparation steps include: sorting of salvageable material,
removal of non-putrescibles, grinding, addition of wastewater sludge if
necessary.
Effective composting conditions:
i) For optimum results, the size of the waste should lie between 2
and 8 cm. Size reduction is accomplished through shredding.
ii) Sufficient number of microorganisms to be present to perform
digestion. Sewage sludge is added for this purpose.
iii) C/N ratio should be 30 to 50
iv) C/P ratio should be 100 or less.
v) Moisture content should be 50 to 60%. Addition of water is done to
raise moisture contents, if required.
vi) pH should vary between 5.5 to 8.5 throughout the process. Air
should be thoroughly dispersed throughout the organic waste. This
is done by frequently turning and mixing the wastes.
vii) Temperature should be maintained to between 50º to 60º C for
active composting period.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMPOST

Parameter Typical Range Importance

pH 5.0 –8.5 Optimum plant health
Soluble salts 1 – 10 dS (mmhos/cm) Phyto-toxicity
Nutrients: Nitrogen, N (0.5-2.5%), P (0.2-2.0%), Plant vitality
Phosphorus and Potassium K (0.3-1.5%) Need for fertilizers

Water holding capacity 75 - 200% dry weight basis Irrigation requirements

Bulk density 415 - 711 l (Kg/m3) Handling/Transportation
Moisture content 30 – 60% Handling/Transportation
Organic matter 30 –70% Application rates
Particle size < 1” screen size Porosity
Stability Stable – highly table Phyto-toxicity
 DIGESTION

Windrows: In modern composting plants digestion

takes place within windrows (area method) or in
mechanical digesters (High rate digestion method).
Windrow composting has been tried and is
successfully being used in Pakistan. It entails some
disadvantages:
 operation is affected by local climate,
 may produce odors,
 time consumed is excessive (30 to 40 days) and
 amount of land required is more as compared to
other technologies
 AERATION METHOD IN WINDROW COMPOSTING

Based on the aeration method, windrow system can be further

classified as:
(1) Turned windrows
(2) Aerated static pile and
(3) Passively aerated windrows.
Turned windrow: In this method prepared solid wastes are placed
in windrows (long piles) in open field .The windrows are turned
once or twice per week for a composting period of about 5 weeks
with specially designed machines. The material is then cured for
additional 2 to 4 weeks to ensure stabilization. Instead of turning,
the windrows may also be aerated through forced aeration.
 WINDROW COMPOSTING

Aerated static pile: In this method of composting the perforated pipes are
inserted into the composting material piles and air is supplied through
blower (suction fan or exhaust fan). The perforated pipe run throughout
the length of the pile and is also connected with the widthwise pipes. In
this method, no turning is required. If the adequate air is supplied to the
compost pile and is uniformly distributed, it takes 3-5 weeks for the
completion of the active composting. The required flow rate of the air can
be controlled through running the blower intermittently or can be
programmed based on the time or rise/ fall of temperature.
 PASSIVELY AERATED WINDROW
PASSIVELY AERATED WINDROW
In order to reduce the forced aeration cost, the passive aeration is adopted.
The base of the pile is prepared like aerated static pile using bulking agents and
the perforated pipes (100mm dia.) are embedded in each windrow at a
distance of 35-45 cm from each other and one end of the pipe is left open
directing outward so that air can diffuse into the pile without using blower.
Then, the organic waste mixture to be composted is placed in windrows and is
not turned until the stable compost is achieved
Mechanical digester: Digestion may also be carried out in a mechanical
digesters. Air flow rate, moisture content and the temperature inside the
enclosed digester are maintained using the principle of bioreactor. The air is
fed into the reactor through forced aeration, tumbling, stirring or
combinations, and the exhaust air is drawn through negative pressure followed
by a bio-filter. Moisture is being continuously monitored through the probes
installed inside the vessel and embedded into the mass to allow maintenance
of the optimal aerobic conditions for successful composting.