Biodegradable waste

Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon
dioxide, water, methane or simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by
composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion or similar processes. In waste management, it
also includes some inorganic materials which can be decomposed by bacteria. Such materials
include gypsum and its prodcts such as plasterboard and other simple organic sulfates which can
decompose to yield hydrogen sulphide in anaerobic land-fill conditions.

In domestic waste collection, the scope of biodegradable waste may be narrowed to include only
those degradable wastes capable of being handled in the local waste handling facilities.

Sources
Biodegradable waste can be found in municipal solid waste (sometimes called biodegradable
municipal waste, or as green waste, food waste, paper waste and biodegradable plastics. Other
biodegradable wastes include human waste, manure, sewage, sewage sludge and slaughterhouse
waste. In the absence of oxygen, much of this waste will decay to methane by anaerobic digestion.
In many parts of the developed world, biodegradable waste is separated from the rest of the waste
stream, either by separate curb-side collection or by waste sorting after collection. At the point of
collection such waste is often referred to as green waste. Removing such waste from the rest of the
waste stream substantially reduces waste volumes for disposal and also allows biodegradable waste
to be composted.

Biodegradable waste can be used for composting or a resource for heat, electricity and fuel by
means of incineration or anaerobic digestion. Swiss Kompogas and the Danish AIKAN process are
examples of anaerobic digestion of biodegradable waste. While incineration can recover the most
energy, anaerobic digestion plants retain nutrients and make compost for soil amendment and still
recover some of the contained energy in the form of biogas. Kompogas produced 27 million Kwh of
electricity and biogas in 2009. The oldest of the company's lorries has achieved 1,000,000
kilometers driven with biogas from household waste in the last 15 years.
Climate change impacts
The main environmental threat from biodegradable waste is the production of landfill gases.
Landfill gas (LFG) is generated by degradation of the biodegradable waste fraction, and is
influenced by waste physicochemical composition and environmental variables. Studies have
shown that the actual rate of gas production in a landfill is a function of waste composition (organic
content), age (or time since placement), climate variables, moisture content, particle size,
compaction and buffering capacity. LFG mainly consists of carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4)
and numerous trace components. Methane is the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse
gas after CO2 and is responsible for approximately 40% of global warming over the past 150 years.
Further, for the past 25 years, global anthropogenic methane emissions have exceeded those from
natural sources. Emissions from landfill sites account for 30% of the total anthropogenic methane
emissions in Europe, 34% of those in the US, and 10% of anthropogenic methane emissions
worldwide. Landfill gas emissions are one of the largest anthropogenic sources of methane
especially because of food waste. Globally, if food waste couple be represented as its own country,
it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the U.S. It has become
important to reduce food waste related emissions by distinguishing between waste arising at two
different stages in the food system: pre-consumer waste (from the manufacturing, processing,
distribution and retailing of food) and consumer waste (arising in households, after purchase). A
distinction is also made between two different types of emission; embedded emissions (generated
during the production of food that is wasted) and waste disposal (from the processes of disposing
waste food).

Conclusion:
Whether it is biodegradable or non-biodegradable, they harm human life and ruin other organisms
and their environment. Thus, a proper treatment of wastes has to be done. This is not only the
responsibility of Government, and each can contribute. The three Rs- Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce
are simplest steps which can take by each person. This can save energy and other resources as well.
Another step is separate biodegradable from non-biodegradable at home and disposes of them
separately.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_waste