ABSTRACT

 Several studies and researches have been conducted on the sources and characteristics of wastes
as well as the possible adverse effect of inappropriate handling and best international practices.
One thing that is still not clear however is what exactly constitutes a waste? How much do we
know about what should be classed as waste? What are the historical contexts of waste
managements? The present paper seeks to examine these vital questions with a view to
providing answers from previous studies. The paper employed a desktop approach to provide
answers to the research objectives. Specifically, the paper uses a descriptive approach to gather
information from peer reviewed publications such as, journal articles, environmental
organizations reports and books. It was found that, waste is to a large extent subjective in
meaning as a substance can only be regarded as a waste when the owner labels it as such. This is
particularly true because one individual may regard a substance as a waste, while another may
view the same substance as a resource. Nevertheless, it was argued that there is a need to clearly
define what constitute wastes as this form the basis for regulation.

RECYCLING ORGANIC WASTE

Introduction
 Human interactions with the environment (human activities) have always resulted in waste
production. However, waste production and management was not a major issue until people
began living together in communities. As population and purchasing power of people increases
worldwide, more goods are produced to meet increasing demand, thereby leading to the
production of more waste. These continuous flows of waste resulting from human activities,
overburdened the environment. Proper planning and control is required in other to prevent the
negative impact of waste on the environment.

 As a result,a proper organization of solid waste management has become an essential task
needed to safeguard the environment. The provision of an efficient solid waste management
system is now as important as other essential amenities such as electricity, airports, and
highways. Due to the increasing volume of waste. The continuous disposal of waste to landfill is
unsustainable. Hence, the processing of waste is a necessary step needed to safeguard public
health.

 Waste are unwanted or unusable materials. It is any substance which is discarded after primary
use,or is worthless,defective and of no use. Though waste is a physical object,its generation is a
physical and psychological process. A waste product may become a by-product, joint product or
resource through an invention that raises a waste product’s value above zero.
 Byproduct is a secondary product derived from a production process, manufacturing process or
chemical reaction; it is not the primary product or service being produced. It can be useful and
marketable or it can be considered waste. Examples;
 Bran, a by product of the milling of wheat into refined flour
 Gasoline was once a by product of oil refining
 The plastic used in plastic shopping bags also a by product of oil refining.

 Organic waste is produced wherever there is human habitation. The main forms of organic waste
are household food waste, agricultural waste, human and animal waste. In industrialized
 countries the amount of organic waste produced is increasing dramatically each year.Digesting
organic matter in landfills also generates methane, which is a harmful greenhouse gas, in large
quantity.Where large quantities of waste are created, usually in the major cities, there are
inadequate facilities for dealing with it, and much of this waste is either left to rot in the streets,
or is collected and dumped on open land near the city limits. There are few environmental
controls in these countries to prevent such practices.

 There are a variety of ways of using organic waste and in this technical brief we hope to outline
a few of the principle methods used for putting it to good use. The three main ways of using
organic waste that we will look at are for soil improvement, for animal raising and to provide
a source of energy.
 People who works with waste professionally use 4 terms to classify generally:-
 Trash- is dry waste
 Garbage- is wet waste
 Refuse- is both
 Rubbish- is refuse plus construction and demolition debris.
 Wastes may be generated during the extraction of raw materials,the processing of raw materials
into intermediate and final products,the consumption of final products and other human
activities. Residuals recycled or reused at the place of generation are excluded.

Classification and Types of Waste

 Waste arises in many different forms and its characterization can be expressed in several
forms.Some common characteristics used in the classification of waste includes the physical
states,physical properties, reusable potentials, biodegradable potentials, source of production and
the degree of environmental impact. Waste can be classified broadly into three main types
according to their physical states; these are liquid, solid and gaseous waste. Although it is clear
that several classifications exists in different countries. The most commonly used classifications
are illustrated below.
 Physical state
 Solid waste
 Liquid waste
 Gaseous waste
 Source
 Household/Domestic waste
 Industrial waste
 Agricultural waste
 Commercial waste
 Biomedical waste/Clinical waste/
 Demolition and construction waste
 Mining waste
 Environmental impact
 Hazardous waste
 Non-hazardous waste
 Special hazardous waste includes - radioactive waste
- explosive waste and
- electronic waste(e-waste).

 Waste reporting is still useful on a small and large scale to determine key causes and locations,
and to find ways of preventing,minimizing,recovering,treating and disposing waste. It is most
commonly measured by size or weight and there is a stark difference between the two. Organic
 waste is much heavier when it is wet. Plastic or glass bottles can have different weight but be the
same size.
 On global scale it is difficult to report waste because countries have different definitions of
waste and what falls into waste categories.

Environmental, Economical and Social impact of waste management

 Environmental Cost- in appropriately managed waste can attract rodents and insects, which can
harbour gastrointestinal parasites,yellow fever,worms and other conditions for humans and
exposure to hazardous wastes,particularly when they are burned can cause various diseases
including cancers.
 Toxic waste materials can contaminate surface water,ground water, soil and air.which causes
more problems for humans,other species and ecosystem. Waste treatment and disposal produces
significant Green house gas(GHG)emissions,notably methane,which are contributing
significantly to global warming.

 Economical cost- managing waste are high and are often paid for by municipal governments;
money can often be saved with more efficiently designed collection routes,modifying vehicles
and with public education. Environmental policies such as pay as you throw can reduce the cost
of management and reduce waste quantities.
 Waste recovery(recycling, reuse) can curb economic costs because it avoids extracting raw
materials and cuts transportation costs. The informal waste sector consists mostly of waste
pickers who scavenge for metals,plastics,glass,textiles,and other materials and then trade them
for a profit .this sector can significantly alter or reduce waste in a particular system .but other
negative economic effects come with the disease,poverty,exploitation and abuse of its workers.
 The location of waste treatment and disposal facilities reduces property values due to noise, dust,
pollution,unsightliness and negative stigma.

 Social cost-
 Methods of Processing organic waste
 As mentioned in the introduction, there are three main ways in which organic waste can be used:
 soil improvement
 animal raising and
 to provide a source of energy.
-Differing levels of processing are required for achieving some of the common approaches to using
organic waste.

Waste Collection
 Waste collection is apart of the process of waste management.it is the transfer of solid waste
from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. It also includes the
curbside collection of recyclable materials that technically are not waste,as part of a municipal
landfill diversion program.
 In economical developed countries will generally be left in waste containers or recycling bins
prior to collection by waste collector using a waste collection vehicle.
 However, in many developing countries, waste left in bins or bags at the side of the road will not
be removed unless residents interact with the waste collectors.when waste collection vehicle
came and make frequent stops around each neighborhood.then c the waste collectors will
indicate their presence by ringing a bell and possibly shouting.residents line up and hand their
trash container to the waste collector. And also they are private contracted waste collectors
circulate in the neighborhood with pushing a cart. These are not paid a salary and survive only
on the tips they receive.
 Waste collection consideration of waste during different types of waste and size of
bins,positioning of the bins and how often bins are to be serviced. Bins may be locked or stored
in secure areas to avoid having non-paying parties placing their waste in the bin.
 Over filled bins results in rubbish falling out while being tipped. Hazardous rubbish like empty
 petrol cans can causes fires igniting other trash when the track compactor is operating.

HOW TO RECYCLE AND USE WASTAGE?

1. RESOURCE RECOVERY
 It is the retrieval of recyclable waste,which was intended for disposal,for a specific next use. It is
the processing of recyclables to extract or recover materials and resources or convert to energy
by using resource recovery facility.
 This method is not only important to the environment but it can be cost effective by decreasing
the amount of waste sent to the disposal stream, reduce the amount of space needed for landfills
and protect natural resources.

2. ENERGY RECOVERY
 It is using non recyclable waste materials and extracting from it heat,electricity or energy
through a variety of processes including combustion,gasification,pyrolyzation and anaerobic
digestion. This process is referred to as waste to energy.
 There are several ways to recover energy from waste;
 INCINERATION
- Direct controlled burning of municipal solid waste to reduce waste and make energy. Secondary
recovered fuel is the energy recovery from waste that cannot be reused or recycled from mechanical
and biological treatment activities.
 ANAREOBIC DIGESTION
- Is a naturally occurring process of decomposition where organic matter is reduced to a simpler
chemical component in the absence of oxygen.
 PYROLYSIS
- Involves heating of waste with the absence of oxygen to high temperatures to break down any
carbon content into a mixture of gaseous and liquid fuels and solid residue.
 GASIFICATION
- Is the conversion of carbon rich material through high temperature with partial oxidation into a
gas stream.
 PLASMA ARC HEATING
- Is the very high heating of municipal solid waste to temperatures ranging from 3000-10,000oC,
where energy is released by an electrical discharge in an inert atmosphere.
 Using waste as fuel can offer important environmental benefits. It can provide;
 Safe and cost-effective option for wastes.
 Help reduce Carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions by diverting energy use from fossil fuels.
 Using waste as fuel can reduce the methane emissions generated in landfills by averting waste
from landfills.