Waste Management

Assignment-3

Q1) What are the components of Waste collection system? Discuss in brief all the
components
Ans) The components of waste collection system are as follows:
• Collection point
• Collection frequency
• Storage containers
• Collection crew
• Collection routes
• Transfer station
1) Collection point:
They are points from where the waste is collected or sources from where the waste
is generated. Collection point depends on locality which may be in residential,
industrial or commercial areas. The entire cost of the waste collection process is
determined by these collection points as they determine the size of the crew,
storage points and the time required for waste collection.
2) Collection frequency:
It is a rate at which the waste is collected from a collection point. The collection
frequency depends on factors like community, population, income groups, lifestyle
and climatic conditions. Like, in hot and humid climate, solid waste must be
collected more frequently as the decomposing solid favors microbial activities,
produces bad odor and leachate. This is important as residential wastes usually
contain putrescible (rotting) materials. Therefore, to avoid health problems
frequent collection is necessary. The quality of solid waste containers also
determines the collection frequency. For example, sealed containers allow the
collection frequency up to three to four days, whereas unsealed containers may
require a daily collection. The requirement of a locality is also another factor that
determines collection frequency. Like, residential areas require more frequent
waste collections unlike institutions, shops and industries. Similarly, urban areas
generate more waste than rural areas.
3) Storage containers:
The size and characteristics of storage containers can play an important role in the
waste collection process. Selection of a good container can save collection energy,
reduce the crew size and increase the speed of collection. The containers should be
functional for the amount of material and collection vehicle used.
The characteristics that should be considered for selecting a container include:
• Durability
• Easy to handle
• Economical
• Resistant to corrosion, weather and animals
• It should be sealed to prevent entry of water
• It should contain less than 20kg of waste to facilitate easy emptying
• Avoid wooden containers as they readily absorb and retain moisture and
their surfaces are generally rough, irregular and difficult to clean
• In residential areas, where refuse is collected manually, standardized metal
or plastic containers are used.
• When mechanized collection systems are used, containers are specifically
designed to fit the truck-mounted loading mechanisms.
4) Collection crew:
The people involved in collecting waste from house to house; trucks and taking it
to the transfer station or disposal site are termed as ‘collection crew’. The optimum
crew size for a community depends on labor and equipment costs, collection
methods and route characteristics. The size of the collection crew also depends on
the size and type of collection vehicle used, space between the houses, waste
generation rate and collection frequency.
The crew consists of 8-12 people and is headed by the supervisor. The size of the
crew varies from community to community, region to region, amount of waste
generation in a locality/ waste generation rate, frequency of waste collection,
collection methods involved, space between the houses, size and type of collection
vehicle and route characteristics. The crew size increases when there is an increase
in the rate of waste generation. Less collection frequency also increases the crew
size because the quantum of waste per individual stop will be high. The crew size
has a great effect on collection costs which leads to improper collection frequency,
segregation of material at source, implementation of automation in collection.
5) Collection routes:
The route planned by collection crew to collect waste in a specific area is called as
collection routing. The collection programme must consider the route that is
efficient for collection. An efficient routing of collection vehicles helps decrease
costs by reducing the labor expended for collection, conserve energy by
minimizing vehicle fuel consumption and reduced working hours.
The size of each route depends on the amount of waste collected per stop, distance
between stops, loading time and traffic conditions. Barriers, such as railroads,
embankments, rivers and roads with heavy traffic, can be considered to divide
route territories.
The routing analyses and planning can:
• Increase the likelihood of all streets being serviced equally and consistently,
• help supervisors locate or track crews quickly,
• provide optimal routes that can be tested against driver judgement and
experience.
6) Transfer station:
It is a centralized facility between the collection and disposal site. It is an
intermediate station located in the middle to increase efficiency of the system, as
collection vehicles and crew remains closer to routes. At this station, smaller
collection vehicles are unloaded and re-loaded back into large vehicles for
transport to a disposal or processing site. The transfer station also acts as storage
and processing station where waste processing such as sorting, shredding,
compacting, incineration, composting is done. However, it involves additional
capital costs of building transfer stations, extra labor and energy required for
transferring waste. Another issue with the transfer station is that it attracts insects
and creates a bad odor. There will be an increase in traffic due to garbage
collection trucks, this leads to resentment of the people living near the transfer
stations.
Q2) What should be the good characteristics of storage containers?
Ans)
Good characteristics of storage containers are:
1. Durability
2. Easy to handle
3. Economical
4. Resistant to corrosion, weather and animals
5. It should be sealed to prevent entry of water
6. It should contain less than 20kg of waste to facilitate easy emptying
7. Avoid wooden containers as they readily absorb and retain moisture and
their surfaces are generally rough, irregular and difficult to clean
8. It must be compatible with collection equipment.
9. Use of containers made of stainless steel because wooden or pure metal
containers will absorb or react with the waste.
10. It should not have rough or sharp edges, and preferably have a handle and a
wheel to facilitate mobility
11. The body must be strong enough to resist and discourage stray animals and
scavengers from ripping it as well as withstand rough handling by the
collection crew and mechanical loading equipment.
12. It should be provided with a lifting bar, compatible with the hoisting
mechanism of the vehicle.
13. The material used should be light, recyclable, and easily molded.
Q3) Write a note on Collection of wastes separated at the source.
Ans)
Separation of waste from the source is the segregation of different types of solid
waste at the location where they are generated (a household or business). The
categories into which wastes are divided usually depends on the collection system
used and the final destination of the waste. The most common reason for
separating waste at the source is for recycling.
Benefits of source separation:
The separation of materials at the point of collection results in more homogeneous
and higher quality waste stream. Source separated materials streams are less
contaminated by other materials and are easier and less costly for recyclers to
recover. Therefore, source separated materials show a higher value to recycling
materials. Moreover, source separation may improve the environmental
performance and economic efficiencies of waste treatment options. Source
separation is particularly important when high product quality is required, or when
mechanical separation is difficult and costly. Source separated organic waste
results in a high quality and high value product, whereas organic waste
contaminated by other waste streams, such as glass or plastic, produces a lower
quality product that has more limited applications, or may even be sent to landfill.
By improving the quality of materials collected for recovery, thereby increasing
recovery rates, source separation can reduce the volume of residual waste to
landfill. Source separation can also play an important role in behavior change.
Householders or businesses that separate waste before disposal can increase their
awareness of waste materials and recycling processes. This may affect consumer
decisions by encouraging waste avoidance and selecting products that offer better
opportunities for recycling.
How source-separated waste is collected:
1. Curbside collection using conventional and specially designed
collection vehicles.
2. Incidental curbside collection by charitable organizations.
3. Delivery by residents to drop-off and buyback centers.
Source separation in recent years:
Separate collection of household trash, recyclables, and yard waste is gaining
popularity in many countries. In some community's source separation is mandated,
while in others it is voluntary. Many cities provide residents with recycling bins to
be filled with recyclables and placed next to garbage cans on collection day.
Source-separated yard waste is usually placed in plastic bags or bundled if it is
bulky, like tree trimmings. In areas where curbside collection of recyclables and
yard waste is not available, residents often take these source-separated wastes to
drop-off centers or sell recyclables to buy-back facilities.
For source-separated recycling programs to be successful, citizen participation is
essential. Incentives to increase participation, such as reduced trash collection
charges for recyclers, are sometimes implemented.