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Solid waste management

Dr. A. ANAND BABU CHRISTUS

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Solid waste management

Rapid population growth and urbanization in developing countries have led to

generation of enormous quantities of solid waste and consequently environmental
degradation.

It was estimated that 7.6 million tones of municipal solid waste is produced per day
in developing countries

Types and sources of solid waste

Urban waste, Industrial waste, Hazardous waste

Food waste, cloth,

Variety of materials thrown waste paper, glass
Domestic waste
out from houses bottle, polythene
bags etc
waste paper,
Urban Waste generated from, packing materials,
Commercial waste
waste markets, hotels institutions cans, bottles
polythene bags
Construction Waste of construction Wood, concrete,
waste materials debris
Anatomical waste,
Biomedical waste Waste organic materials
infectious waste

Nuclear power plant It generates radioactive waste

Thermal power plant
It Produce large amount of fly ash
Industrial
It Produce large Quantities of hazardous
waste Chemical industries
and toxic materials
Packing materials, plastic, glass, wood, scrap
Other industries
metals, rubbish, rubber.
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Stages of Solid waste management

Generation

Onsite Handling and processing

Recovery of
reusable materials
Collection & Transportation

Processing

Disposal
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Disposal of solid waste

The following methods are used for the disposal of solod waste

1. Manual component seperation

2. Compaction
3. Incineration
4. Open dumping
5. Land filling
6. Composting

1. Manual seperation
 The manual seperation of components present in the waste is done before
the disposal of waste.
 This is done to recover some materials that could be recycle to get some
useful products.
 The materials such as card board, metals wood and bulky items of value are
recovered by manual seperation.
2. Compaction
 After seperating the reusable materials ,mechanical volume reduction
is done to reduce of the wastes.
 Compactors are used for the purpose
 Stationary and movable type compactors ar5e developed and used to
mreduce landfill requirement.

3. Incineration
 Incineration is the hygienic way of disposal of solid waste.
 This method is employed to reduce the waste like cartons, wood scrap,
floorsweepings card board etc. are burnt in a furnace called
incinerator
 The incineration proc3ess has the ability to reduce the original volume
of combustible wasdte by about 80 to 90%
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 The left out ashes and clinkers from the incinerators is accountes for
about 10 to 20% which can then be disposed by sanitary landfill.

ADVANTAGES
 Safest method of disposal from the hygfienic point of view
 Requires less space
 The operation cost is not very high as the incinerators are
located with in the city limit
 The residue obtained is not about 20 – 25% of original weight
 An incinerator plant of 300 tons per day capacity can gtenerate
3MV of power.

DISADVANTAGES

 The capital and the op[eration cost are very high

 Skilled persons are required for operating the incinerators.
 Causes air pollution due to the smoke, dust and ashes which are
to be disposeed further.
4. Open Dumping
Open dumping is the method of dumping the waste in the low lying
area .

ADVANTAGES
 It is a cheaper method when compared to other methods
 Extensively ueds in india

DISADVANTAGES

 Open dumping cause publiuc health hazards due to the

breeding of flies, mosquitoes, rats and other pests.
 Air pollution is caused due to the release of gaseous and
particulate matter by burning the combustible solid wastes.
 A large area is required for open dumping, which may cause
shortaghe of land space for human habitation.
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5. Land filling
 Common and cheapest method of disposal of solid waste
 The land fill structure is built either into the ground or on the ground
into which the wastes are dumped
 The solid wastes are placed in the sanitary landfill in alternate layers of
80 cm thick refuse covered with selected earth fill of 20 cm thickness.
 When the area is left as such for two to three years , the waste volume
shrinks by 25- 30 % and the land can be used for praks, rtoads and small
buildings.
 If the land fill is not properly provided , rain water leaches into ground
and pollute ground and surface waters.
 Poorly managed landfill sites produces foul smell due to the digestion of
organic components in the wastes.

ADVANTAGES
 Land filling is a simple and economical method
 Segregation is n ot required
 Landfills can be recovered and used for other purposes.
 Converts low – lying , Marshy wasteland into useful areas.
 Natural resources are returned to the soil.

DISADVANTAGES

 A large area is requirede

 Transportation cost is high as the landfill site is away from the
cities
 Bad odours may be produced if the landfills are not properly
carried out.
 Land fill areas are the sources of mosquitoes. Hence it is
necessary to appy insecticides at regular intervals
 Thre may be possibility of fire hazards due to the release of
methane gas in wet weather.
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6. Land Farming
 In this method the biodegradable industrila waste treated by
the biological, physical and chemical processes.
 The organic wastes are either applied on the top of the land or
below the soilsurface where they undergo bacterial
decomposition.

ADVANTAGES
 Land farming site can be reused without any adverse effects
provided the site is properly managed.

7. Composting
 Composting is the process of constructing a composite by
making alternate layers of organic matter and soil
 Some fertilizer and water is periodically added to the
composite pile to stimulate microbial action and to maintain
Moisture content( 55%)
 The refuse is turned over periodically to allow the penetration
of oxygen to all partys of the organic refuse to facilite aerobic
bacterial decomposition.
 It takes nearly a monthy for compositing to be complete.