THE PROBLEM OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

BY

UMARU, MANASSEH KISBOM

TSU/PG/ERM/20/0010

BEING AN ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF

ERM 801: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

COURSE LECTURER:
PROF. EMEKA D. ORUONYE

FEBRUARY, 2023
 INTRODUCTION

Solid waste can be almost anything, including food, leaves, newspapers, bottles, animal

manure (dung), poultry droppings, dead plant or animal, disposable diapers, old cars, or

radioactive materials (biodegradable and non-biodegradable). Reckless disposal of solid

waste has led to blockage of sewers, drainage networks and choking of water bodies. Most of

the wastes are generated by households and in some cases, by local industries, artisans and

traders which litter the immediate surroundings. As long as humans have been living in

settled communities, solid waste, or garbage, has been an issue, and modern societies

generate far more solid waste than early humans ever did (Mondal, 2014). These resulted as

industry and technology have evolved and the human population has grown, waste

management has become increasingly complex.

THE CONCEPT OF SOLID WASTE AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Solid waste generation varies between households, countries and cities. Reliable data on the

generated waste is hard to get. Waste is given different terms by different stakeholders. These

include: waste, garbage, trash, junk, debris or refuse. These are different names given to the

material that is no longer useful in its current form. In the contemporary society, many of the

items used daily are designed to be discarded at the end. There are organic materials, such as

yard and garden wastes, food wastes, and sewage sludge from treatment plants; disused cars;

worn out furniture and consumer products of all types. Newspapers, magazines,

advertisements and discarded office papers are some of the major source of wastes. Wood,

concrete, bricks, and glass coming from construction and demolition sites, dust and rubble

from landscaping and road building contribute to solid waste in urban areas.

Solid waste is a non-liquid, non-soluble material ranging from municipal garbage to

industrial waste that sometimes contains complex and hazardous substances. It includes

domestic waste, sanitary waste, commercial waste, institutional waste, catering and market

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waste, bio-medical waste, and e-waste. Several tonnes of garbage are left uncollected on the

streets of most developing cities each day. It acts as a breeding ground for pests that spread

disease, obstruct the sewers, and cause other infrastructural issues.

The term "solid waste management" refers to the collection, treatment, and disposal

procedure for solid wastes. Wastes are gathered from various sources and are disposed of

through the

waste management process, which involves the collection, transportation, treatment, analysis,

and disposal. It is a serious worldwide problem as it causes both water and air pollution. It

shows its direct effect on health, economic growth, and degradation of the environment. It

can lead to pollution of the environment and outbreaks of vector-borne diseases (diseases

spread by rodents and insects).

CAUSES OF SOLID WASTE

In Nigeria, Improper collection and disposal of wastes is leading to an environmental

catastrophe as the country currently lack adequate budgetary provisions for the

implementation of integrated waste management programmes across the States (Wale,

2016).The primary objective of waste management today, is to protect the public and the

environment from potentially harmful effects of waste. Governments and industries are

constantly on the lookout for technologies that will allow for more efficient and cost-effective

waste treatment option (Alvarez et, al., 2006).

DIFFERENT SOURCES OF SOLID WASTE

It is roughly classified into five categories:

Recyclable Material: Glasses, bottles, cans, paper, metals, etc.

Composite Wastes: Tetra packs, toys.

Biodegradable Wastes: Kitchen waste, flowers, vegetables, fruits, and leaves.

Inert Waste: Rocks, debris, construction material.

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Domestic Hazardous and Toxic Waste: E-waste, medication, light bulbs, etc. solid waste

management is the need of the hour and is important for the safety of public health and better

environmental quality.

EFFECTS OF SOLID WASTE

Slid waste has varying degree of effects depending on where they are dumped and the

demographic as well as environmental conditions of the immediate environment. Amongs

these include the following:

i. Bad odour of waste

ii. Production of toxic gases

iii. Degradation of natural beauty

iv. Air pollution

v. Water pollution

vi. Soil pollution

vii. Spread of diseases

viii. Effect on biodiversity

CONTROL OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Landfill: It involves burying the waste in vacant locations around the city. The dumping site

should be covered with soil to prevent contamination. A sanitary disposal method if managed

effectively. It requires a reasonably large area is required.

Incineration: It is the controlled oxidation (burning/thermal treatment) of mostly organic

compounds at high temperatures to produce thermal energy, CO2, and water. Burning

significantly reduces the volume of combustible waste. Its limitation is that the smoke and

fire hazards may exist.

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Composting: It is a natural process of recycling organic matter like leaves and food scraps

into beneficial fertilizers that can benefit both soil and plants. It is beneficial for crops and is

an environment-friendly method. This method requires high-skilled labour for large-scale

operation.

Recycling: It is a process of converting waste material into new material. Examples: wood

recycling, paper recycling, and glass recycling. It is environment-friendly. It is quite

expensive to set up and not reliable in case of an emergency.

Vermicomposting: Vermicomposting is a bio-conversion technique that is commonly used

to handle solid waste. Earthworms feed on organic waste to reproduce and multiply in

number, vermicompost, and vermiwash as products in this bioconversion process. It reduces

the need for chemical fertilizers and enhances plant growth. This is time-consuming, cost-

ineffective, and requires extra care.

Gasification and Pyrolysis: These are two similar methods, both of which decompose

organic waste materials by exposing waste to low amounts of oxygen and very high

temperature. Pyrolysis uses absolutely no oxygen while gasification allows a very low

amount of oxygen in the process. Gasification is more advantageous as it allows the burning

process recover energy without causing air pollution (Rick, 2016).

CONCLUSION

This article gives an insight into the different kinds of waste we humans are producing on a

daily basis and how badly it is affecting our health and environment. It talks about the

different processes which we can take into consideration to reduce the emission of waste.

Consistent trash reduction and recycling actions will aid us in caring for our health and the

environment.

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