DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE

Introduction

“Solid waste” is the term now used internationally to describe non-liquid waste materials arising
from domestic, trade, commercial, industrial, agriculture and mining activities and from the
public services. Solid waste comprise countless different materials such as vegetable waste,
papers, glass, plastics, wood, yard clippings, food waste, radioactive wastes and hazardous
waste. Solid wastes are all the wastes arising from human and animal activities that are normally
solids, semi-solids, liquids in containers and those are discarded or useless or unwanted. The
term encompasses the heterogeneous accumulation of agricultural, industrial and mineral wastes
etc.

Solid waste generation is a continually growing problem at global, regional and local levels.
There has been a significant increase in municipal solid waste generation in India in the last few
decades. The volume of garbage in Indian cities is increasing. Solid wastes create one of the
most visible environmental problems in our country. The management of municipal solid waste
has become an acute problem due to rapid population growth and economic development in the
country. In recent, the quantity of municipal solid waste has been increasing rapidly with
growing urbanization and modern lifestyle and its composition changing. One of the serious and
growing potential problems in larger urban areas is the shortage of land for waste disposal.

According to Britannica, “Solid-waste management, the collecting, treating, and disposing of

solid material that is discarded because it has served its purpose or is no longer useful.
Improper disposal of municipal solid waste can create unsanitary conditions, and these
conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and to outbreaks of vector-borne
disease—that is, diseases spread by rodents and insects.”

Sources and Classification of Solid Waste

Based on the source and type of waste, the classification of municipal solid waste is described
below (Manual on Municipal Solid Waste Management, 2000).

1 Domestic/Residential Waste

Domestic waste includes the solid wastes that originate during the household activities such as
cleaning, packaging, gardening, cooking and repairs. The waste material consists of old books,
empty containers, old furniture and newspaper.

2 Municipal Wastes
Municipal waste includes the waste materials arising from the domestic, institutional and
commercial activities. The municipal waste comprises of dead animals, dried leaves, crushed
vehicles, market waste, street waste and crushed vehicles.

3 Commercial Wastes

The waste materials included in the category of commercial waste are classified as garbage,
rubbish, organic, inorganic, and hazardous waste and are arisen in departmental stores, offices,
hotels, shops, lodges, restaurants, business centers, warehouses, markets, slaughter houses and
other commercial establishments. The waste materials comprise of paper, spoiled and discarded
goods and packing material.

4 Institutional Wastes

The waste materials included in the category of institutional waste are those arising from
institutions such as schools, colleges, universities, research institutes, hospitals and other
educational centers. It includes waste materials such as garbage and rubbish in which some of the
waste materials are harmful to human health and the environment.

5 Garbage

The garbage includes the animal and vegetable waste and the waste is putrescible in nature. It
consists of wastes resulting from the sale, handling, storage, cooking and consumption of food. It
requires immediate removal of waste handling, storage and disposal. Because the waste produces
foul odors and the waste attracts the insects, flies, rats and rodents.

6 Rubbish

Rubbish includes the waste materials which are non-putrescible in nature except ash. It consists
of both combustible such as paper, brushes, cardboard and wood, and noncombustible substances
such as cans, glass and scrap metals, etc.

7 Ash

Ash result from activities such as the burning of dung, wood, coal and other combustible
materials for heating, cooking and other purposes in houses, small industrial establishments and
institutions. When the huge amount of ash produced in factories and power plants will come
under industrial waste.

8 Bulky Waste

Bulky waste comprise of tyres, furniture, refrigerators, cookers, vehicle parts, trees, plastic
materials, washing machines, wood etc., arising during the household activities which cannot be
stored in the containers of houses.
9 Street Waste

Street waste includes the wastes that are collected from parks, streets, walkways and vacant
places. The street waste comprises of plastic, dried leaves, paper, empty cigarette packs and other
empty packets, cardboard and dust. Mostly in developing countries, the littering of public places
is a common problem and in the developing countries manual street sweeping has seen whereas
in developed countries mechanized street sweeping is practiced.

10 Dead Animals

The dead animals are divided into large animals and small animals that die naturally or
accidentally killed. The large animals are donkeys, cows, sheep and horses which require
immediate removal using special equipment for handling. Small animals are rats, cats, dogs and
rabbits. This category of animals can be disposed by deep burial in special locations. Otherwise,
dead animals attract the flies, insects and causes foul odor and health problems.

11 Constructions and Demolition Waste

These categories of wastes are generated during the activities such as construction, demolition of
commercial buildings, houses and other structures. The construction and demolition waste
materials such as bricks, plumbing materials, concrete, plastics, stones, heating systems, roofing
materials and electrical wires etc. are mostly non-biodegradable substances.

12 Industrial Wastes

The waste materials resulting from the manufacturing processes and other operations from the
industries are included in the industrial waste category. This waste should not be mixed with the
municipal solid waste because the waste materials arising from the industries may be hazardous
and non-hazardous. They must be disposed off following the standards mentioned under the
Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989.

13 Biomedical Wastes

The biomedical waste is the waste that is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or
immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining thereto or in the
production or testing of biological components (BMW Rules, 1998). The biomedical waste
should be disposed by following the Bio Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules,1998.

14 Hazardous Wastes

Hazardous waste is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the
environment. Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known or tested to exhibit
one or more of the following hazardous traits: Ignitability, Reactivity, Corrosivity, Toxicity.
Hazardous waste means the wastes generated from the industries or institutes cause damage to
human health and the environment because of their physical, chemical and biological
characteristics. The hazardous waste should be disposed separately as per the Hazardous Waste
(Management & Handling) Rules, 1989.

15 Sewage Waste

The solid by-products of sewage treatment are classified as sewage wastes. The solid by-
products derived from the treatment of organic sludge from both the raw and treated sewage are
mostly organic in nature. At the preliminary stage of sewage treatment, the grit is separated
which is the inorganic fraction of raw sewage. It must be disposed immediately which may
contain pathogens and putrescible organic matter.

Generation of Solid Waste

Wastes differ in the rate of generating, quantity and quality depending upon the area of
generation. The quantity and quality depend upon the source like residential areas, industrial
areas or commercial areas and also may vary at different times of the year which will have a
marked effect on the selection of method for its collection, processing and disposal.

Generation of municipal solid waste is related to the demography of the area or city, due to
which urban cities generate huge quantities of waste (Arvind et al., 2011). Among the four
geographical regions of India, the highest amount of solid waste generated by North India which
is 30% of solid waste generated in India i.e., 40,500 tons per day and the least amount of solid
waste generated by Eastern India is 17% of all solid waste generated in India i.e.23,500 Tons per
day.

Figure1: Share of States and Union Territories in Urban MSW Generated

Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in India

Waste composition dictates the waste

management strategy to be employed in a
particular location (Oyelola and Babatunde,
2008). Organics in MSW are putrescible and are
food for pests and insects and hence need to be
collected and disposed off on a daily basis.

Recyclables represent an immediate monetary

value to the collectors. Organics need controlled
biological treatment to be of any value, however
due to the general absence of such facilities,
organics do not represent any direct value to
informal collectors. The solid waste composition
of the Indian cities was shown in the figure 2. Fig. 2: Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in India

Characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste

For better disposal, planning and management of solid waste, the information on the
characteristics of wastes is necessary (Gonzalez et al., 2010). The physical and chemical
characteristics of municipal solid waste are described as follows:

1 Physical Properties of Waste

The major physical characteristics of MSW include density, moisture content, particle size and
distribution, field capacity and Permeability of compacted wastes.

1.1 Density

Density is defined as the mass per unit volume. Knowledge on Density of solid waste is
necessary for proper solid waste management practices such as collection, storage, transportation
and disposal of solid waste mostly for designing sanitary landfill. In landfills, the density may
vary depending on the total amount of solid waste and daily dumping of the waste. Density also
varies because of the compaction of the wastes, composition and decomposition of wastes.

1.2 Moisture Content

Moisture content of solid waste means the weight of the moisture per unit weight of wet
material. Moisture content (%) = (Wet weight -Dry weight) x100/Wet weight

A typical range of moisture content is 20-40% and it varies with the season of the year. Moisture
increases the weight of the solid wastes and therefore the cost of collection and transport
increases. Consequently waste should be insulated from rain or other extraneous water source.
Moisture content is a critical determinant in the economic feasibility of waste treatment by
incineration. During incineration energy must be supplied for evaporation of water and raising
the temperature of the vapor.

1.3 Particle Size and Distribution

Recovery of waste materials is a key element in solid waste management. For this purpose,
knowledge on the size and distribution of the waste constituents is essential especially in the
utilization of mechanical separators and for waste stream process.

1.4 Field Capacity

The total amount of moisture content which can be retained in such amount of solid waste is
known as the field capacity of solid waste. There is a significant importance on field capacity for
measuring leachate generation in landfills.

1.5 Permeability of Compacted Wastes

Among the physical characteristics of solid waste, permeability of compacted waste is an

important character. The movement of liquids, chemicals and gases in a landfill will depend
upon the hydraulic conductivity of the waste. The permeability of the wastes in leachate
generation and in landfill will depend on other physical characteristics such as the pore size of
the solid waste material and surface area.

2 Chemical Properties of Waste

The chemical characteristics of the solid waste are described as follows:

2.1 Proximate Analysis

When the solid waste material is heated to 1050c for one hour, the analysis of loss of moisture
content and analysis of weight of residue after combustion (Amin and Yang, 2012) will come
under proximate analysis.

2.2 Fusing Point of Ash

During the combustion of the waste materials by fusion, will form a solid resulting the ash. At
which temperature the ash resulting from this process is called as fusing point of ash.

2.3 Elemental Analysis

This is also known as ultimate analysis. The values of nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen and
carbon of solid wastes can be determined using the elemental analysis. To characterize the
composition of the waste, the elemental analysis results utilized. Ex: For biological
decomposition process.
2.4 Essential Nutrients

Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are the major nutrients used in the fertilizers. Knowledge
on essential nutrients is required when the organic matter is converted into fertilizing manure by
biological action i.e., for composting.

Key Component of Solid Waste Management

Solid waste management can be divided into five key component

• Generation
• Collection
• Transportation
• Segregation
• Disposal

Solid Waste (MSW) Collection

Citizens deposit the wastes by the roadside from where the Conservancy staff transfers it to the
community bins using a wheelbarrow or other equipment. The location of the refuse containers
should be easily accessible to both the residents and the municipal staff. The collection is one of
the key elements in the solid waste stream which consists of removal of waste material and
transport to the collection point and final disposal (Bhambulkar, 2011).

1 Types of Collection

Solid waste collection refers to the gathering of solid waste from various sources such as
residential, institutional, commercial and public places. The types of collection systems are
described as follows:

1.1 Community Bins

The community bins collection system is commonly found in developing countries. This method
is cheaper compared to the other methods. In this method, community bins were placed in
different locations and the numbers of community bins placed are depending on the total
population of that area. The surrounding community members carry and throw the waste in
community bins. In this method one of the most important factor is, the bins should be covered
properly, collected the waste regularly and kept clean always. Otherwise may cause a public
nuisance. Separate bins should be provided for biodegradable and nonbiodegradable waste
materials.

1.2 Door-to-Door Collection

This is the most convenient method for householders. In this method, the waste collector collects
the waste from each and every house. The household member should keep the dustbin at the
doorstep when the collector arrives and the collector should collect the waste separately.

1.3 Block Collection

In this method, for the collection of waste from the households, the collector set time, day and
particular place in the collection vehicle. Households throw that waste in that vehicle consists of
containers for collecting the waste.

1.4 Curbside Collection

The home owner is responsible for placing the containers to be emptied at the curb on the
collection day and for returning the empty containers to their storage location until the next
collection (Tchobanoglous,1993).

Storage Containers

Appropriate storage containers are required to save the energy and labor and increase the speed
of collection and reduce the crew size. It is important that the containers should be functional to
the type of materials and the collection vehicles used. Containers should also be durable, easy to
handle, economical as well as resistant to corrosion, weather conditions, and metals, glass tips
etc. Usually these are made up of thick plastics.

Transportation to Disposal Sites

The material collected in community bins is transferred to transport vehicles for transport to the
processing or disposal site. Regular disposal of refuse is essential to maintain proper sanitation.

Transfer refers to the movement of waste or materials from collection points to disposal sites.
Transportation of waste from collection point to disposal sites is carried out by using different
types of vehicles depending on the distances to be covered by them.Transfer stations are
centralized facilities where the waste is unloaded from smaller collection vehicles and re-loaded
into larger vehicles (including in some instances barges or railroads) for transport to a disposal or
processing site.

Segregation of Waste

The municipal solid waste is mixed with a variety of components such as biodegradable and non-
biodegradable substances. If they mixed together, it will be difficult for safe disposal.
Segregation of the solid waste is the key element in the solid waste management. A variety of
waste materials commonly found in the bins are shown in the following table

Table : Classification for Segregation of Wastes

Biodegradable Wastes Non-Biodegradable Wastes
Organic Waste Recyclable Waste Others (Inorganic /Hazardous
Waste)
• Used Tea Leaves/powder • Rubber •Some medicines
• Egg Shells • Shampoo bottles • Paints
• Kitchen waste • Glass • Fluorescent tubes
• Fruit peels • Wires • Spray cans
• Meat • Metal/ Metal objects • Fertilizers,
• pesticide Containers
• Bones • Plastic • Batteries
• Flowers • Rags • Shoe polish
• House dust after cleaning •Leather
• Fruit peels • Rexine
• Garden Waste

Waste Disposal

The waste may come for disposal either directly after its transportation or after processing. A
disposal could be on land or water logged areas for reclamation. The different functions are
interdependent and interrelated which could be better managed by a system approach.

Disposal is the final stage in the solid waste management and all the wastes whether they are
residential, commercial or from any other sources are collected and transported to a disposal site.
It may be a landfill site or an incinerator or some other mode of disposal. Safe disposal of solid
waste is important for safeguarding the public health, environment and wildlife as well.

An efficient waste management system is the one that provides the ecologically sound disposal
option for waste that cannot be reduced, recycled, composted or processed further. A wide range
of options is available for the safe disposal. They are listed as follows:

1 Open Dumping

Open dumping is the most common and oldest method for disposal of solid waste in India,
because it is a cheap method (Dhokhikah and Trihadiningrum, 2012) and requires no planning.
Some components of refuse are suitable for open dumping. These include street sweepings, ashes
and incombustible rubbish. However, serious nuisances and hazards will result if garbage or
mixed refuse is disposed of in this manner. They include odours, dust, wind borne paper, flies,
fires, rats and mosquitoes that will breed in rain water held in cans. Low lying areas which may
be brought up to grade by filling are generally chosen for the dump.
2 Composting

Composting is a biological process used for the conversion of bulk organic waste materials into
fertilizing manure, known as compost. The composting process is carried out by the action of
microorganisms present in the soil and waste materials and animal dung is used for the
composting process. Trenches are filled with alternate layers of solid waste and dung and finally
it should be covered with soil to prevent flies and insects and loss of moisture. To speed up the
bacterial action, the solid waste is shredded to about 5cm in size prior to placement in digesters
or bins for decomposition. In the composting process moisture content is the key element and it
should be maintained by 30-40%. In 3 to 4 months, manure is ready for use. In a good
composting process Carbon:Nitrogen ratio is about 30:1 to 40:1. Several components of mixed
municipal solid waste are of no value in the composting process. Only biodegradable materials
will be useful in the composting process.

Advantages

 Compost is an excellent organic additive for agricultural soils.

 Its principal value when applied to the soil is acting as a good soil conditioner.

 It lightens the soil, promotes aeration and helps to retain moisture by adding humus.

 It has some fertilizing value. It contains about 1.5% N, 1% P2O5, 0.8% K20, 30%C and 40%
ash.

 Compost itself presents no health hazards, as the heat developed during composting kills the
pathogens and eggs of parasites.

 Completely composted material is not attractive to flies.

 It may reduce the volume of total waste for disposal.

 Composting process may become more popular in the future if farmers recognize its benefits
and values which are safer than the chemical fertilizer.

 It contains several micronutrients needed by plant life.

 It increases the permeability of the soil due to its porous nature.

 The soil drainage will also improve, thereby reducing the possibility of water logging.

 It enriches land fertility.

3 Vermi Composting

Vermi composting is the process by which worms are used to convert organic materials (usually
wastes) into a humus-like material known as vermi compost.

Vermicompost is the end product of the breakdown of organic matter by some species of
earthworm (Anjaneyulu, 2004). Vermicompost is a natural fertilizer, nutrient- rich contains
nitrates, phosphates, potassium and is a good soil conditioner. As a processing system, the
vermicomposting of organic waste is very simple.

Benefits

 It is very rich organic manure.

 It does not contain any chemicals harmful to the plants or man.

 If done efficiently it is very cost effective.

 It is ecofriendly and helps us in converting waste to wealth.

 Carefully prepared vermicompost increases the production of certain crops from 30-60%.

 Provide micro and macro nutrients to the plants.

 Reduces the use of chemical pesticides.

 Improves the quality of crop production.

4 Ocean Dumping

The disposal of refuse by dumping into sea is possible only in case of coastal cities. While
dumping the refuse, care is taken to take the refuse in barges, sufficient distance away, 2 to 3 km
from the beach and dumped there. The refuse may be washed ashore under tidal conditions. This
method is very costly and is not used in India.

5 Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is also referred to as destructive distillation or carbonisation. It is the thermal

decomposition of organic matter at high temperature (900°C) in an inert (oxygen deficient)
atmosphere or vacuum, producing a pyroligenous liquid having high heat value and is a feasible
substitute of industrial fuel oil.

6 Gasification

Gasification involves thermal decomposition of organic matter at high temperatures in the

presence of limited amounts of air/oxygen, producing mainly a mixture of combustible and non-
combustible gas (carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide). This process is similar to
Pyrolysis, involving some secondary/different high temperatures (> 1000°C) which improve the
heating value of gaseous output and increases the gaseous yield (mainly combustible gases,
CO+H 2 ) and lesser quantity of other residues.

7 Incineration

Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances
contained in waste materials. Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, fuel gas
and heat. The incineration of MSW essentially involves combustion of waste leading to volume
reduction and recovery of heat to produce steam that in turn produces power through steam
turbines. Basically, it is a furnace for burning waste and converts MSW into ash, gaseous and
particulate emissions and heat energy. The efficiency of the technology is linked to the waste
characteristics and their properties such as moisture content and calorific values. It requires high
temperature of 8000-10000c and sufficient air and mixing of gas steam. The combustion residues
include bottom ash, fly ash and non-combusted organic and inorganic materials.

The advantages and disadvantages of incineration of solid wastes are as follows:

Advantages

 One of the most attractive features ofthe incineration process is that it can be used to reduce
the original volume of combustibles by 80 to 95 percent.

 The output (ash) is considerably more inert (stable) than incinerator input, mainly due to the
oxidation of the organic component of the waste stream.

 Energy from waste can be recovered.

 The waste is sanitized.

 The main advantage of incineration over all other methods is the volume reduction ofwaste.

Disadvantages

 Large initial capital is required.

 At times auxiliary fuel is required when the calorific value of the refuse is low and contains
high humidity.

 Control equipment is needed to avoid air pollution since no incinerator produces emissions
completely free of pollution.

8 Sanitary Landfill

Sanitary landfill differs from ordinary dumping in that the material is placed in a trench or other
prepared area, adequately compacted and finally covered with soil at the end of the working day.
The term modified sanitary landfill has been applied to those operations where compaction and
covering are accomplished once or twice a week (Thomas et al.,1968). Such a landfill is a well-
controlled and truly sanitary method of disposal of solid wastes upon land. It consists of four
basic operations:

 The solid wastes are deposited in a controlled manner in a prepared portion of the site.

 The solid wastes are spread and compacted in thin layers.

 The solid wastes are covered daily or more frequently, if necessary, with a layer ofearth.

 The cover material is compacted daily. The final result can be a golf course or play field.

Advantages

 The initial capital investment is lower than that required to implement either incineration or
composting methods.

 Low cost of operation and maintenance.

 It is a complete and final method that can receive all types of municipal solid wastes,
eliminating the problem of ashes from incineration and materials that do not degrade during
composting.

 In large sanitary landfills that receive more than 200 tons of refuse per day, methane gas may
be recovered and used as an alternative source of energy.

 It can be located near an urban area if there is available land. The costs oftransportation are
then reduced and the landfill can be better supervised.

 It reclaims lands that can be used for the construction of parks, recreational areas, or sports
fields.

 A stationary landfill can begin to operate in a short time.

Disadvantages

 The acquisition of land is the first barrier to construct a sanitary landfill as opposition from the
public may be strong due to lack of knowledge of the sanitary landfill technique.

 Rapid urbanization has increased land cost. This means that a sanitary landfill has to be
located in collection route, raising the cost of transportation.

 Construction must constantly be supervised to maintain a high level of quality. In small

communities, the cleaning service should make the daily supervision but should have the advice
of a knowledgeable professional with experience to oversee the progress of the work from time
to time.

 The landfill may become an open dump if municipal administrators are reluctant to invest in
operation and maintenance.

 Contamination of nearby surface and groundwater may occur if proper precautions and not
taken.

 The most significant settlement occurs in the first two years after the landfill is completed,
making the use of the land difficult. Settlement time will depend upon the death of the landfill,
type of solid waste, degree of compaction and the amount of rainfall in the area.

Environmental and Health Impacts of Solid Waste

Improper disposal of solid waste contaminates the natural resources like air, water and land and
deteriorates the quality of life and human health. Improper solid waste management shows the
impact on the planet earth and result in global warming and climate changes. Surface water
resources and ground water resources contaminate due to the indiscriminate and improper
disposal of solid waste and generation of leachate from the landfills (Rajput et al., 2009). From
these landfills, the solid waste generates methane which is a greenhouse gas and has 20 times
more global warming potential than the carbon dioxide.

Municipal solid waste can attract the insects, flies, rodents and spread diseases such as dengue,
malaria and plague.

Impacts caused by improper solid waste management are listed below:

 Rag pickers working at waste disposal site are vulnerable to many diseases like lung
infections, skin problems etc.

 The burning of the solid waste at the disposal site causes air pollution and consequently spread
the diseases and deteriorates health condition of surrounding people.

 Methane is one of the greenhouse gases and is the main ingredient of landfill gas, leading to
climate change and the methane gas has more potential than the carbon dioxide as a greenhouse
gas.

 The improper disposal of solid waste can cause foul odor and cause aesthetic nuisance.

 The chemical reaction between the pathological, toxic and municipal solid waste components
can have serious effects on public health and the environment.
 The polluted water from waste disposal sites can contaminate the water resources like lakes
and ponds. If these water resources contain chemicals they mix-up with the water bodies and
cause health problems.

 If the collection vehicles are not covered and designed properly, during the transportation
leads to foul odor and can cause damage to the surface of the roads.

 Plastic bags are non-biodegradable substances and cause an aesthetic nuisance (Dhayagode et
al., 2011).

 Some health care items and dangerous items such as explosive containers, broken glass,
hypodermic needles, blades, and blooded cotton may pose risks of injury to people who sort
through the waste.

 If there are no proper collection systems, waste collection workers may face different types of
problems.

 While manual handling the waste, the workers have to take protective measures otherwise
diseases may attack due to direct contact of pathogens.

 If the solid waste is not collected regularly, it may deteriorate the urban environment and
cause unhygienic conditions.

 From uncollected and decomposing wastes, dust particles and Aerosols can spread(Thirumala
et al., 2012) fungi and other disease causing agents.

 The open burning and open dumping of municipal solid waste causes air pollution.

 During the open burning of the solid wastes some of the products may enter the environment
which is hazardous.

 Solid waste is the best food for flies and the breeding of flies spread so many diseases.

 Uncollected wastes mixing in drains, causing flooding and unsanitary conditions.

 Open waste bins also attract stray and domestic cattle and causes nuisance.

 Mosquitoes breed in blocked drains and in rainwater that is retained in discarded cans, tire and
other objects. Mosquitoes spread disease, including malaria and dengue.

 Garbage dumps contribute to the seepage of toxic chemicals to ground water and such
contaminations have been linked up with increases in cancer incidences.

Waste Management Practices

1 Waste Prevention

Waste prevention is defined as preventing the generation of waste at the source level only and
encouraging the methods reuse, recycling and recovery. Solid waste generation is increasing with
the change in lifestyles and the high amount of solid waste and improper solid waste
management creates a threat to the environment. Best practices are most necessary and essential
for better solid waste management. To achieve this, best practice is to be followed 3 Rs principle.
3 Rs principle includes the most preferred options i.e. waste reduction, reuse and recycling for
management of solid waste (NSWAI, 2008). For the prevention of solid waste generation, the
most effective methods are the waste reduction and reuse.

2 Reduce

Source reduction often also called the waste minimization means less production and less
consumption of products or materials. Waste generation may be reduced due to changes in the
design, purchase and manufacturing process of products.

3 Reuse

Reuse is closely related to source reduction. Reuse is the next step to the source reduction and
reduce is one of the steps of reuse. Reuse means usage of products again and again. By following
the method reuse, the amount of waste generation decreases after the consumption and at the
same time it reduces the manufacturing of products and finally reduces the amount of solid waste
generation at the source level only.

Many ways to reuse the materials include using rechargeable batteries, refillable pens and
donating any unwanted products etc. Reuse is the best method than the recycling. In another way
reuse some materials such as metal, glass, energy from the waste materials by the extraction of
useful raw materials. These are the Simple and best ways to reuse the products.

4 Recycle

Recycling means the converting of waste materials into useful forms. Recycling is often voiced
as the antidote to the solid waste problem. Hence recycling of wastes can only be a supplement
to the most effective method of reducing solid waste generation to the maximum possible extent.
This has become necessary today due to the following reasons:

 Resources of nature are fast depleting due to rising populations and increasing consumption
rates. Resource depletion becomes a serious problem unless resources are also generated from
waste materials.

 Waste products are accumulating in the environment demanding space, health hazards and
causing nuisance.

 Economic gains motivate recycling to some extent.

For reducing the quantity of solid waste generation, recycling is another best technique.
Recycling means the reusing materials and objects in their original or changed forms rather than
discarding them as wastes (Wyld, 2010).

5 Importance and Benefits of Recycling and Reuse

For an integrated solid waste management, “Recycle” and “Reuse” are the key elements.
Recycling and reusing materials not only reduces the amount of materials into the solid waste
stream also reduces the costs for processing of the collection, transportation and disposal etc. The
importance and benefits of recycling and reusing are listed as follows:

 By utilizing energy from the waste materials, natural resources should be conserved.

 Minimize the impacts on the environment and human health by reducing the amount of waste
generated.

 The use of recycled materials reduces the pollution and energy consumption.

 Affordable market prices for recycled materials.

 Helps to establish industries of secondary materials.

 Generate income to the society because of the market value of waste materials.

 Reduces the amount ofwaste that has to be imported, by producing secondary raw materials.

The Stakeholders Involved in the Management of MSWM in INDIA are

 The Ministry of Environment and Forests: The Ministry of Environment and Forests is
responsible for general aspects related to waste management, and draws up, coordinates the
environmental policy and overseas the implementation of the federal legislation regarding waste
management.

 The Central Pollution Control Board: Coordinate the activities of the State Pollution Control
Boards and provide technical assistance and training to the personnel. Disseminate information
sponsor research relating to waste management. To perform functions prescribed by the
Government.

 The State Pollution Control Board: Plans a comprehensive program for the prevention, control
or abatement of air pollution and water pollution. To inspect, at all reasonable times, any control
equipment or process. Prior to installation of a landfill or incinerator, permission from SPCB
must be obtained.
 Cit y Corporation: City Corporation issues permits and creates policy for waste management.
Provides waste management services or operates disposal, recycling or composting facilities.
Often contracts out services to the private sector.

 Private Formal Sector: Participates in performing the functions of collection

andntransportation of the waste and may operate disposal, transfer and recycling facilities.

 Private Informal Sector: Participates in collection of the recyclable waste, transfer to the
recycling facility and recycling of waste.

 Service Users: People who use the service of municipal waste management.