Zero waste – a systematic approach to waste management

in school

Team Members: Jothi Shree N - IT -III yr

Priyadharshini M - IT -III yr
Arun Santhosh V - IT -III yr

Staff in charge: Dr.R.Ranjana

Target community:

The proposal aims to make a rural school self reliant in their waste management
and tries to make it a ZERO WASTE community which can inspire others to follow.
Waste management is the need of the hour because it has been mismanaged for years and
we are already witnessing the effects of it like loads of pollutants in air , water and soil. It
also has an indirect effect on the global climatic crisis.
It is important for school children to understand the importance of waste management as
it could become a severe crisis in future. So the target area would be a rural school. We
focus on a school in Somangalam, Poonthandalam in Chennai .

The community’s challenge:

Somangalam is a rural area where there are many waste management plants
constructed and waste management services are enabled. The schools dispose of the
waste as they like in the land, water and in the sludge. The challenging stuff in this is the
disposal of waste in a proper manner. The water is also getting wasted while filling the
water bottles. The students in those areas do not have a proper awareness about this
situation and knowledge about it. The various types of waste produced at the school can
be effectively managed and reused in many ways. This could create a culture of Zero
waste mindset among the students which can have a positive effect in future.

The significance of the problem faced:

Waste management is problem that needs immediate attention and action. It is noticed
that the per capita waste in India is increasing by 1.3% annually. The total waste
generated is increasing by 5% annually. This clearly indicates that we need to adopt strict
measures for waste management. Fortunately 70% of the waste generated can be recycled
or reused. Awareness and affordable means of reducing and recycling waste is needed.
The significance of the problem is the disposal of waste from the school campus. The
waste could be the discarded items the school students use in their routine like plastic
covers, wrappers, food waste, paper waste, stationary waste, dry leaves, etc.
When these wastes are dumped within a secluded area within the campus, it can pose
serious health threats and unfavorable odor.

Existing solution:

It is insisted by the Government that schools be kept clean and tidy. However the
practical implementation of the rules lacks strict measures, whereby we can witness rural
schools that could be maintained better. The existing practice of waste management in the
school under study is the conventional method, wherein waste is discarded. A particular
place is selected to dump all the waste and as when it grows in size, the waste is burnt to
clear the area. It is discarding of waste and there is no proper waste management in place,
wherein, waste are recycled and reused.

Proposed Engineering solution for the problem:

The project concentrates to satisfy the community’s challenge, the problem faced by the
community. The organic wastes of the school can be compost and used for the school
gardening or it can be offered to the community. With this the children will get the
knowledge about gardening and it controls the multiplication of mosquitoes, bugs and
flies which spread diseases to the children and to the society. In school most of the plastic
used are soft plastic which is non biodegradable and cannot be recycled. These plastic
wastes are collected and sent to the nearest waste treatments for probable recycling and
reuse within campus.
The water used for basic sanitary purposes like washing hands, drinking water can be
treated using alum and is flocculation, then it is let to the process of sedimentation and
filtration and it is used for the gardening.
In addition to that organic material like food waste, agricultural residues, it is
decomposed by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen and turned into biogas, which
can then be used as biogas. It can used as a supplementary fuel for cooking for students
who stay within campus.
The proposed method has the following steps:
1. Identifying the types of waste produced in the campus
2. Segregating the waste generated
3. Executing target measures for treating each type of waste
a. Solid waste to be converted to organic compost for gardens
b. Liquid waste treated using Flocculation
c. Plastic waste to be recycled and made as items to be used within the
community.
d. Food waste to be treated
Identifying and segregating the waste is the major challenge in the proposed method.
Students must be made aware of the importance of proper waste management and
encouraged to use separate bins for collecting different types of waste. Once the solid
waste are segregated the individual treatment measures are to be taken.
Treatment of solid waste:

Figure 1: Compost pit for treating solid waste

Solid waste from the mentioned community could be the dry leaves, papers and
degradable stationery items. Solid-Waste management can be defined as the collection,
treatment and disposal of solid materials that are discarded because they have served their
purpose or are no longer useful. Improper disposal of municipal solid waste can lead to
unsanitary environments, which in turn lead to environmental pollution and outbreaks of
vector-borne diseases (i.e. diseases carried by rodents and insects)

In our solution, we are going to collect the organic waste and dump it into a compost pit
as shown in Figure 1, where we dump all kinds of organic waste until it gets filled ,after
that we are going to close the compost pit till certain period of time where the waste can
be changed into useful organic material or organic pesticides so that it may help us to
improve the land soil fertility . This process is simple but it is efficient when we add the
dump waste in a certain manner so that the organic material which is produced will be
better. The compost can be used for an exclusive garden within the campus, wherein
organic produce can be harvested. This will also instill the culture of organic farming
within the kids and make them aware of the process.

Treatment of Liquid waste:

Figure 2 : Liquid waste treatment process

The water used in excess from the drinking water tap, is the source of liquid waste that is
considered. Provision must be made to collect all waste water in a single channel or a
tank. The collected water is then processed by flocculation, the process of adding alum to
the water as shown in Figure 2. On adding the alum to the impure water, the water turns
to pure form and further it can be sent to the process of sedimentation and filtration. After
the entire process the water can be used for the gardening purpose.
Food waste to Biogas:

Food waste in the community is due to the discarded food, thrown away by the school
students and the excess food cooked within the campus kitchen. The effective treatment
of food waste can generate sufficient fuel to the kitchen such that it can be self reliant.
In our solution it is proposed to produce bio gas from the food waste that is to be treated.
Biogas is a type of natural gas. It is produced by bacteria in organic waste, such as plant
and animal products, broken down in "anaerobic digestion," a digestion process that takes
place in specially constructed containers and in an oxygen-free environment. When
biogas is produced from food waste, biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion,
recovering organic matter which is sent to tanks where the biogas is released. One of
these could be harnessing the power of the anaerobic digestion process to produce biogas
from food waste. The generated bio gas can be used as an alternate source of energy
thereby reducing our power and fuel consumption.

Treatment of plastic waste:

Comparatively the amount of plastic waste generated in the community could be
less. However, they need to be treated effectively. So the segregated plastic waste is sent
to the nearby recycling unit and recycled items to be used within the campus are
obtained.

Measures of success metrics:

The World for its sustainable development is moving towards smart and effective
way of managing waste. Aiming for Zero waste is the need of the hour. The solution
definitely concentrates on prevention of waste disposal in these schools and inculcates the
culture of minimizing waste and recycling among the kids. The success metric is
measured in terms of the amount of waste that is treated and reused effectively. Yet
another implicit metric is the impact that this process of waste management leaves in the
minds of the young kids, thereby making them aware of the need for effective waste
management. This solution provides a healthier and a clean environment within the
campus and can also avoid the spread of diseases.

Justification:

The Figure (3), below shows the garbage collected in the Pacific Ocean. This clearly
shows the present crisis that the World faces with respect to the waste management.

Figure 3: Picture depicting the rubbish soup in the Pacific ocean

(Courtesy URL: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/the-world-s-
rubbish-dump-a-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html)

We are in the situation wherein every single person alive on Earth needs to take measures
and effectively practice conscious waste management practices. Schools are the best
place to start and create awareness regarding proper waste management methods.
By treating the waste in schools we can make the environment and atmosphere of schools
better and pleasant .If the organic waste is not disposed of properly it increases the
growth of flies, bugs and mosquitoes which can spread diseases and create a unpleasant
odor .So we can make the organic waste into manure which fertilize the plant growth and
we can grow nutritious plants , vegetables and greens it can be consumed by children.
The manure, vegetables and greens can be given to the community .The plastic wastes
generated by the schools are mostly SUP’s Single Use Plastic or Soft plastic which
cannot be recycled so that type of plastics are collected and sent to the nearest waste
treatment. If the plastic wastes are dumped near the school or any other housing areas, it
will pollute the land and water. Next the water used for drinking and washing hands can
be treated and used for school gardening. By managing and treating the waste generated
at schools we can educate the children about keeping the environment clean and to make
their lives better with what they have.