SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION TO SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

As the number of population increases, the number of waste that could be generated will likely to
increase causing waste disposal problems. As long as humans have been living in settled
communities, solid waste, or garbage, has been an issue, and modern society's produces far more
solid waste than in early times. Early methods of waste management consisted of digging pits and
throwing garbage into them. As human cities began to be more concentrated; however, dealing with
garbage became a serious issue.
In response, many cities started to come up with a municipal garbage collection, in the form of a
man with a cart who would buy useful garbage from people and recycle it, or waste collection teams
that would dispose of unusable waste. This strategy basically describes what a waste management is
all about.

WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal, managing and monitoring of
waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is
generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics.
Waste management is a distinct practice from resource recovery which focuses on delaying the rate
of consumption of natural resources, All wastes materials, whether they are solid, liquid, gaseous or
radioactive fall within the remit of waste management.
Waste management practices can differ for developed and developing nations, for urban and rural
areas, and for residential and industrial producers. Management of non-hazardous waste residential
and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of government authorities,
while management for non- hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of
the generator subject to local, national or international controls.
In Metro Manila, Asian Development Bank (2003) reported that the average trash generated per
person per day is a half kilo which translates to 7,000 tons of trash per day. On the other hand, a
total of Php 3.8 billion has been spent for an annual garbage collection which translates to Php1,500
per ton of garbage or Php10.5 million per day. And if solid waste management is employed such as
segregations of recyclables and biodegradables at source and do not end up in dumpsites, Php 3.61
billion will be saved that translates to cost savings of 95%.
Based on studies made by the National Solid Waste Management Commission-Secretariat situated at
the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources with the above-mentioned magnitude of generated waste, only 73% are collected daily by
dump trucks, with the remaining 27% ending up in canals, rivers, or any other space where garbage
could possibly be dumped into.
According to Medrano (2000), the problem of solid waste management brought to the environment
evidences of neglect and abuse. Wastes flood the metropolis as canals and esteros become filled with
trash. In the year 2000, countless lives have been lost as hundreds of people got buried alive as
mountains of garbage collapsed due to heavy downpour – a disaster which we all regard now as the
Tragedy of Payatas.
This tragedy tempted the government towards enactment of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological
Solid Waste Management Act to provide a framework for managing the growing problem of solid
waste in the country.
Furthermore, Republic Act 9003 gives prime importance to the roles of local government units in
managing their solid wastes. The law promotes a way of thinking that waste is a resource that can be
recovered. This can be achieved by practicing the 3 Rs: reduction, reuse, and recycle. It also
mandates us to put these principles into practice. By doing so, the problem of solid waste
management can be solved.
The law requires the following:
(a) solid waste must be reduced at source;
(b) recyclable materials must be recovered;
(c) the remaining waste, after recyclable and biodegradable materials have been separated and used,
is to be disposed of properly.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICIES, REGULATIONS, ACTS, PROGRAMS, AND

ORDINANCES
In order for a solid waste management program to become fully implemented, it is a must that
national legislations and policies should be formulated. The Urban Development Series of Asian
Development Bank (2012) has identified the different laws in most of the Asian countries that have
been implemented with varying degrees of success.
Legal Basis for Solid Waste Management of Asian Countries

COUNTRY LAW, ACT, POLICY, OR PROGRAM

Bangladesh Bangladesh Environmental Conservation Act (1995)
Bhutan Environmental Codes of Practices for Solid Waste Management in
Urban Areas (2000)
Cambodia Sub-decree of 2009 on Solid Waste Management No. 36 ANRK.BK,
issued on 27 April, 1999
People’s Republic of China Circular Economy Promotion Law (2009)
Indonesia Law No. 32 for Industrial Waste (2009) and Law No. 18 for
Municipal Solid Waste Management (2008)
Japan Fundamental Plan for Sound Material Cycle Society (2000)
Republic of Korea Waste Management Act (1995), Act on the Promotion of Saving
and Recycling of Resources, and Ordinance on the Standards of
Packaging Methods and Material (1993)
Malaysia National Strategic Plan for Solid Waste Management (2005)
Nepal Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Act (1987) and
Local Self Governance Act (1999)
Philippines Ecological Waste Management Act (2001)
 Singapore Environmental Pollution Control Act (1999), and National Recycling
Program, Zero Landfill and Zero Waste Strategy (2000)
Sri Lanka National Policy on Solid Waste Management (2007)
Thailand National integrated Waste Management Plan (2007)
Vietnam Decree No. 59/2007/ND-CP-Regulation on Solid Waste
Management (2007) and Decision No. 03/2004/QD-BTNMT-
Legislation on Recycling (2004)

Source: Green City Solid Waste Management (2012); ADB, Urban Development Series (2012)

WHAT ARE SOLID WASTES?

The Global Environment Center in Malaysia (2013) defined solid waste as the useless and
unwanted products in the solid state derived from the activities of and discarded by society. It is
produced either by-product of production processes or arise from the when objects or materials are
discarded after use.
However, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection-MassDEP (2013)
describes solid waste as wide variety of materials which come in many forms that comprised of two
major components:
A. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) – trash generated by residents, businesses, institutions and
municipalities, but not including hazardous waste or other industrial by-products-is the first
and largest component of the solid waste stream. MSW typically contains a wide variety of
discarded materials: food scraps, yard wastes, paper and paperboard products, plastics, metal,
rubber, leather, textiles, wood, glass, and other miscellaneous materials.
B. Construction and Demolition Debris (C&D) – generated from the construction, renovation
and demolition of buildings, roads, bridges and other structures – is the other major
component of solid waste. C&D waste typically includes asphalt, brick, concrete, metal, wood,
wallboard and plaster, and roofing and siding materials (such as wood and asphalt shingles).
Wood waste can be painted or stained, unpainted or untreated, pressure-treated, or
“engineered” (particle board, for example), and also can take the form of discarded pallets and
crates.
There are other types of non-hazardous waste produced in our society, including include non-
hazardous industrial wastes and sludge, sewage sludge, junked cars, contaminated soil, medical
wastes, and dredge spoils. While these materials can be produced in large quantities in a typical year,
they are usually managed at specific facilities and not disposed of as municipal solid waste. For
example, “end of life” vehicles are crushed and shredded; the resulting steel is shipped to Asia for
recycling and residual material is used for daily cover at landfills.
Other Classifications of Solid Wastes and its Sources

Source Typical waste generators Types of solid wastes

Residential Single and multifamily dwellings Food wastes, paper, cardboard, plastics,
textiles, leather, yard wastes, wood, glass,
metals, ashes, special wastes (e.g., bulky
items, consumer electronics, white goods,
 batteries, oil, tires), and household
hazardous wastes.).
Industrial Light and heavy manufacturing, Housekeeping wastes, packaging, food
fabrication, construction sites, wastes, construction and demolition
power and chemical plants. materials, hazardous wastes, ashes, special
wastes.
Commercial Stores, hotels, restaurants, Paper, cardboard, plastics, wood, food
markets, office buildings, etc. wastes, glass, metals, special wastes,
hazardous wastes.

Institutional Schools, hospitals, prisons, Same as commercial.

government centers.
Construction New construction sites, road Wood, steel, concrete, dirt, etc.
and demolition repair, renovation sites,
demolition of buildings
Municipal Street cleaning, landscaping, Street sweepings; landscape and tree
services parks, beaches, other trimmings; general wastes from parks,
recreational areas, water and beaches, and other recreational areas;
wastewater treatment plants. sludge.
Process Heavy and light manufacturing, Industrial process wastes, scrap materials,
(manufacturing. refineries, chemical plants, off-specification products, slay, tailings.
Etc.) power plants, mineral extraction
and processing.
Agriculture Crops, orchards, vineyards, Spoiled food wastes, agricultural wastes,
dairies, feedlots, farms. hazardous wastes (e.g.. pesticides).

In the Philippines, the Ecological Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of

Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) classified solid wastes into the following:
a. Compostable Wastes. Compostable wastes are biodegradable wastes such as food waste,
garden waste, animal waste and human waste. They undergo biological degradation under
controlled conditions and can be turned into compost (soil conditioner or organic fertilizer) by
mixing them with soil, water, air and biological additives/activators (optional).
Examples are:
 Fruit and vegetable peelings
 Leftover foods
 Vegetable trims
 Fish/fowl/meat/animal entrails
 Soft shells
 Seeds
 Leaves
 Flowers
 Twigs
 Branches
 Stems
b. Recyclable Wastes. Recyclable materials refer to any waste material retrieved from the
waste stream and free from contamination that can still be converted into suitable beneficial
use. These may be transformed into new products in such a manner that the original products
may lose their identity.
Examples are:
 Newspaper
 Ferrous scrap metal
 Non-ferrous scrap metal
 Corrugated cardboard
 Aluminum
 Glass
 Office paper
 Tin cans

c. Residual Wastes. Residual wastes are solid waste materials that are non- compostable and
non-recyclable. It should be disposed ecologically through a long- term disposal facility or
sanitary landfill.
Examples are:
 Sanitary napkins
 Disposable diapers
 Worn-out rugs

d. Special Wastes. Special wastes refer to household hazardous wastes.

Examples are:
 Paints
 Thinners
 Household batteries
 Lead-acid batteries
 Spray Canisters
 Bulky Wastes such as:
o Large worn-out or broken furniture
o Lamps, Bookcases
o Filing Cabinets
 Consumer Electronics which refer to worn-out, broken and other discarded items like:
o Radios
o Stereos
o TV sets
 White Goods which refer to large worn-out or broken household appliances such as:
o Stoves
o Refrigerators
o Dishwashers
o Clothes
o Washers
o Dryers
o Oil
o Tires