Environmental Biotechnology

Key Components of
Solid Waste
Management
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Five key components:

• Generation
• Storage
• Collection
• Transportation
• Disposal
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Generation:
 At this stage the
materials become
valueless to the
owner.
 Since they have no
use for them and
require them no
longer, they wish to
get rid of them.
 However, items which
may be valueless to
one individual may
not necessarily be
valueless to another.
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Storage:
 Storage is a system
for keeping materials
after they have been
discarded and prior to
collection and final
disposal.
 For on-site disposal
systems are, storage
may not be necessary.
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Storage:
 In worst conditions, a
population may
discard domestic
waste in heaps close
to dwelling areas.
 In this case, improved
disposal or storage
facilities should be
provided and should
be located where
people are able to use
them easily.
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Storage:

 Improved storage
facilities include:
• Small containers:
household containers,
plastic bins, etc.
• Large containers:
communal bins, oil
drums, etc.
• Shallow pits
• Communal depots:
walled or fenced-in
areas.
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Storage:
 The size, quantity and
distribution of storage
facilities depends on:
• the number of users,
• type of waste,
• maximum walking
distance, and
• the frequency of
emptying.
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Collection:
 Simply refers to how
waste is collected for
transportation to the
final disposal site.
 Should be carefully
planned to ensure that
storage facilities do
not become
overloaded.
 Collection intervals
and volumes of
collected waste must
be estimated.
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Transportation:
 This is the stage when
solid waste is
transported to the
final disposal site.
 The method chosen
depends upon local
availability and the
volume of waste to be
transported.
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Transportation:
Types of transportation
can be divided into three
categories:
• Human-powered:
open hand-cart, hand-
cart with bins,
wheelbarrow, tricycle
• Animal-powered:
donkey-drawn cart
• Motorised: tractor and
trailer, standard truck,
tipper-truck
Key Components of Solid Waste Management

Disposal:
The final stage is safe
disposal.
There are four main
methods:
• Land application:
burial or landfilling
• Composting
• Burning or
END incineration
• Recycling (resource
recovery)
The most common is the
land application.