ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Waste - Solid Waste Generation and Disposal Systems

GROUP MEMBERS- MAHA KHAN, MAHAM ABBASI

TABLE OF CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION (WHAT IS SOLID
WASTE?)
2. THROW AWAY SOCIETY
3. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
4. CAUSES
5. TYPES OF SOLID WASTE
6. 3 R-S
7. HEALTH HAZARDS
8. PREVENTIVE MEASURES
INTRODUCTION - WHAT IS SOLID WASTE ?
DEFINITION - Solid waste means any
garbage or refuse, sludge from a
wastewater treatment plant, water
supply treatment plant, or air pollution
control facility and other discarded
material, resulting from industrial,
commercial, mining, and agricultural
operations, and from community
activities.
 EXAMPLE
1. Dung beetles live on the energy and nutrients contained
within elephants and other dung in the natural world , this
is not waste, it is food
● The Throw Away Society :
The throw-away society is a generalised description of human social concept
strongly influenced by consumerism, whereby the society tends to use items
once only, from disposable packaging, and consumer products are not
designed for reuse or lifetime use.
We live in an age where everything gets thrown away. From disposable
cameras to disposable diapers, few products marketed to consumers are made
to last. But what many consumers don't realise is that this throw-away world
was largely made by design. Manufacturers call it "planned obsolescence".
● Municipal Solid Waste :
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)—more commonly known as trash or garbage—consists of
everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings,
furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. This
comes from our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
consists of the things we use and then throw away. The goods that we use are generally a
combination of organic items , fibres, metals and plastics made from petroleum.
 ● Types of Solid Waste :
The following are some of the most common kinds of solid waste
management:
a. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
b. Hazardous Wastes
c. Industrial Wastes
d. Agricultural Wastes
e. Bio-medical Wastes
f. Waste Minimization
1 .Municipal Solid Waste (MSW):

Municipal solid waste contains a wide variety of materials. It can

contain food waste (like vegetable and meat material, leftover food,
eggshells etc, which is classified as wet garbage as well as paper,
plastic, tetra-pack, plastic cans, newspaper, glass bottles, cardboard
boxes, aluminium foil, meta items, wood pieces, etc., which is
classified as dry garbage.
2 .Hazardous Wastes:
Hazardous wastes are those that can cause harm to humans and the environment.
Characteristics of Hazardous Wastes:
Wastes are classified as hazardous if they exhibit any of four primary characteristics based on
physical or chemical properties of toxicity, reactivity, ignitability and corrosivity.
1. Toxic wastes: Toxic wastes are those that are poisonous in small or trace amounts. Some
may have acute or immediate effects on humans or animals. Carcinogenic or mutagenic causing
biological changes in the children of exposed people and animals. Examples: pesticides, heavy
metals.
Reactive wastes:
Reactive wastes are those that have a tendency to react vigorously with air or water, are
unstable to shock or heat, generate toxic gases or explode during routine management.
Examples: Gun powder, nitroglycerin.
Ignitable waste:
3. Industrial Wastes
These contain more of toxic and require special treatment.
Source of Industrial Wastes:
Food processing industries, metallurgical chemical and
pharmaceutical unit’s breweries, sugar mills, paper and pulp
industries, fertiliser and pesticide industries are major ones which
discharge toxic wastes. During processing, scrap materials,
tailings, acids etc.
Effects of Industrial Wastes:
Most common observation is that the health of the people living in
the neighbourhood of dumping sites is severely affected. The
exposure may cause disorders of the nervous system, genetic
defects, skin diseases and even cancer.
4.Agricultural Wastes:
Sources of Agricultural Wastes:
The waste generated by agriculture includes waste
from crops and livestock. In developing countries,
this waste does not pose a serious problem as most of
it is used e.g., dung is used for manure, straw is used
as fodder. Some agro-based industries produce waste
e.g., rice milling, production of tea, tobacco etc.
Agricultural wastes are rice husk, degasses,
groundnut shell, maize cobs, straw of cereals etc.
5. Bio-Medical Wastes:

Bio-medical waste means any waste, which is generated

during the diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human
beings or animals or in research activities pertaining
thereto or in the production or testing of biological.

6. E-waste
E-waste is any electrical or electronic equipment that’s been
discarded. This includes working and broken items that are thrown in
the garbage or donated to a charity reseller like Goodwill. Often, if
the item goes unsold in the store, it will be thrown away. E-waste is
particularly dangerous due to toxic chemicals that naturally leach
from the metals inside when buried.
3Rs – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
1. REDUCE
The first R in the waste hierarchy is “Reduce.” The crucial thing in the waste
management procedure is to maintain a perfect balance in consumption and
recycle & reuse. If the consumption is less, the rate of recycling or reuse will
also be less.
Here are some easy ways you can reduce the amount of waste you make:
● Pack your lunch in a lunchbox. Paper and plastic bags create a huge amount of
waste — and plastic bags take hundreds of years to decompose. Try a durable
lunchbox or reusable lunch bag instead. Ditto for what goes inside your lunchbox.
Instead of plastic baggies, try reusable containers.
● Bring reusable bags to the grocery store. Most stores sell canvas or durable plastic
shopping bags that can be used again and again. Some grocery stores even give you
a little money off at the checkstand when you BYOB — bring your own bags.
 REUSE
It makes economic and environmental sense to reuse products.
Sometimes it takes creativity:
1. Reuse products for the same purpose. Save paper and plastic bags,
and repair broken appliances, furniture and toys.
2. Reuse products in different ways. Use a coffee can to pack a lunch;
use plastic microwave dinner trays as picnic dishes.
3. Sell old clothes, appliances, toys, and furniture in garage sales or
ads, or donate them to charities.
 RECYCLE
Recycling is a series of steps that takes a used
material and processes, remanufactures, and sells it as
a new product. Begin recycling at home and at work:
Recycling is the recovery and reuse of materials from
wastes. Solid waste recycling refers to the reuse of
manufactured goods from which resources such as
steel, copper , or plastics can be recovered and
reused. Recycling and recovery is only one phase of
an integrated approach to solid waste management
that also includes reducing the amount of waste
produced, composting , incinerating, and landfilling.