Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste

• Solid waste management


  The method of collecting and treating solid waste

  
• Solid waste

  • Discarded solid substances generated from human activities and having no more value with respect to its economic, physiological or technological process
  • Solid waste in a broader sense corresponds to any domestic, industrial and agricultural resources that are considered already useless
• Classifications of solid waste

  • Organic waste
  • Biodegradable wastes
  • Non-biodegradable wastes
  • Combustibles
  • Non-combustibles
  • Toxic wastes
  • Recyclables
  • Construction wastes
  • Hazardous wastes
  • Bulky wastes

  
• Sources of solid waste

  • Residential
  • Industrial
  • Commercial
  • Institutional
  • Construction and demolition areas
  • Municipal services
  • Agriculture
  • Biomedical

  
• Effects of solid waste pollution

  • Leachates from garbage dumps seep into the soil can pollute underground water
  • Scavengers, stray animals and insects can invade the garbage and clutter the waste that can damage the atmosphere and can spread various diseases
  • Food and water supply, if gets contaminated with pathogens present in solid wastes, may result in cholera, jaundice, hepatitis, gastro enteric diseases etc.
  • Waste plastics and rubber pollute the atmosphere with toxic fumes while organic solid wastes emit obnoxious odor upon decomposition that make the environment polluted
  • Hospital and clinic wastes if not properly handled can cause transmission of diseases
  • Solid wastes can result in water logging that facilitates breeding of mosquitoes resulting to the spread of diseases like malaria and plague

  
• Solid waste management

  The collection and treatment of solid wastes to reduce and eradicate the adverse effect of solid waste to individual's health and to the environment as well so that economy will be developed and the quality of life will be improved

  
• The 5 R's of Waste Management

  • Refuse
  • Reduce
  • Reuse
  • Repurpose
  • Recycle

  
• Refuse

  The best way to minimize waste by not buying non-recyclable products and being clever in purchasing decisions
• Reduce

  Avoiding too much use of resources to help reduce the waste and therefore, there is less waste to manage
• Reuse

  Replacing all of the single-used items with reusable materials so that the waste material will not end up in landfill but can be used up again

  
• Repurpose


  Thinking of all possibilities on how each product can serve more than one purpose, also referred to as upcycling
• Recycle


  Reprocessing waste materials to form new products, common examples are recycling of plastic bottles, paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, tin and plastics

  
• Tin cans

  Can be used for holding power cords, chargers, pencils, ball pens, office supplies, and as decorative vases
• Everyone should be encouraged to repurpose items which they think they no longer need
• Once you have repurposed items, a brighter tomorrow is coming on our way
• Recycling is a simple way in which everyone can contribute to make the world a better place to live
• Benefits of recycling

  Reducing the amount of trash, saving time and effort to collect, separate and send away the trash
• Wastes that can be recycled

  • Paper
  • Cardboard
  • Aluminum
  • Glass
  • Tin
  • Plastics

  
• Organic wastes can also undergo recycling like composting and worm plants
• Reusable products that can replace the following items to reduce waste

  • Plastic containers
  • Paper towels
  • Disposable diapers
  • Disposable batteries
  • Plastic cups
• Waste generation


  Actions that focused on distinguishing materials that are not functioning anymore or valueless to the owner and are subjected for disposal

  
• Onsite handling, storage, and processing


  Storage corresponds to a system for keeping the waste generated that has been discarded prior to collection and disposal

  
• Factors to consider for size and quantity of storage facilities

  • Number of users
  • Type and quantity of waste
  • Frequency of emptying
• Waste collection, transfer and transport

  Collecting waste from garbage bins by the collection vehicles and bringing the garbage in the collection site where the waste conveyance trucks unload the waste

  
• Waste processing and recovery

  Services, tools, and methods used to make materials become ecofriendly to be used again and to efficiently develop other essential features of waste management

  
• Disposal


  Final phase of waste management that involves activities with the purpose of disposing waste materials in locations such as landfills or in places that converts waste-to-usable materials facilities

  
• Steps for effective solid waste management

  • Categorize the solid waste
  • Determine the source of waste
  • Define the probable health risks from waste
  • Determine the bulk of waste
  • Identify safe collection method
  • Introduce safe transportation
  • Establish safe disposal

  
• Thermal processes

  • Solid waste incineration
  • Pyrolysis
  • Pyrolysis/Gasification
  • Conventional Gasification
  • Plasma Arc Gasification

  
• Solid waste incineration


  Process that converts waste material into gas, ash and heat

  
• Solid waste incineration

  • Amount of waste reduced by 75% by weight and up to 90% by volume
  • Poisonous gases released into the atmosphere
  • Noxious particles accumulated in the ash being disposed
  • Expensive alternative because several resources are needed to incinerate waste

  
• Pyrolysis

  Thermal decomposition of carbon-based materials that produce syngas
• Pyrolysis/Gasification

  Variation of the pyrolysis process with an additional reactor to promote gasification of the carbon char or pyrolysis liquids
• Conventional Gasification

  Thermal method where carbonaceous materials are converted into syngas using a limited amount of air or oxygen
• Plasma Arc Gasification

  High temperature pyrolysis process that coverts carbon-based materials into syngas

  
• Aerobic Digestion/Composting

  Conversion of organic materials such as yard trimmings, food scraps, coffee grounds and filters, tea leaves, herbs, spices, nuts and egg shells as well as cut flowers or plant trimmings into compost

  
• Aerobic Digestion/Composting

  • Meat, fish, butter, yogurt, cheese, milk, or animal fat is not allowed
  • Compost can eliminate 99.6 percent of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air
  • Compost increases the retention of water in soil and enables bigger crop yields
• Important factors to consider during composting

  • Feedstock and Nutrient Balance
  • Particle Size
  • Moisture Content
  • Oxygen Flow
  • Temperature
• Anaerobic digestion of Organic Waste

  Alternative way of composting food waste that produces renewable energy and avoids carbon emissions
• Anaerobic digestion of Organic Waste

  • Food waste is pre-treated to remove contaminants and heated to kill pathogens
  • Bacteria break down the waste to produce biogas and nutrient rich bio-fertilizer
• Recycling


  Simple way in which everyone can contribute to make the world a better place to live