(Literature Review)

Assignment
Public awareness about the effects of waste disposal
Course:
Research tools and techniques
Submitted to:
Sir Samiullah
Dated:
13th October, 2018
Submitted by:
Abdul Rahman-017
Umer Khalid-008
Gulfam Ashraf-181
Bisma Saeed-062

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

COMSATS, INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

 Literature Review
Most of the cities of Pakistan lack safe disposal practices and properly designed facility for
disposing waste. Nowadays solid waste is discarded openly along waysides. Whereas Rawalpindi
also does not have any cohesive method for solid leftover management. Municipal solid waste is
being thrown in the open drains, and partially open burnt which results in visually bad look,
outbreak of diseases and environmental pollution. Waste collection system is a bit insufficient as
it collects only 80% of the total waste produced. Poor community areas are mostly ignored and
the collection efficiency is very low. As a result solid waste remains scattered throughout the
remaining areas. Number of containers, collection bins and collection vehicles are too less in
comparison with urban population and quantity of generated waste. There is no proper
management of hazardous waste, hazardous hospital and industrial wastes are being simply
treated as regular waste. As per present practice, solid waste is finally disposed in un-engineered
way i.e. waste is dumped in low lying areas/depressions or dug trenches and buried by soil cover
on the top without taking care of leachate collection and management of landfill which ultimately
deteriorates the quality of underground water and air pollution by firing of landfill gases.

The majority of the solid waste generated at home was largely food remains and plastics, which
were mainly stored in uncovered plastic containers and disposed without separation. Although
waste was disposed appropriately at communal sites, some community members practiced crude
dumping in any available space, including gutters, holes, streets, and bushes. Although,
indiscriminate dumping was frequently done, the community expressed interest in controlling
waste disposal through the use of bins and regular collection to dump sites. The communities
cherished improved waste management practices and were willing to pay for improved services.
With a little push, support, and education to improve people’s practices and perceptions
regarding waste management, some of the challenges confronting municipalities in the area of
waste management can be minimized.

Plastics have transformed everyday life. It is used in shops. Plastics are informal, lightweight
strong and desirable. The diversity of polymers and the versatility of their properties used to
make vast array of products. Acclamation of products debris in the environment and the
associated consequences are largely avoidable. Plastics are so dangerous for health. When they
have thrown the plastics bags, it causes environmental pollution. When it burns it causes various
problems in the environment. The study found that the majority of the solid waste generated at
home was largely food debris and plastics, which were mainly stored in uncovered plastic
containers and disposed without separation. Although waste was disposed appropriately at
communal sites, some community members practiced crude dumping in any available space,
including gutters, holes, streets, and bushes. The communities cherished improved waste
management practices and were willing to pay for improved services. With a little push, support,
and education to improve people’s practices and perceptions regarding waste management,
some of the challenges confronting municipalities in the area of waste management can be
minimized.

The quality and generation role of solid waste in Nigeria have increased at an alarming rate over
the year due to lack of efficient and technologies for the solid waste management. The
generation rate collection and solid waste are function of several factors which could be the
desired solution in the solid waste management. Solid waste could be the non-liquid and non-
gaseous product of human activities .It could be the form of refuse garbage and sludge. The
implication is serious when a country is growing rapidly are the wastes are not effectively
managed. The quality and rate of solid waste generation in the Nigeria depend upon the
population level of industrial social economic state of the citizen. Several factors influences the
solid waste generation in Nigeria like lack of advance technology facility for separation at source,
strength of solid waste management policy, environmental education and awareness are
affecting solid waste management. Though the level of awareness of waste collection services
and waste management regulations were relatively high in Abeokuta, the percentage of those
who used other indiscriminate solid waste disposal methods like open dumping, open burning,
and dumping in drainages was higher. Educational status, age, gender, cost of waste collection
services and the location of residence, among others, were factors influencing solid waste
management in Abeokuta. Nigeria has a long way to go in the area of environmental education
and awareness for the citizens to put off the long-acquired habit of indiscriminate waste disposal
and hunt for second-hand electronic gadgets which has made Nigeria a victim of dumping ground
for electronic wastes.

The environmental degradation as well as health impact of people caused by inadequate disposal
of waste can be expressed by the contamination of surface and ground water through direct
waste contacts or leachate, air pollution by burning of wastes, spreading of diseases by different
vectors like birds, insects and rodents, or uncontrolled release of methane by anaerobic
decomposition of waste. The study was carried out to examine the public awareness about
Impact of solid waste disposal and its management system on different areas. Idea about solid
waste, health impacts of solid waste, environmental pollution from improper management of
solid waste, problems facing from dumping site etc. was developed to obtain the relevant
information. The study showed that the extent of general concept of environmental awareness
among the local people of the study areas was somewhat satisfactory although they had average
ideas about solid waste, effect of solid wastes, solid waste management, and problems
associated with solid waste management, etc. A large number of respondents suggested that it
is necessary to improve present solid waste management system of areas and to change the place
for dumping municipal solid waste from near side areas.