Solid Environment

What is Solid Waste

What is Solid Waste

Solid waste means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a wastewater
treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control
facility and other discarded materials including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or
contained gaseous material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining
and agricultural operations, and from community activities, but does not
include solid or dissolved materials in domestic sewage, or solid or
dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges.
In Simple Words - Solid wastes are any discarded or abandoned materials.
Solid wastes can be solid, liquid, semi-solid or containerized gaseous
material
Integrated Waste Management
 Raw materials

Processing
and Products
manufacturing

Solid and hazardous Waste generated

wastes generated during by households
the manufacturing
process and businesses

Food/yard Hazardous Remaining

Plastic Glass Metal Paper waste waste mixed waste

To manufacturers for reuse Hazardous waste

Compost Landfill Incinerator
or for recycling management

Fertilizer Fig. 21-6, p. 562

What are different types of pollutant?
Solid waste can be classified into different types depending on their
source:
a) Household waste is generally classified as municipal waste,
b) Industrial waste as hazardous waste, and
c) Biomedical waste or hospital waste as infectious waste.
 There are different categories of waste
generated, each take their own time to
degenerate
 The type of litter we generate and the approximate time it takes to degenerate

Type of litter Approximate time it takes to degenerate the litter

Organic waste such as vegetable and fruit peels, leftover a week or two.
foodstuff, etc.
Paper 1030 days

Cotton cloth 25 months

Wood 1015 years

Woolen items 1 year

Tin, aluminium, and other metal items such as cans 100500 years

Plastic bags one million years?

Glass bottles undetermined

different types of waste
Urban wastes include the following wastes:
Domestic wastes containing a variety of materials thrown out from
homes
Ex: Food waste, Cloth, Waste paper, Glass bottles, Polythene bags,
Waste metals, etc.
Construction wastes: It includes wastes of construction materials.
Ex: Wood, Concrete, Debris, etc.
Biomedical wastes: It includes mostly waste organic materials
Ex: Anatomical wastes, Infectious wastes, etc.
EFFECT OF IMPROPER SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Due to improper disposal of municipal solid waste on the roads and
immediate surroundings, biodegradable materials undergo decomposition
producing foul smell and become a breeding ground for disease vectors.
Industrial solid wastes are the source for toxic metals and hazardous
wastes that affect soil characteristics and productivity of soils when they
are dumped on the soil
Toxic substances may percolate into the ground and contaminate the
groundwater.
Burning of industrial or domestic wastes (cans, pesticides, plastics,
radioactive materials and batteries) produce furans, dioxins and
polychlorinated biphenyls that are harmful to human beings.
Waste Treatment
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Landfill
Incineration and
Composting
Landfill

Solid wastes are placed in a sanitary landfill in which alternate layers

of 80 cm thick refuse is covered with selected earth-fill of 20 cm
thickness. After 2-3 years solid waste volume shrinks by 25-30% and
land is used for parks, roads and small buildings. This is the most
common and cheapest cheapest method of waste disposal.
 When landfill is full, layers of soil
Topsoil and clay seal in trash
Sand
Electricity
Methane
generator building
Clay storage and
compressor Leachate
Garbage building treatment system
Probes to detect
methane
leaks Pipes collect
Methane gas explosive methane
recovery for use as fuel
well to generate
electricity Leachate
storage tank
Compacted solid
waste

Garbage Leachate pipes Groundwater

Leachate pumped up monitoring
Sand to storage tank for well
safe disposal
Synthetic liner
Groundwater Leachate
Sand monitoring
Clay and plastic lining to
Clay well
prevent leaks; pipes collect leachate
Subsoil from bottom of landfill Fig. 21-15, p. 572
Incineration
It is a hygenic way of disposing solid waste. It is suitable if waste contains more
hazardous material and organic content. It is a thermal process and very effective for
detoxification of all combustible pathogens. It is expensive when compared to
composting or land-filling.
In this method municipal solid wastes are burnt in a furnace called incinerator.
Combustibe substances such as rubbish, garbage, dead organisms and non-combustibe
matter such as glass, porcelain and metals are separated before feeding to incinerators.
The non-combustible materials can be left out for recycling and reuse. The leftover ashes
and clinkers may account for about 10 to 20% which need further disposal by sanitary
landfill or some other means.
The heat produced in the incinerator during burning of refuse is used in the form of
steam power for generation of electricity through turbines. Municipal solid waste is
generally wet and has a high calorific value. Therefore, it has to be dried first before
burning. Waste is dried in a preheater from where it is taken to a large incinerating
furnace called "destructor" which can incinerate about 100 to 150 tonnes per hour.
Temperature normally maintained in a combustion chamber is about 700 C which may be
increased to 1000 C when electricity is to be generated.
 Electricity

Smokestack

Furnace

Boiler

Waste
pit

Ash for treatment,

disposal in landfill,
or use as landfill
cover Fig. 21-13, p. 571
Composting

It is another popular method practiced in many cities in our country. In this

method, bulk organic waste is converted into fertilizer by biological action.
Separated compostible waste is dumped in underground trenches in layers
of 1.5m and finally covered with earth of 20cm and left for decomposition.
Sometimes, actinomycetes are introduced for active decomposition. Within
2 to 3 days biological action starts. Organic matter is destroyed by
actinomycetes and lot of heat is liberated increasing the temperature of
compost by 75C and the refuse is finally converted into powdery brown
coloured odourless mass called humus that has a fertilizing value and can
be used in agriculture. Humus contains lot of Nitrogen essential for plant
growth apart from phosphates and other minerals.
Detoxify Hazardous Wastes
Collect and then detoxify
Physical methods
Chemical methods
Use nanomagnets
Bioremediation
Phytoremediation
 Phytoremediation
is the direct use of living green plants for in situ, or in place, removal,
degradation, or containment of contaminants in soils, sludges,
sediments, surface water and groundwater. Phytoremediation is: A
low cost, solar energy driven cleanup technique
 Radioactive Organic Inorganic
contaminants contaminants metal contaminants
Poplar tree Indian mustard Brake fern
Sunower Willow tree

Landfill
Oil
spill
Polluted
groundwate Decontaminated Polluted leachate
Soil r in water out Soil
Groundwater Groundwater

Rhizofiltration Phytostabilization Phytodegredation Phytoextraction Roots of

Roots of plants such
as sunflowers with
dangling roots on ponds
or in greenhouses
can absorb pollutants
such as radioactive
strontium-90 and
cesium-137 and various
organic chemicals.
Plants such as Plants such as poplars plants such as Indian
willow trees and can absorb toxic organic mustard and brake ferns
poplars can absorb can absorb toxic metals
chemicals and break
chemicals and keep them down into less such as lead, arsenic, and
them from reaching harmful compoinds others and store them in
groundwater or which they store or their leaves. Plants can
nearby surface release slowly into the then be recycled or
water. air. harvested and incinerated.
Fig. 21-18, p. 575
RA 9003
Section 5. Powers and Functions of the Commission. -- The Commission shall oversee the implementation of solid waste management plans and prescribe policies to achieve the
objectives of this Act. The Commission shall undertake the following activities:

(a) Prepare the National Solid Waste Management Framework;

(b) Approve local solid waste management plans in accordance with its rules and regulations;

(c) Review and monitor the implementation of local solid waste management plans;

(d) Coordinate the operation of local solid waste management boards in the provincial and city/municipal levels;

(e) To the maximum extent feasible, utilizing existing resources, assist provincial, city and municipal solid waste management boards in the preparation, modification, and
implementation of waste management plans;

(f) Develop a model provincial, city and municipal solid waste management plan that will establish prototypes of the content and format which provinces, cities and municipalities
may use in meeting the requirements of the National Solid Waste Management Framework;

(g) Adopt a program to provide technical and other capability building assistance and support to local government units in the development and implementation of source
reduction programs;

 (h) Develop and implement a program to assist local government units in the identification of markets for materials that are
diverted from disposal facilities through re-use, recycling, and composting, and other environment-friendly methods;

(i) Develop a mechanism for the imposition of sanctions for the violation of environmental rules and regulations;

(j) Manage the Solid Waste Management Fund;

(k) Develop and prescribe procedures for the issuance of appropriate permits and clearances;

(l) Review the incentives scheme for effective solid waste management, for purposes of ensuring relevance and efficiency in
achieving the objectives of this Act;

(m) Formulate the necessary education promotion and information campaign strategies;
10
 (n) Establish, after notice and hearing of the parties concerned, standards, criteria, guidelines and formula that are fair, equitable
and reasonable in establishing tipping charges and rates that the proponent will charge in the operation and management of solid
waste management facilities and technologies;

(o) Develop safety nets and alternative livelihood programs for small recyclers and other sectors that will be affected as a result of
the construction and/or operation of a solid waste management recycling plant or facility;

(p) Formulate and update a list of non-environmentally acceptable materials in accordance with the provisions of this Act. For this
purpose, it shall be necessary that proper consultation be conducted by the Commission with all concerned industries to ensure a
list that is based on technological and economic viability;

(q) Encourage private sector initiatives, community participation and investments resource recovery-based livelihood programs for
local communities;

 (r) Encourage all local government agencies and all local government units to patronize products
manufactured using recycled and recyclable materials;

(s) Propose and adopt regulations requiring the source separation and post separation collection,
segregated collection, processing, marketing and sale of organic and designated recyclable
material generated in each local government unit; and

(t) Study and review the following:

(i) Standards, criteria and guidelines for the promulgation and implementation of an integrated
national solid waste management framework; and

(ii) Criteria and guidelines for siting, design, operation and maintenance of solid waste
management facilities.