INTRODUCTION
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. The environment in
which we live is very important and it directly affects our lives. It is said that man is the product of his
environment. Environmental problem is a global concern. It has no boundary. Around the world;
efforts are being made to make people aware about environmental protection. One of the main causes
of environmental degradation is improper management of Solid Waste.
Solid waste is the unwanted or useless solid materials generated from human activities in residential,
industrial or commercial areas. It may be categorised in three ways. According to its:
origin (domestic, industrial, commercial, construction or institutional)
contents (organic material, glass, metal, plastic paper etc)
hazard potential (toxic, non-toxin, flammable, radioactive, infectious etc). 1
Management of such solid waste is one of the major environmental issues as urbanization,
industrialization and economic growth have resulted in increased municipal solid waste (MSW)
generation per person 2
Effective SWM is a major challenge in cities with high population density. Achieving sustainable
development within a country experiencing rapid population growth and improvements in living
standards is made more difficult in India because it is a diverse country with many different religious
groups, cultures and traditions.3
Solid waste management , a critical element towards sustainable metropolitan development,
comprises segregation, storage, collection, relocation, carry-age, processing, and disposal of solid
waste to minimize its adverse impact on environment. Unmanaged Solid Waste becomes a factor for
propagation of innumerable [Link] collection, storage and transport are essential elements of
any Household waste management system and can be major challenges in cities. Waste collection is
the responsibility of the municipal corporations in India, and bins are normally provided for
biodegradable and inert waste . 4
The composition of household waste in India is 51% organics, 17.5% recyclables (paper, plastic,
metal, and glass) and 31 % of inert. The composition of Solid waste in the North, East, South and
Western regions of the country varied between 50-57% of organics, 16-19% of recyclables, 28-31%
of inerts and 45-51% of moisture 5
Mixed biodegradable and inert waste is often dumped, with open burning a common practice.
Improvements to waste collection and transport infrastructure in India will create jobs, improve public
health and increase tourism . The current SWM services are inefficient, incur heavy expenditure and
are so low as to be a potential threat to the public health and environmental quality. 6
1
[Link]
2
Urbanization and Solid Waste Management in India: Present Practices and Future
Challenges. Dimple Vij
3
([Link] n.d.)
4
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2002 Solid waste management: a local
challenge with global impacts. )
5
An Analytical Study on Problems and Policies Of Solid Waste Management In India –Special
Reference to Bangalore City)
6
Challenges and opportunities associated with waste management in India
INTRODUCTION
Improper solid waste management deteriorates public health, causes environmental
pollution, accelerates natural resources degradation, causes climate change and greatly impacts the
quality of life of citizens.
Environmental problems are many. It is mounting high with new problems like disposal of e-waste.
E-waste is a collective terminology for the entire stream of electronic equipment such as TV,
refrigerators, telephones, air conditioners,computers, mobile phones etc. that has reached its End of
Life (EOL) for its current user. Such devices are generally considered toxic when disassembled or
incinerated and are typically targeted for hazardous disposal or are slated for necessary recovery and
reuse .
A cross sectional study was conducted using a well designed and validated questionnaire to obtain
baseline information about waste management practices among school children in Kerala. This Out of
one thousand students of a high school and higher secondary school from Thrissur City in Kerala, 300
were randomly selected. The data analyzed using student t-test showed, high school students are more
aware about household waste management than the higher secondary school students. It is evident
from this study that there is significant difference between awareness and [Link] study reveals
the necessity of giving mass awareness to the impact of waste disposal practices from the beginning
of school education.
There is an urgent need to streamline and sensitize the minds of the youth to the environmental
problems and concerns. It is the education which makes human beings knowledgable to environment
and problems related to it. This helps in effectively preparing the youth to conduct proper waste
management .Thus this study was conducted to know how far the college student are aware and
practicing proper waste management.
Sunil Kumar, Stephen R. Smith, Geoff Fowler, Costas Velis, S. Jyoti Kumar, Shashi
Arya, Rena, Rakesh Kumar, Christopher Cheeseman