SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste(also known as rubbish,

trash, refuse, garbage, litter) is
unwanted or useless materials.
In Biology, waste is any of the
many unwanted substances or
toxins that are expelled from
living organisms,

Metabolic waste: Urea, Sweat or

feces
Litter: is waste which has been
disposed off improperly.
Solid waste is the useless, unwanted and discarded
material resulting from day to day activities in the
community.

Solid waste management may be defined as the

discipline associated with the control of
generation, storage, collection, transfer, processing and
disposal of solid waste.
A waste assessment is a visual analysis of your facility
that should identify 4 types of information that are vital to
your operations:
1) the quantity and type of waste that is found in the
facility;
2) the main types of waste;
3) the current systems in place to deal with waste on-site
4) how it leaves your facility.
 The first step of a waste assessment is to measure
your facility’s waste.

 The second step is to figure out ways to reduce the

amount of waste that is being carried to the landfill

 The third step is to identify your local haulers,

recyclers and collectors for the waste materials your
facility is generating.

 The fourth step is to determine if the bins set up for

waste material and/or recyclables are set up in the
appropriate place.
The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the
nine scientific missions of the Prime Minister’s
Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory
Council (PMSTIAC).

The mission aims to identify, develop, and

deploy technologies to treat waste to generate
energy, recycle materials, and extract
resources of value.
 The mission will assist and augment the Swachh
Bharat and Smart Cities projects by leveraging
science, technology, and innovation to create
circular economic models that are financially viable
for waste management to streamline waste
handling in the country.
 The mission will also work to identify and support
the development of modern technologies that
promise to create a clean and green environment.
 Waste to wealth mission brings scientific
processing of waste to the forefront to build a zero
landfill and zero waste nation.
 Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
has launched the ‘Waste to Wealth Creation’
programme for women in the Sundarbans in West
Bengal. In this, the women will make ornaments and
showpieces from the fish scales. SIDBI will extend
benefits to 50 women indirectly generating revenues
from alternate livelihoods.

 Under this programme, Later, these women are

expected to become a trainer for replicating and
disseminating the knowledge among other
aspirants.
Ex 1: Turning thin plastics into power:
A new project will use cutting-edge technology called
pyrolysis to turn waste plastic into two valuable
commodities – an oil that can be used as fuel and black
carbon, which is used in print cartridges. The innovative
process makes it possible to recycle thin polythene
plastics, – a material that is not widely recycled and is
therefore ignored by plastic collectors because it can’t
currently be sold on for a profit.
“Pyrolysis is a type of chemical recycling that combines
an absence of oxygen with high temperatures of between
500 and 600 degrees C. By using this process we convert
the plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, which is similar to
diesel but it’s more like a mix of diesel and gasoline.
This can be used in engines.”
Ex 2: From poop and potato peelings to compost
We set up a treatment centre in Faridpur which produces
an extremely rich compost made from a mixture of toilet
and kitchen waste. This ‘co-compost’ adds nutrients to
the soil and doesn’t result in soil degradation over time
like chemical fertiliser does.
For extra nutrients, just add worms!
Producing an even richer vermiculture compost (the
material is digested by worms) product using cow dung,
kitchen waste and banana chips.
Ex 3: Various other Indian cities were identified for the
best practices of waste management.
 Alappuzha (Kerala) and Panaji (Goa) for reducing the
operating cost through source segregation.
 Mysuru (Karnataka) is applying scientific techniques
to turn biodegradable garbage into compost.
 Paradeep (Odisha) has adopted a decentralised and
community-driven model with micro-composing
centres and material recovery facilities.
● Sources of waste can be broadly classified into four
types: Industrial, Commercial, Domestic, and
Agricultural.
● Medical Centres
● Food stores
● food distribution points
● Slaughter areas
● Warehouses
● Agency premises
● markets
● Domestic areas
 Solid Waste: vegetable waste, kitchen waste,
household waste etc.
 E-Waste: discarded electronic devices such as
computers, TV, music systems etc.
 Liquid Waste: water used for different industries,
tanneries, distilleries, thermal power plants.
 Plastic Waste: plastic bags, bottles, buckets, etc.
 Metal Waste: unused metal sheet, metal scraps
etc.
 Nuclear Waste: unused materials from nuclear
power plants.
*Further, all these types of waste can be grouped
into wet waste (Biodegradable) and dry waste (Non
Biodegradable).
 Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as
trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish
in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday
items that are discarded by the public.

 Although the waste may originate from a number

of sources that has nothing to do with a
municipality, the traditional role of municipalities
in collecting and managing these kinds of waste
have produced the particular etymology
'municipal.'
Waste can be classified in several ways, but the
following list represents a typical classification:
 Biodegradable waste: food and kitchen waste, green
waste, paper (most can be recycled, although some
difficult to compost plant material may be
excluded)
 Recyclable waste: paper, cardboard, glass, bottles,
jars, tin cans, aluminum cans, aluminium foil,
metals, certain plastics, textiles, clothing, tires,
batteries, etc.
 Inert waste: construction and demolition waste,
dirt, rocks, debris
 Electrical and electronic waste (WEEE):– ⁣
electrical
appliances, light bulbs, washing machines, TVs,
computers, screens, mobile phones, alarm
clocks, watches, etc.
 Composite wastes: waste clothing, Tetra Pack
food and drink cartons, waste plastics such as
toys and plastic garden furniture
 Hazardous waste including most paints, chemicals,
tires, batteries, light bulbs, electrical appliances,
fluorescent lamps, aerosol spray cans, and
fertilizers
 Toxic waste including pesticides, herbicides, and
fungicides
 Biomedical waste, expired pharmaceutical drugs,
etc.
Garden waste is the accumulated
plant matter from gardening
activities which involve cutting
or removing vegetation, i.e.
cutting the lawn, weed removal,
hedge trimming or pruning
consisting of lawn clippings. leaf
matter, wood and soil.
Organic waste is any material
that is biodegradable and
comes from either a plant or
an animal. Biodegradable
waste is organic material
that can be broken into
carbon dioxide, methane or
simple organic molecules.
Examples of organic waste
include green waste, food
waste, food-soiled paper,
non-hazardous wood waste,
green waste, and landscape
and pruning waste.
Inorganic waste is a type of waste that does not
contain organic compounds. This waste is generally
very difficult to decompose by microorganisms.
Glass, aluminum cans, dust, and metal are some
examples of inorganic waste.

Inorganic waste remains free from decay, with more

than 500 years needed being common for effective
decomposition, therefore disposal can be challenging.

One of the best ways of disposing of inorganic or

chemical waste is by recycling the same.
Medical waste is any kind of waste that contains
infectious material (or material that’s potentially
infectious).

This includes:

 Anything that is soaked in blood (gloves, gauze,

gowns, etc.)
 Human or animal tissues created during
procedures
 Cultures of infectious diseases/agents
 Any waste produced in patient’s rooms with
communicable diseases
 Discarded vaccines
Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial
activity which includes any material that is rendered
useless during a manufacturing process such as that
of factories, mills, and mining operations.
Types of industrial waste include
 dirt and gravel,
 masonry and concrete,
 scrap metal,
 oil,
 solvents,
 chemicals,
 scrap lumber,
 even vegetable matter from restaurants.
Collection
 Waste can be collected by local authorities or
NGOs. NGOs can also help with waste segregation
and handling.
Segregation
 Waste is sorted into categories based on its
physical, chemical, and biological properties. This
can include separating dry waste from wet waste.
Treatment
 Waste can be treated using a variety of methods,
including autoclaves, microwaves, and other
processes.
Disposal
 Treated waste can be disposed of in a variety of
ways, including through the sewage system for
liquids and through regular garbage disposal for
solids.
Biomethanation :is a process by which organic
material is microbiologically converted under
anaerobic conditions to biogas.

Three main physiological groups of microorganisms

are involved: fermenting bacteria, organic acid
oxidizing bacteria, and methanogenic archaea.

The process involves biochemical conversions that

break down organic matter into methane and carbon
dioxide.
Biomethanation plants can generate electricity from
the biogas produced. This electricity can be used to
light street lamps or for other purposes.
Vermicomposting is an organic waste recycling technique
that accelerates the process of composting by the
interactions with earthworms and microorganisms
• It is an environment-friendly technique, as it is an
efficient, odorless, and nonthermophilic process having
the potential to reduce the waste volume as well as
detoxify the toxic ingredients of wastes

• The resultant vermicompost, which is a partially

decomposed biological organic mixture after the
earthworm activity, has tremendous potential to be used
as manure