SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Once a material no longer has value to its owner, it is considered
waste. The generation of waste varies by country, socioeconomic status, and
as a result of many other practices.
Once the waste is generated on site, it must be processed in some
way. This processing may include washing, separation, and storage so as to
recycle some portion of the waste. Public law and education significantly
affect this step. For example, in some communities it is illegal to discard
lawn clippings and other similar biomass in the regular trash collection. This
material must be disposed of during separate trash collections. Educating
the public as to the importance of recycling will affect this step also.
Waste collection is the next step in the management process.
Collection includes picking up solid wastes and emptying containers into
suitable vehicles for transport. This step also includes the collection of
recyclable material.
The collected waste can be transferred to a central storage facility or to a processing
facility. If processing occurs, it usually includes mass and volume reduction, along with separation
into the various components that can be reused. The separated waste may at this point becomes a
valuable commodity. In effect, it is no longer a waste.
The organic portion of the waste can be transformed into heat by chemical means (usually
incineration) or into fuel gas or compost (by biologically mediated reactions).
The final steps include transport and disposal. The most common means of final disposal
is landfilling.
SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
The solid waste collection policies of a city begin with decisions made by elected representatives
about whether collection is to be made by:
1) City employees (municipal collection)
2) Private firms that contract with city government (contract collection) or
3) Private firms that contract with private residents (private collection).
The proper frequency for the most satisfactory and economical service is governed by the amount
of solid waste that must be collected and by climate, cost, and public requests. For the collection
of solid waste that contains putrescible waste, the maximum period should not be greater than
1) The normal time for the accumulation of the amount that can be placed in containers of
reasonable size
2) The time it takes for fresh putrescible waste to decay and emit foul odors under average
storage conditions
3) The length of the fly-breeding cycle, which, during the hot summer months, is less than 7
days.
WASTE AS RESOURCE
The waste-to-resource approach promotes a paradigm shift in the management of solid
waste. Under this approach, rather than view waste as a problem and burden, it is seen as a valuable
resource, one that can be managed to produce sustainable benefits for a range of actors.
SOLID WASTE REDUCTION
Combustion
Combustion is the controlled burning of substances in an enclosed area, as a means of
treating and disposing of hazardous waste.
DISPOSAL BY SANITARY LANDFILL
Sanitary landfill is a land disposal site employing an engineered method of disposing of
solid wastes on land in a manner that minimizes environmental hazards by spreading the solid
wastes to the smallest practical volume, and applying and compacting cover material at the end of
each day.
