This document defines and describes different types of solid wastes and provides an overview of solid waste management. It discusses domestic, commercial, institutional, and municipal wastes. It then summarizes the key elements of solid waste management including generation, handling and storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and recovery, and disposal. Collection methods, transfer station types, and processing techniques like compaction, incineration, and sorting are also outlined. The goal of solid waste management is described as achieving a clean environment through approaches like composting, energy recovery, recycling, and land reclamation.
This document defines and describes different types of solid wastes and provides an overview of solid waste management. It discusses domestic, commercial, institutional, and municipal wastes. It then summarizes the key elements of solid waste management including generation, handling and storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and recovery, and disposal. Collection methods, transfer station types, and processing techniques like compaction, incineration, and sorting are also outlined. The goal of solid waste management is described as achieving a clean environment through approaches like composting, energy recovery, recycling, and land reclamation.
This document defines and describes different types of solid wastes and provides an overview of solid waste management. It discusses domestic, commercial, institutional, and municipal wastes. It then summarizes the key elements of solid waste management including generation, handling and storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and recovery, and disposal. Collection methods, transfer station types, and processing techniques like compaction, incineration, and sorting are also outlined. The goal of solid waste management is described as achieving a clean environment through approaches like composting, energy recovery, recycling, and land reclamation.
Solid wastes are all the wastes arising from human and animal
activities that are normally solid and are discarded as useless or
unwanted. 1 Solid waste includes domestic wastes, municipal wastes, commercial wastes, garbage, rubbish, ashes, construction and demolition wastes, industrial wastes, hazardous wastes, hospital wastes. (a) Domestic wastes These wastes are generated by household activities such as wastes from cooking, cleaning, repairs, redecoration, empty containers, packaging, clothing, old books, newspapers, old furnishings, etc. (b) Commercial wastes Solid wastes generated in offices, wholesale stores, restaurants, hotels, markets, warehouses and other commercial establishments. These are further classified into garbage and rubbish. ) (c) Institutional wastes Wastes generated from institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals, research institutions. The waste includes garbage, rubbish and hazardous wastes (d) Municipal wastes Wastes generated due to municipal activities and services such as street waste, dead animals, market waste and abandoned vehicles. Generally, the term is used in a wider sense to incorporate domestic wastes, institutional wastes and commercial wastes. Solid Waste Management may be defined as the discipline associated with the control of generation, collection, storage, transfer and transport, processing and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in accord with the best principles of public health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics and other environmental considerations. The main benefit that waste management will yield is a clean environment, but other benefits can be: The production of fertilizer through composting; The recovery of energy through biogas Recycling of the various materials in a waste; Land reclamation. To assess the management possibilities it is important to consider materials flow in society reduction in raw materials usage reduction in solid-waste quantities reuse of materials materials recovery energy recovery, and day-to-day solid-waste management It is an indication of how and where solid wastes are generated in a technological society. Solid wastes are generated at the start of the process, beginning with the mining of raw material. Thereafter, solid wastes are generated at every step in the process as raw materials and converted to goods for consumption. It is apparent from Fig. 5.2 that one of the best ways to reduce the amount of solid wastes to be disposed is to reduce the consumption of raw materials and to increase the rate of recovery and reuse of waste materials. To satisfy the principle of conservation of mass the input must equal the output. Clearly, if a reduction in the usage of raw materials is to occur either the input or output must be reduced. Raw materials usage can be reduced most effectively by reducing the quantity of municipal and industrial wastes or increasing the recovery of solid wastes. While most people would agree that it is desirable to reduce the usage of raw materials, others’ would argue that as the usage of raw materials is decreased jobs in those industries also are decreased. 1 Reductions in the quantities of waste can occur in several ways: (1) the amount of material used in the manufacture of a product can be reduced, (2) the useful life of a product can be increased, and For example, the quantity of automobile tires now disposed of on an annual basis could be cut almost in half if their useful life (or mileage) were doubled (3) the amount of materials used for packaging and marketing of consumer goods can be reduced.. (d) Re-use of solid-waste materials Reuse (recycling) of waste materials now occurs most commonly in those situations where a product has utility in more than one application. A number of materials present in municipal and industrial solid wastes are suitable for recovery and reuse. Paper, cardboard; plastics, glass, nonferrous metals, and ferrous metals are the most likely candidates. The activities involved with the management of solid wastes from the point of generation to final disposal have been grouped into six functional elements : (1) waste generation; (2) on-site handling, storage, (3) collection; (4) transfer and transport; (5) processing and recovery; and (6) disposal Waste generation encompasses activities in which materials are identified as no longer being of value and are either thrown away or gathered together for disposal.. Factors that influence the quantity of municipal wastes generated include (1)geographic location, (2) season of the year, (3) collection frequency (affects amount collected), (4) use of kitchen waste grinders, (5) extent of salvaging and recycling, (6) public attitudes, and (7) legislation. The existence of salvage and recycling operations within a community definitely affects the quantities of wastes collected for disposal. II. On-site handling and Storage On site handling refers to the activities associated with the handling of solid wastes until they are placed in the containers used for their storage before collection. On-site storage Factors that must be considered in the on-site storage of solid wastes include (I) the type of container to be used, (2) the container location, (3) public health and aesthetics, and (4) the collection methods to be used. III. Collection of Solid Wastes Collection, one of the most costly functional elements, is presented in four parts dealing with (1) the types of collection services, (2) the types of collection systems, (3) an analysis of collection systems, and (4) the general methodology involved in setting up collection routes. a) Collection services Who Should Make Collections? In general, local officials have three alternative forms of solid waste collection from which to choose.These forms are municipal collection, contract collection and private collection. b) Types of collection systems Based on their mode of operation, collection systems are classified into two categories: hauled-container systems and stationary-container systems. IV) Transfer and transport The functional element of transfer refers to the means, facilities and appurtenances used to effect the transfer of wastes from relatively small collection vehicles to larger vehicles and to transport them over extended distances to either processing centers or disposal sites. a) Transfer stations Important factors that must be considered in the design of transfer stations include :(1) type of transfer operation to be used, (2) capacity requirements, (3) equipment and accessory requirements, and (4) environmental requirements. Depending on the method used to load the transport vehicles(transfer operation---1), transfer stations may be classified into three types: (I) direct discharge, (2) storage discharge, and (3) combined direct and storage discharge. Direct Discharge - In a direct-discharge transfer station, wastes from the collection vehicles usually are emptied directly into the vehicle to be used to transport them to a place of final disposition. To accomplish this, these transfer stations usually are constructed in a two-level arrangement. The unloading dock or platform from which wastes from collection vehicles are discharged into the transport trailers is elevated, or the transport trailers are located in a depressed ramp. Storage Discharge: In the storage-discharge transfer station, wastes are emptied either into a storage pit or onto a platform from which they are loaded into transport vehicles by various types of auxiliary equipment. 2-Capacity Requirements The operational capacity of a transfer station must be such that the collection vehicles don’t have to wait too long to unload. An economic trade-off analysis should be made between the annual cost for the time spent by the collection vehicles waiting to unload against the incremental annual cost of a larger transfer station and/or the use of more transport equipment. 3-Location of transfer stations and Environment Whenever possible, transfer stations should be located (1) as near as possible the weighted center of the individual solid-waste production areas to be served (2) within easy access of major arterial highway routes as well as near second a or supplemental means of transportation, (3) where there will be a minimum public and environmental objection to the transfer operations, and (4) where construction and operation will be most economical. Processing techniques are used in solid waste management systems to (1) improve the efficiency of solid-waste disposal systems, (2) to recover resources (usable materials), and (3) to prepare materials for the recovery of conversion products and energy. a)Mechanical volume reduction Mechanical volume reduction is perhaps the most important factor in the development and operation of' solid-waste management systems. Vehicles equipped with compaction mechanisms are used for the collection of most municipal solid wastes. To increase the useful life of landfills, wastes are compacted. Paper for recycling is baled for shipping to processing centers. The volume of municipal wastes can be reduced by more than 90 percent by incineration. In the past, incineration was quite common. However, with more restrictive' air-pollution control requirements necessitating the use of expensive cleanup equipment only a limited number of municipal incinerators are currently in operation. More recently, increased haul distances to available landfill sites and increased fuel costs have brought about a renewed interest in incineration. (iii) Manual component separation The manual separation of solid waste components can be accomplished at the source where solid wastes are generated, at a transfer station, at a centralized processing station, or at the disposal site. Manual sorting at the source of generation is the most positive way to achieve the recovery and reuse of materials. There are four methods of disposing of household waste: · Land fills (dumping); Composting; Incineration; Resource recovery (a) Land fills Disposal on or in the earth's mantle is, at present, the only viable method for the long-term handling of: (1) solid wastes that are collected and are of no further use, (2) the residual matter remaining after solid wastes have been processed, and (3) the residual matter remaining after the recovery of conversion products and/or energy has been accomplished. Land filling is the method of disposal used most commonly for municipal wastes; land filling and deep-well injection have been used for industrial wastes. Although incineration is often considered a disposal Land filling involves the controlled disposal of solid wastes on or in the upper layer. Design and operation of landfills The primary objective of landfill site design is to provide effective control measures to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment, in particular the pollution of surface water, groundwater, soil and air, as well as the resulting risks to human health arising from land filling of waste. The design concept for a landfill depends on the ground conditions, the geology and hydrogeology of the site, the potential environmental impacts and the location of the landfill. The investigations for a landfill should provide sufficient information to enable the formulation of a site specific design. Aspects that must be considered in the design are briefly discussed below. Nature and quantities of waste Water control Protection of soil and water Leachate management Gas control Environmental nuisances Stability Visual appearance and landscape Operational and restoration requirements Risk Assessment The following biological, physical, and chemical events occur when solid wastes are placed in a sanitary landfill: (1) biological decay f organic materials, either aerobically of anaerobically, with the evolution of gases and liquids; (2) chemical oxidation of waste materials; (3) escape of gases from the fill; (4) movement of liquids caused by differential heads; (5) dissolving and leaching of organic and inorganic materials by water and leachate moving through the fill; (6) movement of dissolved material by concentration gradients and osmosis; and (7) uneven settlement caused by consolidation of material into voids. (b) Composting Composting has long been used in agriculture, but its application to the digestion of urban waste has only recently been developed. It is essentially a process by which organic matter (food, leather, wood, paper etc.) decays. In low-income housing areas, as much as 90 per cent of waste might be compostable. The composting process might take a month, and composting can be turned into a profitable business for holders of small vegetable plots and nurseries for potted and garden plants. Composting needs air, humidity and warmth. (C) Incineration