SOLID WASTE

MANAGEMNET
COURSE CODE: SWM211

Presented By Mwanakaaba .R
 COURSE AIM
Toenable students acquire
knowledge and skills in Solid
Waste Management.
 COURSE OBJECTIVES
 1. Describe key concepts in solid waste management
 2. Explain sources, types and composition of solid wastes
 3.
Describe various methods used in the collection of
waste from domestic houses
 4. Elucidate the principles of solid waste management
 5.Describe methods of transportation and disposal of
solid waste
 6. Describe the storage and disposal of hazardous waste
 7. Describe the electronic waste and its management
COURSE CONTENT

This course is divided into six (5) units, which are:

Unit 1: Introduction to Solid Waste
Management:
Unit 2: Sources, Types and Composition of
Solid Waste:
Unit 3: Solid Waste Management System:
Unit 4: Hazardous Wastes:
Unit 5: Management of Electronic Waste:
Unit 1.0: Introduction to solid waste management
Definition of terms
Waste is any substance which is discarded
after primary use, or is worthless,
defective and of no use. ... Examples
include municipal solid waste (household
trash/refuse),
Garbage It is unwanted materials and
objects that people have thrown away. It is
often also called trash, rubbish, or junk etc
Biodegradable: a substance or
object capable of being
decomposed and thereby avoiding
pollution.
Contamination the action or state
of making or being made impure by
polluting or poisoning.
A
landfill : is a site for the disposal of waste
materials.
Leachate:is the fluid percolating
through the waste and is generated
from liquids and dissoved materials
present in the waste.
Solid Waste: This can be defined as
the material such as household
garbage , food wastes, yard wastes
and demolition or construction debris
it includes discarded items like
household appliances, furniture, scrap
metal, machinery, car parts and
abandoned or junk vehicles.
Solid Waste Management: This is the
discipline associated with the control
of generation, storage, collection,
transfer and transport, processing,
and disposal of solid wastes in a
manner that is in accord with the best
principles of public health,
conservation and other environmental
considerations.
Effects of improperly disposed of
solid wastes on human health and
the environment:
Effects of improperly disposed of solid wastes
on human health and the environment:
Improperly disposed of waste causes air, soil
and water Pollution.
Waste also clogs drains, creating stagnant water
suitable for insect breeding and floods during the rainy
season.

 Uncontrolled burning of waste and improper

incineration contributes to urban air pollution.

Greenhouse gases are generated from
the decomposition of organic waste in
landfills,
untreated leachate pollutes surrounding
soil and water bodies.
Insects and rodents are attracted to the
waste and can spread diseases such as
cholera.
Using water polluted by waste
for bathing, food irrigation and
drinking water can expose
individuals to disease organisms
and other contaminants such as
toxic chemicals e.g cyanide.
Legal and institutional framework for solid waste
management in Zambia
 The Public Health Act, Cap 295
 The Local Government and Housing Act, Cap 281
 The Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act, Cap
204
 The Water and Sanitation Act of 1997
 Ionising Radiation Act Cap 16, 2005
 The Hazardous Waste Management Regulations, (SI) 125 of
2001
 The Waste Management Regulations (SI 71 of 1993)
 The Environmental Impact Assessment SI 28, 1997
Institutions Involved in Waste Management: Institutions
involved in waste management include:
The Ministry of Health-is responsible for the
development of policy on health care
provision
The Ministry of Local Government and
Housing and local authorities- develops
policies on infrastructure development and
providing facilities for waste management
The Ministry of Tourism, Environment and
Natural Resources- responsible for the
development of Environmental Policy and
Legislation in Zambia
Environmental Council of Zambia-for the
implementation of Environmental
Policies,Environmental Protection, Natural
Resources Management.
 International Conventions and treaties on
solid waste management:
Basel Convention 1989: This is an international
treaty that was convened to reduce the movements
of hazardous waste between nations and specifically
prevent transfer of waste from developed nations to
the developing ones.
Bamako Convention:This came into effect in 1998
Bamako Convention On the Ban on the Import into
Africa and Control of Transboundary Movement and
Management of Hazardous Wastes Within Africa
Stockholm Convention :This convention came
into effect in 2001Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants and it is a global treaty to
protect human health and the environment from
chemicals that remain intact in the environment
for long periods.
Agenda 21 or Earth Summit (Rio; 1992):
Agenda 21 is a declaration signed by world
leaders to prevent environmental damages,
diseases etc
Solid Waste Management Guiding
Principles
the “polluter pays” principle: The polluter
takes responsibility for remedying
environmental impacts arising from unsound
Waste management
The “precautionary” principle: all waste
generated from health care institutions will
be treated as risky or hazardous.
The “duty of care” and the Producer
Responsibility Principles:it implies
responsibility for the waste generated from
our operations
The “principle of cooperation”: This
involves the cooperation of all stakeholders
that include decision makers, regulators,
waste handlers and environmental groups
since SW management is a cross cutting
issue.
The “proximity” principle: Treatment and
disposal of Health Care Waste will take
place at closest possible location to its
source in order to minimize the risks
involved in its transportation.
The cradle-to-grave principle: This means
hazardous waste generators must track
their waste hazardous material from the
point of generation to the point of
disposal.
Integrated solid waste management:
can be defined as the selection and
application of suitable techniques of
solid waste management.
it is composed of the following
elements:
 source reduction, recycling, waste
transformation, and landfilling.
Source reduction: This involves
reducing the amount and the toxicity of
the wastes that are now generated.
 This involves: the form of Pay As You
Throw (PAYT) in which the system
requires the residents to pay for the
waste pickup in relation to the amount
they generate
Improvement in packaging
designs that reduce the amount
of materials that must be
discarded
Improvement in designs of products,
such as refillables containers, that
can be reused
Improvement in the design of
products that can have longer
service lives so that these will not to
be disposed of so frequently
Recycling: which involves the
separation and collection of waste
material; the preparation of these
materials for reuse, reprocessing,
and remanufacture;. Advantages of
this are:
Minimises emissions of greenhouse
gases
Minimises/prevents pollution
Minimises amount of materials
transported to landfills, and prolonging
the lives of landfills
Preserves natural resources
Waste Transformation:it involves the
physical, chemical, or biological alteration of
the wastes to recover reusable and recyclable
materials, and to recover conversion products
(e.g. compost) and energy in the form of heat
and combustible biogas.
The transformation of waste materials usually
results in the reduced use of landfill capacity.
The reduction in waste volume through
combustion is a well-known example.
Landfilling:Landfilling is done with the
solid wastes that cannot be recycled
and are of no further use.
 There are only two alternatives
available for the long term handling of
solid wastes and residual matter:
 1.disposal on or in the earth’s mantle
2 disposal at the bottom of the ocean.
END OF UNIT
ONE