Waste management practices in Indian and

Waste Management Syllabus and Reference books

L.F. Diaz, M. de Bertoldi, W. Bidlingmaier - Compost Science and Technology-Elsevier
Dr. P. White, Dr. M. Franke, P. Hindle (auth.) - Integrated Solid Waste Management_ A Lifecycle
Inventory (Springer)
Forbes R. McDougall, Peter R. White, Marina Franke, Peter Hindle - Integrated Solid Waste
Management_ a Life Cycle Inventory (2009, Wiley-Blackwell)
William C. Blackman Jr. - Basic Hazardous Waste Management-Lewis Publishers (2001)
(Plastics Engineering) Albertsson - Degradable Polymers, Recycling, and Plastics Waste
Management -CRC Press
George T. Hilary T, Samuel, Integrated Solid waste Management (TMH publishers)
Reference books

 Solid waste management is defined as the discipline associated with control of generation,
storage, collection, transport or transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste materials in a
way that best addresses the range of public health, conservation, economic, aesthetic,
engineering, and other environmental considerations.
 In its scope, solid waste management includes planning, administrative, financial, engineering,
and legal functions. Solutions might include complex inter-disciplinary relations among fields
such as public health, city and regional planning, political science, geography, sociology,
economics, communication and conservation, demography, engineering, and material sciences.
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT (SWM)

 The primary goal of solid waste management is reducing and
eliminating adverse impacts of waste materials on human health and
the environment to support economic development and superior quality
of life.
 This is to be done in the most efficient manner possible, to keep costs
low and prevent waste buildup.
OBJECTIVES OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Source Typical Waste Generators Types of solid wastes
1:Residential Single and multifamily
dwellings
 Food wastes
 Paper
 Cardboard
 Plastics
 Textiles
 Leather
 Yard wastes
 Wood
 Glass
 Metals
 Ashes
 Special wastes
(e.g bulky items, consumer electronics, white goods, batteries,
oil, tires), and household hazardous wastes.)

2: Industrial Light and heavy manufacturing,
fabrication, construction sites, power and
chemical plants.
 Housekeeping wastes
 Packaging
 Food wastes
 Construction and demolition materials
 Hazardous wastes
 Ashes
 Special wastes.
3:Commercial Stores, hotels, restaurants, markets, office
buildings, etc.
 Paper
 cardboard
 plastics
 wood
 food wastes
 glass
 metals
 special wastes
 hazardous wastes
4: Institutional Schools, hospitals, prisons, government
centers.
Same as commercial.

5:Construction and demolition New construction sites, road repair,
renovation sites, demolition of buildings
 Wood
 steel
 concrete
 dirt etc.
6:Municipal services Street cleaning, landscaping, parks,
beaches, other recreational areas, water
and wastewater treatment plants.
 Street sweepings
 landscape and tree trimmings
 General wastes from parks
 Beaches
 Recreational areas; sludge.
7:Process (manufacturing etc.) Heavy and light manufacturing, refineries,
chemical plants, power plants, mineral
extraction and processing.
 Industrial process wastes
 Scrap materials
 Off-specification products.
8:Agriculture Crops, orchards, vineyards, dairies,
feedlots, farms.
 Spoiled food wastes
 Agricultural wastes
 Hazardous wastes (e.g., pesticides).

Hierarchy of SWM Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM)

 Waste generation: This encompasses any activities involved in identifying materials that are no longer usable and are
either gathered for systematic disposal or thrown away.
 Onsite handling, storage, and processing: This relates to activities at the point of waste generation, which facilitate
easier collection. For example, waste bins are placed at sites that generate sufficient waste.
 Waste collection: A crucial phase of waste management, this includes activities such as placing waste collection bins,
collecting waste from those bins, and accumulating trash in the location where the collection vehicles are emptied. Although
the collection phase involves transportation, this is typically not the main stage of waste transportation.
 Waste transfer and transport: These are the activities involved in moving waste from the local waste collection
locations to the regional waste disposal site in large waste transport vehicles.
 Waste processing and recovery: This refers to the facilities, equipment, and techniques employed to recover reusable
or recyclable materials from the waste stream and to improve the effectiveness of other functional elements of waste
management.
 Disposal: The final stage of waste management. It involves the activities aimed at the systematic disposal of waste
materials in locations such as landfills or waste-to-energy facilities.
Functional Elements of SWM

Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) Environmentally sound Technologies(EST)

Consequences of improper waste disposal

Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a critical aspect of urban planning and environmental
management. Various factors can influence and affect SWM in a given area. These factors
include:
1.Population Density: Areas with high population densities generate more waste. Urban areas
typically produce more waste compared to rural areas. The population size directly affects the
amount of waste generated.
2.Economic Development: The level of economic development in an area influences consumption
patterns. More developed areas tend to produce more waste due to higher consumption and
increased use of disposable products.
3.Urbanization: As areas become more urbanized, waste generation tends to increase. Urban
populations often have different waste disposal patterns compared to rural populations.
4.Industrial and Commercial Activities: The presence of industries and commercial enterprises in
an area can significantly impact the type and quantity of waste generated. Industrial waste,
hazardous waste, and commercial waste all add to the SWM challenges.
5.Socioeconomic Factors: The income levels and lifestyles of residents can affect waste generation
and composition. High-income households may generate more waste, while lower-income
households may engage in recycling and waste reduction to save money.

6. Cultural Practices: Cultural beliefs and practices can influence waste
management behaviors. For instance, certain cultures may be more
inclined to reuse and recycle, while others may have different waste
disposal habits.
7.Government Policies and Regulations: Government policies and
regulations play a significant role in SWM. Regulations can affect waste
disposal methods, recycling initiatives, and the responsibilities of local
authorities.
8.Technology and Infrastructure: The availability and quality of waste
management infrastructure, such as landfills, recycling facilities, and collection
services, can greatly impact SWM. Advanced technology and well-maintained
infrastructure can enhance waste management efficiency.

9. Awareness and Education: Public awareness and education campaigns can
influence waste reduction, recycling, and proper waste disposal. An informed
population is more likely to engage in sustainable waste management practices.
10.Geographic and Climate Factors: Geography and climate can influence the
type of waste generated and how it needs to be managed. For example, waste
management in coastal areas may involve considerations related to marine litter
and saltwater intrusion.
11.Local Resources and Expertise: The availability of resources and expertise at
the local level, including waste management personnel and funding, can impact
the efficiency of SWM.
12.Waste Composition: The composition of waste, including the proportion of
organic, recyclable, and hazardous materials, affects waste management
strategies. Different compositions may require different treatment methods.
13.Public Attitudes and Behavior: Public attitudes and behavior toward waste
management, recycling, and littering can significantly affect the effectiveness of
SWM programs.

Government Policies and Measures for MSW

MSW Case Study : Solapur, Maharashtra
The population of Solapur as per city census 1991 was
reported to be 6,20,846 and increased to 8,73,009 as
per 2001 city census. The growth rate of Solapur city
is 0.4% in terms area with 179 Sq. km.
Solapur is located between 17.100 to 18.320 to the
north latitude while it is about 74.420 to 76.150 to the
east longitude.

MSW Case Study : Solapur, Maharashtra contd..

1. A residential area consisting of 1500 houses has an average of
4 residents per house. For estimating the quantity of solid waste
generated, the following observations were made at disposal site for a
period of one week. Determine the unit rate of solid waste generation.
Solve the Problems

The Public health effects in MSWM.
Public health effect The volume of waste is increasing rapidly as a result of increasing
population and improving economic conditions in various localities. This increased volume
of wastes is posing serious problems due to insufficient workforce and other constraints in
disposing of it properly.
The consequences of improper management and handling of wastes are following:
(i) Disease vectors and pathways: Wastes dumped indiscriminately provide the food and
environment for thriving populations of vermin, which are the agents of various diseases.
The pathways of pathogen transmission from wastes to humans are mostly indirect through
insects – flies, mosquitoes and roaches and animals – rodents and pigs. Diseases become a
public health problem when they are present in the human and animal population of
surrounding communities, or if a carrier transmits the etiological agent from host to
receptor.

Flies: Most common in this category is the housefly, which transmits typhoid, salmonellosis, gastro-enteritis and
dysentery. Flies have a flight range of about 10 km, and therefore, they are able to spread their influence over a
relatively wide area. The four stages in their life-cycle are egg, larva, pupa and adult. Eggs are deposited in the
warm, moist environment of decomposing food wastes. When they hatch, the larvae
 feed on the organic material, until certain maturity is reached, at which time they migrate from the waste to
the soil of other dry loose material before being transformed into pupae. The pupae are inactive until the
adult-fly emerges. The migration of larvae within 4 to 10 days provides the clue to an effective control
measure, necessitating the removal of waste before migration of larvae.
 Consequently, in warm weather, municipal waste should be collected twice weekly for effective control. In
addition, the quality of household and commercial storage containers is very significant. The guiding
principle here is to restrict access to flies.
 The use of suitable storage containers and general cleanliness at their location, as well as frequent collection
of wastes, greatly reduces the population of flies. Control is also necessary at transfer stations, composting
facilities and disposal sites to prevent them from becoming breeding grounds for flies. Covering solid wastes
with a layer of earth at landfill sites at the end of every day arrests the problem of fly breeding at the final
stage.

(iii) Mosquitoes: They transmit diseases such as malaria, filaria and dengue fever. Since they breed in stagnant
water, control measures should center on the elimination of breeding places such as tins, cans, tyres, etc. Proper
sanitary practices and general cleanliness in the community help eliminate the mosquito problems caused by the
mismanagement of solid waste.
(iv) Roaches: These cause infection by physical contact and can transmit typhoid, cholera and amoebiasis. The
problems of roaches are associated with the poor storage of solid waste.
(v) Rodents: Rodents (rats) proliferate in uncontrolled deposits of solid wastes, which provide a source of food
as well as shelter. They are responsible for the spread of diseases such as plague, murine typhus, leptospirosis,
histoplasmosis, rat bite fever, dalmonelosis, trichinosis, etc. The fleas, which rats carry, also cause many
diseases. This problem is associated not only with open dumping but also poor sanitation.

Occupational hazards: Workers handling wastes are at risk of accidents related to the nature
of material and lack of safety precautions. The sharp edges of glass and metal and poorly
constructed storage containers may inflict injuries to workers. It is, therefore, necessary for
waste handlers to wear gloves, masks and be vaccinated. The infections associated with waste
handling, include:
 skin and blood infections resulting from direct contact with waste and from infected
wounds;
 eye and respiratory infections resulting from exposure to infected dust, especially during
landfill operations;
 diseases that result from the bites of animals feeding on the waste;
 intestinal infections that are transmitted by flies feeding on the waste;
 chronic respiratory diseases, including cancers resulting from exposure to dust and
hazardous compounds.

In addition, the accidents associated with waste handling include:
 bone and muscle disorders resulting from the handling of heavy containers and the loading heights of
vehicles;
 infecting wounds resulting from contact with sharp objects;
 reduced visibility, due to dust along the access routes, creates greater risk of accidents;
 poisoning and chemical burns resulting from contact with small amounts of hazardous chemical wastes
mixed with general wastes such as pesticides, cleaning solutions and solvents in households and
commercial establishments;
 burns and other injuries resulting from occupational accidents at waste disposal sites or from methane
gas explosion at landfill sites;
 serious health hazards, particularly for children, due to careless dumping of lead- acid, nickel-cadmium
and mercuric oxide batteries.

Animals: Apart from rodents, some animals (e.g., dogs, cats, pigs, etc.) also
act as carriers of disease. For example, pigs are involved in the spread of
diseases like trichinosis, cysticerosis and toxoplasmosis, which are
transmitted through infected pork, eaten either in raw state or improperly
cooked. Solid wastes, when fed to pigs, should be properly treated (cooked
at 100C for at least 50 minutes with suitable equipment).

Improper handling of wastes
Some of the adverse health and environmental effects, due to the improper handling of wastes are:
(i) Health effects: Wastes dumped indiscriminately provide the food and environment for breeding of various vectors, e.g.,
flies (salmonellosis, dysentry, etc.), mosquitoes and roaches (malaria, dengue fever, typhoid, cholera, amoebiasis, etc.) and
animals, e.g., rodents and pigs (trichinosis, cysticerosis, etc.).
(ii) Environmental effects: Inadequate and improper waste management has serious environmental effects. These include
air, water, land, visual, noise and odour pollution, and explosion hazards.
I reside in ward no. 89 of Bangalore, Karnataka, India where sufficient precaution is not practised, while handling
municipal solid wastes. Based on a general observation, the four effects are the following:
• Due to open dumping, mosquitoes thrive in our locality, which may cause diseases like malaria or dengue fever.
• Rodents, notably rats proliferate in uncontrolled deposits of solid waste, which provide them with a convenient source of
food and shelter.
• There is a risk of injury during handling of wastes, as workers are not provided with safety materials, e.g., gloves.
• The aesthetic sensibility (i.e., visual pollution) of concerned residents is offended by the unsightliness of piles of wastes.

Physical characteristics Information and data on the physical characteristics of solid wastes are important for
the selection and operation of equipment and for the analysis and design of disposal facilities. The required
information and data include the following:
(i) Density: Density of waste, i.e., its mass per unit volume (kg/m3), is a critical factor in the design of a SWM
system, e.g., the design of sanitary landfills, storage, types of collection and transport vehicles, etc. To explain,
an efficient operation of a landfill demands compaction of wastes to optimum density. Any normal compaction
equipment can achieve reduction in volume of wastes by 75%, which increases an initial density of
100 kg/m3 to 400 kg/m3. In other words, a waste collection vehicle can haul four times the weight of waste in
its compacted state than when it is uncompacted. A high initial density of waste precludes the achievement of a
high compaction ratio and the compaction ratio achieved is no greater than 1.5:1. Significant changes in
density occur spontaneously as the waste moves from source to disposal, due to scavenging, handling, wetting
and drying by the weather, vibration in the collection vehicle and decomposition.

(ii) Moisture content: Moisture content is defined as the ratio of the weight of water (wet
weight - dry weight) to the total weight of the wet waste. Moisture increases the weight of
solid wastes, and thereby, the cost of collection and transport. In addition, moisture
content is a critical determinant in the economic feasibility of waste treatment by
incineration, because wet waste consumes energy for evaporation of water and in raising
the temperature of water vapour. In the main, wastes should be insulated from rainfall or
other extraneous water. We can calculate the moisture percentage, using the formula given
below:
Moisture content (%) = Wet weight - Dry weight X 100
Wet weight
A typical range of moisture content is 20 to 40%, representing the extremes of wastes in
an arid climate and in the wet season of a region of high precipitation. However, values
greater than 40% are not uncommon.

Size: Measurement of size distribution of particles in waste stream is important
because of its significance in the design of mechanical separators and shredders.
Generally, the results of size distribution analysis are expressed in the manner
used for soil particle analysis. That is to say, they are expressed as a plot of
particle size (mm) against percentage, less than a given value. The physical
properties that are essential to analyse wastes disposed at landfills are:
I. Field capacity: The field capacity of MSW is the total amount of moisture
which can be retained in a waste sample subject to gravitational pull. It is a
critical measure because water in excess of field capacity will form leachate,
and leachate can be a major problem in landfills. Field capacity varies with the
degree of applied pressure and the state of decomposition of the wastes.

II. Permeability of compacted wastes: The hydraulic conductivity of compacted wastes is
an important physical property because it governs the movement of liquids and gases in a
landfill. Permeability depends on the other properties of the solid material include pore size
distribution, surface area and porosity.
Porosity: It represents the amount of voids per unit overall volume of material. The porosity
of MSW varies typically from 0.40 to 0.67 depending on the compaction and composition of
the waste.
III. Compressibility of MSW: Degree of physical changes of the suspended solids or filter
cake when subjected to pressure.

From Low and Medium-Rise Apartments From High-Rise Apartments

Factors Affecting The Frequency of Waste Collection
 Quantity of waste
 Rate of generation
 Characteristic of waste
 Climate
 Density and type of housing
 Size and type of storage facilities
 Attitude of generators
 Available resources

TYPES OF COLLECTION SYSTEM
 Solid waste collection systems may be classified from several points of view, such as
the mode of operation, the equipment used, and the types of waste collected.
 The two principal types of collection systems now used are according to their mode of
operation:
1. Hauled container systems
2. Stationary container systems

Layout of Collection Routes
 In most cases, the routes are based on the operating experience of the route
supervisor, gained over a period of years working in the same section of the city.
MSW Collection Routes

Undesirable reactions to mixing incompatible wastes
Generation of heat by chemical reaction
 Alkali metals, metal powders
Generation of toxic gases
 Hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulphide
Generation of flammable gases
Hydrogen, acetylene
Generation of gases
 Nitrogen oxides, chlorine,sulphur dioxide
Dissolution of toxic compounds
 Heavy metals, complexing agents

And other conventional methods

Characterization of Hazardous waste

Physical treatment
 Manual separation - removes selected wastes by visual inspection
 Sieving and screening - removes coarse material
 Sedimentation - settles solids to separate liquid
 Decanting - removes water content
 Centrifuging - removes water content
 Filtration
 Solvent extraction
 Adsorption
 Soil washing - extracts soluble contaminants
 Sludge drying
 Autoclaving - sterilises waste by heat & pressure
 Microwave irradiation - sterilisation

Example for Physical treatment

Chemical treatment
 Chemical reduction and oxidation - uses oxidising and reducing agents to
transform constituents
 Neutralisation - adjusts pH to neutral
 Precipitation - separates hazardous constituents from solution
 Dechlorination - removes chlorine from organic materials
 Hydrolysis - breaks down constituents by adding water
 Electrolysis - breaks down chemical compounds with electrical charge

Example for Chemical treatment

Biological treatment
Biodegradation of organic into simple inorganic species with suitable microbes
 Activated sludge treatment - biodegrades organic species with bio-active
sludge in aqueous phase
 Rotating biological contactor - breaks down aqueous organic species in contact
with bacterial rich filter
 Aerated lagoons and stabilisation ponds - break down organic wastes in
shallow pools with oxygen
Biodegradation of organic into simple inorganic species with suitable microbes
 Anaerobic digestion - degrades organic waste in absence of oxygen
 Land application - biodegrades organic matter through action with microbes

Thermal treatment - example of application

Most Effective Hazardous Waste Disposal Methods
 Understanding more about them will help you comprehend how complicated
these processes can be. Here they are;
 Preventing & Reducing waste
 Recycling
 Incineration & Combustion
 Composting
 Landfill Disposal
 Water Disposal
 Injection Wells

ON-SITE REMEDIAL TECHNIQUES
Containment methods
1. Slurry walls
2. Grout curtains
3. Sheet piling cut-off walls

Groundwater Pumping
• Lowering a water table to eliminate contact with disposal site

Leachate Storage
 Underground storage tanks
 Lagoons
 Above ground tanks
 Three day’s storage at peak annual flow

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