Bikam Ghosh

WASTE MANAGEMENT 9804993221

Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal, managing and monitoring of waste materials.
The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce
their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is a distinct practice from resource
recovery which focuses on delaying the rate of consumption of natural resources. All wastes materials, whether they
are solid, liquid, gaseous or radioactive fall within the remit of waste management.

Solid waste can be defined as non liquid material that no longer has any value to the person who is
responsible for it. The words rubbish, garbage, trash, or refuse are often used as synonyms when talking about solid
waste. In urban areas, solid Waste Management waste is generated by domestic households, commercial land
industrial enterprises, and health care and institutional activities, as well as on the streets. Street refuse contains a
mixture of refuse from many sources, because streets are used as dumping grounds by all generators of waste.
Where sanitation facilities are lacking and a large animal population roams the streets, street refuse contains a lot of
human fecal matter and manure. Streets are also often used for extensive dumping of construction and demolition
debris—attracting further dumping of solid waste.

The term municipal solid waste refers to solid waste from houses, streets and public places, shops, offices,
and hospitals. Management of these types of waste is most often the responsibility of municipal or other
governmental authorities. Although solid waste from industrial processes is generally not considered municipal
waste, it nevertheless needs to be taken into account when dealing with solid waste because it often ends up in the
MSW stream. Waste management practices can differ for developed and developing nations, for urban and rural
areas, and for residential and industrial producers. Management of non-hazardous waste, residential and
institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, while
management of non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator subject
to local, national or international controls. The waste generation rates in India are lower than the low-income
countries in other parts of the world and much lower compared to developed countries. However, lifestyle changes,
especially in the larger cities, are leading to the use of more packaging material and per capita waste generation is
increasing by about 1.3 per cent per year. With the urban population growing at 2.7 per cent to 3.5 per cent per
annum, the yearly increase in the overall quantity of solid waste in the cities will be more than 5 per cent. The
Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has estimated that waste generation will exceed 260 million tones per year by
2047—more than five times the present level. Cities with 100,000 plus population contribute 72.5 per cent of the
waste generated in the country as compared to other urban centres that produce only 17.5 per cent of the total
waste. There has been a significant increase in the generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in India over the last
few decades. This is largely a result of rapid population growth in the country. The daily per capita generation of
municipal solid waste in India ranges from about 100 gm. in small towns to 500 gm. in large towns. The growth in
municipal waste generation in our urban centers has outpaced the growth in population in recent years. The reasons
for this trend could be our changing lifestyles, food habits and changes in the standard of living. Municipal solid
waste in cities is collected by the municipalities and transported to designate disposal sites normally a low lying area
on the outskirts of the city for disposal. The choice of a disposal site is more a matter of what is available that what is
suitable. Hence, it has become apparent to harness the energy towards improving the legislative framework,
institutional set-up as well as technological practices for MSW management in a coordinated and cohesive manner.

 Elements of Urban Waste Management

A typical waste management system in a low- or middle-income country includes the following elements:

• Waste generation and storage

• Segregation, reuse, and recycling at the household level
• Primary waste collection and transport to a transfer station or community bin
• Street sweeping and cleansing of public places
• Management of the transfer station or community bin
• Secondary collection and transport to the waste disposal site
• Waste disposal in landfills
• Collection, transport, and treatment of recyclables at all points on the solid waste pathway
(collection, storage, transport, and disposal).
 Bikam Ghosh
 Types and characteristics of Urban waste - 9804993221
Urban waste can be broadly categorized into three types.

i) Construction and Demolition Waste - Construction and demolition waste is that waste which is generated during
the course of repair, maintenance, and construction activities comprises bricks, stones, tiles, cement concrete,
wood, and so forth. Such waste is generally not stored by the waste generator within its premises until disposal. By
and large, these wastes are deposited just outside the premises on the streets or in open spaces and may hinder
traffic and adversely affect the aesthetics of the city.

ii) Industrial Waste - Many cities and towns have small and large industries within the city limits. Those industries
produce hazardous and nonhazardous industrial waste, which the industries must dispose of following the standards
laid down under hazardous waste management rules framed by the government of India and following directions
given by CPCB and by state pollution control boards. In practice, however, very few sites are authorized for the
disposal of industrial waste in the country; hence, compliance is weak. Some states do not have even a single facility
for disposal of industrial waste. Industrial solid waste is, therefore, disposed of in an unscientific manner, often
surreptitiously on open plots or on the roadside, thereby creating environmental pollution and subsoil
contamination.

iii) Biomedical Waste(BMW) - Mainly comprises of solids, liquids, sharps and laboratory waste that are potentially
infectious or dangerous and are considered bio waste. According to WHO, BMW is solid waste generated during the
diagnosis, testing, treatment, research or production of biological products for humans or animals. WHO estimates
that 85 percent of hospital waste is non-hazardous, 10 percent is infectious and 5 percent in non-infectious but
consists of hazarolous chemicals like Methylcloride and formaldehyde.

 The Waste Management hierarchy and the 3R concept

The 3R concept refers to “reduce, reuse, and recycle”. The concept is based on the waste management hierarchy.
This hierarchy classifies waste management strategies according to their potential to minimize waste. Waste
reduction, reuse, and recycling are the main categories that we need to focus on regarding the 3R concept. The main
objective is to reduce the amount of waste that is disposed of in landfills. The 3R concept fosters cooperation among
waste generators, waste collectors, processors, and manufacturers. It aims at reducing waste to be disposed of in
landfills, thereby, reducing the deterioration of the environment, reducing the emissions that landfills produce, and
saving energy and natural resources. The essential steps in waste management are narrated below:

a) Waste Prevention, Reduction or Minimization - Ideally, waste should be avoided. Waste that can be avoided
stops being a burden for the municipality. Waste prevention is most effective if it is considered in the product design
and production processes. By optimizing Waste Management production processes, manufacturers can reduce
waste or even allow it to be reused by another manufacturer. Valuable natural resources can therefore be saved.

b) Reuse - Reuse happens when something that already fulfills its original function is used for another purpose.
However, reuse does not involve reprocessing or transforming the item. For example, typical reuse strategies are the
deposit refund system for glass bottles or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles, old tires that are used in
fences or as boat fenders, steel drums that are reused as compost bins, or plastic bags that are reused as liners for
household waste bins.

c) Recycling - Recycling means the reprocessing of used materials that would otherwise become waste. It breaks
material down to its main component and produces new products. Recycling is most common for valuable materials
or materials that are costlier if produced from virgin raw materials (such as metal, plastic, glass, and electronic
waste). Recycling of organic matter produces compost, which can be used as a soil enricher in gardens and
horticulture and which contributes to improved agricultural production.

d) Recovery - Recovery relates mainly to energy recovered from waste. Waste that cannot be reused or recycled can
be, for example, incinerated to generate heat or electricity. Another option—for organic waste—is anaerobic
digestion to produce biogas. The appropriateness of such recovery strategies depends on the composition and
calorific value of the waste.

e) Disposal - At the lowest level of the waste management hierarchy is final disposal. All remaining waste or residues
from previous waste management processes must be stored in a final disposal site. The disposal site must be
designed and operated as a sanitary landfill to protect people and the environment from the negative impact of
waste. Even at this stage, some recovery options are still feasible. Landfills emit methane gas caused by the
anaerobic biological degradation of organic waste within the landfill. If the landfill is set up and managed
appropriately, this landfill gas can be recovered for several years. However, in India, the Municipal Solid
Waste(Management and Handling) 2000 Rules mandate that municipal authorities treat the organic fraction of
waste before disposal.

f) Composting - Composting has been practiced in rural India for centuries by farmers treating their own domestic
and agricultural waste and returning it as compost to their fields. Urbanization in India has created a new problem.
Domestic urban waste still contains up to 55 percent biodegradable waste but is cut off from rural reuse and
therefore is disposed of in drains or landfills. The uncontrolled degradation of organic matter is causing hygienic and
environmental problems in many urban areas.
Bikam Ghosh
9804993221
 Governmental measures for Waste Management

The Ministry of Environment and Forest, (MOEF), Government of India, issued the Municipal Solid Wastes
(Management and Handling) Rules in the year 2000. These rules identify the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB)/State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) as the agency that will monitor the implementation rules. This law
details the practices to be followed by various municipalities for managing urban waste and the rules specify
compliance criterion for collection, recycling, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal solid
waste. Apart from notification of rules by MOEF, some of the initiatives taken at the national level are as follows:

 National Waste Management Council (NWMC) was constituted in 1990 and one of its objectives was municipal
waste management. NWMC in 1993 constituted a National Plastic Waste Management Task Force to suggest
measures to minimize adverse environmental and health impacts arising out of plastic recycling. Based on the
recommendation of this Task Force, MOEF framed Recycled Plastic Usage Rules, 1998, which fans storing,
carrying and packing of food items in recycled plastic bags.
 National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) formulated strategy paper and prepared manual
on municipal solid waste management documenting critical issues relating to management of solid waste and
suggestion for improvement.
 The Central Public Health Environmental Engineering Organization Waste Management (CPHEEO) prepared
policy paper on promoting the integrated provision of water, sanitation, solid waste management and drainage
utilities in India.
 CPCB formulated guidelines for safe disposal of hospital waste.
 Ministry of Non Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) launched a National Programme on Energy Recovery from
urban – municipal and industrial waste. Various fiscal and financial incentives are offered under this programme
for energy recovery from waste.
 High Powered Committee was constituted in 1995, which came out with number of recommendations covering
issues like segregation, door-to-door collection, proper handling and transportation, waste composting
treatment and use of appropriate technologies for waste treatment and disposal.
 The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is the apex regulatory body in environmental matters. Its principal
role is to monitor the implementation of the rules. However, the CPCB has taken several proactive measures by
issuing guidelines and manuals and has also supported several training programs and pilot projects.
 The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy are also playing an active role in
promoting and providing financial support for composting of municipal solid waste and waste-to-energy
projects, respectively.

The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000

The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules lay down the steps to be taken by all municipal
authorities to ensure management of solid waste according to best practice.The municipal authorities are
responsible for implementing provisions of the 2000 rules. They must provide the infrastructure and services with
regard to collection, storage, segregation, transport, treatment, and disposal of MSW.

i) Collection of Solid Waste - To prohibit littering and to facilitate compliance, municipal authorities must take the
following steps:
• Organize collection of MSW at household level by using methods such as door-to-door, house-to-house, or
community bin service. Collection must be on a regular pre informed schedule or by acoustic announcement
(without exceeding permissible noise levels).

• Give special consideration to devising waste collection in slums and squatter areas, as well as to commercial areas
such as areas with hotels, restaurants, and office complexes.

• Segregate at the source all recyclable waste, as well as biomedical waste and industrial waste, to prevent special
waste from being mixed with ordinary municipal solid waste.

• Collect separately all horticultural waste and construction or demolition waste or debris, and dispose of it following
proper norms. Similarly, waste generated at dairies will be regulated in accordance with the state laws.

• Prohibit burning of waste. Bikam Ghosh

9804993221
• Do not permit stray animals at waste storage facilities.

ii) Secondary Storage of Waste - With respect to secondary storage of waste, municipal authorities must do the
following:

• Make available sufficient storage facilities in accordance to the quantities of waste generated.

• Provide covered storage facility so that waste is not exposed to open atmosphere.

• Ensure that storage facilities are attended daily and are emptied and Waste Management cleaned regularly.

• Ensure that storage facilities or bins are of an appropriate design for ease in handling, transfer, and transport.

• Ensure that manual handling and multiple handling of waste are avoided or are done with proper safety and care.

iii) Transport of Waste - The following rules apply to transport of waste:

• Ensure that vehicles used for transport of waste are covered.

• Ensure that waste is not visible to public or exposed to the open environment, thus preventing the scattering of
waste. • Attend to storage facilities daily for clearing of waste.

• Empty bins or containers before they start overflowing.

• Ensure that transport vehicles are so designed that multiple handling of waste is avoided before final disposal.

iv) Waste Treatment - Waste treatment rules are as follows:

• Ensure that biodegradable waste is processed by composting, vermincomposting, anaerobic digestion, or any other
appropriate biological process for stabilizing waste. Compost or any other end product must comply with specified
standards.

• Ensure that mixed waste containing recoverable resources follows the route of recycling. Incineration with or
without energy recovery may be used in special cases.

v) Waste Disposal - These rules apply to waste disposal:

• Restrict land-filling to non biodegradable and non recyclable waste.

• Ensure that land-filling meets the specifications.