Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management

Types of Solid Wastes

• Solid wastes are non-liquid and non-gaseous, including durable goods, nondurable goods, containers, packaging, food scraps, yard trimmings, and miscellaneous inorganic wastes.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

• MSW is solid waste from residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial sources.

Garbage or Food Waste

• Garbage is the animal and vegetable residue resulting from food preparation, cooking, and serving, and is largely putrescible organic matter and moisture.

Rubbish

• Rubbish consists of old tin cans, newspaper, tires, packaging materials, bottles, yard trimmings, plastics, and so forth, but excludes garbage.

Trash

• Trash is the combustible portion of rubbish.

Waste Generation

• Waste generation = Materials recovered + Discards

Non-Municipal Solid Waste

• Solid wastes from mining, agricultural, and industrial wastes are produced in substantially larger amounts.

Hazardous Waste

• Hazardous waste is ignitable, corrosive, or reactive (explosive) or contains certain concentrations of toxic chemicals specified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Pathogens in Solid Waste

• Human Pathogens: diapers, handkerchiefs, contaminated food, and surgical dressings
• Animal Pathogens: waste from pets
• Soil Pathogens: garden waste
• These pathogens include viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths, and can spread diseases by attracting animals and insects.

Open Dumps

• Open dumps are the old method of solid waste disposal, now illegal due to environmental and health issues.

Sanitary Landfill

• Sanitary landfills are sites where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe, with solid waste placed in a hole, compacted, and covered with a thin layer of soil daily.

Incineration

• Plastics that are non-biodegradable can be disposed of through incineration, but glass, food wastes, batteries, and other electronic wastes are not incinerated.

Solid Waste Management

• The system consists of storage, collection and transport, processing, and disposal, with materials recovery, composting, recycling, and energy recovery important in processing and disposal.

Reuse of Wastes

• Reuse is the action or practice of using something again, whether for its original purpose (conventional reuse) or to fulfill a different function (creative reuse or repurposing).

Conventional Reuse

• Conventional reuse is where the item is used again for the same function.

New-Life Reuse/Repurpose

• New-life reuse/repurpose is where the item is used for a different function.

Recycling

• Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects, an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse emissions.

Composting

• Composting is the controlled biological process of turning organic waste into a soil conditioner, producing a nutrient-rich soil additive called compost.

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003)

• RA 9003 provides a comprehensive ecological solid waste management program by creating necessary institutional mechanisms and incentives, appropriating funds, declaring certain acts prohibited, and providing penalties in the Philippines.