Solid Waste Management Basics

Solid Waste

• Solid waste is discarded material resulting from human activities.
• Waste considered useless or unwanted by one person may be valuable to another.
• Waste can be reused for energy production, biogas, compost, or raw materials.
• Fly ash and slag from the steel industry are used in the cement industry.
• Common terms for solid waste: garbage, rubbish, scrap, etc.
• Garbage is organic waste like food.
• Rubbish is non-organic waste like glass, paper, cloth, etc.
• Scrap is waste with high metal content.

Solid Waste Classification: Sources

• Classification based on where the waste originates.
• Domestic/Residential
• Commercial (hotels, restaurants, offices)
• Municipal (street cleaning, parks, wastewater treatment plant)
• Medical
• Agricultural
• Industrial
• Construction/demolition

Solid Waste Classification: Types

• Classification based on the type of waste.
• Food residue
• Wood waste
• Paper
• Textiles
• Plastics
• Rubber
• Glass
• Metal, etc.

Solid Waste Classification: Types (Biodegradability)

• Classification based on the ability of microorganisms to break the waste down.
• Biodegradable (e.g., food, garden waste, paper)
• Non-biodegradable (e.g., glass, plastic, metal)

Collection and Disposal

• Waste is stored in bins, then collected by workers.
• Waste is transported to designated disposal sites.
• Waste is processed and separated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials.
• Non-biodegradable material is recycled.
• Biodegradable waste is often sent to landfills and can be converted into compost.
• Separate collection systems exist for various waste types like bio, non-bio, and hazardous waste.

Landfill

• A disposal site for waste.

Waste Management System

• A system for managing waste.
• Includes processes like collection, transportation, processing, recycling, and disposal.

Hierarchy of Municipal Waste Management

• Segregation of waste at source for better management.
• Wet waste, dry waste, and C&D waste.
• Prioritizes reuse (animal feed), composting, biomethanation, recycling, and landfilling.

Components of MSW Management

• Different types of waste and where they end up.
• Biodegradable waste (food, garden waste)
• Non-biodegradable waste (plastic, metal)
• Hazardous waste (chemicals, batteries)
• Different disposal methods exist for various waste types.
• Resource recovery and recycling are crucial for waste management.

Indore Waste Collection System

• Indore's system employs compartmentalized vehicles.
• Vehicles are used for segregating waste by type (biodegradable, non-biodegradable, hazardous).

Switzerland Waste Management System

• Switzerland has a high recycling rate (nearly 53%).
• Waste is either recycled or incinerated.
• No waste goes to landfills.

Risks

• Uncollected waste can enter sewers and be harmful.
• Non-biodegradable waste can clog sewers.
• Some waste can be consumed by animals and cause them harm.
• Improper waste management can pollute ground water and cause health issues.

The 3 R's of Waste Management

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Earth Composition and Structure

• Three layers: Core, Mantle, Crust.
• Core: Inner (solid) and Outer (liquid) consisting mainly of iron, nickel, and molten rock.
• Mantle: Layer above the core, approximately 2900 km thick, made of hot, dense, iron, and magnesium-rich solid rock.
• Crust: The outermost layer, very thin compared to Earth's radius, includes oceanic (basalt-rich) and continental (granite-rich) crusts.

Lithosphere and Asthenosphere

• Lithosphere: Rigid outermost shell of the Earth, consisting of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle.
• Asthenosphere: Mechanically weak layer beneath the lithosphere, less dense rocks prone to flowing.

Orogeny

• Orogeny is the process of mountain formation.
• Two types of orogeny: Collisional and non-collisional.
• In collisional orogeny, convergent continental plates generate mountains.
• In non-collisional orogeny, denser oceanic plates descend to the mantle generating volcanic activity.

Matter and Energy

• Environmental systems consist of matter.
• Matter exists in different phases (solid, liquid, gas, plasma).
• Basic building blocks of matter are atoms.
• Energy has various forms (like heat, light, electrical).
• Energy and matter interact and change forms.

Laws of Thermodynamics

• First Law: Energy is conserved, transforming between forms.
• Second Law: Systems naturally progress towards disorder (higher entropy).

Thermodynamics and Life

• Life requires energy, and the First Law governs how this energy changes forms.
• Photosynthesis turns light energy into chemical energy.
• Stored chemical energy sustains life processes.
• The Second Law explains the loss of energy during photosynthesis and other life processes.

Energy and Human Life

• Human activities consume chemical energy (carbohydrates, fats).
• ATP is the body's energy currency.
• Metabolism converts energy and produces waste products.

Open and Closed Systems

• Earth is an open system for energy because it gains and loses energy (e.g., solar radiation, heat).
• Earth is a closed system for matter because matter does not enter or leave the system.

Natural Resources and Issues

• Natural resources are naturally available resources used by humans.
• Examples include light, water, air, soil, metals, minerals, fossil fuels.
• Resources may be limited or renewable.
• Resource exploitation is a consequence of population growth, urbanization, and deforestation.

Footprint

• Ecological footprint: Measures human impact on the environment by evaluating consumption of resources.
• Carbon footprint: Measure of total greenhouse gas emissions resulting from a product, activity, individual, company, etc.

Scope of Environmental Studies

• Environmental science is a multidisciplinary field examining the environment and human interactions.
• Scope of Environmental studies includes human impact on the environment, natural resource conservation, pollution control, and climate change.

Test your knowledge on solid waste management and its classification. This quiz covers various sources and types of solid waste, highlighting the importance of waste reuse and recycling. Understand how different types of waste are categorized and their origins.