Solid waste : Environmental Factors and Health

Agamuthu, P. and Fauziah S.H. Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Email: agamuthu@um.edu.my

Introduction
Solid waste management emerged in late 1970s due to expansion of population. Urban areas increased; 67 in 1980s to 127 in 1990s In 2000 ~62% of the total population in Malaysia are living in urban areas In 2007 ~65% of waste generated by urbanites Waste generation increased due to
rural-urban migration, increase in per capita income changes in consumption patterns

Solid waste management (SWM) in Malaysia

SWM programmes were developed gradually. Quite primitive prior to 1980 - local district health offices cleaned streets and disposed wastes to municipal authorized disposal sites Later in 1980s- delegated to four main consortia
Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd Northern Waste Industries Sdn. Bhd Southern Waste Management Sdn. Bhd Eastern Waste Management Sdn. Bhd

Privatisation is not a success story

Failure to generate income Difficulty to improve SWM in the country Rate of 3Rs did not change

4000

Johor Kedah

3500 Daily waste generation(tonnes/day)

Kelantan Melaka Negeri Sembilan Pahang Perak

3000

2500

2000 Perlis 1500 Pulau Pinang Selangor 1000 Terengganu Kuala Lumpur WP Labuan Sabah 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 2008 Saraw ak Ye ar

500

Daily waste generation according to states in Malaysia (1990- 2008).

A typical disposal site in Malaysia

Current SWM in Malaysia

Total municipal solid waste (MSW) collected in the country increased every year In 2008 it is reported at 60-70%. ~ 95% of collected MSW is disposed into landfills ~5% is recycled Current MSW generation has reached 1.3 kg/cap/day. Malaysian MSW is highly heterogeneous On average, it composes 40% organic waste 14% paper, 15% plastic, and others.

Highly mixed waste

8% 5% 1% 0% 0% 4% 3% 6%

2%

5%

3% 3% 1% 6% 2% 1% 1% 8% 1%

1%

2%

0% 1% 0% 0% 2% 0%

41%

Food waste Phone book Corrugated paper polystyrene Rubber/leather Clear glass Tin Other aluminum Other organic

Mixed paper Magazine Rigid plastic Disposable diapers Wood Colour glass Non-metal Hazardous waste Non-organic

Newsprint White paper Plastic film Textile Garden waste Metal Aluminum cans Dust/sand Bulky waste

SWM Issues
Absence of source separation Impossible for proper material recycling ~40% recyclable materials in the waste Presence of household hazardous material
Contributing 1.5-2.0% of total waste generated

Various types of waste in Malaysian landfills

Hazardous waste in MSW

Hazardous waste in MSW

Issues in Landfill Management

Increasing trend in MSW generation
3% annually

Shortage of land for the construction of new disposal sites. Premature closure of many disposal sites due to the exhaustion of waste cells. Until January 2008, Malaysia has 291 disposal sites in Only 3% are sanitary landfills The remaining are non-sanitary landfills of various classes.

Landfill Criteria
Level 4

Facilities Available
Leachate treatment system Leachate recirculation system, Leachate collection system, Monitoring of landfill leachate. Gas removal system, Designated area for unloading Separated working area, Daily cover Enclosing bund, Elimination of scavenging activities and Environmental protection facilities.
Level 1

Level 3

Level 2

Perimeter fence and drains

Classification of different level of landfills in Malaysia

Landfill Issues
Environmental impact
Water pollution Land contamination Air pollution

Health risks
Scavengers Pest Disease outbreak

Water pollution
Most non-sanitary landfills in Malaysia lack lining system. Each tonne of MSW generates 150 litres of leachate 2.5 million litres everyday leachate flows to lower ground which normally ended up in adjacent water bodies such as river, ponds and lakes. Studies showed that leachate that flowed into rivers contained various pollutants, such as heavy metals etc.

Leachate flowing towards lower ground

Leachate accumulation

Leachate pathway

Leachate mixed with surface water

Discharge of landfill leachate into adjacent river

Pollutants in water system

Continuous contamination eventually disrupts the ecological balance Persistent residual pollutants remain Accumulation of contaminants 1. water bodies 2. aquatic life 3. Aquatic food web 4. Human systems Bioaccumulation and biomagnifications.

Soil contamination
Heavy metal contamination
surface soil and deep soil.

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Most commonly reported are

Arsenic Cadmium Lead Chromium Mercury

Heavy metal contamination

Due to the presence of batteries and/ or fluorescent bulbs in the MSW. Older waste cells > heavy metal concentration than newer waste cells. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in certain plants e.g. grass, kangkung, wild spinach etc. Grass contained higher concentration of Fe and Mg as compared to wild spinach which on the other hand has higher concentration of heavy metal including Cu, Zn, Al and Pb.

mg/kg

5000.0 4500.0 4000.0 3500.0 3000.0 2500.0 2000.0 1500.0 1000.0 500.0 0.0 Cu Zn Fe Mg Al Pb

New Old

concentration (mg/kg)

3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Cu Zn Fe Mg Al Pb Elements

Grass Wild Spinach

Inactive MSW cell covered with plant growth

Various type of plant growing in landfills

30 Concentration (mg/kg)
Ca

25 20 15 10 5 0 2m 15m 20m 25m 30m 35m Depth (m)

Pb Fe Cu Zn Ni Cd

Issues of concern
High contamination to soil Toxic to indigenous organisms destroy natural ecosystem. Risk of human contact. Expensive remediation technology. De-value land price.

Air pollution
Non-sanitary landfill sites lack gas piping system. Release landfill gases including CH4, CO2, H2S, N2O and others. Not cost-effective to harvest. Common practice is passive release. Contributes towards global warming. Corrosion of metals (release of H2S and other gases)

Passive release of landfill gas into the atmosphere

Gases bubbling out from leachate

H2S Monitoring Result 2004-2007 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Average Highest Rainfall (ml)

Rainfall (ml)

800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0

ppm

Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar 2004 2005 Year
H2S gas generation at a disposal site in Selangor.

2006

2007

Corrosion of metal based materials

Corrosion is also evident on concrete

Health impacts
Improper management of landfills resulted in various problems associated with vermin. Malaysian MSW contains 40-60% of organic waste Becomes the breeding ground for various pests including rats, flies and others.

Organic wastes constitute a significant percentage of MSW

More than 40% of Malaysian MSW is organic waste

Flies covering every inch of the surface

Scavenging in Malaysia
Due to inefficient landfill management Animal scavenging
dogs, goat, cow and crows bioaccumulation during feeding on waste

Human scavengers
Difficult to curb source of income Malaysian MSW contains 40-70% recyclable materials Lack of material recovery prior to waste disposal Illegal immigrants risking their life Lack of safety measures

Animal scavenging food in a landfill

Scavenging in a landfill

Illegal immigrants scavenging at a landfill

Recyclable materials collected by scavengers

Conclusion
Improperly managed landfills various environmental impacts. Risk of water and soil contamination, and air pollution. Affects the environment and the human health

THANK YOU
The family of the SOLID WASTE LABORATORY,
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia