Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
An endeavor over a long period can be successful only with the advice and
support of many well wishers. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude
and appreciation to all of them.
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DECLARATION
We hereby declare that this Project Report titled “ Solid Waste Management”
submitted by us ofComputer Science & Engineering in VNR Vignana Jyothi
Institute of Engineering and Technology, is a bonafide work undertaken by
us and it is not submitted for any other certificate /Course or published any time
before.
Date:
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INDEX
S.NO TOPIC PAGE
1) ABSTRACT
2) INTRODUCTION
5) DISCUSSION
6) CONCLUSIONS
8) REFERENCES
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ABSTRACT
The given course project report on “Waste Management” was made as a part of
Environmental Studies course. It covers the topics of how Waste Management is a very huge
problem and should be tackled immediately. This report also introduces us to the history of
waste, which wasn’t a big problem back then. But now with the increase of production rate,
the waste generated has also increased significantly. Not only this but there are many human
diseases which were given birth to only due to improper waste management. There are
various solutions which are in practise as well, including 3 R’s. Waste Management
techniques include incineration and plasma gasification. Recycling should be practised at
every house in order to minimize the waste generation. In order to tackle waste, we have to
come up with smart and useful solutions which can help in the longer run.
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INTRODUCTION
Humans produce more than they can consume, which ultimately gives birth to waste. There
are various materials that are actually degradable in nature and does not necessarily disturb
the balance in nature. But with industrialization and urbanization, the waste production has
only bloomed. You know as they say with pros also comes cons, in this case the cons being
the tonnes of waste produced, which is not only non degradable in nature, but also harmful
for humans.
The population of India crossed the 1.2 billion mark in 2013, and now it stands at 1.33
billion. According to the Press Information Bureau, India generates 62 million tonnes of
waste (mixed waste containing both recyclable and non-recyclable waste) every year, with an
average annual growth rate of 4% (PIB 2016). The generated waste can be divided into three
major categories: Organic (all kinds of biodegradable waste), dry (or recyclable waste) and
biomedical (or sanitary and hazardous waste).
Another very significant problem faced by India is the dumping of waste illegally on any
vacant plot by the contractor. He does this so as to save on transportation costs from across
the city to the landfill and to save time waiting at the landfill for his turn to dump. Not only
has this but the contractor earns revenue proportional to tonnage of waste dumped. This
perversely incentivises him to dump more, resulting in existing landfills receiving an
unmanageable amount of waste. This leads to open burning of waste to create space and the
cycle of collection, dumping and burning goes on infinitely. This can and has resulted in
various health problems faced by the people living around that area.
If waste is not managed properly, we can suffer with various diseases. The US Public Health
Service has identified 22 human diseases that are linked to improper solid waste management
(MIT Urban Development Sector Unit 1999). Several studies have been published that link
asthma, heart attack, and emphysema to burning garbage. Human faecal matter is also
frequently found in municipal waste—this, along with unmanaged decomposed garbage,
attracts other rodents, that further lead to a spread of diseases such as dengue and malaria
(Biswas 2012).
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OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of waste management are:
KEYWORDS
Sustainable Development, Waste Management, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,Environment,
Health,Treatment, Disposal, Extraction, Municipal Solid Waste, Waste Hierarchy,
Energy Recovery, Polluters Pay Principle, Exploitation, Sanitation, Curbside Collection,
Compost, Landfills, Incineration, etc,.
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METHODOLOGY
DETAILED STUDY
Waste management (or waste disposal) are the activities and actions required to manage
waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport,
treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste
management process.
Waste can be solid, liquid, or gas and each type has different methods of disposal and
management. Waste management deals with all types of waste, including industrial,
biological and household. In some cases, waste can pose a threat to human health.Waste
is produced by human activity, for example, the extraction and processing of raw
materials.Waste management is intended to reduce adverse effects of waste on human
health, the environment or aesthetics.
Waste management practices are not uniform among countries (developed and
developing nations); regions (urban and rural areas), and residential and industrial
sectors can all take different approaches.
A large portion of waste management practices deal with municipal solid waste (MSW)
which is the bulk of the waste that is created by household, industrial, and commercial
activity.
HISTORY
For most of mankind’s history rubbish disposal was not a major problem. The amount
generated had little impact simply because there weren't that many of us. Natural
resources were consumed resulting in mostly ash and human waste. At those levels these
by-products were quickly and safely degraded back into the ecosystem. Man-made items
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such as tools were highly prized and handed down to successive generations. The
making of stone, wood and even early metal tools had little environmental impact.
With the age of industrialisation came urbanisation, and as a result large populations quickly
arose. Cities soon became very crowded and the accumulation of waste grew. With no waste
disposal rules in place the streets became choked with refuse.The idea of a municipal
authority with powers to remove rubbish was talked of in the mid-18th century by Corbyn
Morris a customs official at the time. He believed the health of the population to be of ‘great
importance’ and that public management should be undertaken to clean the city of London.
Unfortunately it wasn’t until a century later before legislation was introduced. With cholera
on the increase causing large scale mortality, a public health debate ensued. In 1842
renowned social reformer Edwin Chadwick penned a report ‘The Sanitary Condition Of the
Labouring Population’ he put forward a persuasive argument for the need for proper removal
and management facilities of refuse. Stating that the health and well-being of the population
was at stake. This report played an important role in securing the first law on waste
collection.
Horse drawn open backed carts were the first collection vehicles used. Followed by steam
driven trucks at the close of the 19th century. These vehicles soon developed with screw
systems and finally the hydraulic ram. Hydraulic rams have been used ever since having been
refined over the years.
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PRINCIPLES OF WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Hierarchy
The waste hierarchy refers to the "3 Rs"reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste
management strategies according to their desirability in terms of waste minimisation. The
waste hierarchy is the cornerstone of most waste minimisation strategies. The aim of the
waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate
the minimum amount of end waste.
The waste hierarchy is represented as a pyramid because the basic premise is that policies
should promote measures to prevent the generation of waste. The next step or preferred
action is to seek alternative uses for the waste that has been generated i.e. by re-use. The next
is recycling which includes composting. Following this step is material recovery and
waste-to-energy. The final action is disposal in landfills or through incineration without
energy recovery. This last step is the final resort for waste which has not been prevented,
diverted or recovered.
RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
Resource efficiency reflects the understanding that global economic growth and development
can not be sustained at current production and consumption patterns. Globally, humanity
extracts more resources to produce goods than the planet can replenish.Resource efficiency is
the reduction of the environmental impact from the production and consumption of these
goods, from final raw material extraction to end use and disposal.
POLLUTER-PAYS PRINCIPLE
The polluter-pays principle mandates that the polluting party pays for the impact on the
environment. With respect to waste management, this generally refers to the requirement for
a waste generator to pay for appropriate disposal of the unrecoverable material.
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WASTE HANDLING PRACTISES
Curbside collection is the most common method of disposal in most European countries,
Canada, United States, New Zealand and many other parts of the developed world in which
waste is collected at regular intervals by specialised trucks. This is often associated with
curb-side waste segregation. In rural areas waste may need to be taken to a transfer station.
Waste collected is then transported to an appropriate disposal facility. In some areas, vacuum
collection is used in which waste is transported from the home or commercial premises by
vacuum along small bore tubes. Systems are in use in Europe and North America.
In some jurisdictions unsegregated waste is collected at the curb-side or from waste transfer
stations and then sorted into recyclables and unusable waste. Such systems are capable of
sorting large volumes of solid waste, salvaging recyclables, and turning the rest into biogas
and soil conditioner. In SFO,the local government established its Mandatory Recycling and
Composting Ordinance in support of its goal of "Zero waste by 2020", requiring everyone in
the city to keep recyclables and compostables out of the landfill. The three streams are
collected with the curbside "Fantastic 3" bin system – blue for recyclables, green for
compostables, and black for landfill-bound materials – provided to residents and businesses
and serviced by San Francisco's sole refuse hauler, Recology. The City's
"Pay-As-You-Throw" system charges customers by the volume of landfill-bound materials,
which provides a financial incentive to separate recyclables and compostables from other
discards. The City's Department of the Environment's Zero Waste Program has led the City to
achieve 80% diversion, the highest diversion rate in North America.
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WASTE DISPOSAL PRACTISES
There are eight major groups of waste management methods, each of them divided into
numerous categories. Those groups include source reduction and reuse, animal feeding,
recycling, composting, fermentation, landfills, incineration and land application. You can
start using many techniques right at home, like reduction and reuse, which works to reduce
the amount of disposable material used.
LANDFILL
The Landfill is the most popularly used method of waste disposal used today. This process of
waste disposal focuses attention on burying the waste in the land. Landfill is the oldest form
of waste treatment, although the burial of the waste is modern; historically, refuse was simply
left in piles or thrown into pits. Historically, landfills have been the most common methods of
organized waste disposal and remain so in many places around the world.
INCINERATION
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances
contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment
systems are described as "thermal treatment". The reason why it is preferred is mainly
because incinerators reduce the solid mass of the original waste by 80–85% and the volume
(already compressed somewhat in garbage trucks) by 95–96%, depending on composition
and degree of recovery of materials such as metals from the ash for recycling.[2] This means
that while incineration does not completely replace landfilling, it significantly reduces the
necessary volume for disposal. The strongest reasons for using this type of waste
management is incineration for the treatment of certain waste types in niche areas such
as clinical wastes and certain hazardous wastes where pathogens and toxins can be destroyed
by high temperatures.
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However, the use of these incinerators is highly debatable.
The debate over incinerators typically involves business interests (representing both waste
generators and incinerator firms), government regulators, environmental activists and local
citizens who must weigh the economic appeal of local industrial activity with their concerns
over health and environmental risk.
Arguments supporting Incineration.
● The first concern for incineration stands against its injurious effects over health due to
production of furans and dioxin emission. However, the emission is controlled to a greater
extent by developing of modern plants and governmental regulations.
● Incineration plants are capable of producing energy and can substitute power generation
plants of other sorts.
● The bottom ash after the process is completed is considered non-injurious that still is capable
for being landfilled and recycled.
● Fine particles are removable by processing through filters and scrubbers.
● Treating and processing medical and sewage waste produces non-injurious ash as product.
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PLASMA GASIFICATION
Plasma gasification is another form of waste management. Plasma is a primarily an
electrically charged or a highly ionized gas. Lighting is one type of plasma which produces
temperatures that exceed 12,600 °F . With this method of waste disposal, a vessel uses
characteristic plasma torches operating at +10,000 °F which is creating a gasification zone
till 3,000 °F for the conversion of solid or liquid wastes into a syngas.
RECYCLING
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into reusable objects to prevent waste
of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, energy usage,
air pollution(from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by decreasing the need
for “conventional” waste disposal and lowering greenhouse gas emissions compared to
plastic production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third
component of the “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” waste hierarchy.
BENEFITS OF RECYCLING
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● Greatly reduces the amount of energy used daily by not needing to produce new
materials. In short, recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the
atmosphere.
● If for absolutely nothing else, recycling keeps litter overflow to a minimum
keeping the Earth looking beautiful.
● In terms of energy, a single light bulb can be powered for up to four hours with the
energy saved from one recycled glass bottle.
● Conserves the Earth’s natural resources like raw materials, minerals, trees, etc.
● Properly run recycling programs cost the government, taxpayers, and business
owners less money than waste programs.
● Studies show that by continuing to increase positive recycling habits, the United
States can create over one million jobs annually.
● People can even make money by collecting approved materials to a nearby
recycling facility that will pay for the product.
● For every one job created in the waste management industry recycling creates four.
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paper products, can be recovered through composting and digestion processes to decompose
the organic matter. The resulting organic material is then recycled as mulch or compost for
agricultural or landscaping purposes. In addition, waste gas from the process (such as
methane) can be captured and used for generating electricity and heat (CHP/cogeneration)
maximising efficiencies. The intention of biological processing in waste management is to
control and accelerate the natural process of decomposition of organic matter.
Energy Recovery
Energy recovery from waste is the conversion of non-recyclable waste materials into usable
heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes, including combustion, gasification,
pyrolyzation, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas recovery.This process is often called
waste-to-energy. Energy recovery from waste is part of the non-hazardous waste management
hierarchy. Using energy recovery to convert non-recyclable waste materials into electricity
and heat, generates a renewable energy source and can reduce carbon emissions by offsetting
the need for energy from fossil sources as well as reduce methane generation from landfills.
Globally, waste-to-energy accounts for 16% of waste management.
PYROLYSIS
Pyrolysis is often used to convert many types of domestic and industrial residues into a
recovered fuel. Different types of waste input (such as plant waste, food waste, tyres) placed
in the pyrolysis process potentially yield an alternative to fossil fuels.Pyrolysis is a process of
thermo-chemical decomposition of organic materials by heat in the absence of stoichiometric
quantities of oxygen,; the decomposition produces various hydrocarbon gases.During
pyrolysis, the molecules of the object vibrate at high frequencies to an extent that molecules
start breaking down. The rate of pyrolysis increases with temperature. In industrial
applications, temperatures are above 430 °C (800 °F).Slow pyrolysis produces gases and
solid charcoal.
Pyrolysis hold promise for conversion of waste biomass into useful liquid fuel. Pyrolysis of
waste wood and plastics can potentially produce fuel. The solids left from pyrolysis contain
metals, glass, sand and pyrolysis coke which does not convert to gas. Compared to the
process of incineration, certain types of pyrolysis processes release less harmful by-products
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that contain alkali metals, sulphur, and chlorine. However, pyrolysis of some waste yields
gasses which impact the environment such as HCl and SO2.
RESOURCE RECOVERY
Resource recovery is the systematic diversion of waste, which was intended for disposal, for
a specific next use. It is the processing of recyclables to extract or recover materials and
resources, or convert to energy. These activities are performed at a resource recovery facility.
Resource recovery is not only environmentally important, but it is also cost-effective. It
decreases the amount of waste for disposal, saves space in landfills, and conserves natural
resources.
Resource recovery (as opposed to waste management) uses LCA (life cycle analysis)
attempts to offer alternatives to waste management. For mixed MSW (Municipal Solid
Waste) a number of broad studies have indicated that administration, source separation and
collection followed by reuse and recycling of the non-organic fraction and energy and
compost/fertilizer production of the organic material via anaerobic digestion to be the
favoured path.
As an example of how resource recycling can be beneficial, many items thrown away contain
metals that can be recycled to create a profit, such as the components in circuit boards. Wood
chippings in pallets and other packaging materials can be recycled to useful products for
horticulture. The recycled chips can cover paths, walkways, or arena surfaces.
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Application of rational and consistent waste management practices can yield a range of
benefits including:
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DISCUSSIONS
Transitioning into the aspect of discussing waste management, in the following pages, we
will delve into the various topics included under waste management. Waste management is
very broad topic which consists of various steps and procedures such as transportation,
handling, treatment, storage and more. Narrowing down the various ways, there are 8 waste
management methods which are widely recognized, namely
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Some simple daily examples are:
Door-step delivery of milk in glass bottles; other examples include the retreading of tires and
the use of returnable/reusable plastic boxes, shipping containers, instead of
single-use corrugated fibre-board boxes.
ANIMAL FEEDING
The unfinished food on personal plates and home trash cans is only representative of a larger
issue. The real problem lies with large-scale food producers, grocery stores and restaurants.
One such solution to turning all of this waste into a benefit is “Animal feeding”. It is an
innovative substitute to landfilling.
Recycling excess food waste into animal feed is an economically favourable for food
businesses, such as grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries and university dining halls. Many
bakeries already sell malformed baked goods for conversion into animal feed.
Conversion of food waste into animal feed will benefit the environment by reducing methane
emissions.
COMPOSTING
. Composting is a natural biological process, carried out under controlled aerobic conditions
(requires oxygen). In this process, various microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi,
break down organic matter into simpler substances.
In this process, we allow the environment to accept our biodegradable waste and break it
down into simpler substances.
Put in a creative way, composting is recycling done by nature.
It is important because it provides many essential nutrients for plant growth and therefore is
often used as fertilizer. Compost also improves soil structure so that soil can easily hold the
correct amount of moisture, nutrients and air.
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Some materials that can be composted: Organic solid waste (green waste), Animal manure
and bedding, Human excreta and sewage sludge.
Some composting technologies have been mentioned below:
Industrial scale composting can be carried out in the form of in-vessel composting, aerated
static pile composting, vermicomposting, or windrows composting.
Vermicomposting (process of organic material degradation using various species of worms)
Composting toilets
Though composting has a wide range of advantages, it also has a few disadvantages: The
main disadvantages of composting are the following: • Windrow and aerated static
pile composting require relatively large areas, and odour control is a common problem.
FERMENTATION
Anaerobic digestion is a collection of processes by which microorganisms break
down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen.[1]
The process is used for industrial or
domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the fermentation used
industrially to produce food and drink products, as well as home fermentation, uses anaerobic
digestion.
It has a wide range of applications:
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As seen, fermentation seems to have a lot of potential for power generation and reducing the
pressure on the quickly depleting fuels.
The bottom-line of this discussion is that, it is crucial to introspect over which is the best-
suited method of waste management and for which kind of waste. This extra deciding step
can go a long way in ensuring that we hand over a clean planet to future generations.
The importance of this step must be understood and implemented.
Only when we manage our wastes, we can use our resources up-to the maximum extent
without compromising the environment in the process.
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CONCLUSION
• India is slowly drowning in its own garbage. The rate at which India is currently generating
waste, it is estimated that by 2030, the country will need a landfill almost as big as the city of
Bengaluru to dump its waste. Urban areas alone generate around 62 million tonnes of garbage
every single year, making India the third largest garbage generator in the world. However, the
real issue is not waste generation but the fact that more than 45 million tonnes of waste in
India remain untreated. Hence it is considered the duty of this generation to not let our planet
turn into a into a wasteland, which can only be achieved by spreading awareness about the ill
effects of improper Waste Management and also by adopting new methods which are more
efficient.
Waste separation from household level proper storage and more efficient waste collection
systems, sustainable recovery and disposal practices are identified as the most important
processes to be followed. Especially awareness programs must be conducted in order to
improve the knowledge about solid waste management first sound environmental
development in the area.
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FUTURE SCOPE
• The scope for improvement in Waste Management in modern times is huge not just
because of advancements in technology but also because of newly discovered scientific
methods to tackle this problem. To understand how we can work on making Waste
Management more efficient and effective, let us look at the Mr. Trash Wheel project made in
Baltimore, USA.
This solar and water powered trash cleaner collects litter and debris flowing down the
Baltimore River. In the last 3 years this wonder machine has removed 1.1 million pounds of
garbage from the river. This includes 372,650 plastic bottles and 8.9 million cigarette buds.
Baltimore’s success with Mr. Trash Wheel is huge. The harbor is cleaner than it has been in
decades and the credit goes to this eco-friendly machine that is powered by both the sun and
the strong river current.
Hence such real time projects can be helpful in the near future to develop better advanced
models for Waste Management.
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REFERENCES
“How Can India's Waste Problem See a Systemic Change?” by Mathangi Swaminathan. An
article published on epw.in.
" United Nations Statistics Division - Environment Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 3
March 2017.
Gandy, Matthew (1994). Recycling and the Politics of Urban Waste. Earthscan. ISBN
9781853831683.
Florence Nightingale, Selected Writings of Florence Nightingale, ed. Lucy Ridgely Seymer
(New York: The Macmillan Co., 1954), pp. 38287
Paper published in the City of Chicago, Illinois. Department of Streets and Sanitation. "What
is Single Stream Recycling."
Herbert, Lewis (2007). "Centenary History of Waste and Waste Managers in London and
South East England". Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.
"Energy Recovery from Waste". USEPA. 2014.
uidelines for National Waste Management Strategies Moving from Challenges to
G
Opportunities (PDF). United Nations
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