2011

TT-ME GROUP NO.1 (ROLL NOS. 1-11)

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT]

TABLE OF CONTENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

CERTIFICATE

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

1. CONCEPT: Solid wastes are all the wastes arising from human and animal activities that are normally solid and are discarded as useless or unwanted. Generation of solid waste is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as the human civilization. In the early days, before the advent of the industrial revolution, the major constituents of wastes were domestic sewage and agricultural residues, which were biodegradable in nature. Since population was less and fallow land was in plenty, solid wastes could be conveniently disposed off in the countryside either on open ground or were placed in pits covered with layers of earth. Because of their biodegradable nature they used to get decomposed and assimilated in the soil. However, with unparallel industrialization and consequent organization not only has the quantity of the solid waste increased but its quality has also changed. Though rural wastes continue to be made up of domestic wastes and agricultural residues mainly, waste from urban areas and the industrial units contains diverse types of materials that include toxic and hazardous constituents. The discarded waste materials are often reusable and may be considered as resource in another setting. Solid Waste Management is to manage the societys waste in a manner that meets public health and environmental concerns and the publics desire to reuse and recycle waste materials. Solid Waste Management may be defined as the discipline associated with the control of generation, collection, storage, transfer and transport, processing and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in accord with the best principles of public health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics and other environmental considerations. 1.1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT (SWM): 1. Waste is a resource. When waste is thrown away, it does not disappear but ends up somewhere else or in some other form. When it is used or put in the right place, it retains its value as a resource. 2. Waste prevention is better than waste regulation. Stopping waste from being produced is much better than trying to manage it after a lot has already been generated. 3. There is no single management and technological approach to solid waste. An integrated SWM system will best achieve SWM goals. There are different types of waste biodegradable, non-biodegradable, recyclable, non-recyclable, toxic, and hazardous and each requires specific handling and disposal methods. 4. All elements of society are fundamentally responsible for solid waste management. Although Local Government Units (LGUs) are primarily responsible for providing SWM services to their constituents, their success requires the support of the national government and the involvement of the private sector and the general public. 5. Solid waste management should be approached within the context of resource conservation, environmental protection and health, and sustainable development. SWM has evolved into, a multidisciplinary effort requiring the expertise from the fields of engineering, economics, sociology bioscience, and environmental management. 6. SWM programs should consider the physical and socio-economic conditions of the concerned communities and should be designed according to communities specific needs. Communities vary in character and, thus, have different solid waste problems. SWM programs should correspond to the unique needs of these communities.

Incorporating these principles into ones way of thinking is a good starting point when embarking on any solid waste management initiative. 2. CAUSES: Consumption, linked to per capita income, has a strong relationship with waste generation. As per capita income rises, more savings are spent on goods and services, especially when the transition is from a low income to a middle-income level. Waste generation encompasses activities in which materials are identified as no longer being of value and are either thrown away or gathered together for disposal. For example, the wrapping of a chocolate is usually considered to be of little value to the owner once the chocolate is consumed and thrown away, especially outdoors. It is important in waste generation to note that there is an identification step, which varies with each individual waste. The quantity of solid waste generation depends upon factors such as standard of living, food habits and degree of commercial activities and the quality of the waste also varies seasonally. Garbage (Four broad categories): 1. Organic waste: kitchen waste, vegetables, flowers, leaves, fruits. 2. Toxic waste: old medicines, paints, chemicals, bulbs, spray cans, fertilizer and pesticide containers, batteries, shoe polish. 3. Soiled: hospital waste such as cloth soiled with blood and other body fluids. 4. Recyclable: paper, glass, metals, and plastics.

Generation of Municipal Solid Waste (Source: Manual on Municipal Solid Waste Management, CPHEEO, NEW DELHI): Composition Percentage Biodegradable Metal scrap, Rubber, textiles, etc. Stones and Rubber Sand Plastics Paper products 52 11 8 23 10 5

2.1. CLASSIFICATION OF SOLID WASTE: A. ACCEPTABLE wastes: Most solid wastes generated by residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sources may be disposed in a sanitary landfill of modern design without necessarily directly or indirectly endangering the well being of the public and the quality of the environment. For convenience of reference, such wastes are referred to as acceptable wastes. In contrast, many types of industrial process wastes (as opposed to the wastes generated in the offices of industrial facilities) should not be disposed in sanitary landfills but should be handled in specially designed landfills. These wastes are referred to as unacceptable wastes. Wastes that are unacceptable should receive special evaluation to assess the particular risks associated with their disposal. With very few exceptions, only those wastes for which a given facility has been specifically designed should be accepted by that facility. An exception might be a waste that has been shown

to fit within the existing or appropriately modified design capacity of the facility and that has the appropriate biochemical characteristics. Unfortunately, in many of the poorer developing nations, separation of wastes into acceptable and unacceptable categories is not practiced, nor is separation feasible in the foreseeable future. In many developing countries, circumstances are likely to be such that the only feasible course of action to gain some degree of control over land disposal is to accept all solid wastes without exception. The very act of removing the wastes from the open environment and placing them in a controlled land disposal facility would represent advancement over the indiscriminate disposal practices currently in existence. Dewatered solids (i.e., sludges or, synonymously, biosolids) from municipal wastewater treatment plants and water supply treatment plants (excepting raw sludge) can be regarded as being acceptable wastes. B. UNACCEPTABLE wastes: Ideally, the decision as to which wastes are to be deemed unacceptable should be made during the planning process, should be made jointly by the responsible governmental agency and the disposal site designer and operator, and should take into account the results of surveying large waste generators (in particular, industrial waste generators) in terms of the quantities and characteristics of their wastes. The wastes should be identified in the landfill development plans and frequent users of the disposal facility should be provided with a list of such wastes. Criteria recommended for use in decisions regarding acceptability should include the hydrogeology of the site; the chemical and biological characteristics of the waste; availability of alternative methods for disposal, reuse, or recycling; environmental risks; and the risks to the health and safety of the operating personnel and to the public. Wastes that should require specific approval of the responsible government agency for acceptance at the disposal site should include those that are legally defined as hazardous waste or wastes that contain materials that are defined as hazardous materials -- medical wastes, bulk liquids and semi-liquids, sludges containing free moisture, highly flammable or volatile substances, raw animal manures, septic tank pumping and raw sludge, and industrial process wastes. It should be noted that some animal wastes may be infectious because they contain animal disease organisms that can be transmitted to humans. C. SPECIAL wastes: There are several types of wastes that are commonly termed special wastes. Of these, medical (infectious) wastes and various types of sludges are commonly generated and disposed on the land in developing nations, and therefore, should receive special attention. Quantities of other types of special wastes will be considerably reduced through extensive scavenging and recycling activities characteristic of developing nations. Some of these wastes include institutional wastes, construction and demolition debris, animal manures, and animal carcasses. 2.2. TYPES OF SOLID WASTES: Solid waste includes domestic wastes, municipal wastes, commercial wastes, garbage, rubbish, ashes, construction and demolition wastes, industrial wastes, hazardous wastes, hospital wastes and sewage. a) Domestic wastes: These wastes are generated by household activities such as cooking, cleaning, repairs, redecoration, empty containers, packaging, clothing, old books, newspapers, old furnishings, etc. b) Commercial wastes: Solid wastes generated in offices, wholesale stores, restaurants, hotels, markets, warehouses and other commercial establishments. These are further classified into garbage and rubbish.

c) Institutional wastes: Wastes generated from institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals, research institutions. The waste includes garbage, rubbish and hazardous wastes. d) Municipal wastes: Municipal solid waste includes commercial and domestic wastes generated in municipal or notified areas in either solid or semi-solid form excluding industrial hazardous wastes but including treated bio-medical wastes. Wastes generated due to municipal activities and services such as street waste, dead animals, market waste and abandoned vehicles. Generally, the term is used in a wider sense to incorporate domestic wastes, institutional wastes and commercial wastes. e) Garbage: It includes animal and vegetable wastes due to various activities like storage, preparation and sale, cooking and serving. These are biodegradable. f) Ashes: Residues from the burning of wood charcoal and coke for cooking and heating in houses, institutions and small industries. Ashes consist of a fine powdery residue, cinders and clinker often mixed with small pieces of metal and glass. g) Rubbish: Apart from garbage and ashes, other solid wastes produced in households, commercial establishments, and institutions are termed as rubbish. h) Slaughter House Waste: Slaughtering of animals generates waste consisting of nonedible organs, stomach contents, dung, bones and sludge from waste water treatment. i) Hospital waste: Hospital waste is generated during the diagnosis, treatment immunization of human beings or animals. It may include wastes like sharps, soiled waste, disposables, anatomical waste, cultures, discarded medicines, chemical wastes, etc. These are in the form of disposable syringes, swabs, bandages, body fluids, human excreta, etc. This waste is highly infectious and can be a serious threat to human health if not managed in a scientific manner. j) Bio-medical waste: Bio-medical waste means any solid and/or liquid waste including its container and any intermediate product, which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals or in research pertaining thereto or in the production or testing thereof. Bio Medical waste consists of human anatomical waste like tissues, organs, body parts, animal wastes generated during research, from veterinary hospitals, microbiology and biotechnology wastes, waste sharps, hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpels, broken glass, discarded medicines and cyto-toxic drugs, soiled waste, such as dressing, bandages, plaster casts, material contaminated with blood, tubes, catheters, liquid waste from any of the infected areas, incineration ash and other chemical wastes. PLASTICS: Plastic, with its exclusive qualities of being light yet strong and economical, has invaded every aspect of our day-to-day life. It has many advantages: it is durable, light, easy to mould and can be adapted to different user requirements. Once hailed as a wonder material, plastic is now a serious worldwide environmental and health concern, essentially due to its non-biodegradable nature. More than 50% of the plastic waste generated in the country is recycled and used in the manufacture of various plastic products. Dioxin is a highly carcinogenic and toxic by-product of the manufacturing process of plastics. Burning of plastics, especially PVC, releases this dioxin and also furan into the atmosphere. Plastics are so versatile in use that their impact on the environment is extremely wide ranging. Careless disposal of plastic bags chokes drains, blocks the porosity of the soil and causes problems for groundwater recharge. Plastic disturbs the soil microbial activity. Plastic

bags can also contaminate foodstuffs due to leaching of toxic dyes and transfer of pathogens. In fact, a major portion of the plastic bags i.e. approximately 60-80% of the plastic waste generated in India is collected and segregated for recycling. 20 - 40% remains strewn on the ground, littered around in open drains. Designing eco-friendly, biodegradable plastics are the need of the hour. Though partially biodegradable plastics have been developed and used, completely biodegradable plastics based on renewable starch rather than petrochemicals have only recently been developed and are in the early stages of commercialization. The incentives provided for this is not adequate. For example it is both easy and economical to deliver milk in plastic bags rather than in bottles. 3. CONSEQUENSES: Ninety percent of solid waste goes straight to the landfill. Incineration is the next most popular method of disposal, followed by composting to a much lesser extent. The dangers from landfills come into play when the site is in a place where it shouldn't be--such as near wetlands. The other danger is a lack of monitoring the site. Usually, standards dictate that a plastic liner or clay soil be utilized to keep waste from seeping into the groundwater. In the case of incineration, problems usually arise when toxic materials, like batteries, aren't set aside and recycled and are instead burned--releasing pollutants into the air. a. Groundwater Contamination

If waste isn't discarded properly on land, when it rains the waste is soaked and is then carried through the landfill, eventually making its way into the water you may drink. Especially dangerous chemicals are volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which usually come from household cleaners and industrial solvents used in operations like dry cleaning. These compounds have been linked to everything from cancers to birth defects.

b. Disease Outbreaks

Another danger, especially with open pits, comes from the spread of diseases--usually carried by rodents and bugs. An example of this is malaria, which festers in open areas with standing water and particularly hot and muggy temperatures. In addition, there may be a propensity for people to scavenge wastes in landfills and open pits, which again can create unsanitary conditions and aid the spread of disease.

Some common parasites and pathogens associated with solid waste 1. S. Typhosa 2. Salmonella special 3. Shigella special 4. E. Coli 5. E. histolytica cysts 6. Taenia saginata 7. Trichinella spiralis larvae 8. Br. Abortus or Br. Suis 9. Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus 10. Streptococus pyogenes 11. Mycobactercum tuberculosis var. hominis

12. Corynebacterium diptheriae 13. Necator americanus 14. A. lumbricoides eggs c. Habitat Destruction

Disposal locations may encroach upon existing habitat for native flora and fauna, especially when sited in areas near wetlands. In some cases, people have taken steps to reclaim the land by capping the landfill and later attempting to grow vegetation on it.

d. Climate Change

As waste begins to break down, methane is produced. Methane is considered a greenhouse gases that is responsible for some of the spike in the earth's temperatures.

e. Air Quality

When wastes are burned, especially toxic chemicals like dioxin, they're released into the surrounding environment and can then cause serious public health risks.

The organic fraction of Solid Waste (SW) is an important component, not only because it constitutes a sizable fraction of the solid waste stream in a developing country, but also because of its potentially adverse impact upon public health and environmental quality. A major adverse impact is its attraction of rodents and vector insects for which it provides food and shelter. Impact on environmental quality takes the form of foul odours and unsightliness. These impacts are not confined merely to the disposal site. On the contrary, they pervade the area surrounding the site and wherever the wastes are generated, spread, or accumulated. Unless an organic waste is appropriately managed, its adverse impact will continue until it has fully decomposed or otherwise stabilised. Uncontrolled or poorly managed intermediate decomposition products can contaminate air, water, and soil resources.

4. CONTROL TECHNIQUES:

Typical elements of a solid waste management system

4.1. CONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES:

1. SOLID WASTE LANDFILL: Landfills are used to dispose of solid waste by burying it under dirt. Many countries use uninhabited land, quarries, mines and pits as landfill sites. METHODS OF LANDFILL: i. Trench Method: a trench is excavated and the solid waste is placed in it and compacted; and the soil that was taken from the trench is then laid on the waste and compacted.

This method is used on level or gently sloping land where the water table is low. The advantage of this method is that the soil taken from the trench can readily be used as cover.

ii.

Area Method: solid waste is deposited on the surface, compacted, and then covered with a layer of compacted soil at the end of a working day. This method is seldom restricted by topography: flat or rolling terrain, canyons, and other types of depressions are all acceptable.

2. INCINERATION AND THERMAL CONVERSION: The incineration of raw (unprocessed) wastes is practiced throughout the world. The simplest and crudest method of incineration is open burning. With the successive changes that have taken place in technology in general and in environmental concerns, the combustion process gradually has become subjected to increasingly controlled conditions. Initially, the main objective of the process was to reduce the volume of the material requiring disposal. Later, the products of combustion (hot gases) were used to generate steam. Incineration of raw wastes has its advantages and its disadvantages. Two main advantages come to mind, particularly for an energy- and space-hungry, densely populated metropolis; they are the potential for generating steam and the accomplishment of volume reduction. On the other hand, incineration has a serious disadvantage in the form of the substantial cost of controlling and managing its pollutant emissions. The general forms of the pollutants generated during the course of incineration include air emissions, bottom and fly ash, and wastewater. Another important disadvantage is the fact that the direct combustion of the raw wastes does not provide an opportunity for substantial recovery of material resources.

3. RECOVERY AND RECYCLING: The processing of mixed wastes and of source-separated wastes to recover materials is done by both manual and mechanical processes. i. Manual separation: In the case of mixed waste processing, bulky items (appliances, furniture, etc.) and specified contaminants (e.g., hazardous waste) generated in some of the industrialising economies can be, and oftentimes are, manually removed from the waste prior to mechanical processing. With few exceptions, a completely manual separation of materials from mixed waste beyond this initial separation is reserved for small operations. Manual separation is also applicable to the removal of contaminants (components other than the materials specified for separate collection) from sourceseparated materials. ii. Mechanical separation: Mechanical processes include electromagnetic, fluid dynamic, pneumatic, and others. Mechanical separation usually involves the use of several types of unit processes, five of which are size reduction, screening, air classification, magnetic separation, and non-ferrous (e.g., aluminium) separation. a. SIZE reduction: The term size reduction has a number of synonyms in solid waste management, including shredding and grinding. b. SCREENING: Screens are used for achieving efficient separation of particles through dependence on differences between particle sizes with respect to any two dimensions. c. AIR classification: Air classification is a process of separating categories of materials by way of differences in their respective aerodynamic characteristics. The aerodynamic characteristic of a particular material is primarily a function of the size, geometry, and density of the particles. The process consists of the

interaction of a moving stream of air, shredded waste material, and the gravitational force within a confined volume. d. MAGNETIC separation: Magnetic separation is a process used to segregate magnetic (i.e., ferrous) metal from a mixture of different types of materials, e.g., mixed waste or commingled metal, glass, and plastic containers. The process is technically simple and of relatively low cost. Magnets used in the separators may be either permanent or electromagnetic. Magnetic separators are available in three configurations -- namely, magnetic head pulley, drum, and magnetic belt. The magnetic head pulley-conveyor consists of a magnetic pulley that serves as the head pulley of a conveyor. In its operation, the material to be sorted passes over the magnetic pulley, and the magnetic particles are pulled part way around the rotating pulley while the non-magnetic particles follow a separate unrestrained ballistic path. In the case of the drum magnet, the electromagnetic assembly usually is mounted inside the rotating drum where the assembly remains stationary. The drum magnetic assembly can be installed in either overfeeds or underfeeds applications. The magnetic belt consists of a stationary magnetic assembly that is mounted between the head and tail pulleys. In contrast to the inline configuration that applies to drum and magnetic head pulleys, magnetic belt pulleys can be positioned in-line or perpendicular to the flow of material, although the in-line configuration generally is the more efficient. Magnetic belts perform their task by attracting the magnetic particles and carrying them away against the belt surface while the non-magnetic particles fall away under the influence of gravity in another direction. e. NON-FERROUS separation: The predominant non-ferrous metal represented in the waste stream is usually aluminium, and it is oftentimes a target for recovery. In the case of aluminium, heavy media and eddy current separation are possibilities. Of these two processes, eddy current separation is, at present, the more commercially feasible. Separation is brought about by the ejection of aluminium particles (and potentially other non-ferrous metals, if present) from a moving waste stream due to the force exerted on the metallic particles as they pass through an electromagnetic flux generated by the equipment. Contamination of aluminium recovered by the eddy current separator by other non-ferrous (ONF) metals is primarily a function of the concentration of ONF in the feedstock stream, size distribution of the types of materials in the feedstock stream, and the operating conditions of the eddy current separator. Some items that can be recycled or reused a) Paper a. Old copies b. Old books c. Paper bags d. Newspapers e. Old greeting cards f. Cardboard box b) Plastic a. Containers

b. Bags c. Sheets c) Glass and ceramics a. Bottles b. Plates c. Cups d. Bowls d) Miscellaneous a. Old cans b. Utensils c. Clothes d. Furniture 4. Windrow composting: In agriculture, windrow composting is the production of compost by piling organic matter or biodegradable waste, such as animal manure and crop residues, in long rows (windrows). This method is suited to producing large volumes of compost. These rows are generally turned to improve porosity and oxygen content, mix in or remove moisture, and redistribute cooler and hotter portions of the pile. Windrow composting is a commonly used farm scale composting method.

4. NEWLY DEVELOPED TECHNIQUES

1. ANAEROBIC DIGESTION: Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen, used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste and/or to release energy. 2. Mechanical biological treatment (MBT): A mechanical biological treatment system is a form of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion. MBT plants are designed to process mixed household waste as well as commercial and industrial wastes.

3. Mechanical heat treatment (MHT): Mechanical heat treatment is an alternative waste treatment technology. This technology is also commonly termed Autoclaving. MHT involves a mechanical sorting or pre-processing stage with technology often found in a material recovery facility. The mechanical sorting stage is followed by a form of thermal treatment. This might be in the form of a waste autoclave or processing stage to produce a

refuse derived fuel pellet. MHT is sometimes grouped along with mechanical biological treatment. MHT does not however include a stage of biological degradation (anaerobic digestion or composting). 4. Plasma arc waste disposal: Plasma arc gasification or Plasma Gasification Process abbreviated PGP is a waste treatment technology that uses electrical energy and the high temperatures created by an electric arc gasifier. This arc breaks down waste primarily into elemental gas and solid waste (slag), in a device called a plasma converter. The process has been intended to be a net generator of electricity, depending upon the composition of input wastes, and to reduce the volumes of waste being sent to landfill sites. 5. Pyrolysis: Pyrolysis is a thermo-chemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis is a special case of thermolysis (chemical decomposition caused by heat), and is most commonly used for organic materials, being, therefore, one of the processes involved in charring (chemical process of incomplete

combustion of a solid when subjected to high heat).

LEGAL ACTS:
A. Acts, Rules and Notification regarding Solid Waste Management in India:
1. Law of Torts 2. Indian Penal Code, 1860 3. Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 4. Constitution of India, 1950 5. Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 6. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 7. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 8. Environment Protection Act, 1986 9. Hazardous waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989 10. Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991 11. Bio-medical wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998 12. Recycled plastics (Manufacture and Usage) Rules, 1999 13. Municipal Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000 The right to live in a clean and healthy environment is not only a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of our Constitution but also a right recognized and enforced by the courts of law under different laws, like Law of Torts, Indian Penal Code, 1860 Civil Procedure Code, 1908 and Criminal Procedure Code, 1973.

The Constitution of India, 1950 the earliest legislation and which is the supreme law of the land has imposed a fundamental duty on every citizen of India under Article 51-A(g) to protect and improve the environment. The obligation on the State to protect the environment is expressed under Article 48 A. The right to live in a healthy environment is also a basic human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 has declared under Article 3 that everyone has the right to life and under Article 25 that everyone has a right to a standard of living adequate for health and well being of himself and of his family. At the national policy level, the ministry of environment and forests has legislated the Municipal Waste Management and Handling Rules 2000 in exercise of the power conferred under sections 3, 6 and 25 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. These rules shall apply to every municipal authority responsible for collection, segregation, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal solid wastes. Composting of wastes is a legal requirement provided under the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSW) Rules 2000 for all municipal bodies in the country. The MSW Rules 2000 requires that biodegradable wastes shall be processed by composting, vermicomposting, anaerobic digestion or any other appropriate biological processing for the stabilization of wastes. The specified deadline for setting up of waste processing and disposal facilities was 31 December 2003 or earlier. Every municipal authority shall, within the territorial area of the municipality, be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of these rules, and for any infrastructure development for collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal solid wastes. The Central Government, to perform its functions effectively as contemplated under sections 6, 8, and 25 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and has made various Rules, Notifications and Orders including the Bio-medical wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998.

B. Recycled plastics (Manufacture and Usage) Rules, 1999

1. Prohibit the usage of carry bags or containers made of recycled plastics for storing, carrying, dispensing or packaging of foodstuffs. 2. Prescribe that the minimum thickness of carry bags made of recycled plastics shall not be less than 20 microns. 3. Directs the manufacturers of carry bags that the carry bags and containers shall be in natural shape or white in colour. 4. Stipulate that recycling of plastics shall be undertaken strictly in accordance with the standards prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The manufacturers of recycled plastics carry bags shall mark their products as recycled. This notification also provides that the Plastics Industries Association through member units shall undertake self-regulatory measures. The State Pollution Control Board exercise powers to implement and control the above rules.

CASE ANALYSIS:
Suryapet is 150 km from Hyderabad and is surrounded by agricultural farms and has agricultural based small scale industries. The town generates every day 32 tons of waste. The town is residential type where in 42% of the population lives in slum. The city is agricultural based and has few agricultural industries.

Situation before:
As any other towns, Suryapet had garbage dumps on road and drains. Managing solid waste was burning problem required immediate attention and care. The waste generators use to throw the waste directly on streets, open plots and drains thereby causing problems for health, environment and aesthetics. The municipality was functioning in an adhoc way without proper management plan for collection, transportation and disposal system for solid waste. The weaker sections of the community and children were most affected due to insanitation condition. The general health conditions and efficiency of the workers was at the lowest ebb. The waste was burnt in open atmosphere thereby degrading environment.

Inspiration:
The initiative is commenced by Mr. Khader Saheb, Municipal Commissioner of Suryapet in Dec2002; with single agenda to clean the town and thereby improve the quality of life of people living there. Earlier, the official had attempted similar exercise at Mandapet municipality to make it a dustbin free town with his innovative ideas and achieved a reasonable success. This experience helped the official in implementing it in Suryapet municipality and there began the voyage of Suryapet toward dustbin and garbage free town.

CHALLENGES:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. To achieve effective solid waste management system within the municipal resources. To conduct awareness among the various target groups. Bring in efficiency with in the sanitary workers. To build the capacity of council and health staff. To achieve an economical SWM system within the framework of Honorable Supreme Court.

Summary of the Process

The process is explained in detail below. 1. Awareness Creation: The municipality thought of innovative and effective ways for creating awareness without any investments for various target groups as mentioned below. a. Sanitary Staff: To start with, the Commissioner planned to arrange trainings and capacity building programs for sanitary workers and supervisory staff. He organized Meditation, Medication and Yoga (also called as MMY) classes by Guru Bhikshamaya and Guru Nasaiah for the sanitary workers for every 3 hours in a day for 10 days period. The Classes were conducted in batches of 70 workers each. b. Households and commercial: Commissioner, Health Inspector and DWCUA groups visited to each street in the morning 6.30 AM where in all the residents were gathered and motivated to store the waste within their premises. c. BPL and Slum Households: In low income group areas, people were gathered and educated about the segregation. To encourage and attract their attention, competitions were conducted regarding segregation of waste and distributed prizes like pots, vessels etc. d. School and colleges: On each day after completing street meeting with households, any one of the school within that locality was targeted. A small 15 minutes speech was delivered by the Commissioner educating the students about the importance of personal hygiene, segregation and environmental issues during the assembly. e. Traders: Numbers of meeting were organized at the traders convenient place and time requesting them to cooperate with the municipality in this initiative. The medical association was then requested to have their own system for bio medical waste collection and transportation.

2. Primary Waste Collection: The entire Town is divided into 7 zones. Zone wise data i.e. households, shops, hotels, length of the roads etc. were collected. Zone wise workers, equipments and vehicles were redeployed. Each zone was allotted with one tractor for door to door waste collection. a. Households: The day begins with an attendance at 5.30 AM and door to door waste collection starts at 6.00 AM till 10.00 AM. Each tractor will be allotted with 3 workers and one driver. The tractor has two compartment made out of a simple detachable wooden board covering 1/3rd of the trailer area. The driver will keep whistling in intervals so that people come out to deliver the waste. The waste will be collected from both the sides of the streets by two workers and one worker will be on the vehicle to handle the bins. b. Street Sweeping: The roads are classified into daily, once in three days and once in 10-15 days sweeping types. A group of workers were allotted with timings and roads which they have to sweep as per the schedule. One worker will sweep and make the heaps at regular intervals; another worker will collect the heaps in a HDPE bin and transfer it to the tractor vehicle at defined location. Two tractors are been allotted for this purpose. c. Construction debris and de-silted waste collection: One tractor is been allotted for this purpose which collects the debris from each zone on any one day of the week. This waste is used for filling pot holes and reclaiming the low lying area. A new municipal office building is proposed to be built after reclamation of the low lying area. d. Commercial areas: Two tractors are exclusively allotted for waste collection from main roads and commercial streets between 10.00 AM to 12.00 noon. e. Slaughter house waste: The town has one slaughter house which is maintained by the municipality. The waste from slaughter house is loaded into tractors and transported to dump site. 3. Transportation of waste: The wastes from the tractors are then transported directly to the treatment plant where the recyclables are retrieved from the waste and the organic waste is composted. The inorganic waste is then unscientifically dumped in low lying areas. 4. Processing and Disposal: The municipality has established a shed for storing recyclable waste and compost unit consisting of 4 pits of 4 x 40 x 1.5 ft dimension. Only 3 tons of waste was composted in this unit which was not sufficient. Municipality is facing a common problem of marketing the compost generated. The shed is constructed under APMC grant. The municipality has following two lands.

Innovations and initiatives in the process

1. The municipality has effectively utilized the existing resources. None of the SWM activities are outsourced hence brought an efficient and economical system. 2. The recyclable waste is collected and separated in shed into various types like coconut shells, plastics of different grades, paper of different quality etc., as per the market demand to get more revenue and are being sold to an identified recycler/purchaser. 3. The sanitary workers trained about the personal hygiene and habits which indirectly strengthened the bond between municipality and the workers. Due to this confidence the performance delivery level of workers has drastically improved. 4. The Awareness program was conducted in a very effective way involving all the groups. Time was not a constraint for conducting such awareness programs. The IEC materials i.e. audio cassettes, movie, posters etc are been innovatively distributed in a wide way by the municipality.

5. The Council has passed a resolution of collecting penalty from Rs. 100 to 500 from the defaulter who will be throwing the waste on streets. 6. The most effective and unique feature of this initiative is that a public addressing system attached to the squad vehicle keep going on rounds. Normally IEC cassettes are played, but in case any defaulter is caught then the Commissioner creates a big drama embarrassing them in front of the public gathering and also collecting the fine. This method helped in creating a fear among the public against littering and throwing waste openly. 7. Government Doctor visits the Municipality and checks the workers health regularly. 8. The removed dustbins are been distributed to the neighboring Panchyats free of cost to encourage them to adopt Suryapet Model. 9. The ideas given by various technical experts were tried and tested by the municipality. The best technology was then planned to be tried in the new landfill site. The Commissioner was open to suggestions and frankly tried to implement the same for the benefit of town and municipality.

Results achieved:
1. All the 360 bins are now removed and 100% door to door waste collection is been achieved. 2. No garbage and Bin less town 3. Clean environment and Odour-free atmosphere 4. Free from Stray animals and mosquitoes 5. Sanitation related compliant have reduced to nearly 90% 6. Occurrence of Communicable diseases in the town rapidly decreased during the period 2001 to 2004. 7. People have got confidence in municipality and Commissioner 8. The town has received recognition in the State thereby becoming a role model for rest of the towns. The Honorable Supreme Court has entitled the town as bin less and Zero Garbage Town which is the one of the first towns to comply with the Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000. The Honorable Supreme Court has given a statement that Lack of funds is no excuse for inaction. Smaller towns in every State should go and learn from Suryapet in Andhra Pradesh (Pop. 103,000) and Namakkal in Tamil Nadu (Pop. 53,000) which have both seen dustbin- free Zero Garbage Towns complying with the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules since 2003 with No financial input from State or Centre, just good management and a sense of commitment.

CONCLUSION:
Self-help and the use of community participation may in many cases be the only solution for solving waste collection problems in low-income areas. However the communitys awareness and willingness to participate are key aspects to consider when planning and implementing an alternative waste collection system since, among all urban infrastructures, primary waste collection requires the most participation from the community members.

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