Solid Waste Management (अपद्रव्य निरमूलन) – An overview

Solid Waste (Refuse):-

Waste which is devoid of night soil is called Solid Waste.

• Garbage (food wastes)
• Rubbish (Paper, plastic, wood, metal, containers)
• Sewage residual (sludge, scum, suspended particles)
• Demolition products (bricks, cement, gravels, sand, pipes)
• Dead body of animals
• Manure and other discarded materials.

Management :- The process of dealing with or controlling things or people.

Need of solid waste management:-

As improper solid disposal has following hazards, so to stop them we need Solid Waste Management System.

• Act as favourable condition for breeding places of mosquitoes, flies etc.
• Decomposing waste attracts rodents and vermin.
• Pathogens present in waste is conveyed to food/water by vectors like house fly etc.
• Water pollution
• Soil pollution
• Heaps of waste – unsightly appearance
• Bad odour

Process of mangagement:-

• Storage :- Dustbins are used for collection
  • Galvanized dust bins
  • Public bins :- made up of metal and put on concrete
• Collection and Transport
  • House to house collection
  • Refuse collection vehicle
  • Dustless refuse collectors
• Disposal

Refuse Disposal :-

Insanitary methods	Sanitary methods
Hog feeding	Composting
Stacking	Sanitary landfill
Salvaging	Incineration
Dumping

• Dumping :- It is done in low lying area, dry refuse are dumped here, leads to volume reduction and conversion to humus.
  • Refuse is accessible to flies
  • Produce abnoxious odour
  • Water & soil pollution
  • Unsighty appearance
• Sanitary land filling
  • Trench method :- Pit constructed of (2-3 × 4-12) m, covered with mud, 1acre of land/ 10,000 population.
  • Ramp method :- on slopping land, trench prepared and covered with soil.
  • Area method :- natural depression, clay pit, each layer covered with 30 cm of mud
    • 4-6 months are required for decomposition, temp. rises upto 60°C within 7 days, complete decomposition takes place (without order, flies but requires large land).
• Incineration (Burning):- used for Hospital waste, areas where land is not available.
• Composting :- Breakdown of organic matters in to humus like material by bacterial action.
  • Bangalore (Anaerobic) method :- a trench of (5-8 × 15-30 × 3) feet is made. First layer about 15 cm at bottom then 5 cm soil, alternate layers are made similarly and top layer should be of 25 cm and heap is covered with soil
    • Temp. rises upto 60°C in 7 days, heat persists for 2-3 weeks, convert night soil and refuse into 4-6 months
  • Mechanical composting :- refuse is pulverised in pulverising equipment (reduction in size less than 2 inch), refuse is mixed with sewage, sludge, night soil, then incubated (4-6 weeks are required)
    • Carbon- nitrogen action
    • Temperature
    • Moisture
    • pH and aerations
  • Vermi/cockroach compositing
  • Black soldier fly larvae compositing
  • Humanure
  • Bokashi
• Manure pits :- for rural population, garbarge is dumped and covered with earth at day end, it requires 5-6 months to convert into humus.
• Burial :- for cramps, 1.5×2m, each day is covered with 20-30cm mud at end of each day, time required is 5-6 months for converting refuse in to humus.

Terms used :-

• Refuse :- is a solid waste, material that can’t be reused.

To Know About More Topics Of Sewage Treatment, CLICK HERE.