Waste
management aims in collecting, transporting, processing, recycling and
monitoring the waste materials that are produced by the different human
activities and is usually undertaken to reduce the effect of these activities
on different aspect of life. Waste management is beneficial to recover
useful resources from the wastes we produce. These wastes involve all solid,
liquid and gaseous substances which are managed with different methods and
expertise is required for them.
Classification of wastes:
In order to understand the severity of the problem and to
work towards a solution, one must understand the types of wastes being
generated.
- Biodegradable Wastes - The biodegradable wastes are those that can be decomposed by the natural processes and converted into the elemental form. (For example, kitchen garbage, animal dung, etc.)
- Non-biodegradable
Wastes - The non-biodegradable wastes are those that cannot be decomposed
and remain as such in the environment. They are persistent and can cause
various problems. For example, plastics, nuclear wastes, glass, etc.
Sources
of Wastes:
- Domestic wastes
- Commercial wastes
- Ashes
- Animal wastes
- Bio-medical wastes
- Construction wastes
- Industrial Solid Wastes
- Sewer
- Biodegradable wastes
Common
problems encountered in waste management are:
- · We produce too much waste
- · Improper waste disposal
- · Most of our waste are toxic
Ways or Solutions in handling these Problems:
11. Landfill- disposing of waste in a way of burying it under the
ground which is a common practice in most countries of the world. Landfills are
often established in abandoned or unused quarries, borrow pits or mining voids.
If a landfill is properly designed and well-managed it can become a hygienic
and relatively inexpensive method of disposing of waste materials.
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2. Plasma Gasification- plasma is a highly electrically charged or
ionized gas.A gasifier vessel is one which utilizes proprietary plasma torches operating
at more than 10,000 °F or 5,540 °C which is the surface temperature
of the Sun, so as to order to create a gasification zone of up to 3,000 °F
or 1,650 °C which will convert solid or liquid wastes into a sun gas.
When
the municipal solid waste is subjected to this intense heat within the vessel,
the molecular bonds of the wastes break down into elemental components. The
process results in elemental destruction of waste and hazardous materials which
were originally present. Plasma gasification offers states new opportunities for
waste disposal, and more importantly for renewable power generation in an
environmentally sustainable manner.
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3. E-waste management- "Electronic waste" is defined as all the secondary computers,
entertainment devices, mobile phones, all other items like television,
refrigerators, whether they are sold or donated or discarded by their original
owners or users.
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hazardouswastedisposalsystem.com |
4. Recycling- "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" aka 3 R's of the waste hierarchy. Recycling involves processing used materials to make a new product which prevents waste of potentially useful materials that will reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials and reduce the energy usage, water pollution and reduce air pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower the greenhouse gas emissions as compared to original and fresh production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction, saves money, energy, trees in the planet Earth.
5. Incineration-
is a disposal method in which solid organic wastes are subjected to combustion
so as to convert them into residue and gaseous products. This method is useful
for disposal of residue of both solid waste management and solid residue from
waste water management. The process reduces the volumes of solid waste to 20
to 30 percent of the original volume. Incineration and other high temperature
waste treatment systems are sometimes described as "thermal treatment".
Incinerators convert waste materials into heat, gas, steam, and ash. Incineration
is carried out both on a small scale by individuals and on a large scale by
industry. 
6. Sustainability- involves making decisions and taking action that are in the interests of protecting the natural world, with particular emphasis on preserving the capability of the environment to support human life.Environmental sustainability is about making responsible decisions that will reduce your business' negative impact on the environment.  |
7. Biological
reprocessing- Recoverable materials that are organic in nature, such as plant
material, food scraps, and 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/co-generation) maximizing efficiency. The intention of biological processing in waste
management is to control and accelerate the natural process of decomposition of
organic matter.
8.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.
9. 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.
Benefits of Waste Management:
- With proper waste management, we can save our Mother Earth and at the same time we can receive many benefits not only for the environment but also for us.
- This has allowed cities to make use of organic waste to create compost for public areas. There are even some cities that package and sell the compost to make money.
- Waste items can be reprocessed and recycled and will be used in producing new products. This method has helped reduce further consumption of natural resources and at the same time lowers the ultimate needs for waste disposal.
- It is also beneficial to health as well. According to health agencies, when garbage and plastics are being burned, they produce particulate matter that are solid compounds and are suspended in the air which can cause serious ailments to the body and can lead to death. Removing waste from public areas helps reduce risks to overall health, decreases exposure to bio-hazards and reduces infestation of pest.
- There is another advantage of proper waste management that not so many people are aware about. It is in the form of waste energy- derivative of some techniques of waste management. Although incineration releases large amounts of carbon dioxide as well as other pollutants, modern advances have been available to capture the energy being produced in incineration and utilize it to generate electricity.
Sources:
http://recycle-recycling.com.au/article_type/environmental-benefits-of-waste-management/
http://www.tutorvista.com/content/science/science-ii/environment/classification-wastes.php
http://www.ukessays.com/essays/environmental-sciences/waste-management-and-recycling-environmental-sciences-essay.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_management
Retrieved on: Feb. 1, 2015
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