Prepared by Aamir Mahar

Land Pollution
(Solid Waste Management and Disposal)
1) Introduction
a. Waste management is a set of activities that include
the following:
i. collection, transport, treatment and disposal of
waste;
ii. control, monitoring and regulation of the
production, collection, transport, treatment and
disposal of waste; and
iii. prevention of waste production through in-
process modification, reuse and recycling.
b. Solid waste generation in Pakistan ranges between
0.283 to 0.612 kg/capita/day and the waste
generation growth rate is 2.4% per year. Solid
domestic waste is typically dumped on low-lying
land.
2) Types of Solid Waste
a. Municipal solid waste
b. Industrial waste
c. Agricultural waste
d. Hazardous waste
3) Main Composition
a. Biodegradable waste i.e. could be decomposed naturally
such as food and kitchen waste, green waste, paper, etc.
b. Recyclable material i.e. could be recycled again and
again; such as paper, glass, bottles, cans, metals, certain
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plastics ,fabrics, clothes, batteries etc.

 Prepared by Aamir Mahar

c. Inert waste i.e. not liable to decompose; such as

construction and demolition waste, dirt, rocks, debris,
etc.
d. Electrical and electronic waste (WEEE); such as
electrical appliances, TVs, computers, screens, etc.
e. Composite wastes; such as waste clothing, Tetra Packs,
waste plastic, etc.
f. Domestic hazardous waste & toxic waste medication;
such as paints, chemicals, light bulbs, fluorescent tubes,
spray cans, fertilizer and pesticide containers, shoe
polish, etc.
4) Effects of Improper Solid Waste Management
a. Health Hazards
i. Skin and eye infections are common
ii. Dust in the air at dumpsites can cause breathing
problems in children and adults
iii. Flies breed on uncovered piles of rotting garbage
and spread diseases like diarrhea, dysentery,
typhoid, hepatitis, and cholera
iv. Mosquitoes transmit many types of diseases like
malaria and yellow fever
v. Dogs, cats and rats living around refuse carry a
variety of diseases including plague and flea
born fever
vi. Intestinal, parasitic and skin diseases are found
in workers engaged in collecting refuse
b. Ground Water Pollution
i. As water filters through any material, chemicals
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in the material may dissolve in the water, a

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process called leaching. The resulting mixture is

called leachate.
ii. As water percolates through Muncipal Solid
Waste, it makes a leachate that consists of
decomposing organic matter combined with
iron, mercury, lead, zinc, and other metals from
rusting cans etc.
c. Air Pollution
5) Methods of Waste Disposal
a. Sanitary Landfill: burying the waste in the land
b. Incineration/Combustion: municipal solid wastes are
burned at high temperatures so as to convert them into
residue and gaseous products
c. Recovery and Recycling: process of taking useful
discarded items for a specific next use.
d. Plasma gasification: 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. the waste’s
molecular bonds are broken down as result of the
intense heat in the vessels and the elemental
components
e. Composting: process that takes organic wastes i.e.
remains of plants and turns into nutrient rich food for
your plants. used for organic farming, occurs by
allowing organic materials to sit in one place for
months until microbes decompose it
f. Waste to Energy (Recover Energy) WtE: converting of
non-recyclable waste items into useable heat,
electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes.
g. Avoidance/Waste Minimization
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