SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

A PROJECT REPORT
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for the Award of the Degree of (MBA I-SEM)
2019-2020
 Student Undertaking
Certificate of Originality

I Neha Sharma , MBA (semester – 1) would like to declare that the project report entitled
“ (Solid Waste Management)” Submitted to …………… University, New Delhi in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree.

It is an original work carried out by me under the guidance of………………….

All respected guides, faculty member and other sources have been properly acknowledged
and the report contains no plagiarism.

To the best of my knowledge and belief the matter embodied in this project is a genuine
work done by me and it has been neither submitted for assessment to the University nor to
any other University for the fulfillment of the requirement of the course of study.

Student Name with Signature

 Acknowledgement
Words are indeed inadequate to convey my deep sense my guide. Who helped me in completing this
project to the best of my ability. Being a part of this project has certainly been a unique and a very
productive experience on my part.

I am really thankful to my guide and coordinator for making all kinds of arrangements to carry the
project successful and for guiding and helpful me to solve all kinds of queries regarding the project
work. Her systematic way of working and in comparable guidance has inspired the pace of the project
to a great extent.

I would also like to thank my mentor and faculty members for assigning me a project of such a great
learning experience and acquainting me with real life project financing and appraisal.

Last but not least I would like to thank all my friends who have directly or indirectly helped me with
their moral support for the completion of my project.
 Executive Summary
In this project report we will find the facts on introduction to solid waste management, historical
background of waste management like in ancient time how we disposed the waste and development in
waste management practices and techniques.

Then we will discuss about how many types of wastes in solid waste management and then we’ll know
about characteristics of solid waste management and basic principles like 4Rs refuse, reduce, reuse and
recycle, segregation at source and different treatments for different types of solid wastes and treatment
at nearest possible point.

After that we’ll know about the process of solid waste management how waste is collected and then
sent it to transfer stations. Then solid waste treatments/methods is required to treat the waste, there are
many ways to treat different kind of waste with different treatment process.

We will also discuss about the impacts of solid waste management and it has both positive and negative
impact.

Many initiatives are taken by Government, Private Companies and Indian corporates for waste
management. We’ll also discuss about the challenges in India for waste management and suggestions
for future improvement.
 Table of Contents
1. Introduction to Waste Management
2. Solid Waste Management
2.1. Historical Background
2.2. Early Waste Disposal
2.3. Development in Waste Management
3. Types of Solid Waste
3.1. Municipal Solid Waste
3.2. Hazardous Waste
3.3. Hospital Waste
4. Solid-Waste Characteristics
5. Basic principles of Solid Waste Management
6. Solid-Waste Collection
6.1. Collecting and Transporting
6.2. Transfers Stations
7. Solid-Waste Treatment and Disposal
7.1. Sanitary Landfill
7.2. Incineration
7.3. Composting
7.4. Energy Recovery
7.5. Pyrolysis
8. Impact of Solid Waste Management
8.1. Positive Impact
8.2. Negative Impact
9. Waste Management Initiatives in India
9.1. Initiatives taken by Private Companies
9.2. Initiatives taken by Indian Corporate
10. Challenges in India
11. Suggestions for future improvement
12. Conclusion
13. References
ABSTRACT

Industrialization becomes very significant for developing countries like India having
large number of population. Rapid increase in urbanization and per capita income lead to high
rate of municipal solid waste generation. In recent times, E-waste and plastic waste also
contribute considerably to total waste stream due to utilization of electronic and other items.
These wastes may cause a potential hazard to human health or environment if any of the
aspects of solid waste management is not managed effectively. In India, approach towards
Solid waste management is still unscientific. Solid Waste collection efficiency in India is
around 70% (Sharholy et al. 2007), while same is almost 100% in the developed countries.
Even today, large portion of solid waste is dumped indiscriminately on outskirts of towns or
cities without any prior treatment. This leads to groundwater contamination and increase in air
pollution due to leachate percolation and release of gases respectively. Various studies reveal
that out of total solid waste, 80% can be utilized again either by recycling or reusing.
Improper waste segregation and other factors lead recycling sector to work on outdated
technology. However, plastic and paper recycling have been especially growing due to
continuous increasing consumption of both the commodities. This study describes about
current status of municipal solid waste management in different regions of India. It further
summarizes a collective, systematic effort which improves implementation of legal
frameworks, institutional arrangements, financial provisions, technology, operations
management, human resource development, and public participation and awareness of
Integrated SWM systems.

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 1. INTRODUCTION

“There are few things certain in life – one is death, second is change and the other is waste.” No one
can stop these things to take place in our lives. But with better management we can prepare ourselves.
Here we will talk about waste and waste management. Each of us has a right to clean air, water and
food. This right can be fulfilled by maintaining a clear and healthy environment. Now for the first
question, what is waste? Any material which is not needed by the owner, producer or processor is
waste. Generally, waste is defined as at the end of the product life cycle and is disposed of in landfills.
Most businesses define waste as “anything that does not create value” (BSR, 2010). In a common
man’s eye anything that is unwanted or not useful is garbage or waste. However scientifically speaking
there is no waste as such in the world. Almost all the components of solid waste have some potential if
it is converted or treated in a scientific manner. Hence we can define solid waste as “Organic or
inorganic waste materials produced out of household or commercial activities, that have lost their value
in the eyes of the first owner but which may be of great value to somebody else.” (Robinson,
W.D.1986). Generation of waste is inevitable in every habitation howsoever big or small. Since the
dawn of civilization humanity has gradually deviated from nature & today there has been a drastic
change in the lifestyle of human society. Direct reflection of this change is found in the nature &
quantity of garbage that a community generates. We can dispose the waste or reuse the waste and can
earn money through proper management. Indian cities which are fast competing with global economies
in their drive for fast economic development have so far failed to effectively manage the huge quantity
of waste generated. There are about 593 districts and approximately 5,000 towns in India. About 27.8
percent of India’s total population of more than 1 billion (as per Census 2001) lives in urban areas. The
projected urban population percentage is 33.4 percent by the year 2026. The quantum of waste
generated in Indian towns and cities is increasing day by day on account of its increasing population
and increased GDP. The annual quantity of solid waste generated in Indian cities has increased from six
million tons in 1947 to 48 million tons in 1997 with an annual growth rate of 4.25 percent, and it is
expected to increase to 300 million tons by 2,047 (CPCB, 1998).
Population explosion, coupled with improved life style of people, results in increased generation of
solid wastes in urban as well as rural areas of the country. In India like all other sectors there is a
marked distinction between the solid waste from urban & rural areas. However, due to ever increasing
Urbanization, fast adoption of ‘use & throw concept’& equally fast communication between urban &
rural areas the gap between the two is diminishing. The solid waste from rural areas is more of a
biodegradable nature & the same from urban areas contains more non-biodegradable components like

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plastics & packaging. The repugnant attitude towards solid waste & its management is however,
common in both the sectors. Universally ‘making garbage out of sight’ is the commonly followed
practice.
In India, the urban local bodies, popularly known as the municipal corporations/councils, are
responsible for management of activities related to public health. However, with increasing public and
political awareness as well as new possibilities opened by economic growth, solid waste management is
starting to receive due attention. The various initiatives taken by government, NGOs, private
companies, and local public drastically increased in the past few decades. Nonetheless, land filling is
still the dominant solid waste management option for the United States as well as many other countries
like India around the world. It is well known that waste management policies, as they exist now, are not
sustainable in the long term. Thus, waste management is undergoing drastic change to offer more
options that are more sustainable. We look at these options in the hope of offering the waste
management industry a more economically viable and socially acceptable solution to our current waste
management dilemma. This paper outlines various advances in the area of waste management. It
focuses on current practices related to waste management initiatives taken by India. It also highlights
some initiatives taken by the US federal government, states and industry groups. The purpose of this
paper is to gain knowledge about various initiatives in both countries and locate the scope for
improvement in the management of waste.

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 2. Solid Waste Management

Solid-waste management is the collecting, treating, and disposing of solid material that is discarded
because it has served its purpose or is no longer useful. Improper disposal of municipal solid waste can
create unsanitary conditions, and these conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and
to outbreaks of vector-borne disease that is, diseases spread by rodents and insects. The tasks of solid-
waste management present complex technical challenges. They also pose a wide variety of
administrative, economic, and social problems that must be managed and solved.

2.1 Historical Background

Solid Waste Management is one of the obligatory functions of the corporation. Historically the solid
waste managed by sweepers during this time most of women were engaged in this process. The women
sweepers used to sweep with the brooms. Then the collected waste in trays and dump waste in near
storage sites. The male sweepers used broomsticks to sweep streets and bullock carts to transport
garbage to the disposal site (Ray, 2002). In India, urban area generate more than 1, 00,000 MT of waste
per day (CPHEEO, 2000). According to approximately, in 2011 urban India generated 68.8 MT of
Municipal Solid Waste (Bhaskar and Chikarmane, 2012). In India, The Ministry of Urban Development
assessed the solid waste generation to be about 0.1 Million Metric Tonnes per day in year 2001-02
(Bhatt & Illiyan, 2012). In India, most of the local bodies, municipality and nagar panchayat had not
provided proper efficiency of waste management service to citizens. In India no public system 35 for
primary collection at waste generation source and the waste disposed any other places and the
municipal sanitation worker had collected on the street (Indian Infrastructure report 2006 pp 162). Even
street sweeping also not carried out on by daily basis in most of the cities and town in India, but
important and commercial roads are prioritized swept occasionally. Even street sweeping tools are also
out dated and inefficient such as the short handle broom, traditional handcart/tricycle are used for waste
collection means this system is not scientific but most of the cities and town allocated work to
sanitation worker. After the waste collection through handcarts or tricycle to dispose on depots of
temporary storage of waste such as open sites, round cement concrete bins etc. Transportation of waste
after the collection of waste storage depots is done through bullock carts, three-wheelers, tractors and
trucks. But most of the solid waste collection, storage and transportation vehicles are open and old and
out dated and loaded manually. The old and traditional manual solid waste management system had
done by the specific caste. In most of the cities and towns disposed all the collected waste to dispose at
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dump yard or outside of cities. Most of the dump site emanated foul smell and breeding lots of dieses
and the animal like cows, boar, dogs etc. spread it on way. Around the dump site, Liquid extrudes on
the way and polluted road, air and water and it create serious threat to health and environment such as
plague broken down in Surat. In India, the main technologies for processing, treatment and disposal of
solid waste are composting, vermin composting, anaerobic digestion/biomethanation, incineration etc.

2.2 Early Waste Disposal

In ancient cities, wastes were thrown onto unpaved streets and roadways, where they were left to
accumulate. It was not until 320 BCE in Athens that the first known law forbidding this practice was
established. At that time a system for waste removal began to evolve in Greece and in the Greek-
dominated cities of the eastern Mediterranean. In ancient Rome, property owners were responsible for
cleaning the streets fronting their property. But organized waste collection was associated only with
state-sponsored events such as parades. Disposal methods were very crude, involving open pits located
just outside the city walls. As populations increased, efforts were made to transport waste farther out
from the cities.
After the fall of Rome, waste collection and municipal sanitation began a decline that lasted throughout
the middle Ages. Near the end of the 14th century, scavengers were given the task of carting waste
to dumps outside city walls. But this was not the case in smaller towns, where most people still threw
waste into the streets. It was not until 1714 that every city in England was required to have an official
scavenger. Toward the end of the 18th century in America, municipal collection of garbage was begun
in Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. Waste disposal methods were still very crude, however.
Garbage collected in Philadelphia, for example, was simply dumped into the Delaware
River downstream from the city.

2.3 Developments in Waste Management

A technological approach to solid-waste management began to develop in the latter part of the 19th
century. Watertight garbage cans were first introduced in the United States, and sturdier vehicles were
used to collect and transport wastes. A significant development in solid-waste treatment and disposal
practices was marked by the construction of the first refuse incinerator in England in 1874. By the
beginning of the 20th century, 15 percent of major American cities were incinerating solid waste. Even
then, however, most of the largest cities were still using primitive disposal methods such as open

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dumping on land or in water.
Technological advances continued during the first half of the 20th century, including the development
of garbage grinders, compaction trucks, and pneumatic collection systems. By mid-century, however, it
had become evident that open dumping and improper incineration of solid waste were causing
problems of pollution and jeopardizing public health. As a result, sanitary landfills were developed to
replace the practice of open dumping and to reduce the reliance on waste incineration. In many
countries waste was divided into two categories, hazardous and nonhazardous, and separate regulations
were developed for their disposal. Landfills were designed and operated in a manner that minimized
risks to public health and the environment. New refuse incinerators were designed to recover heat
energy from the waste and were provided with extensive air pollution control devices to satisfy
stringent standards of air quality. Modern solid-waste management plants in most developed countries
now emphasize the practice of recycling and waste reduction at the source rather than incineration and
land disposal.

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 3. Types of solid waste

Solid waste can be classified into different types depending on their source (fig.1):-
a) Household waste is generally classified as municipal waste,
b) Industrial waste as hazardous waste, and
c) Biomedical waste or hospital waste as infectious waste.

a) Municipal solid waste

Municipal solid waste consists of household waste, construction and demolition debris, sanitation
residue, and waste from streets. This garbage is generated mainly from residential and commercial
complexes. With rising urbanization and change in lifestyle and food habits, the amount of municipal
solid waste has been increasing rapidly and its composition changing. In 1947 cities and towns in India
generated an estimated 6 million tonnes of solid waste; in 1997 it was about 48 million tonnes. More
than 25% of the municipal solid waste is not collected at all; 70% of the Indian cities lack adequate
capacity to transport it and there are no sanitary landfills to dispose of the waste. The existing landfills
are neither well equipped nor well managed and are not lined properly to protect against contamination
of soil and groundwater.
Over the last few years, the consumer market has grown rapidly leading to products being packed in
cans, aluminium foils, plastics, and other such non-biodegradable items that cause incalculable harm to
the environment. In India, some municipal areas have banned the use of plastics and they seem to have
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achieved success. For example, today one will not see a single piece of plastic in the entire district of
Ladakh where the local authorities imposed a ban on plastics in 1998. Other states should follow the
example of this region and ban the use of items that cause harm to the environment. One positive note
is that in many large cities, shops have begun packing items in reusable or biodegradable bags. Certain
biodegradable items can also be composted and reused. In fact proper handling of the biodegradable
waste will considerably lessen the burden of solid waste that each city has to tackle.

There are different categories of waste generated, each take their own time to degenerate (as illustrated
in the table below).

The type of litter we generate and the approximate time it takes to degenerate

Type of litter Approximate time it takes to

degenerate the litter
Organic waste such as vegetable and fruit peels, A week or two.
leftover foodstuff, etc.
Paper 10–30 days
Cotton cloth 2–5 months
Wood 10–15 years
Woolen items 1 year
Tin, aluminium, and other metal items such as 100–500 years
cans
Plastic bags One million years?
Glass bottles undetermined

b) Hazardous waste
Industrial and hospital waste is considered hazardous as they may contain toxic substances. Certain
types of household waste are also hazardous. Hazardous wastes could be highly toxic to humans,
animals, and plants; are corrosive, highly inflammable, or explosive; and react when exposed to certain
things e.g. gases. India generates around 7 million tonnes of hazardous wastes every year, most of
which is concentrated in four states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

Household wastes that can be categorized as hazardous waste include old batteries, shoe polish, paint
tins, old medicines, and medicine bottles.

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Hospital waste contaminated by chemicals used in hospitals is considered hazardous. These chemicals
include formaldehyde and phenols, which are used as disinfectants, and mercury, which is used in
thermometers or equipment that measure blood pressure. Most hospitals in India do not have proper
disposal facilities for these hazardous wastes.

In the industrial sector, the major generators of hazardous waste are the metal, chemical, paper,
pesticide, dye, refining, and rubber goods industries.

Direct exposure to chemicals in hazardous waste such as mercury and cyanide can be fatal.

c) Hospital waste
Hospital waste is generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or

animals or in research activities in these fields or in the production or testing of biological. 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 and discriminate manner. It has been roughly estimated that of the 4 kg of waste

generated in a hospital at least 1 kg would be infected.

Surveys carried out by various agencies show that the health care establishments in India are not giving

due attention to their waste management. After the notification of the Bio-medical Waste (Handling

and Management) Rules, 1998, these establishments are slowly streamlining the process of waste

segregation, collection, treatment, and disposal. Many of the larger hospitals have either installed the

treatment facilities or are in the process of doing so.

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 4. Solid-Waste Characteristics

The sources of solid waste include residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial activities.
Certain types of wastes that cause immediate danger to exposed individuals or environments are
classified as hazardous; these are discussed in the article hazardous-waste management. All
nonhazardous solid waste from a community that requires collection and transport to a processing or
disposal site is called refuse or municipal solid waste (MSW). Refuse includes garbage and rubbish.
Garbage is mostly decomposable food waste; rubbish is mostly dry material such as glass, paper, cloth,
or wood. Garbage is highly putrescible or decomposable, whereas rubbish is not. Trash is rubbish that
includes bulky items such as old refrigerators, couches, or large tree stumps. Trash requires special
collection and handling.
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste (or debris) is a significant component of total solid waste
quantities (about 20 percent in the United States), although it is not considered to be part of the MSW
stream. However, because C&D waste is inert and nonhazardous, it is usually disposed of in municipal
sanitary landfills.
Another type of solid waste, perhaps the fastest-growing component in many developed countries,
is electronic waste, or e-waste, which includes discarded computer equipment, televisions, telephones,
and a variety of other electronic devices. Concern over this type of waste is escalating. Lead, mercury,
and cadmium are among the materials of concern in electronic devices, and governmental policies may
be required to regulate their recycling and disposal.
Solid-waste characteristics vary considerably among communities and nations. American refuse is
usually lighter, for example, than European or Japanese refuse. In the United States paper and
paperboard products make up close to 40 percent of the total weight of MSW; food waste accounts for
less than 10 percent. The rest is a mixture of yard trimmings, wood, glass, metal, plastic, leather, cloth,
and other miscellaneous materials. In a loose or uncompacted state, MSW of this type weighs
approximately 120 kg per cubic meter (200 pounds per cubic yard). These figures vary with geographic
location, economic conditions, season of the year, and many other factors. Waste characteristics from
each community must be studied carefully before any treatment or disposal facility is designed and
built.

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 Generation and storage

Rates of solid-waste generation vary widely. In the United States, for example, municipal refuse is
generated at an average rate of approximately 2 kg (4.5 pounds) per person per day. Japan generates
roughly half this amount, yet in Canada the rate is 2.7 kg (almost 6 pounds) per person per day. In some
developing countries the average rate can be lower than 0.5 kg (1 pound) per person per day. These
data include refuse from commercial, institutional, and industrial as well as residential sources. The
actual rates of refuse generation must be carefully determined when a community plans a solid-waste
management project.
Most communities require household refuse to be stored in durable, easily cleaned containers with
tight-fitting covers in order to minimize rodent or insect infestation and offensive
odours. Galvanized metal or plastic containers of about 115-litre (30-gallon) capacity are commonly
used, although some communities employ larger containers that can be mechanically lifted and emptied
into collection trucks. Plastic bags are frequently used as liners or as disposable containers for curbside
collection. Where large quantities of refuse are generated such as at shopping centers, hotels, or
apartment buildings dumpsters may be used for temporary storage until the waste is collected. Some
office and commercial buildings use on-site compactors to reduce the waste volume.

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 5. Basic principles of Solid Waste Management

1) 4Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

• Refuse: Do not buy anything which we do not really need.
• Reduce: Reduce the amount of garbage generated. Alter our lifestyle so that minimum garbage
is generated.
• Reuse: Reuse everything to its maximum after properly cleaning it. Make secondary use of
different articles.
• Recycle: Keep things which can be recycled to be given to rag pickers or waste pickers
(Kabadiwallahs). Convert the recyclable garbage into manures or other useful products.(fig.2)

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2) Segregation at source: Store organic or biodegradable and inorganic or non-biodegradable
solid waste in different bins. Recycle of all the components with minimum labor and cost.

3) Different treatments for different types of solid wastes: One must apply the techniques
which are suitable to the given type of garbage. For example the technique suitable for general market
waste may not be suitable for slaughter house waste.

4) Treatment at nearest possible point: The solid waste should be treated in as decentralized
manner as possible. The garbage generated should be treated preferably at the site of generation i.e.
every house.

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 6. Solid-Waste Collection

• Collection of solid waste (by external stakeholders) from its various sources or from communal
storage facilities, and transportation of this waste to the place of final disposal.
• It also considers all activities related to loading of waste into collection vehicles, and unloading of
waste from collection vehicles at communal collection points, processing places, transfer stations and
final disposal sites.
• is the largest cost element in most municipal solid waste management systems, accounting for 60–70
per cent of costs in industrialized countries, and 70–90 per cent of costs in developing and transition
countries (IETC, 1996)

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6.1 Collecting and Transporting

Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the
point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes
the curbside collection of recyclable materials that technically are not waste, as part of a
municipal landfill diversion program.
Proper solid-waste collection is important for the protection of public health, safety, and environmental
quality. It is a labour intensive activity, accounting for approximately three-quarters of the total cost of
solid-waste management. Public employees are often assigned to the task, but sometimes it is more
economical for private companies to do the work under contract to the municipality or for private
collectors to be paid by individual home owners. A driver and one or two loaders serve each collection
vehicle. These are typically trucks of the enclosed, compacting type, with capacities up to 30 cubic
metres (40 cubic yards). Loading can be done from the front, rear, or side. Compaction reduces the
volume of refuse in the truck to less than half of its loose volume.

The task of selecting an optimal collection route is a complex problem, especially for large and densely
populated cities. An optimal route is one that results in the most efficient use of labour and equipment,
and selecting such a route requires the application of computer analyses that account for all the many
design variables in a large and complex network. Variables include frequency of collection, haulage
distance, type of service, and climate. Collection of refuse in rural areas can present a special problem,
since the population densities are low, leading to high unit costs.

Refuse collection usually occurs at least once per week because of the rapid decomposition of food
waste. The amount of garbage in the refuse of an individual home can be reduced by garbage grinders,
or garbage disposals. Ground garbage puts an extra load on sewerage systems, but this can usually be
accommodated. Many communities now conduct source separation and recycling programs, in which
homeowners and businesses separate recyclable materials from garbage and place them in separate
containers for collection. In addition, some communities have drop-off centres where residents can
bring recyclables.

6.2 Transfer stations

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A transfer station is a building or processing site for the temporary deposition of waste. Transfer
stations are often used as places where local waste collection vehicles will deposit their waste cargo
prior to loading into larger vehicles.
Typical activities at the waste transfer station involved the unloading of garbage trucks, pre-screening
and removal of inappropriate items such as automobile batteries, compacting and then reloading onto
larger vehicles, including trucks, trains and barges to their final destination.
The transfer station is a key component of cost-effective solid waste transportation. By transferring
waste from local collection vehicles onto larger trailers or other transport modes such as barge and rail,
the cost of transportation to distant disposal sites can be significantly reduced, freeing collection-
specific vehicles and crews to devote their time to actual collection activities. Here are some of the
main benefits:
 Provides fuel savings, reduction in road wear and less air pollution due to fewer vehicles being
on the road
 Provides a trash and recyclable material drop-off location for citizens
 Reduces total traffic congestion in the community by transferring it onto larger vehicles
 Reduces total truck traffic and improves safety at the landfill or waste-to-energy facility
 Provides the opportunity to screen incoming trash for such purposes as removing hazardous
waste or recovering recyclables

7. Solid-Waste Treatment and Disposal

As cities are growing in size with a rise in the population, the amount of waste generated is increasing
becoming unmanageable. The local corporations have adapted different methods for the disposal of
waste – open dumps, landfills, sanitary landfills, and incineration plants. One of the important methods
of waste treatment is composting.
Once collected, municipal solid waste may be treated in order to reduce the total volume and weight of
material that requires final disposal. Treatment changes the form of the waste and makes it easier to
handle. It can also serve to recover certain materials, as well as heat energy, for recycling or reuse.
(fig.3)

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 7.1 Sanitary Landfill
In a sanitary landfill, garbage is spread out in thin layers, compacted and covered with clay or plastic
foam. In the modern landfills the bottom is covered with an impermeable liner, usually several layers of
clay, thick plastic and sand. The liner protects the ground water from being contaminated due to
percolation of leachate.
Leachate from bottom is pumped and sent for treatment. When landfill is full it is covered with clay,
sand, gravel and top soil to prevent seepage of water. Several wells are drilled near the landfill site to
monitor if any leakage is contaminating ground water. Methane produced by anaerobic decomposition
is collected and burnt to produce electricity or heat. Sanitary Landfills Site Selection:
i. Should be above the water table, to minimize interaction with groundwater.
ii. Preferably located in clay or silt.
iii. Do not want to place in a rock quarry, as water can leech through the cracks inherent in rocks into a
water fracture system.
iv. Do not want to locate in sand or gravel pits, as these have high leeching. Unfortunately, most of
Long Island is sand or gravel, and many landfills are located in gravel pits, after they were no longer
being used.
v. Do not want to locate in a flood plain. Most garbage tends to be less dense than water, so if the area
of the landfill floods, the garbage will float to the top and wash away downstream.
A large number of adverse impacts may occur from landfill operations. These impacts can vary:
i. Fatal accidents (e.g., scavengers buried under waste piles).
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ii. Infrastructure damage (e.g., damage to access roads by heavy vehicles).
iii. Pollution of the local environment (such as contamination of groundwater and/or aquifers by
leakage and residual soil contamination during landfill usage, as well as after landfill closure).
iv. Off gassing of methane generated by decaying organic wastes (methane is a greenhouse gas many
times more potent than carbon dioxide, and can itself be a danger to inhabitants of an area).
v. Harbouring of disease vectors such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills.

7.2 Incineration
Burning is a very effective method of reducing the volume and weight of solid waste, though it is a
source of greenhouse gas emissions. In modern incinerators the waste is burned inside a properly
designed furnace under very carefully controlled conditions. The combustible portion of the waste
combines with oxygen, releasing mostly carbon dioxide, water vapour, and heat. Incineration can
reduce the volume of uncompacted waste by more than 90 percent, leaving an inert residue of ash,
glass, metal, and other solid materials called bottom ash. The gaseous by-products of incomplete
combustion, along with finely divided particulate material called fly ash, are carried along in
the incinerator airstream. Fly ash includes cinders, dust, and soot. In order to remove fly ash and
gaseous by-products before they are exhausted into the atmosphere, modern incinerators must be
equipped with extensive emission control devices. Such devices include fabric bag house filters, acid
gas scrubbers, and electrostatic precipitators. Bottom ash and fly ash are usually combined and
disposed of in a landfill. If the ash is found to contain toxic metals, it must be managed as a hazardous
waste.

Municipal solid-waste incinerators are designed to receive and burn a continuous supply of refuse. A
deep refuse storage pit, or tipping area, provides enough space for about one day of waste storage. The
refuse is lifted from the pit by a crane equipped with a bucket or grapple device. It is then deposited
into a hopper and chute above the furnace and released onto a charging grate or stoker. The grate
shakes and moves waste through the furnace, allowing air to circulate around the burning material.
Modern incinerators are usually built with a rectangular furnace, although rotary kiln furnaces and
vertical circular furnaces are available. Furnaces are constructed of refractory bricks that can withstand
the high combustion temperatures.

Combustion in a furnace occurs in two stages: primary and secondary. In primary combustion, moisture
is driven off, and the waste is ignited and volatilized. In secondary combustion, the remaining unburned

18
gases and particulates are oxidized, eliminating odours and reducing the amount of fly ash in the
exhaust. When the refuse is very moist, auxiliary gas or fuel oil is sometimes burned to start the
primary combustion.
In order to provide enough oxygen for both primary and secondary combustion, air must be thoroughly
mixed with the burning refuse. Air is supplied from openings beneath the grates or is admitted to the
area above. The relative amounts of this under fire air and over fire air must be determined by the plant
operator to achieve good combustion efficiency. A continuous flow of air can be maintained by a
natural draft in a tall chimney or by mechanical forced-draft fans.

7.3 Composting
Due to shortage of space for landfill in bigger cities, the biodegradable yard waste (kept separate from
the municipal waste) is allowed to degrade or decompose in a medium. A good quality nutrient rich and
environmental friendly manure is formed which improves the soil conditions and fertility.
Organic matter constitutes 35%-40% of the municipal solid waste generated in India. This waste can be
recycled by the method of composting, one of the oldest forms of disposal. It is the natural process of
decomposition of organic waste that yields manure or compost, which is very rich in nutrients.
Composting is a biological process in which micro-organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria, convert
degradable organic waste into humus like substance. This finished product, which looks like soil, is
high in carbon and nitrogen and is an excellent medium for growing plants.
The process of composting ensures the waste that is produced in the kitchens is not carelessly thrown
and left to rot. It recycles the nutrients and returns them to the soil as nutrients. Apart from being clean,
cheap, and safe, composting can significantly reduce the amount of disposable garbage.
The organic fertilizer can be used instead of chemical fertilizers and is better specially when used for
vegetables. It increases the soil’s ability to hold water and makes the soil easier to cultivate. It helped
the soil retain more of the plant nutrients.
Vermi-composting has become very popular in the last few years. In this method, worms are added to
the compost. These help to break the waste and the added excreta of the worms makes the compost
very rich in nutrients. In the activity section of this web site you can learn how to make a compost pit or
a vermi-compost pit in your school or in the garden at home.
To make a compost pit, you have to select a cool, shaded corner of the garden or the school compound
and dig a pit, which ideally should be 3 feet deep. This depth is convenient for aerobic composting as
the compost has to be turned at regular intervals in this process.

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Preferably the pit should be lined with granite or brick to prevent nitrite pollution of the subsoil water,
which is known to be highly toxic. Each time organic matter is added to the pit it should be covered
with a layer of dried leaves or a thin layer of soil which allows air to enter the pit thereby preventing
bad odour. At the end of 45 days, the rich pure organic matter is ready to be used. Composting: some
benefits
i. Compost allows the soil to retain more plant nutrients over a longer period.
ii. It supplies part of the 16 essential elements needed by the plants.
iii. It helps reduce the adverse effects of excessive alkalinity, acidity, or the excessive use of chemical
fertilizer.
iv. It makes soil easier to cultivate.
v. It helps keep the soil cool in summer and warm in winter.
vi. It aids in preventing soil erosion by keeping the soil covered.
vii. It helps in controlling the growth of weeds in the garden.

7.4 Energy recovery

The energy value of refuse can be as much as one-third that of coal, depending on the paper content,
and the heat given off during incineration can be recovered by the use of a refractory-lined furnace
coupled to a boiler. Boilers convert the heat of combustion into steam or hot water, thus allowing the
energy content of the refuse to be recycled. Incinerators that recycle heat energy in this way are
called waste-to-energy plants. Instead of a separate furnace and boiler, a water-tube wall furnace may
also be used for energy recovery. Such a furnace is lined with vertical steel tubes spaced closely enough
to form continuous sections of wall. The walls are insulated on the outside in order to reduce heat loss.
Water circulating through the tubes absorbs heat to produce steam, and it also helps to control
combustion temperatures without the need for excessive air, thus lowering air pollution control costs.
Waste-to-energy plants operate as either mass burn or refuse-derived fuel systems. A mass burn system
uses all the refuse, without prior treatment or preparation. A refuse-derived fuel system separates
combustible wastes from noncombustible such as glass and metal before burning. If a turbine is
installed at the plant, both steam and electricity can be produced in a process called cogeneration.
Waste-to-energy systems are more expensive to build and operate than plain incinerators because of the
need for special equipment and controls, highly skilled technical personnel, and auxiliary fuel systems.
On the other hand, the sale of generated steam or electricity offsets much of the extra cost, and recovery
of heat energy from refuse is a viable solid-waste management option from both an engineering and an

20
economic point of view. About 80 percent of municipal refuse incinerators in the United States are
waste-to-energy facilities.

7.5 Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a form of incineration that chemically decomposes organic materials by heat in the absence
of oxygen. Pyrolysis typically occurs under pressure and at operating temperatures above 430 °C (800
°F).
In practice, it is not possible to achieve a completely oxygen-free atmosphere. Because some oxygen is
present in any pyrolysis system, a small amount of oxidation occurs. If volatile or semi-volatile
materials are present in the waste, thermal desorption will also occur.
Organic materials are transformed into gases, small quantities of liquid, and a solid residue containing
carbon and ash. The off-gases may also be treated in a secondary thermal oxidation unit. Particulate
removal equipment is also required. Several types of pyrolysis units are available, including the rotary
kiln, rotary hearth furnace, and fluidized bed furnace. These units are similar to incinerators except that
they operate at lower temperatures and with less air supply.

8. Impact of Solid Waste Management

8.1 Positive Impact

Waste management involves the collection and disposal of both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes
from all the sectors of society. We shall now look in detail the advantages of waste management or
benefits of proper garbage disposal.

1. This practice is highly lucrative:

The Journal of Waste management says that the revenues generated by the waste management would

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top by $60 million by 2018. But, there are only a few people who sincerely consider this as an industry
into various facets of waste management like recycling and reusing, and reap the benefits.
Now many companies are looking forward to associating themselves with this industry and are ready
for a long term investment.

2. Keeps the environment clean and fresh:

Perhaps, the greatest advantage of waste management is keeping the environment fresh and neat. These
waste disposal units also make the people go disease-free as all the resultant wastes are properly
disposed and taken care of.
More number of waste disposal units can be placed in all the tier-1 and tier-2 cities so that the waste
disposal process can be prepped up. Also a point worthy of our consideration here is that this advantage
can be taken into account only if extensive and proper safety measures are implemented along with
proper waste disposal techniques.
There is no use in simply implementing a half-baked technique which, if no use to both the people and
the environment. This is the best effects of proper waste disposal.

3. Saves the Earth and conserves energy:

This characteristic of waste management includes specifically the recycling aspect. As recycling of
waste helps in reducing the cutting down of trees. This cutting of trees is mainly done for the
production of paper.
By using this method, we can use recycled waste to make quality papers rather than relying on trees.
Also, recycling needs only a minimal amount of energy for utilization and complete processing. The
resultant product we obtain is a renewable source of energy and is eco-friendly.

4. Reduces environmental pollution:

As explained above, waste management if done in a proper manner not only eliminates the surrounding
waste but also will reduce the intensity of the greenhouse gases like methane, carbon monoxide which
is emitted from the wastes accumulated.
The depth of the existing landfills and incineration will be curbed, thereby cutting down the harmful
factors that affect the environment.

5. Waste management will help you earn money:

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Can you believe if I say that what I have said above is absolutely true? Yes, waste management earns
you a few extra bucks every month. Actually, there are many companies which will pay you for your
waste.
Right from old and used bottles to tin cans and e-wastes, all kinds of wastes are collected and paid.
These wastes are then segregated according to the extent of pollution they cause to the environment and
these wastes are recycled accordingly for various purposes.
There are also crash courses available which will aid you to reuse your trash. Above all, by following
this method, you can create awareness to your fellow people by earning money, which is a win-win
concept.

6. Creates employment:
Again, this aspect too is unbelievable for you… right?
You may even ask how come this is possible. But in all the facets of waste management, a huge amount
of labour is needed. Right from the collection to the final step of segregation, every phase needs
manpower and ultimately a large number of employment opportunities get opened up.
This claim is evident from the labour statistics provided by the US government, according to which
around 3.1 million new jobs are produced due to the waste management factor.

8.2 Negative Impacts

Modernization and progress has had its share of disadvantages and one of the main aspects of concern
is the pollution it is causing to the earth – be it land, air, and water. With increase in the global
population and the rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of
waste being generated daily by each household. This waste is ultimately thrown into municipal waste
collection centres from where it is collected by the area municipalities to be further thrown into the
landfills and dumps. However, either due to resource crunch or inefficient infrastructure, not all of this
waste gets collected and transported to the final dumpsites. If at this stage the management and disposal
is improperly done, it can cause serious impacts on health and problems to the surrounding
environment.

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 1. The process is not always cost-effective:
Yes, though it may pay cash to the contributors, the truth is these process needs a lot of money, time
and land to set up a plant and run. As the amount of waste that is being contributed to the waste product
unit increases, so are the numbers of plants that process these resources.

Setting up a huge factory obviously needs a lot of money, and this management will start fetching
yields only in the long run. Hence, this is not seen as a short-term lucrative investment.
While dumping more and more garbage in the landfills cause only $50 per ton, recycling them in the
proper manner will cause $150 per ton, which is exactly triple the cost and thus many of the companies
tend to switch over to the landfill method itself.

2. The resultant product has a short life:

This is also true since the resulting recycled product cannot be expected to have a durable quality. As
the product itself has its origin from the remains of the other trashed waste products and heaps of
partially used ones.
The recycled product, though, is eco-friendly is expected to have a shorter life span than the intended
original one.

3. The sites are often dangerous:

As the waste management sites include the landfills to recycling units under its aegis, these sites are
highly susceptible to fungal and bacterial growth thereby leading to various diseases.
Even the debris formation will be accelerated by such bacterial growth, which makes it totally unsafe
for the workers who work there. It also causes widespread pollution and releases harmful chemicals.
These chemicals, when mixed with drinking water or any other consumable item pose a high amount of
danger to human health.

4. The practices are not done uniformly:

Still, a large scale of these waste management practices are done only as a small scale process and is
mostly confined to residential homes, schools, and colleges and is not practiced in a uniform manner in
large industries and conglomerates.
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It is not even practiced globally, as the global level consists of curbing oil spills, ocean disposals and
decreasing the tree felling.

5. Waste management can cause more problems:

Though waste management creates employment, it only has the ability to produce low-quality jobs.
These jobs include right from sorting the garbage collector to the intensive and laborious jobs that are
needed in the factories and outlets.
Daily basis collection of garbage will make the streets look unpleasant and unhygienic leaving excess
debris on the streets to rot up. Even after the successful completion of the final stage, many chemical
stews will be left behind which needs to be properly and completely disposed, otherwise, they will also
pose a threat to the environment which makes the ultimate purpose of waste management go redundant.
Also, in the areas where these management units are present, it is noticed that the groundwater gets
affected. So, it too causes a considerable extent of water pollution and land pollution.

Conclusion
Thus, considering the pros and cons of waste management, we can only realize that the ultimate goal of
waste management relies on waste minimization and curbing only. However, the aspects of recycling
and processing wastes cannot be omitted since they attribute an environmental flavor to our area of
study.
It also makes the whole process to be economically viable and increase the sustenance of the process
thereby making it less susceptible to the legal frameworks and conventions of each country. The energy
flow from the producers to the consumers must be retained as it is in the original ecosystems and the
recycling should work in tandem with the generalities of nature.
Thus, not even a single aspect can be deleted from the whole process. At the same time, the process too
cannot be stopped by considering the demerits alone. It should be implemented step by step and should
move from a small scale industry to a larger one, thereby eliminating the problems which arise in the
midway by finding suitable strategies and solutions for the problems.
The government too should support the practices by easing the rules and encouraging all its citizens to
practice the same in their households and can also provide a reward for those who practice these
measures in an effective manner.

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Methods like vermicomposting, generating energy from solar cells and e-wastes, using the recycled
water for household practices can be easily preached to the commoners in a simple way to follow. This
will aid and enhance the fertility of our soil, reduce environmental pollutions, increase the groundwater
level ultimately making our environment a safe haven to live. This will be the real legacy we have to
leave behind for the forthcoming generations.

9. Waste Management Initiatives in India

During the recent past, the management of solid waste has received considerable attention from the
Central and State Governments and local (municipal) authorities in India. A number of
partnerships/alliances are found to exist in the field of solid waste management in Indian cities. These
alliances are public-private, community-public and private-private arrangements. To identify the status
of existing alliances in the study area, it is first necessary to identify the various actors working in the
field of waste management. These actors can be grouped as under:
• Public sector: this comprises of local authority and local public departments at city level;
• Private-formal sector: this constitutes large and small registered enterprises doing collection,
transport, treatment, and disposal and recycling;

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• Private-informal sector: this constitutes the small-scale, non-recognized private sector and comprises
of waste-pickers, dump pickers, itinerant-waste buyers, traders and non-registered small-scale
enterprises; and
• Community representatives in the form of NGOs, etc. These actors enter into partnerships for
providing various activities related to solid waste management. These partnerships can be as follows:
• Public-private (Local Authority and private enterprises);
• Public-community (Local Authority and NGOs); etc.
• Private-private (waste-pickers, itinerant-waste buyers, waste traders and dealers, wholesalers, small
scale and large scale recycling enterprises); and
• Public-private-community (Local Authority, private enterprises and NGOs).

9.1 Initiatives taken by Private Companies

There are various private companies that are providing complete solutions for waste management. For
example Subhash Projects and Marketing Limited (SPML) is a leading Engineering and Infrastructure
development organization with 26 years in Water, Power and Infrastructure. Today SPML is surging
ahead in Urban Infrastructure, Solid Waste Management, Water and Waste Water Systems, Cross
Country Pipelines, Ports and SEZs, through BOOT/PPP initiatives. “SPML Enviro” is an integrated
environment solution provider arm of Subhash Projects and Marketing Limited (SPML). It provides
complete solution in relation to collection, transportation & disposal of municipal / hazardous waste,
segregation and recycling of municipal waste, construction & management of sanitary landfill,
construction & operation of compost plant and waste to energy plant at the Delhi airport and Hyderabad
Airport. SPML Enviro has invested in the necessary resources and partnerships to provide solid and
water treatment solutions. It expertise includes solid waste-to-resources’ solutions – universal,
industrial and medical waste. SPML Enviro has teamed up with PEAT International, North Illinois, and
USA, a waste-to-resources company specializing in treating and converting waste to usable resources.
PEAT's proprietary Plasma Thermal Destruction Recovery (PTDR) technology is an environmentally
friendly process that converts wastes into non-toxic synthetic gas (which is a valuable source of
alternative energy) and other useful end-products. The PTDR is a proven, cost-effective,
environmentally clean and commercially viable solution for waste remediation. SPML Enviro together
with its joint-venture partners, has proven capabilities to successfully execute projects on turn-key basis
involving Okhla sewage treatment plant, Delhi Jal Board, Bewana common effluent treatment, Delhi

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State Industrial Development Corporation, Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation, Yelahanka
primary/tertiary sewage treatment plant, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Okhla common
effluent treatment plant, Sewage treatment plant, Mysore, Karnataka water supply and sewerage board,
etc. SPML has also formed a joint venture with the US based Company INSITUFORM Technologies
(INC.). INSITUFORM is a pioneer in sewer rehabilitation projects worldwide. The Company brings
with them a No Dig Technology that eliminates replacement of old sewers. In this, pipe within a pipe
concept - a liner is inserted into the sewer, which makes it as good as new.

9.2 Initiatives taken by Indian corporate

In India, there are various initiatives taken by many corporations.

For example HCL Info system believes that the producers of electronic goods are responsible for
facilitating an environmental friendly disposal, once the product has reached the end of its life. HCL
Info system supports the ongoing initiative for separate e-waste legislation in India. HCL has been
working on an easy, convenient and safe programme for recycling of e-waste in India. HCL has created
the online process of e-waste recycling request registration, where customers (both individual and
corporate) can register their requests for disposal of their e-waste. Apart from corporate customers,
HCL has extended its e-waste collection program to retail customers also through its HCL Touch
spread points spread across the country HCL extends the recycling facility to its users regardless of the
fact, when and where they purchased the product. To promote recycling of electronic waste, Nokia
India launched a 'Take Back' campaign where customers can drop their old handset in the company’s
stores and win gifts. The take-back campaign is aimed at educating mobile phone users on the
importance of recycling e-waste. As a part of this initiative, Nokia encourage mobile phone users to
dispose their used handsets and accessories such as charges and handsets, regardless of the brand, at
any of the recycling bins set up across Nokia Priority Dealers and Nokia Care Centers. ITC Ltd has
chosen energy management, environmental & waste management and social & farm forestry as major
focus areas for CSR. Specific processes include recycling/reuse of paper mill back water for dilution of
bleached pulp, recycling of paper machine primary clarifier outlet water for miscellaneous uses, etc.
These are few examples to show that Indian corporate is not behind in producing initiatives related to
waste management.

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 10. Challenges in India
Key issues and challenges include lack of collection and segregation at source, scarcity of land,
dumping of e-waste, lack of awareness, etc. Simple dumping of mixed waste is the practice followed
practically everywhere and especially in the developing countries as they cannot mobilize financial
resources for applying expensive technology propounded by the developed countries.

In India, “The new Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2000”, which came into effect from
January 2004, fail, even to manage waste in a cyclic process. Waste management still is a linear system
of collection and disposal, creating health and environmental hazards. Urban India is likely to face a
massive waste disposal problem in the coming years. Until now, the problem of waste has been seen as
29
one of cleaning and disposing as rubbish. But a closer look at the current and future scenario reveals
that waste needs to be treated holistically, recognizing its natural resource roots as well as health
impacts. Waste can be wealth, which has tremendous potential not only for generating livelihoods for
the urban poor but can also enrich the earth through composting and recycling rather than spreading
pollution as has been the case. Increasing urban migration and a high density of population will make
waste management a difficult issue to handle in the near future, if a new paradigm for approaching it is
not created.

A strong need felt on private sector participation in waste management but we cannot ignore the risk of
private sector participation. Risks of private sector involvement may include a lack of transparency, a
commercial failure that would then lead to disturbance of public services, or low cooperation between
stakeholders. Another important questions is that how effective are the public-private partnerships? We
remember that Chennai based corporation and French conglomerate Onyx partnered for garbage
collection. But we really don’t know how effective it was in practical sense. The Corporation paid
heavy amount for garbage clearance. But there were complaints against the company. In any case the
company was simply collecting garbage and dumping it on the dumpsites. There is no engineering
miracle in collecting and dumping waste. The way forward is proper waste management policies which
must be adopted and responsibilities of each are defined in proper manner and correctly watched, if the
municipal authorities get the private companies (like onyx) to composting and recycling wastes rather
than just dumping it.

There have been a variety of policy responses to the problem of urban solid waste in India, especially
over the past few years, yet sustainable solutions either of organic or inorganic waste remains untapped
and unattended. For developing countries, recycling of waste is the most economically viable option
available both in terms of employment generation for the urban poor with no skills and investment. All
policy documents as well as legislation dealing with urban solid waste mention or acknowledge
recycling as one of the ways of diverting waste, but they do so in a piece-meal manner and do not
address the framework needed to enable this to happen. Critical issues such as industry responsibility, a
critical paradigm to enable sustainable recycling and to catalyze waste reduction through, say better
packing, have not been touched upon. Recycling of only some types of materials like plastics, paper
and metals is not enough. Many types of new materials mainly used for packaging are not, or indeed
cannot be, recycled in the low-end technology being employed. Besides, there are serious issues of poor
occupational safety provisions of the waste pickers as well as workers.

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In India, new and expensive technologies are being pushed to deal with our urban waste problem,
ignoring their environmental and social implications. It is particularly true in the case of thermal
treatment of waste using technologies such as gasification, incineration, pyrolysis or pillarization.
Indian waste content does not provide enough fuel value (caloric value) for profitable energy
production. It needs the addition of auxiliary fuel or energy. Such technologies put communities to risk
and are opposed widely. For example, the United States has not been able to install a new incinerator
for the past five years, while costs for burning garbage have escalated astronomically with rising
environmental standards in other countries. While the more developed countries are doing away with
incinerators because of high costs (due to higher standards of emission control), developing countries
have become potential markets for dumping such technologies.

11. Suggestions for future improvement

The political will is the first priority. Generally Government bodies and municipalities give priority to
present problems which they face but do not think for future problems due to environmental decay.
Their view is that, they will solve problems when they will face it but not now. Because doing
something for environment does not provide political gains or assure next time seat. Now questions is
that how can we change this mentality? We believe there should be a positive approach for a long time
planning and implementation. Legislation and its effective enforcement is a key to sustainability for
which the framework requires to be established.

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Efforts to improve waste storage and collection are required. This can be done when each household
and locality are provided standard bins that are placed outside for ease of collection. In areas where this
is not appropriate, centrally located waste collection points should be established that are shared by a
number of households. Wastes need to be increasingly sorted at the source, to separate materials that
can be recycled and to reduce the amount of wastes requiring collection and disposal. Co-operation is
required among communities, the informal sector, the formal waste collectors and the authorities. An
effective Solid Waste Management system should aim at minimizing manual handling and 100 %
collection & transportation of solid wastes should be achieved.

In solid waste management, one thing became very clear that segregation at source is to be practiced.
There are lots of initiatives to manage wastes but goes in vein because of not identifying wealth in
wastes. In India, we cannot afford sanitary land filling as land is precious here and there are lot of
municipalities who do not have land as trenching ground. The source segregation needs lot of study on
human behavior against waste littering. A continuous sensitization programme is to be planned
according to the sentiments of the residents towards their city and ultimately it will work as wonders. If
waste segregation is practiced, the potential threats can be minimized directly. Besides, the quality of
materials retrieved will be better due to absence of mixing. The pickers can thus, fetch better money on
the materials retrieved besides having lesser threats of catching diseases, cuts and wounds encountered
in the usual practice of waste picking.

The adoption and transfer of the technologies from the developed countries without adapting them to
the local or regional perspective would be fallacious on the part of the developing countries. Therefore,
the technical aspects for a waste management would have to take into account many points for planning
and implementation of strategies according to situation of the country. It would call for the
strengthening of the management sector which has to go hand in hand with technical planning.

General public can play a very important role. Public participation is necessary for a proper waste
management system. Changes in the habits of segregation, littering, can change the approach towards
wastes. For example in a heritage town of West Bengal, there was a movement related to waste
management. Within a span of two years it successfully sensitized residents for segregation at source
and not littering in open areas. Now the city is really becoming clean and other people are also
participating in the movement.

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In India the landfill, sometimes described as `sanitary landfill’, does not go beyond filling up of low-
lying areas with stinking waste conveniently bypassing the recommended requirements for `sanitary
landfill’. In the end, anything that is emptied at dumping or landfill sites continues to cause serious
environmental depredation. The developed countries do boast that they handle their waste in a more
scientific manner at landfill sites by laying the dumping grounds with a vulcanized plastic sheet to
avoid leaching of toxic digested and undigested waste into the ground underneath. In our countries
authorities practicing landfill do declare that they assiduously implement requirements for
recommended landfill to assuage citizen concern.

The quantum of solid waste is ever increasing due to many reasons. Plastics waste is a significant
portion of the total municipal solid waste (MSW). Recycling of plastics should be carried in such a
manner to minimize the pollution level during the process and as a result to enhance the efficiency of
the process and conserve the energy. Newer techniques related to recycling and reuse of plastic can be
adopted.

Any new paradigm should include a cradle-to-grave approach with responsibility being shared by many
stakeholders, including product manufacturers, consumers, communities, the recycling industry, trade,
municipalities and the urban poor. The Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, as
well as Agriculture, should develop the market for compost, and if required provide subsidies for
compost manure – first to provide organic soil nutrients to the farmers and to solve the urban waste
problem which continuously is polluting land through uncontrolled dumping.

In order to make proper waste management activity sustain in true sense, following other points need to
be given attention to –

1) Region specific planning: Looking at the geographical, topographical and cultural diversity of the
country it can be divided into five regions such as Northern region, Eastern region, Western region,
Central region and Southern region. Each of these regions has different structure. Hence all the
activities should be planned & implemented on regional basis.

2) Planning from below: To make Solid Waste Management a success in true sense, the planning as
well as implementation should start from general public level planning followed by block level
planning, district level planning and state level planning.

33
3) Involvement of self-help groups, youth groups and small entrepreneurs: The general public level
waste management units can be run by self-help groups, youth groups or small entrepreneurs. This will
help in making the programme self-supportive and sustainable.

4) Well planned and effective training policy: Technical training at all levels (General public to state)
forms the backbone of a successful waste management programme. Adequate training must be given to
all those concerned prior to actual launching of the programme in the field.

12. Conclusion
Human ways of life have placed pressure on the environment and have caused imbalance in the eco
systems by the producing, consuming and wasting of natural resources. Most countries evidently have
major effects on the environment due to SW generation with economic development since the natural
resources are used, and waste and pollution are produced. Therefore, the concern towards the
management of solid waste as an integral part for sustainable development has increased.

34
This study explored the importance of SWM for sustainable development with the concern of new
development process in HMC in Sri Lanka. There were four research objectives to be achieved with the
study. The first objective was to study the characteristics of solid waste management practices in
Hambantota Municipal council. The researcher investigated the environmental impacts of solid waste
management practices in Hambantota Municipal council and assessed how waste management
practices can contribute to sustain the development processes in Hambantota District. Establishing an
understanding of the perception amongst local communities regarding solid waste management for
sound environmental development was also a concern.

In summary, the research findings revealed that there are significant issues with unauthorized waste
disposal practices due to the lack of proper waste management process. This has significantly impacted
on the natural environment and on Sound Environmental Development (SED) in the study area. The
lack of Public waste bins and proper waste collection processes have significantly affected the
unauthorized waste disposal practices. Moreover, the absence of sanitary land filling and inadequate
processes by HISWMC are significant issues with SWM. The absence of practical usage of regulation
and laws is identified as a barrier to residents engaging in proper waste management processes with
recycling and waste separation because the council could not enforce these practices. The lacks of
knowledge, awareness and cooperation have been identified.

It is clear that improper waste management practices have a significant impact on the natural
environment and sustainable development in the study area. Thus, awareness about SWM impact on
sound environmental development or/and sustainable development in seemingly low. Therefore, it is
important that the SWM should be developed from the primary level. Waste storage and primary
disposal are the dominant means of managing waste. Thus, it has caused significant challenges in the
study area. Therefore, waste separation from the household level, proper storage, more efficient waste
collection systems, and sustainable recovery and disposal practices are identified as needed processes in
the study area. Considering the nature and components of waste generated by households and business
places, the waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting processes would be more suitable in
managing the challenge. These management options should be integrated in a sustainable framework.
Adequate consideration should be given to monitoring processes. Public education and properly
planned waste management programs also need to be introduced into the current waste management
system. Especially awareness programmes must be conducted in order to improve the knowledge about

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the importance of SWM for sound environmental development in the area.  The authorities should
provide for the introduction of complimentary programs and policy development.

The researcher identified SWM as the backbone of sound environmental development. Therefore, this
research study contributes to knowledge by determining the importance of SWM for sustainable
development in the newly developing HMC areas. The strength of this research study is the case
study’s setting which is the newly developed area, HMC, Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Further, this research
study incorporates the views of the HMC community to explore their level of understanding of
environmental and sustainable development. This is strength because community views have been
largely examined with the research. Nevertheless, there is a need for further scientific studies about the
SWM process and its impact on the environment and sustainable development.

13. References

1. https://www.britannica.com/technology/solid-waste-management/Recycling

2. http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/waste-management/solid-waste-management-types-
sources-effects-and-methods-of-solid-waste-management/9949
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3. https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/194221/8/08_chapter%203.pdf

4. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/sources-effects-methods-of-solid-waste-
management.php

5. https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-waste-management/

6. https://swm4sd.wordpress.com/conclusion/https://medium.com/@rohitgurjar009/transfer-
station-in-waste-management-50ca7b58a66b

7. http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/solwaste/types.htm

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