Sustainability Initiatives and Practices

GROUP NO.: - 23

NAMES:ARPAN RASTOGI (E 15) BASIT WANI (E 20)

TABLE OF CONTENT

S. NO.

CONTENT

Pg. NO.

INTRODUCTION

TYPES OF SOLID WASTE

IMPORTANCE OF SOLID WASTE

IMPACT OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ON PEOPLE

IMPACT OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ON PLANET

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IMPACT OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ON PROFIT

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTIONThe sight of a dustbin overflowing and the stench rising from it are all too familiar sights and smells of a crowded city. You look away from it and hold your nose as you cross it. Have you ever thought that you also have a role to play in the creation of this stench? That you can also play a role in the lessening of this smell and making this waste bin look a little more attractive if you follow proper methods of disposal of the waste generated in the house? Since the beginning, humankind has been generating waste, be it the bones and other parts of animals they slaughter for their food or the wood they cut to make their carts. With the progress of civilization, the waste generated became of a more complex nature. At the end of the 19th century the industrial revolution saw the rise of the world of consumers. Not only did the air get more and more polluted but the Earth itself became more polluted with the generation of non-biodegradable solid waste. The increase in population and urbanization was also largely responsible for the increase in solid waste. Solid waste is the unwanted or useless solid materials generated from combined residential, industrial and commercial activities in a given area. It may be categorized according to its origin (domestic, industrial, commercial, construction or institutional); according to its contents (organic material, glass, metal, plastic paper etc.); or according to hazard potential (toxic, non-toxin, flammable, radioactive, infectious etc.). Management of solid waste reduces or eliminates adverse impacts on the environment and human health and supports economic development and improved quality of life. A number of processes are involved in effectively managing waste for a municipality. These include monitoring, collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal. There has been a significant increase in MSW (municipal solid waste) generation in India in the last few decades. This is largely because of rapid population growth and economic development in the country. Solid waste management has become a major environmental issue in India. The per capita of MSW generated daily, in India ranges from about 100 g in small towns to 500g in large towns. Although, there is no national level data for MSW generation, collection and disposal, and increase in solid waste generation, over the years, can be studied for a few urban centers. 3

For example, the population of Mumbai grew from around 12.3 million in 2001 to 24.5 million in 2011, registering a growth of around 49%. On the other hand, MSW generated in the city increased from 3200 tons per day to 5355 tons per day in the same period registering a growth of around 67%. This clearly indicates that the growth in MSW in our urban centers has outpaced the population growth in recent years. This trend can be ascribed to our changing lifestyles, food habits, and change in living standards. MSW in cities is collected by respective municipalities and transported to designated disposal sites, which are normally low lying areas on the outskirts of the city. The limited revenues earmarked for the municipalities make them Ill-equipped to provide for high costs involved in the collection, storage, treatment, and proper disposal of MSW. As a result, a substantial part of the MSW generated remains unattended and grows in the heaps at poorly maintained collection center. The choice of a disposal site also is more a matter of what is available than what is suitable. The average collection efficiency for MSW in Indian cities is about 72.5% and around 70% of the cities lack adequate waste transport capacities. The insanitary methods adopted for disposal of solid wastes is, therefore, a serious health concern. The poorly maintained landfill sites are prone to groundwater contamination because of leachate production. Open dumping of garbage facilitates the breeding for disease vectors. Such as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats, and other pests. The municipalities in India therefore face the challenge of reinforcing their available infrastructure for efficient MSW management and ensuring the scientific disposal of MSW by generating enough revenues either from the generators or by identifying activities that generate resources from waste management. The key issues involved in the solid waste management are growth in population and increasing garbage generation, waste collection system, segregation of waste at source in as many categories as practical, scientific processing of waste material depending on nature, developing infrastructure for solid waste and disposal and processing, decentralize means to process waste to avoid multiple transfer and facilitate disposal etc. Types of Solid Waste Solid waste can be classified into different types depending on their source: Household waste is generally classified as municipal waste Industrial waste as hazardous waste Biomedical waste or hospital waste as infectious 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 tons of solid waste.In 1997 it was about 48 million tons. 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 ground water. Over the last few years, the consumer market has grown rapidly leading to products being packed in cans, aluminum 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 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.

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 tons 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. 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.

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. 5

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. IMPORTANCE OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Solid waste management not only comes from industrial units. It also comes from various sources. Every man with the operation of daily domestic work creates solid waste for disposal. A study in United States shows that solid waste per person per day in 1920 is 1.2kg. It increases 2.3kg in 1970 and about 3.6kg in 1980. This shows that solid waste per person is mounting due to number of reasons. Solid waste disposal creates a problem primarily in highly populated areas. The more concentrated the population. The greater the problem.

City Mumbai Thane Hyderabad Delhi

Solid waste generated 6000 tons per day 700 tons per day 2000 tons per day 4000tones per day

In India, generation of municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial, hazardous waste, biomedical waste have been increasing due to population growth, life style changes and economic development. On the other hand, waste management responses have not kept pace with the increasing quantities of waste resulting in (a) a high proportion of uncollected waste, and (b) poor standards of transportation, storage, treatment and disposal. The insanitary methods adopted for disposal of solid wastes is a serious health concern with significant environmental, social and health costs associated with it. Open dumping of garbage facilitates the breeding of disease vectors such as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats, and other pests. The poorly maintained landfill sites further, are prone to groundwater contamination because of leachate production. Practically every citizen is now search of clear air and pleasant environment. The land pollution problem has grown enormously in the recent years due to waste dumping civics administration are facing the problem for hygiene disposal waste. Those calls for separate efforts of not only the civics administration but participation of several responsibilities publics groups and industrial lists. As the cities are growing in size and problems seen as the generation of plastic waste, various municipal waste treatment and disposal methods are now being used to try resolving these problems. Garbage generation in household can be recycled and reused to prevent creation of waste at sources and reducing amount of waste thrown into the community dustbins.

IMPACT OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ON PEOPLE

Impact on the Surroundings The closure of existing open dumpsites and the introduction of sanitary landfill is an urgent priority everywhere in the developing world. Even where complementary disposal technologies, such as composting or incineration (waste to energy plants), are practiced, a landfill is still required and is the backbone of any sustainable disposal system. Matching grants designed to encourage landfill investments and sustainable operations may be an appropriate instrument to consider, primarily because the environmental damages and benefits tend to spill over into neighboring municipalities and regions, or into underlying groundwater resources (Daniel, 1999). This statement is true. The reason simply being because waste in the landfills is not properly managed, this results to the impacts to the environment. Medina (2002) also supported the US Environmental Protection Agency. He states that pollution is not directly transferred from land to people, except in the case of dusts and direct contact with toxic materials. Pollutants deposited on land usually enter the human body through the medium of contaminated crops, animals, food products, or water. Land pollution can also damage terrestrial ecosystems, resulting in the deterioration of the conservation on and amenity value of the environment. Impacts on Residents According to Marshal (1995), open dumpsites are a major problem to the environment, especially on the air that the people inhale. Dumpsites emit obnoxious odors and smoke that cause illness to people living in, around, or closer to them. According to Wrensh (1990) dumpsites maybe a source of airborne chemical contamination via off site migration of gases and the particles and chemicals adhering to dust, especially during the period of active operation of the site. Contamination of soil and groundwater may lead to direct contact or pollution of indoor air for example in the case of volatile organic chemicals into basements of nearby residents and in the case of consumption of home grown vegetables as well. Wrensh (1990) further stated that in some sites, volatile organic chemicals have been detected in adored air of homes nearby dumpsites. In a number of community health surveys, a wide range of health problems, including respiratory symptoms, irritation of the skin, nose, and eyes, gastrointestinal problems, psychological disorders, and allergies, have been discovered. A number of researches have been carried out in response to concerns from the public, often triggered by nuisances caused by emissions of volatile organic compounds. For example, according to Dolk (1997), dump sites closer to residential areas are always feeding places for 7

dogs and cats. These pets, together with rodents, carry diseases with them to nearby homesteads. The UNEPA (2006) state that wastes that are not properly managed, especially excreta and other liquids and solid wastes from households and the community, are a serious health hazard and could lead to the spreading of diseases. The report further states that unattended wastes lying around attract flies, rats, and other creatures that, in turn, spread diseases. Normally, it is the wet waste that decomposes and releases a bad odor. The bad odor affects the people settled next to the dumpsite, which clearly shows that the dumpsites have serious effects to people settled around or next to them. Wastes from agriculture and industries can also cause serious health risks. Other than this, co-disposal of industrial hazardous wastes with municipal wastes can expose people to chemical and radioactive hazards. Uncollected solid waste can also obstruct storm water runoff, resulting in the forming of stagnant water bodies that become the breeding ground of disease. Wastes dumped near a water source also cause a contamination of the water body or the ground water source. Direct dumping of untreated wastes in rivers, seas, and lakes, result the accumulation of toxic substances in the food chain through the plants and animals that feed on it (Medina, 2002). This clearly shows how waste disposal seriously affects the health of residents located closer to dumpsites. The effect of solid waste disposal in African countries faces a great problem. It is imperative to note that Swaziland is planning to address the issue of solid waste disposal. The major problem of Swaziland is that, they are engaging in a long term plan, while damage is increasing every day. The National Solid Waste Management Strategy for Swaziland represents a long-term plan up to year 2010 for addressing key issues, needs, and problems experienced with waste management in Swaziland. The strategy attempts to give effects to the National Environmental Policy, the National Environmental Management Act of 2002, and the Waste Regulations Act of 2000. The focus of the strategy is to move towards a holistic approach in waste management, in line with the internationally accepted principles, but taking into account the specific context of Swaziland, with regard to the institutional and legal framework, as well as land tenure and resource constraints. Integrated waste management, thus, represents a move away from waste management through impact management and remediation to a proactive management system that focuses on waste prevention and minimization. Dumpsites are known for their smelly and unsightly conditions. These conditions are worse in the summer because of extreme temperatures, which speed up the rate of bacterial action on biodegradable organic material.

Most developing countries, like Swaziland, use such dumpsites rather than properly managed and environmentally safe landfills. Lack of capital and poor government policies regarding to wastes contributes to such conditions. There is therefore considerable public concern over the possible effects of dumpsites on the health of people living nearby, particularly those where hazardous waste is dumped. Most solid wastes are disposed on the land in open dumps. Disposal of solid waste on the land without careful planning and management can present a danger to the environment and the human health. The environment should be clean and less polluted by all means. This means that waste should be managed at all costs to limit its effects to the environment.

IMPACT OF SOIL WASTE MANAGEMENT ON PLANET

About 40 million tons of municipal waste is generated in India every year. The waste management scenario continues to be grim, even though there have been some Commendable initiatives by scattered municipalities, individuals, groups and NGOs. As of today, open dumps are the major mode of waste disposal. Composting, biomethanation and thermal processing are being attempted as the options for waste processing. This paper analyses the performance of such waste processing initiatives in India, identifies the key constraints and presents suggestions for improvement. Key Words: Waste processing, Composting, Biomethanation, RDF, Waste to energy Municipal solid waste (MSW) includes household garbage and rubbish, street sweeping, construction and demolition debris, sanitation residues, trade and nonhazardous industrial refuse and treated bio-medical solid waste. The management of MSW is an area of universal concern for both the developed and developing world. It is a major problem in Indian cities and towns with the urban areas of India producing about 40 million tons of solid waste from household and commercial activities every year. As the Solid Waste Management (SWM) is of local nature it is the responsibility of the State which in turn has entrusted it to local authorities who carry out the solid waste management in areas under their control using mostly their own funds, staff and equipment. The urban local bodies spend approximately Rs.500 to Rs.1500 (approx. USD 12 - 36) per ton on solid waste for collection, transportation, treatment and disposal. About 60-70% of this amount is spent on collection, 20-30% on transportation and less than 5% on processing and final disposal. Out of the total municipal waste collected, about 94% is disposed by open dumping and the rest is composted. The 2001 Census has put the number of urban centers as 5144 out of which 464 centers have a population greater than 1 lakh. According to the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) the average waste generated for small towns is 0.1 kg per person per day; for medium towns/city is 0.3 to 0.4 kg per person per day; and for large cities around 0.5 kg per person per day (CPCB, 2000). The typical rate of increase of waste 10

generation in Indian cities has been estimated at around 1.3% annually. The expected generation of Lesson from Municipal Solid Waste Processing Initiatives in India. MSW in 2025 will therefore be around 700 grams per capita per day. Considering that the urban population of India is expected to grow to 45% of total from the prevailing 28%, the magnitude of problem is likely to grow to even larger proportions (World Bank, 2006). The socio-economic structure of the Indian society not only makes per capita generation of waste much less compared to that of the western societies, it has also brought in a system of waste recycling and reusing not common in developed societies, though these systems are fast losing ground. A substantial amount of MSW is recycled and reused through the primary intervention of rag pickers and second-hand markets, though there are problems like the health hazard to the rag pickers and the degradation and devaluation of the recyclables. Since the experience in the towns all over India regarding waste processing has not been encouraging and since the States were not observed to take any specific initiative in this regard various committees were appointed by the Central Government and as a result of these committees various projects were initiated. The two leading methods of waste processing being adopted in India include composting (aerobic composting, anaerobic, vermicomposting, etc.) and waste-to-energy. The larger (50-60%) proportion of organic matter in Indian MSW indicates the desirability of biological processing of wastes. This paper is aimed at analyzing the performance of these waste processing plants on technical aspects (i.e. processing technology and quality of product), the type of management and performance, institutional aspects and environmental health aspects. This also includes aspects such as the technology Maturity, input quality / quantity flexibility and local availability of technology and expertise.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Methods of waste reduction, waste reuse and recycling are the preferred options when Managing waste. There are many environmental benefits that can be derived from the use of these methods. They reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the release of pollutants, conserve resources, save energy and reduce the demand for waste treatment technology and landfill space. Therefore it is advisable that these methods be adopted and incorporated as part of the waste management plan.

Waste reduction and reuse Waste reduction and reuse of products are both methods of waste prevention. They eliminate the production of waste at the source of usual generation and reduce the demands for large scale treatment and disposal facilities. Methods of waste reduction include manufacturing products with less packaging, encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bags for packaging, encouraging the public to choose reusable products such as cloth napkins and reusable plastic and

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glass containers, backyard composting and sharing and donating any unwanted items rather than discarding them. All of the methods of waste prevention mentioned require public participation. In order to get the public onboard, training and educational programmers need to be undertaken to educate the public about their role in the process. Also the government may need to regulate the types and amount of packaging used by manufacturers and make the reuse of shopping bags mandatory. Treatment & Disposal Waste treatment techniques seek to transform the waste into a form that is more manageable, reduce the volume or reduce the toxicity of the waste thus making the waste easier to dispose of. Treatment methods are selected based on the composition, quantity, and form of the waste material. Some waste treatment methods being used today include subjecting the waste to extremely high temperatures, dumping on land or land filling and use of biological processes to treat the waste. It should be noted that treatment and disposal options are chosen as a last resort to the previously mentioned management strategies reducing, reusing and recycling of waste.

Dumps and Landfills Sanitary landfills Sanitary Landfills are designed to greatly reduce or eliminate the risks that waste disposal may pose to the public health and environmental quality. They are usually placed in areas where land features act as natural buffers between the landfill and the environment. For example the area may be comprised of clay soil which is fairly impermeable due to its tightly packed particles, or the area may be characterized by a low water table and an absence of surface water bodies thus preventing the threat of water contamination. In addition to the strategic placement of the landfill other protective 12

measures are incorporated into its design. The bottom and sides of landfills are lined with layers of clay or plastic to keep the liquid waste, known as leachate, from escaping into the soil. The leachate is collected and pumped to the surface for treatment. Boreholes or monitoring wells are dug in the vicinity of the landfill to monitor groundwater quality. A landfill is divided into a series of individual cells and only a few cells of the site are filled with trash at any one time. This minimizes exposure to wind and rain. The daily waste is spread and compacted to reduce the volume, a cover is then applied to reduce odors and keep out pests. When the landfill has reached its capacity it is capped with an impermeable seal which is typically composed of clay soil. Some sanitary landfills are used to recover energy. The natural anaerobic decomposition of the waste in the landfill produces landfill gases which include Carbon Dioxide, methane and traces of other gases. Methane can be used as an energy source to produce heat or electricity. Thus some landfills are fitted with landfill gas collection (LFG) systems to capitalize on the methane being produced. The process of generating gas is very slow, for the energy recovery system to be successful there needs to be large volumes of wastes. These landfills present the least environmental and health risk and the records kept can be a good source of information for future use in waste management, however, the cost of establishing these sanitary landfills are high when compared to the other land disposal methods.

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IMPACT OF SOIL WASTE MANAGEMENT ON PROFIT

Waste Ventures: A Decentralized Bio-methane Distribution System from Municipal Solid Waste Management in India Waste Ventures is an international non-profit addressing the social and environmental degradation caused by broken solid waste management systems in emerging market cities. We build waste picker groups into profitable waste collection companies that environmentally process waste, reducing destructive methane and other greenhouse gases while earning three times their previous income. We have started operations in India and are seeking to expand our model into emerging market cities around the world. Problem Without a low-cost and low-tech methodology for processing organic waste, methane from anaerobic decomposition on dumping grounds will continue to destroy the atmosphere. The challenge is to design a low-cost, technologically simple and environmentally sound system to centrally process waste into biogas (or bio-methane) and distribute for fuel consumption to households, restaurants, as a replacement for CNG gas in transportation uses, or for generating electricity.

Context Over 50-60% of municipal solid waste in emerging market cities is organic. The implication of such a large organic component is that methane, 20 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, is being produced from global dumping of waste at the rate of almost 40 million tons each year. Waste Ventures builds and trains waste picker companies to collect organic waste to process into organic compost for application as a soil conditioner in agricultural contexts. In places where great nutrient depletion is threatening the ability of farmers to retain water and grow healthy produce, organic soil conditioners are gaining ground as essential to the farming regimen. In some cities, however, weaker compost markets or greater demand for energy indicate that generating and selling biogas would be a more locally appropriate solution. 14

Solution Parameters The focus of our work is in tier II and tier III cities in India (population 80,000-800,000). This is the cross-section of Indias cities which are growing the fastest, and they are having increasing difficulty keeping up with the infrastructure needs of their residents. Municipal solid waste provides a reliable and organic-rich supply of raw material from which to generate renewable energy. In India, biogas production has been widely introduced in the form of decentralized digesters fed with agricultural wastes and animal dung to generate combustible gas for cooking in rural kitchens. However, in cities where we work, we require a rapidly scalable solution that does not rely on individual adoption and installation of the technology in a house-by-house basis. Centralized bio-digester. The solution should be built around a centralized processing center for digesting the organic waste into biogas rather than decentralized digesters. Upgrade biogas for higher value fuel. In order to stabilize the gas for distribution, cost-effective and environmentally responsible technology should be used for upgrading the biogas to bio-methane (ideally, >97% CH4). Though scrubbing with water is generally low cost, the water loss and inability to recover the CO2 would need to be addressed. Alternatively, designing a methodology for separating CH4 and CO2 using a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube could be a very low-cost and high-efficiency method for upgrading the biomethane, if such a prototype could be developed. Consideration of market forces. Use of the gas to adequately meet market demands is critical to developing a model which achieves our ultimate goals of increasing waste picker income and creating waste enterprises capable of attracting commercial investment. Municipal solid waste stream. System inputs are restricted to the municipal solid waste stream of vegetable & fruit market wastes, kitchen wastes, and some slaughter house waste. Human waste and wastewater are not. Minimal methane leakage. Because methane is over 20 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than an equal measure of carbon dioxide, even a minor leakage in the process can cause extensive atmospheric heating. It is essential to design a system which inherently prevents any methane leakage.

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BIBLIOGRAPGY

For making the project we have taken the help of following links:-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_management cmsdu.org/organs/solid_waste_management.pdf www.wasteventures.org http://www.teriin.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52 www.worldbank.org ww.eai.in www.wasteconsult.de www.lcacenter.org/../solidwaste.ppt environmentalhealthtoday.files.word

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