Solid Waste Management System

Solid Waste Management System

A SWM system refers to a combination of various functional elements associated with the management of solid wastes. The system, when put in place, facilitates the collection and disposal of solid wastes in the community at minimal costs, while preserving public health and ensuring little or minimal adverse impact on the environment. The functional elements that constitute the system are:

(i) Waste generation: Wastes are generated at the start of any process, and thereafter, at every stage as raw materials are converted into goods for consumption. For example, wastes are generated from households, commercial areas, industries, institutions, street cleaning and other municipal services. The most important  aspect of this part of the SWM system is the identification of waste.

(ii) Waste storage: Storage is a key functional element because collection of wastes never takes place at the source or at the time of their generation. The heterogeneous wastes generated in residential areas must be removed within 8 days due to shortage of storage space and presence of biodegradable material. Onsite storage is of primary importance due to aesthetic consideration, public health and economics involved. Some of the options for storage are plastic containers, conventional dustbins (of households), used oil drums, large storage bins (for institutions and commercial areas or servicing depots), etc.

(i)             Waste collection: This includes gathering of wastes and hauling them to the location, where the collection vehicle is emptied, which may be a transfer station (i.e., intermediate station where wastes from smaller vehicles are transferred to larger ones and also segregated), a processing plant or a disposal site. Collection depends on the number of containers, frequency of collection, types of collection services and routes. Typically, collection is provided under various management arrangements, ranging from municipal services to franchised services, and under various forms of contracts.

(iv)        Transfer and transport: This functional element involves:

The transfer of wastes from smaller collection vehicles, where necessary to overcome the problem of narrow access lanes, to larger ones at transfer stations.

The subsequent transport of the wastes, usually over long distances, to disposal sites.

(ii)           The factors that contribute to the designing of a transfer station include the type of transfer operation,        capacity,     equipment,  accessories  and environmental requirements.

(v)          Processing: Processing is required to alter the physical and chemical characteristics of wastes for energy and resource recovery and recycling. The important processing techniques include compaction, thermal volume reduction, manual separation of waste components, incineration and composting.

(vi)        Recovery and recycling: This includes various techniques, equipment and facilities used to improve both the efficiency of disposal system and recovery of usable material and energy. Recovery involves the separation of valuable resources from the mixed solid wastes, delivered at transfer stations or processing plants. It also involves size reduction and density separation by air classifier, magnetic device for iron and screens for glass. The selection of any recovery process is a function of economics, i.e., costs of separation versus the recovered-material products. Certain recovered materials like glass, plastics, paper, etc., can be recycled as they have economic value.

(vii)     Waste disposal: Disposal is the ultimate fate of all solid wastes, be they

residential wastes, semi-solid wastes from municipal and industrial treatment plants, incinerator residues, composts or other substances that have no further

use to the society. Thus, land use planning becomes a primary determinant in the selection, design and operation of landfill operations. A modern sanitary landfill is a method of disposing solid waste without creating a nuisance and hazard to public health. Generally, engineering principles are followed to confine the wastes to the smallest possible area, reduce them to the lowest particle volume by compaction at the site and cover them after each day's operation to reduce exposure to vermin. One of the most important functional elements of SWM, therefore, relates to the final use of the reclaimed land.

Typical SWM System: Functional Elements