Waste Disposal

Waste disposal is the process of taking undesired materials produced by industry, home use, or agriculture and discarding, recycling, or destroying them. Ecological dangers and pollutants will be reduced if proper trash disposal procedures are followed. It is essential to manage waste properly, which includes collecting waste in the right way and using scientific treatments that could reduce air, soil, and water contamination.

Waste disposal is one of the aspects of Waste management. Waste management is classified into different types based on the type of waste. Solid Waste Management, E-waste management, and Biomedical Waste Management are examples of waste management.

Types of Waste

Broadly wastes are divided into two categories:

1. Biodegradable: Biodegradable wastes are those that can be degraded using microbial processes. E.g Fruits and vegetables peels, dead plants etc. These further include:

• House or domestic waste: These types of waste includes kitchen waste that releases from the house.
• Agricultural waste : This waste includes cattle dung and urine and stubble which may be burned after crop extraction. The stubble waste contributes to air pollution as  it is disposed off by burning.

2. Non-Biodegradable: These types of wastes are harmful for the environment and some of them are even categorized under Recalcitrant i.e., hard to degrade or non-degradable at all. For example, pesticides, heavy metals, plastics etc. Hazardous material dumps have the potential to emit smoke and hazardous vapours. The proper disposal of each type of trash is therefore required. These further include:

• Industrial waste material: Industrial wastes are released from the different industries such as pharamaceuticals, factories or chemical industries. These industries release their waste in rivers and soil that results in environmental pollution.
• Commercial waste material: Commerical waste is basically released from the school, colleges and office that includes paper waste.

7R’s for Management of Waste Material

Trash management and waste disposal are closely related concepts that are essential in maintaining a clean environment. Waste management should create awareness about 7R’s principles which can be beneficial in management of waste materials. The 7R’s include: –

1. Refuse
2. Repurpose
3. Reduce
4. Reuse
5. Rot
6. Recycle
7. Rethink

Importance of Waste Disposal

The following points below illustrate the importance of waste disposal :-

• Environmenta: Appropriate waste disposal helps in preventing soil, water and air pollution caused by inappropriate waste treatment.
• Human safey: 7R’s of waste disposal can prevent infection and other health issues that may happen to any waste disposing workers due to their involvement in waste disposing. As a result, workers shouldn’t be responsible for disposing of garbage; instead, every home should be the first to act.
• Revenue generation: Waste disposal managment companies provide employment to people. Other industries can use recycle material that will reduce the cost also.

Types of Waste Disposal

Different type of waste disposal are given below:

1. Recycling

Recycling includes both material recycling, which is the extraction of raw materials from the trash, and direct recycling of old goods, such as discarded clothes and functional pieces taken out of used cars. There is a process known as downcycling through which waste products can be converted into product that will be low in quality in contrast to original product. There are so many waste products which can be recycled to make new products such as cold drink can, card boxes, paper, glasses, metals etc. Recycling also prevents soil pollution.

2. Incineration

Waste incineration facilities or garbage wood furnaces are used for thermal treatment of combustible household waste and waste wood that might not be suitable for recycling. Heat and electricity are produced by the process’s emitted heat. Organic pollutant-contaminated trash is subjected to a different kind of thermal treatment (e.g., in hazardous waste incineration plants). Professional trash disposal firms handle the garbage according to the incinerator plant’s specifications. This lowers the chances of injury and ensures that the fuel would be of the highest quality.

3. Chemical-physical and biological treatment

Chemical, Physical, and Biological treatments are used in case of polluted water treatment or in case of landfilling. Pollutants can be concentrated and disposed of in facilities designed for this purpose after undergoing chemical and physical treatment. Rivers, ponds or lakes are treated with such type of treatment.

4. Landfills

Wastes that are residual of any waste material which cannot be treated by any method or incinerated waste residues are treated with landfills methods. MCD waste management rules should be followed to dispose of waste in landfills. Waste material that cannot be directly landfilled should be pretreated before landfilling.

5. Generation of Biogas

Waste products including kitchen waste (peels of fruit and vegetabels), animal waste (cow dung), plant waste (dead plant or leaves) can be used to make biogas using different types of microoorganism such as bacteria and Fungi. These microbes utilize the waste disposal material as food and break them down to make simpler products. While performing this process, microbes produce gases that can be used as a fuel for cooking purpose. Waste product that was formed during this process can be used as biofertilizer in agricultural lands. Biogas process is an anaerobic process that occurs in the absence of oxygen.

6. Waste Compaction

Waste compaction is also a method to treat waste materials that includes breaking up the waste into tiny bits, pressing to combine it well, and arranging it to fill spaces. Garbage compaction reduces the quantity and size of waste, which eventually lessens environmental damage. This can be done on plastics, cold drinks can, paper etc.

7. Composting

Composting is one of the best methods in treating waste materials. It treats all organic waste, such as fruit and vegetable peels, food leftovers, and yard debris. In this method microorganism’s such as bacteria and fungi play a crucial role especially fungi because they are Saprophytic in nature (thrive on dead and decaying matter). These materials decompose over many days when buried and exposed to the action of bacteria, fungus, and other microbes. Decomposition occurs as a result and compost a material that resembles humus is produced. This compost may be beneficial for agricultural industry.

8. Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting, also referred to as Vermiculture, is a waste disposal technique that breaks down organic materials such as vegetable or food waste using earthworms, red wigglers, white worms, and other worms in the decomposition process. The final product produced by earthworms is called vermicast. Vermicast is rich in nutrients which are beneficial for plant growth.

9. Salvaging procedure

Materials that can be salvaged, recycled, and reused include metal, paper, glass, rags, and some forms of plastic.

10. Fermentation

Compost is generated from biodegradable trash, and recycling is permitted wherever practical. Appropriate techniques can be used to dispose of hazardous trash.

Collection and Logistics

Multiple technological people are playing in the waste management industry. Among their responsibilities include gathering garbage from homes, businesses, and industries at the source, storing it in transit containers, and transferring it to waste disposal facilities. Waste treatment frequently relies on a series of specialised facilities working together. Good logistics are always necessary before effective waste management can occur. According to the Ordinance on Movements of Waste, the transfer of hazardous waste must be documented.

FAQs- Waste Disposal and its types

1. What do you mean by Waste Disposal?

Waste disposal encompasses the comprehensive management of waste materials generated by human society, involving their collection, processing, and subsequent actions, which may include recycling or responsible deposition.

2. How many types of Wastes are there?

There are many types of waste but the most prominent ones are- commercial waste, solid waste, hazardous waste, biomedical waste, liquid waste.

3. What are the four steps of Waste Disposal?

Waste disposal consists of a systematic sequence of four crucial steps: collection, segregation, storage and transportation, and treatment.

4. What is the most common type of Waste?

Food waste holds the distinction of being the most prevalent form of waste, constituting a significant 50% of the world’s municipal solid waste.

5. Which Waste is most harmful?

Industrial waste is considerd to be the most harmful waste because industries releases harmful wastes such as heavy metals and dyes. These waste are harmful for humans, animal and plant life.