Solid Waste Management

 Solid Waste Management

Solid waste is everything that is commonly called trash. It includes wastes from homes, offices, stores, hospitals, hotels, schools and colleges. Rapid increase in population and changed life- style has increased the amount of solid wastes tremendously. Unplanned urbanization, industrialization and increased human activities have resulted in deposition of huge quantities of garbage every day. The Department if Waste Management of local Municipal bodies is facing endless problems in waste disposal. The people engaged in waste disposal are almost incapable of finishing their jobs.

The municipal solid wastes generally include; domestic (food) waste, paper, plastic, glass, metals, rubber, leather, textile, etc. Open burning dumps were used, as burning reduces the volume of wastes. But this is hazardous as generally it is not burnt to completion and open dumps serve as the breeding place for rats and flies. To substitute these, sanitary landfills were adopted, where wastes are dumped i a trench or depression after compaction and covered with soil everyday. Landfills also are inadequate as the amount of garbage, especially in metros has increased so much, that these sites are getting filled too. Moreover, there is a danger of seepage of chemicals, etc from these landfills which may pollute underground water resources.