Why It Is Important To Understanding The Solid Waste Management?
Keywords: Environmental pollution, Industrialization, Urbanization, Rise in living standards of people, Increasing of the amount of solid waste, Integrated Solid Waste Management
Do you wish to understand the solid waste management system? Do you want to comprehend the complex relationships between governments, technology solutions, and other stakeholders? And how may this help to make solid waste management better? If you want to know the answers to these questions, then this blog post is for you.
Waste production rises as a result of urbanization and population growth. Most cities in the world are having trouble not only coping with the current situation but also predicting future trends and getting ready and planning for the upcoming worst situation. Lack of or inconsistent waste collection causes waste to accumulate in neighborhoods, endangering public health. Poor handling or disposal seriously damages the ecosystem and causes global warming.
Do you know that there are two billion people living in areas where trash from their houses and neighborhoods isn't picked up? Or the fact that controlled disposal facilities are inaccessible to three billion people? The effects of this situation on the environment and people's health directly affect numerous communities, city dwellers, living things, and ecosystems.
Currently, we produce 7 to 10 billion tons of urban waste annually throughout the world. By the end of this century, it has been estimated that there will be 11 billion people on the planet. Africa will experience 90% of this growth, while Asia and Africa will make up 83% of the global population. Waste production will always increase as the population grows. It's also important to note that waste generation in urban compared to rural areas is significantly higher.
Understand Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM):
The term "integrated solid waste management" (ISWM) refers to a strategic approach to the long-term sustainability of solid waste management that addresses all sources and all aspects, including generation, segregation, transfer, sorting, treatment, recovery, and disposal in an integrated manner with a focus on maximizing resource use efficiency.
Basically, ISWM is made up of two components: first, the physical, and second, the governance. Think of physical components as the system's hardware and governance components as its software. physical factors include the triple R principles of reduction, reuse, and recycling as well as generation, collection, treatment, and disposal of solid waste. The governance aspect covers various stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities, financial sustainability, and public health.
Physical Factors of ISWM:
Solid waste prevention, reduction, and recycling depend on the physical elements of the above waste management stream (generation, collection, treatment, and disposal). Practically speaking, It is essential to know how much waste is created and what kind of waste needs to be collected - It would be good to sort solid waste at the household level e.g. glass, paper, electronics, food, etc.) Also, it is worth knowing how many collection vehicles are needed. At this point in the waste management stream, it becomes pretty important to understand what is going into the treatment station and what needs to be recycled. The composition and value of the trash produced must, of course, be known if our goal is to find opportunities for recycling. Finally, measuring the amount of waste entering the landfill is crucial if we want to determine how long it will last.
According to estimates, the world has produced 2.24 billion tonnes of solid waste in 2020, It is 0.79 kg of waste per person every day. The annual waste generation is anticipated to rise by 73% from 2020 levels to 3.88 billion tonnes in 2050 due to increasing population expansion and urbanization.
Governance Factors of ISWM:
The foundation of waste management, according to waste governance, is the establishment of policies and their incorporation into laws and regulations.
Policies are based on goals and guiding principles. Protection of the environment and public health, as well as the recovery of resource value from waste products and materials, are the overarching objectives that guide policy formulation. Additionally, Some of the following in this list may be among the guiding principles in the waste policy.
Waste prevention: The 7 R's Of recycling - recycle, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, re-gift, recover.
Polluter pays principle: Those who cause pollution should pay the costs of controlling it to protect public health and the environment.
Proximity principle: It means that waste should be managed as close as feasible to the location of creation because waste transportation has a substantial negative impact on the environment and public health.
Resource recovery: Utilizing wastes as a source of raw materials to manufacture new, useful products. The goal is to limit the amount of waste produced, which will decrease the requirement for landfill space and maximize the value that can be extracted from waste.
Circular economy: Minimizing waste generation through the repair, renovation, recycling, and reuse of existing materials and goods.
Implementation of ISWM:
Implementation of environmental policies can be supported through legislation, regulations, and their enforcement. Other instruments that can promote awareness and support implementation include;
Social mobilization: Boost community engagement for sustainability and self-reliance via information, education, communication, and stakeholder engagement.
Economic instruments: Grants, tax breaks, and other financial assistance that benefits the environment.
Solid Waste Treatment Technologies:
Waste treatment technologies bring waste's resource value back into the market, fostering new business prospects and economic growth. Before we talk about any of these technologies, take a look at the following picture to see what kinds of solid waste are produced and how long they typically take to degenerate.
Composting:
Composting is a technique that converts organic waste into rich soil under controlled conditions. Compost is a top-notch fertilizer for horticultural and garden plants. The Composting process is depicted in the following diagram.
Incineration:
Incineration is a process wherein hazardous waste is burned at temperatures high enough to kill pollutants. This process is carried out in a combustion chamber, called an “incinerator”. Municipal solid waste is used as a fuel in incinerators, where it is burned alongside large amounts of air to produce carbon dioxide and heat. These heated gases are utilized in the waste-to-energy facilities to create steam, which is then used to produce electricity.
Gasification:
In comparison to incineration, gasification is a 30% more efficient process for solid waste management. it is a thermal reaction process that converts the solid waste materials into a gas, called syngas that is used in power generation plants to produce electricity - Most waste-to-energy projects use a gasification process. The energy generated by gasification helps to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and can aid in achieving renewable energy goals as a result of the problem of global warming.