What is SOLID WASTE?

Solid waste can be defined as: the useless and unwanted products in

the solid state derived from the activities of and discarded by society. It is produced
either by - product of production processes or arise from the domestic or commercial
sector when objects or materials are discarded after use. It represents pollution and
unnecessary waste of resources, and hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural
capital degradation, health problems, and premature deaths.
There are other types of waste like e-waste and hazardous waste. Solid waste is
like papers, metals, wood, plastics and etc., while E-waste is a popular, informal name
for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life." Computers, televisions, VCRs,
stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products. Many of these
products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. Hazardous wastes are those that may contain
toxic substances generated from industrial, hospital, some types of household wastes.
These wastes could be corrosive, inflammable, explosive, or react when exposed to other
materials. It is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.

What is the IMPACT of SOLID WASTE in HEALTH?

Human health is at risk through our inaction. We keep producing large amounts
of trash, we do not dispose of it correctly, and in the end that will be our downfall as it is
for the environment and wildlife in the ecosystem, we all share. We cannot prevent or
promote longevity with how we treat our Earth. The more emissions that we produce
due to how much trash we generate, affects us long term. One can develop diseases
such as asthma, birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular disease, childhood cancer,
COPD, infectious diseases, low birth weight, and preterm delivery. Bacteria, vermin and
insects can also be added to the problem that trash causes. Also, when we come in
contact with waste, it causes skin irritation and blood infections.

What is the IMPACT of SOLID WASTE in ENVIRONMENT?

An inefficient municipal solid waste management system may create serious

negative environmental impacts like infectious diseases, land and water pollution,
obstruction of drains and loss of biodiversity.
Without proper solid waste management, it could greatly affect the environment
and lead to soil contamination, water contamination, extreme weather caused
by climate change, air contamination and could harm towards the animal and marine
life.
Definitions:
Soil Contamination
Ideally, we would like our plastic, glass, metal and paper waste to end up at
a recycling facility. It then returns to us as a renewable product. But the reality is entirely
different. Contamination occurs by spilling and burying hazardous components in soil.
So, we need to be watchful of how we process petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents,
pesticides, heavy metals and lead.
Water Contamination
Water is an excellent solvent; it can contain numerous dissolved chemicals. As a 
result, while moving through, water picks up pollution along the way. It often has
dissolved substances like various chemicals and gases.
Rainfall easily mixes to toxic liquid substances and seeps into the water streams to end
up in nearby water bodies. Thus, the neighbourhood fountain, pond, lake or even
drinking water taps are susceptible to the dangers of contamination.

Extreme Weather Caused By Climate Change

Firstly, harmful greenhouse gases are created from decomposing waste. These
rise up to the atmosphere and trap heat. This adversely causes extreme weather
reactions in the form of storms and typhoons.
How else are we impacted? Well, apart from temperature what is also drastically
affected is the level of precipitation in the air. From acid rain to severe hail storms or
global warming – everything is fair game at present. This also spreads out into other
areas with regards to subdivisions such as thermal and radioactive pollution.
Air Contamination
Let’s talk about the ozone layer first. A lot of it leaves us feeling hopeless for we
feel unable to make necessary changes. We think we cannot consume any less. Even
so, we can, at least, follow strict protocol over how it’s recycled.
On the occasions paper and plastic are burned at the landfill, causing landfill gas, the
chemicals released which accumulate and contribute to the ozone layer and also hurt
the surrounding human population. Methane gas adds to it as well. Besides, with
chemicals such as dioxin out there, the air has been proven to have harmful effects on
us.
All of it, and especially when improper waste management is concerned, play a
significant role in causing global warming.
Harm Towards Animal and Marine Life
Despite strict measures to stop it, we keep seeing the continual dumping of
garbage, raw or untreated sewage. Any animal or marine life coming in contact gets
impacted in the worst of ways. The inevitable formation of algal bloom and clusters
contaminates and eventually suffocates marine life such as coral and fish.

4. The waste humans generate waste has been detrimental to our environment for quite
some time now. Humans are generating too much trash and cannot deal with it in a
sustainable way. Waste that is not biodegradable and cannot be properly be recycled is
filling our oceans and landfills. Let’s take plastic waste as an example. A recent study
found that of the 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste that has been produced, only 9%
of that plastic waste had been recycled. (Find out more about plastic pollution and how
you can help reduce your own waste.) In 2017, for instance, the Environmental
Protection Agency calculated that the total generation of municipal solid waste in the
United States just that year was 267.8 million tons. Compared with 2015 levels, it was a
5.7 million increase. All together, the amount of waste generated affects the
environment in multiple ways: its contribution to the worsening climate crisis, its
negative impact on wildlife and the natural environment, and its detriment to our very
own public health.

SOLUTIONS TO SOLID WASTE:

The best solution is recycling of the solid waste. It is the process of converting
waste into some new or usable product thereby preventing waste disposal. Obviously
landfill method of disposal has many limitations. Landfills are likely to cause air water
and land pollution in spite of utmost care taken. Waste hierarchy, referring to the “3Rs
rule” Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, waste prevention and minimization being the most
desirable goal. Each type of waste corresponds to a management process. To properly
manage waste, pre-sorting is necessary. This sorting allows the separation of recyclable
from non-recyclable waste, and subsequently the energy recovery.

Solid-waste management, the collecting, treating, and disposing of solid

material that is discarded because it has served its purpose or is no longer useful.
Improper disposal of municipal solid waste can create unsanitary conditions, and these
conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and to outbreaks of vector-
borne disease—that is, diseases spread by rodents and insects. The tasks of solid-
waste management present complex technical challenges. They also pose a wide
variety of administrative, economic, and social problems that must be managed and
solved.
The best solution is recycling of the solid waste. It is the process of
converting waste into some new or usable product thereby preventing waste disposal.
As well as reusing and reducing the solid waste. Reuse of waste means any operation
by which products or components that are not waste are used again for the same
purpose for which they were conceived. Waste reduction (or prevention) is the preferred
approach to waste management because waste that never gets created doesn't
have waste management costs. An example of waste
reduction is reducing unnecessary packaging from manufactured products and produce.
Other are landfill method of disposal. A landfill is an engineered pit, in which
layers of solid waste are filled, compacted and covered for final disposal. When people
think about solid waste management, they likely associate it with garbage being
dumped in landfills or incinerated. While such activities comprise an important part of
the process, a variety of elements is involved in the creation of an optimal integrated
solid waste management (ISWM) system. For example, treatment techniques act to
reduce the volume and toxicity of solid waste. These steps can transform it into a more
convenient form for disposal. Waste treatment and disposal methods are selected and
used based on the form, composition, and quantity of waste materials.

Here are major waste treatment and disposal methods:

Thermal Treatment

Thermal waste treatment refers to the processes that use heat to treat waste
materials. Like Incineration, Gasification and Pyrolysis and Open Burning.

Dumps and Landfills

 Sanitary landfills provide the most commonly used waste disposal solution.

These landfills are desired to eliminate or reduce the risk of environmental
or public health hazards due to waste disposal. 

 Controlled dumps are more or less the same as sanitary landfills. 

 Bioreactor landfills are the result of recent technological research. These
landfills use superior microbiological processes to speed up waste
decomposition. 

Biological Waste Treatment

 Composting is another most frequently used waste disposal or treatment

method which is the controlled aerobic decomposition of organic waste
materials by the action of small invertebrates and microorganisms. The
most common composting techniques include static pile composting,
vermin-composting, windrow composting and in-vessel composting.

 Anaerobic Digestion also uses biological processes to decompose organic

materials. Anaerobic Digestion, however, uses an oxygen and bacteria-
free environment to decompose the waste material where composting
must have air to enable the growth of microbes.