SOLID WASTE

AND ITS
MANAGEMENT
 WASTE
• It is defined as:
Waste (also known as rubbish, trash, refuse,
garbage, junk) is any unwanted or useless materials.
OR
“Any materials unused and rejected as worthless
or unwanted” and “A useless or profitless activity;
using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or
carelessly”
 INTRODUCTION

• Since the beginning, Human kind has been gen

erating waste.
• It could be in the form of:
 Bones
 Other parts of animals they slaughter
 Wood
• With the progress of civilization the waste gen
erated became of a more complex nature.
• At the end of 19th century (Industrial revo
lution) there was rise in the world of cons
umers.
• The increase in population and urbanizati
on was also largely responsible for the inc
rease in solid waste
 TYPES OF WASTE
• Solid Waste
• Liquid Waste
• Gaseous Wastes
• Animal by-products
• Biodegradable waste
• Biomedical waste
• Bulky waste
• Business waste
• Chemical waste
• Clinical waste
• Coffee wastewater
• Commercial waste
• Construction and demolition waste (C&D wast
e)
• Controlled waste
• Consumable waste
• Composite
 SOLID WASTE

• It is defined as:
“Non-liquid, non-soluble materials ranging f
rom municipal garbage to industrial wastes
that contain complex and sometimes hazard
ous substances”
• Solid wastes also include:
• Sewage sludge
• Agricultural refuse
• Demolition wastes
• Mining residues
BroadlyTYPES OF
there are SOLID
3 types WASTE
of waste which are as
follows:
1.Household waste is generally classified as Mu
nicipal waste
2.Industrial waste as Hazardous waste
3.Biomedical waste or Hospital waste as Infect
ious waste
 MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

• Municipal solid waste consists of:

Household waste
Construction and demolition debris
Sanitation residue
Waste from streets.
• With rising urbanization and change in lifestyle and f
ood habits, the amount of municipal solid waste has b
een increasing rapidly and its composition changing.
• The existing landfills are neither well equipped or wel
l managed and are not lined properly to protect agains
t contamination of soil and groundwater.
 The type of litter we generate and the approximate time it
takes to degenerate

Type of litter Approximate time it takes to

degenerate the litter
Organic waste such as vegetable and fruit
A week or two.
peels, leftover foodstuff, etc
Paper 10–30 days

Cotton cloth 2–5 months

Wood 10–15 years

Woolen items 1 year

Tin, aluminum, and other metal items such as
100–500 years
cans
Plastic bags one million years
 HAZARDOUS WASTE
• Industrial and hospital waste is considered haz
ardous as they may contain toxic substances.
• Hazardous wastes could be highly toxic to hu
mans, animals, and plants. They are
 Corrosive
 Highly inflammable, or explosive
 React when exposed to certain things e.g. gase
s
Household wastes that can be categorized a
s hazardous waste include:
old batteries
shoe polish
paint tins
old medicines
medicine bottles.
• Hospital waste contaminated by chemicals use
d in hospitals is considered hazardous.
• These chemicals include formaldehyde and ph
enols, which are used as disinfectants.
In the industrial sector, the major generators of
hazardous waste are the metal, chemical, paper,
pesticide, dye, refining, and rubber goods indus
tries.
Direct exposure to chemicals in hazardous wast
e such as mercury and cyanide can be fatal.
 HOSPITAL WASTE
• Hospital waste is generated during the dia
gnosis, treatment, or immunization of hum
an beings or animals
• It may include wastes like
• Sharps
• Soiled waste
• Disposables
• Anatomical waste
• Cultures
• Discarded medicines
• These are in the form of disposable syringes, swabs, b
andages, body fluids, human excreta, etc.
• This waste is highly infectious and can be a serious th
reat to human health if not managed in a scientific an
d discriminate manner
• It has been roughly estimated that of the 4 kg of wast
e generated in a hospital at least 1 kg would be infect
ed
 SOURCES AND OTHER TYPES OF W
ASTE
Source Typical Waste Types of solid wastes
Generators
 Food wastes
1:Residential Single and multifamily  Paper
dwellings  Cardboard
 Plastics
 Textiles
 Leather
 Yard wastes
 Wood
 Glass
 Metals
 Ashes
 Special wastes
(e.g bulky items, consumer
electronics, white goods,
batteries, oil, tires), and
household hazardous
wastes.)
  Housekeeping wastes
2: Industrial Light and heavy  Packaging
manufacturing, fabrication,  Food wastes
construction sites, power and  Construction and
chemical plants. demolition materials
 Hazardous wastes
 Ashes
 Special wastes.

 Paper
3:Commercial Stores, hotels, restaurants,  cardboard
markets, office buildings, etc.  plastics
 wood
 food wastes
 glass
 metals
 special wastes
 hazardous wastes

4: Institutional Schools, hospitals, prisons, Same as commercial.

government centers.
  Wood
5:Construction and New construction sites, road
 steel
demolition repair, renovation sites,
 concrete
demolition of buildings
 dirt etc.

 Street sweepings
6:Municipal services Street cleaning, landscaping,
 landscape and tree
parks, beaches, other
trimmings
recreational areas, water and
 General wastes from
wastewater treatment plants.
parks
 Beaches
 Recreational areas;
sludge.

 Industrial process wastes

7:Process (manufacturing Heavy and light
 Scrap materials
etc.) manufacturing, refineries,
 Off-specification
chemical plants, power
products.
plants, mineral extraction
and processing.
 Spoiled food wastes
8:Agriculture Crops, orchards, vineyards,  Agricultural wastes
dairies, feedlots, farms.  Hazardous wastes (e.g.,
  
CAUSES OF SOLID WASTE

• The main sources for solid wastes are domestic, com

mercial, industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste
s.
• The composition of a city waste is as follows:
 Paper, wood, cardboard 53 %
 Garbage 22 %
 Ceramics, glass, crockery 10 %
 Metals 8 %
 Rubber, plastics, discarded textiles 7 %
 Composition of City Waste

60%
50%
Percentages

40%
30% Series1
20%
10%
0%
Paper, Garbage Ceramic, metals Rubber,
w ood, glass plastics,
cardboard crokery discarded
textiles
Type of Wastes
• The increase in the quantity of solid waste is d
ue to
 Overpopulation,
Affluence (material comfort)
Technological advancement
 EFFECTS OF SOLID WASTE
a) Health Hazard
• If solid wastes are not collected and allowed to accum
ulate, they may create unsanitary conditions.
• This may lead to epidemic outbreaks.
• Many diseases like cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, plagu
e, jaundice, or gastro-intestinal diseases may spread a
nd cause loss of human lives.
• In addition, improper handling of the solid wastes is a
health hazard for the workers who come in direct cont
act with the waste
b) Environmental Impact

• If the solid wastes are not treated properly, decomposi

tion and putrefaction (decay) may take place.
• The organic solid waste during decomposition may g
enerate obnoxious (intolerable) odors.
 WASTE MANAGEMENT
4 R’s CONCEPT
• Four Rs (Refuse, Reuse, Recycle and Reduce)
to be followed for waste management.
 REFUSE

• Instead of buying new containers from th

e market, use the ones that are in the hous
e. Refuse to buy new items though you m
ay think they are prettier than the ones yo
u already have.
 REUSE

• Do not throw away th

e soft drink cans or th
e bottles; cover them
with homemade paper
or paint on them and
use them as pencil sta
nds or small vases.
 RECYCLE
• Use shopping ba
gs made of cloth
or jute, which ca
n be used over a
nd over again.
 REDUCE
• Reduce the gen
eration of unnec
essary waste, e.
g. carry your own
shopping bag wh
en you go to the
market and put a
ll your purchases
directly into it.
 CONTROL MEASURES

• The main purpose of solid waste management

is to minimize the adverse effects on the envir
onment. The steps involved are:
 Collection of solid wastes
 Disposal of solid wastes
 Utilization of wastes
 COLLECTION OF SOLID WASTES

• Collection of waste includes gathering t

he waste, transporting it to a centralize
d location, and then moving it to the site
of disposal.
• The collected waste is then separated into
• Hazardous
• Non-hazardous materials.
 DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTES

• Before the final disposal of the solid wastes, it

is processed to recover the usable resources an
d to improve the efficiency of the solid waste d
isposal system.
• The main processing technologies are
• compaction
• Incineration
• Manual separation.
The appropriate solid waste disposal method ha
s to be selected, keeping in view the following
objectives:
1.Should be economically viable
2.Should not create a health hazard
3.Should not cause adverse environmental effect
s
4.Should not result in unpleasant sight, odor, and
noise
 UTILIZATION OF WASTES

• The solid wastes can be properly utilized to gat

her the benefits such as:
 Conservation of natural resources
 Economic development
 Generate many useful products
 Employment opportunities
 Control of air pollution
 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

• Waste management is the collection, transport,

processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of
waste materials.
• The term usually relates to materials produced by hum
an activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their
effect on health, the environment or aesthetics.
• Management is also carried out to recover resources fr
om it. Waste management can involve solid, liquid,
gaseous or radioactive substances
• Waste management practices differ for developed and
developing nations, for urban and rural areas, and for
residential and industrial producers.
• Management for non-hazardous waste residential and
institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the
responsibility of local government authorities.
• Management for non-hazardous commercial and indu
strial waste is usually the responsibility of the generat
or.
 METHODS OF DISPOSAL
• Disposing of waste in a landfill involves burying the
waste, and this remains a common practice in most co
untries.
• Landfills were often established in
 Abandoned or unused quarries,
 Mining voids
 Borrow pits
A properly designed and well-managed landfill can be a hygienic and relatively
inexpensive method of disposing of waste materials
 INCENERATION
• Incineration is a disposal method in which solid organ
ic wastes are subjected to combustion so as to convert
them into residue and gaseous products.
• This process reduces the volumes of solid waste to 20
to 30 percent of the original volume.
• Incineration and other high temperature waste treatme
nt systems are sometimes described as "
thermal treatment".
 RECYCLING

• Recycling refers to the collection and reuse of waste

materials such as empty beverage containers.
• The materials from which the items are made can be r
eprocessed into new products.
• Material for recycling may be collected separately fro
m general waste using dedicated bins and collection
vehicles, or sorted directly from mixed waste streams.
• The most common consumer products recycled inclu
de:
 Aluminum such as beverage cans
 Copper such as wire
 Steel food and aerosol cans
 Old steel furnishings or equipment
 Polyethylene and PET bottles
 Glass bottles and jars
 Paperboard cartons
 Newspapers, magazines and light paper
 Corrugated fiberboard boxes.
 SUSTANIBILTY

• The management of waste is a key component in a bu

siness ability to maintaining ISO 14001 official appro
val.
• Companies are encouraged to improve their environm
ental efficiencies each year.
• One way to do this is by improving a company’s wast
e management with a new recycling service. (such as
recycling: glass, food waste, paper and cardboard, pla
stic bottles etc.)
 BIOLOGICAL PROCESSING
• Waste materials that are organic in nature, such as
• plant material
• food scraps
• paper products
• Can be recycled using biological composting and dig
estion processes to decompose the organic matter
• The resulting organic material is then recycled
as mulch or compost for agricultural or landsc
aping purposes.
• In addition, waste gas from the process (such a
s methane) can be captured and used for gener
ating electricity and heat (CHP/cogeneration)
maximizing efficiencies
 ENERGY RECOVERY
• The energy content of waste products can be harnesse
d directly by using them as a
• Direct combustion fuel
• Indirectly by processing them into another
• Type of fuel
• There are 2 types of Thermal Treatment
• Pyrolysis
• Gasification
AVOIDANCE AND REDUCTION MET
HOD

• An important method of waste management is the pre

vention of waste material being created, also known a
s waste reduction.

• Methods of avoidance includes:

 Reuse of second-hand products
 Repairing broken items instead of buying new
 Designing products to be refillable or reusable (such a
s cotton instead of plastic shopping bags)
 Encouraging consumers to avoid using disposable pro
ducts (such as disposable cutlery)
 Removing any food/liquid remains from cans
 Packaging
 Designing products that use less material to achieve t
he same purpose (for example, light weighting of bev
erage cans).
WASTE HANDLING AND TRANSPOR
T
• Waste collection methods vary widely among differen
t countries and regions.
• Domestic waste collection services are often provided
by local government authorities, or by private com
panies in the industry.
 TECHNOLOGIES

• The waste management industry has been slow

to adopt new technologies such as:
• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags,
• GPS
• Integrated software packages
 WASTE MANAGEMENT CONCEPT
• There are a number of
concepts about waste management which vary in thei
r usage between countries or regions.
• Waste hierarchy The waste hierarchy refers to the
"3 Rs" reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify
waste management strategies according to their de
sirability in terms of waste minimization.
• Polluter pays principle - the Polluter Pays Principle is
a principle where the polluting party pays for the imp
act caused to the environment. With respect to waste
management, this generally refers to the requirement
for a waste generator to pay for appropriate disposal o
f the waste.
 EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

• Education and awareness in the area of waste and waste mana

gement is increasingly important from a global perspective of
resource management. The Talloires Declaration is a declarat
ion for sustainability concerned about the unprecedented scale
and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the
depletion of natural resources. Local, regional, and global air p
ollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destru
ction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of the
ozone layer and emission of "green house" gases threaten the s
urvival of humans and thousands of other living species.
 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN

• Solid waste collection by government owned a

nd operated services in Pakistan's cities curren
tly averages only 50 percent of waste quantitie
s generated; however, for cities to be relatively
clean, at least 75 percent of these quantities sh
ould be collected.
• Unfortunately, none of the cities in Pakistan ha
s a proper solid waste management system rig
ht from collection of solid waste up to its prop
er disposal.
 URBANIZATION PATTERN

• According to the 1981 census, of the 5.92 mill

ion persons who had migrated within the count
ry, 87.6% moved from rural to urban areas, w
hile only 12.4% moved in the opposite directi
on. Over 50% of them permanently settled in
cities.
• During the last several decades, migration has
occurred from rural to urban areas. The chief f
actors responsible for this migration are:
 Slow progress in the agriculture sector,
 Lack of alternate employment opportunities
 Environmental degradation due to water loggi
ng/salinity, deforestation and desertification
 According to a study, the selected cities are gr
owing at a growth rate from 3.67% to 7.42%
which is much higher than the overall growth r
ate of Pakistan, i.e. 2.8%. Major cities in Pakis
tan are estimated to double their population in
next ten years. These cities are generating high
amounts of solid waste which is increasing ann
GROWTH IN SOLID WASTE GENERATION

Presently it is estimated that, 54,888 tons per

day of solid waste is generated in Pakistan. Th
e Ministry of Environment undertook a study d
uring 1996 on "Data Collection for Preparat
ion of National Study on Privatization of Sol
id Waste Management in Eight Selected Citi
es of Pakistan". The study revealed that the ra
te of waste generation on average from all type
of municipal controlled areas varies from 0.28
3 kg/capita/day to 0.613 kg/capita/day or fro
m 1.896 kg/house/day to 4.29 kg/house/day i
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SCENARIO - S
TRATEGIC CHALLENGES

Solid waste in Pakistan is generally composed of

• Plastic and rubber
• Metal
• Paper and cardboard
• Textile waste
• Glass
• Food waste
• Animal waste
• Leaves
• Grass
• Straws and fodder
• Bones
• Wood
• Stones and fines to various extents.
INSTITUTIONAL, LEGAL AND MANAGEMENT
ASPECTS

Under the recently devolved local government system,

the Town/ Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMAs) a
re responsible for the solid waste collection, transport
ation and disposal. However, TMAs are unable to cop
e with continuously increasing volumes of municipal
waste due to inadequate funds, lack of rules, regulatio
ns and standards, lack of knowhow on the subject, lac
k of expertise and lack of collection vehicles and equi
pment
 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY

• The Government of Pakistan enacted the Paki

stan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) in 1
997 which is the most recent and updated legis
lation on environment.
• It provides a framework for establishing federa
l and provincial Environmental Protection Age
ncies (EPAs).
• Presently the legal rules and regulations dealin
g with solid waste management in Pakistan are
as follows:
 Current

1: Section 11 of the Pakistan Environmental Prot

ection Act prohibits discharge of waste in an a
mount or concentration that violates the Nation
al Environmental Quality Standards.
2: Draft Hazardous Substances Rules of 1999.
3: Islamabad Capital Territory Bye Laws, 1968 b
y Capital Development Authority Islamabad
4: Section 132 of the Cantonment Act 1924 deals
with Deposits and disposal of rubbish etc
5: Provisions contained in the Local Government
 Required

The rules and guidelines that are yet to be intro

duced include:
• Basic Recycling rules
• Waste Management rules
• E-Waste Management rules
• Development of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI)
• Eco-Labeling guidelines and its promotion
• Adoption of Life Cycle Assessment Approaches
• Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Collection and Disposa
l
• Guidelines for model landfill sites
 CURRENT STATUS OF SWM PRACTICES

 Currently solid waste in Pakistan has not been

carried out in a sufficient and proper manner in

Collection
Transportation
• Disposal or dumping regardless of the size of t
he city.
• These aspect may include:
• Rate of urbanization
• Pattern and density of urban areas
• Physical planning and control of development
• Physical composition of waste
• Density of waste
• Temperature and precipitation
• Scavenger’s activity for recyclable separation
• The capacity
• Adequacy and limitations of respective munici
 According to the 1998 census, of the 130.579 million persons l
iving in Pakistan, 67% live in rural areas, while 33 % live in
urban areas. Furthermore, out of 33 % of persons living urba
n areas, 54 % of them live in ten major cities of Pakistan. Duri
ng the last several decades, migration has occurred from rural t
o urban areas. The major factors responsible for this migration
are:
• Slow progress in the agriculture sector
• Low crop yields
• Lack of alternate employment opportunities
• Environmental degradation due to water logging/salinity
• Deforestation and desertification.
 POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD ESTIMATES

• The number and growth of population and hou

seholds is the foremost factor affecting the soli
d waste and its management at various stages.
• The selected cities are growing at a rate rangin
g between 3.67% to 7.42%, which is much hig
her than the overall growth rate of Pakistan, i.
e. 2.8% (EPMC, 1996).
• Major cities of them are estimated to double th
eir population in next ten years.
• The numbers of households also play an impor
tant role in generation and collection of the sol
id waste.
• The average household size in the selected citi
es varies from 6.7 to 7.3 persons.
WASTE GENERATION AND COLLECTION ESTIMATES

• The average rate of waste generation from all t

ype of municipal controlled areas varies from
1.896 kg/house/day to 4.29 kg/house/day in a
few major cities.
• It shows a trend of waste generation wherein i
ncrease has been recorded in accordance with
city's population besides its social and econom
ic development.
• In Pakistan, solid waste is mainly collected by
municipalities and waste collection efficiencie
s range from 0 percent in low-income rural ar
eas to 90 percent in high‑ income areas of larg
e cities.
• Collection rate of solid waste by respective mu
nicipalities ranges from 51% to 69% of the tot
al waste generated within their jurisdiction.
 PHYSICAL COMPOSITION OF WASTE

The move from landfill-based to resource-base

d waste management systems requires a greate
r knowledge of the composition of municipal s
olid waste. Solid waste in Pakistan is generally
composed of three categories i.e.
• Biodegradable such as food waste, animal wa
ste, leaves, grass, straws, and wood.
• Non-biodegradable are plastic, rubber, textile
waste, metals, fines, stones and
•
 WASTE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL

The waste is disposed off within or outside mu

nicipal limits into low lying areas like ponds et
c, without any treatment except recyclable sep
aration by scavengers. The land is also hired/le
ased on long term basis for disposal. Moreove
r, the least mitigating measures have also neve
r been reported from any municipality. Treatm
ent and disposal technologies such as sanitary l
and filling, composting and incineration are co
mparatively new in Pakistan
Crude open dumping is the most common practice thr
oughout Pakistan and dump sites are commonly set to
fire to reduce the volume of accumulating waste. At p
resent, there are no landfill regulations or standards th
at provide a basis for compliance and monitoring, but
national guidelines for these standards are being prep
ared by the Consultant under National Environmental
Action Plan Support Program (NEAP SP).
 CONCLUSION

• The overall conclusion of the study on present status

of solid waste management in Pakistan as follows:
1.There is a limited focus on control mechanisms which
is adversely effecting on safety, health and the enviro
nment.
2.Regulations are inadequately enforced and SWM does
not seem to be a priority.
3.None of the cities has an integrated solid waste manag
ement system
• Collection rate 5 1-69 % of total waste generat
ed.
• Hospital and industrial wastes are treated as or
dinary waste
• A lot of potential for recycling and involvemen
t of private sector which is overlooked
• No disposal facilities
• Open burning of waste or open disposal is most com
mon practice.
• No weighing facilities are installed at any disposal sit
es
• Open burning of non-degradable components like pla
stic bags are adding to air pollution
• Much of the uncollected waste poses serious health h
azards
 RECOMMENDATIONS
• Following recommendations are proposed for sustain
able SWM:
1.The involvement of people and private sector through
NGOs could improve the efficiency of SWM.
2.Public awareness should be created especially at prim
ary school.
3.Littering of SW should be prohibited in cities, towns a
nd urban areas.
4.Moreover, house-to-house collection of SW should be
organized
• The collection bins must have a large enough capacit
y to accommodate 20% more than the expected waste
generation in the area.
• Municipal authorities should maintain the storage faci
lities to avoid unhygienic and unsanitary conditions.
• Proper segregation would lead to better options and o
pportunities for scientific disposal of waste.
• An open dump or an uncontrolled waste disposal area
should be rehabilitated. It is advisable to move from o
pen dumping to sanitary land filling in a phased mann
er.
• Land filling should be restricted to non-biodegradabl
e, inert waste and other waste that are not suitable eit
her for recycling or for biological processing