INTRODUCTION
Before introducing solid waste management, let's start
with a discussion of the material being managed — solid waste. Solid waste
refers to the range of garbage arising from animal and human activities that
are discarded as unwanted and useless. Solid waste is generated from
industrial, residential and commercial activities in a given area, and may
be handled in a variety of ways. As such, landfills are typically classified as
sanitary, municipal, construction and demolition or industrial waste
sites.
Waste can be categorized based on material, such as
plastic, paper, glass, metal, and organic waste. Categorization may also be
based on hazard potential, including radioactive, flammable, infectious, toxic,
or non-toxic. Categories may also pertain to the origin of waste, such as
industrial, domestic, commercial, institutional or construction and demolition.
Regardless of the origin, content or hazard potential,
solid waste must be managed systematically to ensure environmental best
practices. As solid waste management is a critical aspect of environmental
hygiene, it needs to be incorporated into environmental planning.
DISEASES ASSOCIATED
WITH POOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
What is Solid Waste
Management
Solid Waste Management is defined as the discipline
associated with control of generation, storage, collection, transport or
transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste materials in a way that best
addresses the range of public health, conservation, economics, aesthetic,
engineering and other environmental considerations.
In its scope, solid waste management includes planning,
administrative, financial, engineering and legal functions. Solutions might
include complex inter-disciplinary relations among fields such as public
health, city and regional planning, political science, geography, sociology,
economics, communication and conservation, demography, engineering and material
sciences.
Solid waste management practices can differ for
residential and industrial producers, for urban and rural areas, and for
developed and developing nations. The administration of non-hazardous waste in
metropolitan areas is the job of local government authorities. On the other
hand, the management of hazardous waste materials is typically the job of the generator,
subject to local, national and even international authorities.
Diseases Associated
with Poor Solid Waste Management
Health Problems Associated with Poor Solid Waste
Management
Disease-causing
agent
|
Disease
|
Description
|
Bacteria
|
Shigellosis
|
Causes abdominal pains and diarrhea
|
Typhoid
|
Mild to severe fever lasting from a few
days to several
|
|
Cholera
|
An infection of the intestines that can
cause watery diarrhea
|
|
Diarrhoeal diseases
|
Production of frequent watery faeces that
can lead to dehydration. Can be fatal, particularly among young children.
|
|
Viruses
|
Hepatitis A
|
An infection of the liver that can cause
pain, diarrhoea and
|
Polio
|
Can cause temporary or permanent muscle
weakness, and so
|
|
Protozoa
|
Amoebiasis (also known as amoebic dysentery)
|
Infection that can occur up to several
years after exposure to the protozoa. Can cause mild to severe diarrhoea and
liver damage.
|
Giardiasis
|
Infection
of the small intestine. It is usually symptomless but can have a variety of
intestinal symptoms, such as chronic diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, gas
production and frequent loose, pale and greasy stools.
|
|
Parasitic
worms
|
Ascariasis (roundworm)
|
One in four of the world’s population has
this infection, which can lead to weight loss, malnutrition and anaemia.
|
Hookworm
infection
|
Two species of nematodes that inhabit the
small intestine, from where they suck blood, leading to anaemia.
|
|
Tapeworm infection
|
A worm that normally lives in the
intestines which can cause anaemia and malnutrition. This is usually spread
through eating improperly cooked food that contains the worm or its eggs.
|
|
Bilharzia or schistosomiasis
|
A disease caused by the Schistosoma worm
that can cause diarrhoea and blood in the urine and faeces. In the long term,
it can lead to liver and kidney damage.
|
Objectives of Waste
Management
The primary goal of solid waste management is reducing
and eliminating adverse impacts of waste materials on human health and
environment to support economic development and superior quality of life.
6 Functional Elements
of the Waste Management System
There are six functional components of the waste
management system as outlined below:
1. Waste generation refers to activities involved in identifying
materials which are no longer usable and are either gathered for systematic
disposal or thrown away.
2. Onsite handling, storage, and
processing are the activities at the
point of waste generation which facilitate easier collection. For example,
waste bins are placed at the sites which generate sufficient waste.
3. Waste collection, a crucial phase of waste management, includes
activities such as placing waste collection bins, collecting waste from those
bins and accumulating trash in the location where the collection vehicles are
emptied. Although the collection phase involves transportation, this is
typically not the main stage of waste transportation.
4. Waste transfer and
transport are the activities involved
in moving waste from the local waste collection locations to the regional waste
disposal site in large waste transport vehicles.
5. Waste processing and recovery refer to the facilities, equipment, and techniques
employed both to recover reusable or recyclable materials from the waste stream
and to improve the effectiveness of other functional elements of waste
management.
6. Disposal is the final stage of waste management. It involves the
activities aimed at the systematic disposal of waste materials in locations
such as landfills or waste-to-energy facilities.
Conclusion
Modernization and progress has had its share of
disadvantages and one of the main aspects of concern is the pollution it is
causing to the earth – be it land, air, and water. With increase in the global
population and the rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been
a rise in the amount of waste being generated daily by each household. This
waste is ultimately thrown into municipal waste collection centres from where
it is collected by the area municipalities to be further thrown into the
landfills and dumps. However, either due to resource crunch or inefficient
infrastructure, not all of this waste gets collected and transported to the
final dumpsites. If at this stage the management and disposal is improperly
done, it can cause serious impacts on health and problems to the surrounding
environment.
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