Hierarchy of Solid Waste Management

Used to rank actions to implement programs within the community.

A. Source reduction
B. Recycling/reuse
C. Waste transfor.
D. landfilling

E.g. ISWM hierarchy adopted by the US EPA...

A. Source reduction can be achieved by design, manufacture and packaging of products also selective buying and reuse.

B. Recycling helps to reduce the demand on resources and decreases the amount to be landfilled. It involves

* Separation and collection of waste materials
* Preparation of these materials for reuse,reprocessing and remanufacture.

C. Waste transformation is supplied by altering the waste physically, chemically, and biologically (decreases the amount to be landfilled)

D. Landfilling is ultimately used for, SW that cannot be recycled and of no further
use,residual matter after SW separated in materials recovery facility (MRF), Residual matter after recovery of conversion products or energy.

Planning an integrated waste system for a given region should involve comparison of the environmental impacts and economic costs of different schemes to determine which are environmentally and economically sustainable in that region

INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

When all of the functional elements have been evaluated for use and all interfaces and connections between elements matched for effectiveness and economy - community developed an ISWM system.

In dealing waste there are two fundamental requirements;
- Less waste
- Effective system for managing waste still produced

The costs of raw materials and energy, and rising disposal costs for commercial and industrial waste will ensure that waste reduction continues to be pursued by industry for
- Economic
- Environmental reasons

Designing an effective solid waste management system

Strive for both of the following;
- Environmental sustainability
- Economic sustainability

To achieve these, the system should be integrated; a system that deals with
- All types of solid waste materials
- All sources of solid waste (domestic, industrial,...)
- After waste collection and sorting


Note that to handling all waste in an environmentally sustainable way requires a range of the treatment options.

Landfill is the only method that can handle all wastes alone but may posses environmental problems.

Using other options before landfilling can reduce or eliminate some waste streams, reduce volume, improve physical and chemical stability of the residue space requirements decreases and also environmental impacts decreases.

Sources, Types and Composition of SW

SWs can be seperated into 4 main category as follows;

1- Municipal Solid Wastes
2- Industrial Solid Wastes
3- Agricultural Solid Wastes
4- Treatment Plant sites, incinerators

Solid Waste Management Activities

The activities associated with the management of Solid Waste can be grouped into six fuctional groups;

1- Waste Generation.
This step is simply identification step.

2- Waste handling and seperation, storage, and processing at the source.
Handling and separation activities until placed in storage containers. From the stand point of materials specifications and revenues from the sale of recovered metarials, best place to seperate for reuse and recyling.

3- Collection
Gathering of the solid waste and recyclables.

4- Seperation and processing and transformation of solid wastes.
Seperation and processing usually occurs at metarials recovery center (MRF), transfer station, combustion facilities, disposal sites.

5- Transfer and transport.

6- Disposal
Landfilling is the final fate of the all solids.

History of Solid Waste Disposal

* Lack of Solid Waste management led to the epidemic of plague that killed 50 percent of 14th century Europians.

* By 19th century, public health measures were started tı be taken collection and disposal of food wastes to control vectors of disease.

- In 500 BC, the Athens organized the first municipal landfill in the western world and required waste disposal tı be at least one mile from city walls.

- The first incinerator in the US is built on Governor's Island, New York (1885)

- In 1888, English Parliament puts a ban on waste disposal in public waterways and ditches. Waste disposal methods involve simply throwing garbage out of windows and doors.

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