Solid Waste ManagementPrinciples and Practice

Eng Yasser Dweik

Definition of WasteEnvironmental Public Health Act (EPHA)

• Any substance which constitutes a scrap material or an effluent or other unwanted surplus substance arising from the application of any process; and

• Any substance or article which requires to be disposed of as being broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled, and

• Anything which is discarded or otherwise dealt with as if it were waste shall be presumed to be waste unless the contrary is proved.

Definition Of MSWThe US Environmental Protection Agency

(US EPA)• the materials traditionally managed by

municipalities, whether by burning, burying, recycling, or composting.

• includes commercial and residential wastes generated in a municipal or notified areas in either solid or semi-solid form excluding industrial hazardous wastes but including treated biomedical wastes. (Management and Handling) Rules, 1999, in India

Quantities and CHs of MSW

• lifestyle and living standards• type of the region’s natural resources

Excessive Quantities are Generated From

• inefficient production processes, and • low durability of goods as well as• unsustainable consumption of resources• climate, economy, frequency of disaster,

mindset of the people

Need for Solid Waste Management

• Environment and human health• resource recovery• overcome problem of epidemic• avoid accumulation of hazardous substances• avoid rodents and vectors• wealth and urbanization• Hygiene

Other needs

• Green house gases• Risk to aviation• Pollution• Odour, vectors, rodent• Safety issues

Importance of a Sound Solid Waste Management

• can contaminate water, air and soil• Many workers who handle waste and

individuals who live near or on disposal area are infected with worms, gastrointestinal parasites and other related organisms

• reduces toxicity of food and water• reduce resource depletion

Change in Characteristics in Quantity and Time

• Affluence• Population

Integrated Solid-Waste Management

• Integrated solid waste management (ISWM) is comprehensive waste management which includes prevention, recycling, treatment, and disposal program.

Integrated solid waste manage should integrate:

• Cost Benefit Analysis(CBA), • forecasting waste generation trends, • Material Flow Analysis (MFA), • Life Cycle Assessment, • Risk Assessment (RA), • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), • Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), • Socioeconomic Assessment (SoEA), and • Sustainable Assessment (SA).

Waste Prevention and Life Cycle Assessment

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) informs the fate of waste within the system. LCA is a holistic approach to waste prevention by analyzing the life of a product/process/activity which includes procuring raw materials, storage of raw material, manufacturing, storage of products, packing of products, transportation, distribution, use, reuse, maintenance, recycling, waste storage, waste transportation, waste management and disposal.

Integrated solid waste management planning process

Producers Responsibility

• The important characteristic of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies is that responsibility for a product’s environmental impacts at the end of life is placed on the original producer/seller. EPR is an extension of the ‘‘polluter pays’’ principle and aims to ensure producer take responsibility for those products which have reached the end of life.

Measures to be taken for EPR

• improving product recyclability/reusability• downsizing products• reducing material usage• engaging ‘‘design for environment’’ (DfE)

activities

Common Instruments for Achieving EPR

• product take-back mandate• recycling rate targets (RRT),• RRT, with tradable recycling credit scheme,• voluntary product take-back with RRT• advance recycling fees (ARF)• ARF combined with a recycling subsidy• landfill bans• pricing of waste collection/disposal,• recycling subsidies,• recycling investment tax credits

Solid Waste Management and Regulation

• Main components in implementation of pollution control legislation:

Awareness Incentives Warning and punitive action• A range of stakeholders and actors need to be involved

in designing regulations.• regulatory issues in solid waste management does not

deal only with waste management but also with other social issues like child labor

Need for Regulation

• To guide the stakeholder about their responsibility;• To monitor the waste regulating activity;• To maintain records about past waste regulation

and improvements thereupon;• To bring in an amendments to existing legislation;• To form basis for citizens and NGOs to approach

judiciary system; and• To have a permitting system in place.

Framework for Solid Waste Management

• frame work for solid waste management depends on:

the development of a nation, type of solid waste andquantity of solid waste generation.

Elements of a Waste Management System

• Policy, law and planning• Waste handling• Training• Awareness• Safeguard livelihood incentives• Emergency preparedness

Waste Management Hierarchy

Stakeholders

• waste generators• Local bodies• private waste handlers• employees of local bodies and private waste

handlers.• local, regional, national government• Non Government Organisation (NGO)s.• community based organisation• industries that generatewaste

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• recycling industries• commercial establishments• waste pickers• scrap dealers• Consultants• financial institutions• Media• Citizens

• Self Help Groups (SHG);• waste processing and disposal organisations.

International Stakeholders

• international organisations• international donor agencies and lending

agencies• international waste handling companies• international NGOs• scrap importers and exporter• Media• international consultants