More than 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of solid waste are generated in India every day, making solid waste management a key challenge that adversely impacts the environment.
Municipal solid waste consists of household waste, construction and demolition debris, sanitation residue, and waste from streets. Most of this garbage is generated from residential and commercial complexes.
In 1947, cities and towns in India generated an estimated 6 million tonnes of solid waste. By 1997, that number had increased to 48 million tonnes. Today, urban India generates around 62 million tons of municipal solid waste every year. More than 25% of the municipal solid waste in India is not collected at all; 70% of the Indian cities lack adequate capacity to transport it and there are no sanitary landfills to dispose of the waste. The existing landfills are neither well equipped or well managed and are not lined properly to protect against contamination of soil and groundwater.
There are four broad categories of Muncipal Waste.
Organic waste consists of kitchen waste, vegetables, flowers, leaves, and fruits.
Toxic waste are old medicines, paints, chemicals, bulbs, spray cans, fertilizer and pesticide containers, batteries, and shoe polish.
Recyclable Waste consists of paper, glass, metals, and plastics can all be recycled.
Hospital waste such as cloth soiled with blood and other body fluids is unsanitary.
The type of litter | Approximate time to degenerate |
Organic waste such as vegetable and fruit peels, leftover foodstuff, etc. | 7 - 14 days |
Paper | 10 - 30 days |
Cotton clothes | 2 - 5 months |
Woolen items | 1 year |
Wood | 10 - 15 years |
Tin, aluminium and other metal items such as cans | 100 - 500 years |
Plastic bags | 1 million years |
Glass bottles | undetermined |
Let us study these categories and most appropriate disposal method for these wastes below:
Organic Waste:
In India, the organic waste fraction of total solid waste streams varies between 40 and 60%.
Some examples of organic waste include green waste, food waste, food-soiled paper, non-hazardous wood waste, landscape and pruning waste.
These waste fractions can be utilized in various ways, such as through composting as organic fertilizer and soil enhancement, as well as using anaerobic digestion for biogas production.
Plastic waste:
Plastic waste broadly refers to the accumulation of plastic objects in the environment. Plastics come in different forms, but single-use plastics like plastic bags, straws, and bottles are the most widely used.
Since these plastics are non-biodegradable, they disrupt the life of all living organisms on this planet. Uncollected plastic wastes on land have resulted in the choking of drains, leading to numerous water-borne diseases.
Most of the plastic wastes that are not disposed of properly on land, finds its way to the ocean, which in turn affects the fertility of the soil it washes up on. More than 100,000 marine mammals die from plastic ingestion every year, which interferes with the food chain of marine organisms.
E-Waste:
E-Waste (or Electronic Waste) refers to discarded electrical and electronic products like computers and their peripherals, home appliances, audio or video devices. These products contain toxic metals like lead, cadmium, beryllium, chromium, just to name a few.
Primitive recycling or disposal methods, such as simply dumping e-waste into garbage bins, can cause toxic chemicals to leach into the environment and create severe health problems.
Studies have revealed that beryllium, commonly found on the motherboard, is responsible for lung cancer and skin diseases.
For instance, lead which is usually found in the circuit boards and computer monitors causes damage to the nervous systems, affects the kidney and reproductive systems in humans and hinders the brain development in children.
The respiratory irritation caused by printer cartridges that have black and colour toners is contributing to India's status as the fifth largest generator of e-waste in the world. Approximately 2 million tonnes of e-waste are generated annually.
Waste from batteries:
The batteries that are used and depleted from cars, electronic equipment and industries contribute to battery waste. These batteries contain heavy metals, such as lead, nickel, lithium and copper. Although battery waste usually goes unnoticed, archaic methods for disposing of them are relied on.
The improper disposal of used batteries results in the release of some toxic chemicals. This contamination affects both the soil and water bodies, and can become hazardous to the environment. This hazard particularly affects the health of all living organisms in the world. In India, approximately 2.7 billion dry-cell batteries are used every year.
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material.
A part of radioactive waste comes from mining activities and nuclear power plants and contains radioactive elements. The radiation emitted from this type of waste is known to disrupt the environment.
Radiation exposure can cause a number of health problems, including eye damage, skin burns, and long-term effects like cancer and tumors. It is especially dangerous for vulnerable populations, such as embryos, fetuses, bone marrow, and intestinal lining. A study found that India generates around 4 tonnes of nuclear waste per year.
Sanitary Waste / Biomedical Waste:
Biomedical or hospital wastes are those generated during the treatment or immunization of humans or animals in a medical or research laboratory. Such wastes typically include syringes, discarded medicines, and bandages.
The discharge of toxins from these bio-medical wastes can gravely affect the terrestrial and marine ecosystems. If these toxins are consumed, they can be fatal for some organisms. If humans are exposed to such toxins, it can lead to birth defects.
A study recently conducted reveals that India is likely to generate about 775.5 tonnes of medical waste by 2022. Many biomedical wastes can also potentially lead to the spread of infectious diseases.
Construction and Demolition Waste:
Activities such as construction and demolition of roads, buildings, bridges, and subways generate construction and demolition waste. This type of waste typically includes non-biodegradable materials such as concrete, plaster, metal, wood, and plastics.
If municipal wastes are not managed properly, they can pollute the land and the air. A part of this waste combines with municipal wastes. These wastes generate 165-175 million tonnes annually, according to an estimate by the government.
Hazardous Waste:
Hazardous wastes are any wastes that are reactive, toxic, flammable, explosive, or corrosive in nature and pose a threat to health or the environment. These wastes are generated by industries involved in the manufacturing of petroleum, paints, pharmaceuticals, etc.
The unscientific disposal of these hazardous wastes leads to the emission of toxic chemicals.The neurological disorders, skin diseases and cancer suffered by workers employed in such practices are responsible for air pollution and degradation of water bodies.
Around 7.46 million metric tonnes of total hazardous wastes were generated in India in 2015, according to a report.
List of waste items and their category:
Wet Waste | Vegetable Peels, Fruit Peels, Rotten Vegetables, Rotten Fruits, Left over food, Mango Seeds, Used Tea Bags, Used Coffee Powder from Filter, Egg Shells, Rotten Eggs, Coconut Shells, Tender Coconut Shells, Used Leaves & Flowers from Puja, Spoiled Spices, Floor Sweeping Dust, Meat & Non-Veg Food Remains, Bones, Food Packagings, Finger & Toe Nails, Hair, Leftover Food Plate, Garden Leaves, Weeds, Dried Flowers, Used Oils |
Dry Waste | Mop Stick, Mop Cloth, Toilet Cleaning Brush, Scrubs used for Cleaning, Floor Mats, Bottles & Container of Pesticides Tooth Brush, Soap Covers, Chocolate Wrappers, Butter Paper (Wrapping for Butter), Plastic Covers / Packets, Oil Cans, Paper, Broken Stationary (Pen, Pencil,Eraser), Razor Blades, Shampoo / Perfume Bottle, Thermocol, Broken Glass, Broken Household Plastic Items, Aluminium Cans, Used Pieces of Aluminium Foils, Old Brooms, Tissue Paper, Small Broken Toys, Leather, Rexine, Furniture |
E-waste | Batteries, CD's, Printer Cartridges, Broken Watch Electronics, Button Cells, Broken/Damaged Computer Peripherals / Television / Radios |
Sanitary Waste | Tissue Paper (used for Medical or Sanitary Purposes), Diapers, Any piece of cloth, paper stained with blood or any other medical or sanitary waste, Used Sanitary Pads, Used Sanitary Cloths, Used Condoms, Used Syringes', Used Cotton & Bandage |
Hazardous Waste | Mosquito Repellent Refill Bottles / Mats, Used Odonil, Expired Medicines / Tablets Covers / Medicine Syrup Bottle, Injection Bottles, Other Medicinal Discards, CFL, Tube Light, Broken Thermometer, Bottles of Floor & Toilet Cleaners, Used Cooking Oil, Bottles or Cans of Mosquito / Insecticide Sprays, Flouroscents, Button Cells, Old Paints, Bottles or Cans of Room Freshners |
The open dumping of these wastes contaminates the water bodies, air bodies, as well as public health, which is also threatened as these wastes attract vector-borne diseases. The rising urbanization and lifestyle changes have resulted in a considerable increase in municipal waste which now is looked at as a severe threat to mankind from mankind.
