ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES(ES)

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Lesson 21: Solid waste management

Solid waste management

Solid waste management is a polite term for garbage management. Solid waste can be disposable to land or oceans. Solid waste can also be recovered and reprocessed, a procedure popularly known as recycling. Before disposal or recovery, however the waste must be collected. All these i.e., collection, disposal and / or recovery form a part of the solid waste management system.

In India also, on average, over a million tones of solid waste is generated in class-1 cities, where as in class 2 about 0.25 million tons per year.

Types of solid waste:

Solid waste can be classified into different types depending on their source.

1. Household wastes as municipal solid waste
2. Agricultural waste
3. Industrial waste
4. Hazardous wasteBiomedical or hospital waste as infectious waste