MODULE 1
EVOLUTION OF SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Lecture 1
Introduction To Solid Waste
What is Solid Waste?
Solid waste comprises of all the wastes arising from human and animal activities that are typically solid and that are
discarded as useless or unwanted. It is all-inclusive of the heterogeneous mass from the urban community as well
as more homogeneous accumulation of agriculture and industrial wastes.
Some of the commonly used synonyms for solid wastes are:
Refuse: This is a more appropriate term for solid waste as most waste can be utilized as a raw material for some
other purpose.
Garbage: It consist of kitchen/wet waste.
Rubbish: Those wastes with high ash content.
Scrap: Wastes that have high metal content.
Debris: Bulky wastes such as construction waste.
Materials Flow And Waste Generation
Secondary
manufacturing
Raw materials Manufacturing Consumer Disposal
Waste materials
Processing &
recovery
waste
Materials Flow And Waste Generation (contd.)
Chaffs mixed with plastic to produce headlight covers used in car parts
Coffee chaffs
Coffee beans Roasters Consumer Disposal
Waste materials
Roasted beans
Coffee powder
waste
Why solid waste: A consequence of life
The relationship between public health and improper storage, collection and disposal of solid waste is quite clear.
The consequences of improper disposal of solid waste can be very well highlighted with the following examples.
Improper disposal causes plague Improper landfilling of solid Improper landfilling of solid waste
because of breeding of rats, flies and waste attributes to water attributes to air pollution by release
other disease vectors. pollution. of greenhouse gases. In Fig:
Kolkata’s permanently burning
Image source: google images landfill.
Plastic dumped in ocean causes harm to marine species, threatens food safety and quality, human health,
coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change.
The effects of technological advances: Increasing use of plastics, packaging of goods, use of frozen foods.
How solid waste affected us in recent year
Cloudburst in Mumbai (2005) clogged the sewage line due to large no. of plastic bags.
The area of the dump yard in Chennai has doubled over the last decade and clogging of the drains due to
indiscriminate dumping of solid waste and construction debris is another major reason for floods (2015).
Blast in the Bhushan Steel factory at Noida, caused due to imported scrap from Iran.
Reduction in the number of migratory birds due to consumption of contaminated foods.
Stray animals dying on streets and farmland due to consumption of plastic bags, which blocks the food movement in
their stomach.
Fires in Mumbai and Delhi dumpsites.
Management of MSW in old India
Since Vedic time, the prime motto of Indian social life was to live in harmony with nature and in an hygienic environment.
Vedas, Upanishads, Smiritis and Dharmashastras preach in one way or another a worshipful attitude towards plants, trees,
mother earth, sky, vayumandal (sky), water and animals (all living creatures).
Manusmiriti—first systematic treatment of Hindu Law, also prohibited the throwing of garbage, dust, rubbish, pieces
of meat etc. on the highway and in water bodies and made it punishable.
Kautilya in his Arthshastra has mentioned that maintaining sanitation of habitat was essential and inviable.
Ayurveda also emphasized on the wholesomeness of water and pure air as the pollution of both causes many type of
diseases.
Management of MSW in new India
Surat (Gujarat) Plague
Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 1987
PIL at Supreme Court 1999 (Dr. Almitra Patel)
Revise “Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2000”
JnNURM 2006……Guwahati….?
Swachh Bharat Mission 2014……………………?
Municipal Solid Wastes Management Rules 2016
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