WASTE MANAGEMENT

 

A natural part of the life cycle, waste occurs when any organism returns substances to the environment. Living things take in raw materials and excrete wastes that are recycled by other living organ­isms. However, humans produce an additional flow of material residues that would overload the capacity of natural recy­cling processes, so these wastes must be managed in order to reduce their effect on our aesthetics, health, and the environment.

Solid and fluid, hazardous, and non-toxic wastes are generated in our households, offices, schools, hospi­tals, and industries. No society is immune from day-to-day issues associated with waste disposal. How waste is handled often depends on its source and characteristics, as well as any local, state, and federal regulations that govern its management. Practices generally differ for residences and industries, in urban and rural areas, and for developed and developing countries.

Solid Waste 

Waste collected from residences, commercial buildings, institutions such as hospitals and schools, and light indus­trial operations is most often categorized as solid waste. The solid waste consists primarily of paper, containers and packaging, food wastes, yard trimmings, and other inorganic wastes. The solid waste can also include industrial sludge, classified as hazardous or non-hazardous, resulting from a wide array of mining, construction, and manufacturing processes. Municipal waste, when properly managed, does not pose an immediate threat to human health or the environment.

Hazardous Waste

Waste material that is flammable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic - which can be in the form of a solid, liquid, or gas - is defined as hazardous waste. Although the term often evokes an image of items marked with skull and crossbones, many hazardous wastes include products used every day, including paint, used oil from cars, batteries, shoe polish, and even laundry detergent. In addition, many of the items that we rely upon generating hazardous waste during the process of their production.

Businesses that generate hazardous wastes are required by legislation to manage them from generation to disposal. The waste is often treated to change its biological, chemical, or physical characteristics in order to make it less hazardous or to reduce its overall volume. Some hazardous materials can be recycled if it is environmentally safe to do so, although it can be expensive. Any leftover waste is then safely disposed of to further neutralize any adverse effects to human health or the environment. Today, many industries are attempting to reduce their generation of hazardous waste by modifying their manufacturing processes or by replacing hazardous materials with less hazardous or non-hazardous substitutes.

E-Waste

A new and growing segment of our waste stream is termed - e-waste.’ Although not clearly defined, e-waste applies to much of the electronic equipment used by businesses and individual consumers that are nearing the end of their usefulness. This includes, but is not limited to, computers, fax machines, copiers, and televisions.

A factor that complicates the disposal of these items is that certain components contain hazardous materials. The cathode-ray tubes in computer monitors and televisions are an example. As such, many old electronics sit idle due to the uncertainty of how to manage them.

Yet, many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. There are a number of options to reuse equipment that can still function - from selling it to someone who can use it or giving it as a charitable donation. Many non-working items can be refurbished in order to recover them into working condition. Finally, any components that cannot be repaired can often be recycled.

Although there are hardly any regulations for e-waste, some countries have taken various approaches toward its management. Many countries have streamlined their regulations to increase the level of recycling. 

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