Mary ann Dimco

Waste composting

Biodegradable wastes can be transformed into fertilizer or soil conditioner in the form of compost.
Compost is a humus-like material that usually results from the aerobic biological stabilization of the
organic materials in solid wastes. The operation includes preparing the refuse and de grading organic
matter by aerobic microorganism. The refuse is presorted to remove materials that might have a salvage
value cannot be composted, then it is ground to improve efficiency of the decomposition process. This
can be a soil conditioner to and a fertilizer for flower heads, vegetables gardens, trees and shrubs
(Guzman et al., 2013)

Relatively simple to manage and can be carried out on a wide range of scales in almost any indoor or
outdoor environment and in almost any geographic location. It has the potential to manage most of the
organic material in the waste stream including restaurant waste, leaves and yard wastes, farm waste,
animal manure, animal carcasses, paper products, sewage sludge, wood etc. and can be easily
incorporated into any waste management plan.

Waste management

Waste management has serious environmental effects making the passage of the Republic Act (RA) 9003
or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 a Landmark Environmental Legislation in the
Philippines. The law was crafted in response to the looming garbage problem in the country. RA 9003
declares the policy of the state in adopting a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste
management program that ensures the protection of public health and the environment and the proper
segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the
formulation and adoption of best environmental practices. Moreover, it illustrates the potentials and
benefits of recycling not only in addressing waste management problems but also in alleviating poverty.
(University of Pasay, 2014)

The researcher they studied about the E-waste Management in India and Mumbai. In addition to
Research methodology and summary. This study in the last two decades result in e-mail, e-business & e-
commerce. The most modern expression to gain the `e` prefix has a more questioning separation-waste.
E-waste is not only a developed countries but also a concern are for developing and under developed
world. E-waste problem can be only tackle by knowing it thoroughly. (Kamdar, S, 2013)

Waste prevention and minimization

The three R’s are commonly used terms in waste management; they stand for “reduce, reuse, and
recycle”. As waste generation rates have risen, processing costs increased, and available landfill space
decreased, the three R`s have become a central tenet in sustainable waste management efforts
(ElHaggar, 2007; Seadon, 2006; Suttibak & Nitivattananon, 2008; Tudor et al., 2012).

The concept of waste reduction, or waste minimization, involves redesigning products or changing
societal patterns of consumption, use, and waste generation to prevent the creation of waste and
minimize the toxicity of waste that is produced (USEPA, 1995). Common examples of waste reduction
include using a reusable coffee mug instead of a disposable one, reducing product packaging, and buying
durable products which can be repaired rather than replaced. Reduction can also be achieved in many
cases through reducing consumption of products, goods, and services. The most effective way to reduce
waste is by not creating it in the first place, and so reduction is placed at the top of waste hierarchies
(USEPA, 2010). In many instances, reduction can be achieved through the reuse of products. Efforts to
take action to reduce waste before waste is actually produced can also be termed pre-cycling (HRM,
2012).

4. 3Rs reuse recycle reduce

  The Environmental Protection Agency has determined a three tiered approach for managing solid
waste. Each of these should be practiced to reduce the amount material headed for final disposal. They
are in order of importance: REDUCE, the best way to manage solid waste. Don't create waste in the first
place! Buy only what you need. Use all that you buy. Avoid heavily packaged products. Avoid disposable
items like paper plates and plastic silverware. Buy the largest size package for those items that you use
are often. REUSE, the better way to manage solid waste. Reuse items use them over and over until they
are completely worn out. RECYCLE, the good way to manage solid waste. Recycle means taking
something old and making it into something new. In Seminole County, all residents who live in a single
family home can recycle right in front of their house. Those residents who live in apartments or
condominiums can drop off their recyclables at several different locations. Old newspapers, #1 and #2
plastic bottles, green, clear and brown glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans can all be recycled
at the curb. Simply rinse out containers and remove lids. That's it; it's very simple and very worthwhile.
Not only does it keep items out of the landfill, recycling conserves natural resources (Seminole County
Government, 2012). 

        Australia may be a large country, but we live in a throw-away society that is rapidly filling it with our
waste. Our insatiable desire to constantly upgrade disposable technology and consume over-packaged
products has continued unabated for decades. At the same time however, there has been a trend away
from both burning waste in incinerators and burying it in landfills. Waste management policies now seek
to minimize waste disposal by reducing its generation and by reusing and recycling. This book reveals
the extent of our growing waste problem and examines the waste and recycling practices of households,
and includes many tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle. Topics include green waste, plastics, glass,
paper, metal and electronic waste (Healey, 2014).

5. Zero waste

Zero waste refers to waste management and planning approaches which emphasize waste prevention as
opposed to end of pipe waste management (Snow & Dickinson, 2001; Spiegelman, 2006). Zero waste
encompasses more than eliminating waste through recycling and reuse; it focuses on restructuring
production and distribution systems to reduce waste (C.Y. Young et al., 2010). An important
consideration of the zero waste philosophy is that it is more of a goal, or ideal rather than a hard target.
Even if it is not possible to completely eliminate waste due to physical constraints or prohibitive costs,
zero waste provides guiding principles for continually working towards eliminating wastes (Snow &
Dickinson, 2001) and there are many successful cases around the world which resulted from the
implementation of the zero waste philosophy (Townend, 2010). The zero waste philosophy has been
adopted as a guiding principle by several governmental organizations as well as industries (Snow &
Dickinson, 2001; Townend, 2012).

The focus of zero waste is on eliminating waste from the outset, it requires heavy involvement primarily
from industry and government since they are presented with many advantages over individual citizens.
In fact, zero waste will not be possible without significant efforts and actions from industry and
government (Connett & Sheehan, 2001). Industry has control over product and packaging design,
manufacturing processes, and material selection (Townend, 2010). Meanwhile, governments have the
ability to form policy and provide subsidies for better product manufacturing, design and sale; and the
ability to develop and adopt comprehensive waste management strategies which seek to eliminate
waste rather than manage it (Snow & Dickinson, 2001). Due to the heavy involvement of industry in
eliminating waste, extended producer responsibility is often an essential component of zero waste
strategies (Spiegelman, 2006).

6. Solid waste management

In technical note, the term ‘solid waste’ is used to include all non-liquid wastes generated by human
activity and a range of solid waste material resulting from the disaster, such as general domestic garbage
such as food waste, ash and packaging materials; human faces disposed of in garbage; emergency waste
such as plastic water bottles and packaging from other emergency supplies; rubble resulting from the
disaster; mud and slurry deposited by the natural disaster. Other specialist wastes, such as medical
waste from hospitals and toxic waste from industry, will also need to be dealt with urgently, but they are
not covered by this technical note (World Health Organization, 2011).

The Municipal Council enacted an ordinance establishing solid waste management also known as
“Perkash Fashura Ordinance Na Isadanga.”The ordinance prohibits dumping of garbage anywhere other
than those recognized and established garbage facilities; dumping of unclean and unsegregated waste at
the redemption center/facility; discharging of human feces along the creeks and rivers; throwing of
wastes in creeks, rivers, public places such as roads, sidewalks and establishments; and burning of
garbage particularly non-biodegradable wastes. It also requires residents to practice segregation of
wastes at source. Reusable solid wastes such as bottles, plastics, cellophanes and papers shall be
brought to the barangay material recovery facility duly segregated or directly to the agent-buyers. Non-
recyclable materials and special solid wastes will be brought to the material recovery facility, while
hazardous wastes or chemicals will be disposed in coordination with concerned government agencies
according to prescribed methods. The local government is responsible for collecting reusable, recyclable
and non-biodegradable waste materials from the material recovery facilities; and transporting them to
the recycling centers and or to the municipal material recovery facility. Collection of segregated solid
wastes is scheduled per barangay (Saley, 2012).

7. waste streams

Municipal solid wastes (MSW) is often described as the waste that is produced from residential and
industrial (non-process wastes), commercial and institutional sources with the exception of hazardous
and universal wastes, construction and demolition wastes, and liquid wastes (water, wastewater,
industrial processes) (Tchobanoglous & Kreith, 2015).
Materials which are organic or recyclable are excluded from this definition, and so MSW in Nova Scotia
is significantly different from that in many other jurisdictions. This definition of MSW works together
with a legislated landfill ban which prohibits certain materials from landfill (Appendix C) to ensure that
only certain materials are entering landfills. Banned materials cannot be disposed of and are processed
through alternative methods (SWRM, 1996); typically recycling, reuse, or composting. The designation of
materials into specific categories such as organics, recyclables, and garbage can differ by region,
therefore organizations must ensure that waste is separated according to local area by-laws.

8. Waste disposal

There are many stringent regulations governing the treatment and disposal of waste, both onshore and
offshore, and in most other countries as well. Facilities involved in waste transfer and treatment require
licenses, and all personnel who work at such facilities require the proper kind of training that goes with
the handling of waste that can often be dangerous if not handled properly. Waste management facilities
also need to be able to respond quickly to emergency situations. By their very nature there is rarely any
warning that an emergency is about to occur. For that reason emergency response teams need to be on
standby every hour of every day, and every day of every year. Waste management disposal and
treatment can originate from both domestic and industrial sources (Rose, 2016).

9. Burning waste

 In cities that do not have enough land available for landfills, controlled burning of wastes at high
temperatures to produce steam and ash is a preferred waste disposal technique. Combustion reduces
significantly the volume of wastes to be disposed. Moreover, solid wastes can provide for a continuously
available and alternative source for generating energy through combustion. This energy can be
channeled into useful purpose (Debashree, 2012).

To reduce the volume of waste and “Open burning” refers to the thermal destruction of wastes by
means of direct exposure to fire. Furthermore, this definition shall apply to traditional small-scale
methods of community sanitation or “siga” (Ibid).

10. The ecological solid waste management act

  Republic Act. No. 9003 or the “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act” provides the legal framework
for the country’s systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program that shall
ensure protection of public health and the environment. It underscores, among other things, the need
to create the necessary institutional mechanism and, as well as imposes penalties for acts in violation of
any of its provisions (The National Solid Waste Management Commission Secretariat; Environment
Management Bureau-DENR, 2012)

As stipulated in Republic Act 9003, section 2, the policy of the state ensures the protection of the public
health and environment; set guidelines and targets for solid waste avoidance and volume reduction
through source reduction and waste minimization measures, including composting, recycling, re-use,
recovery and green charcoal process among others. There must be appropriate and environmentally
sound solid waste management facilities in accordance with the ecologically sustainable development
principles. It ensure proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid
wastes through the formulation and adoption of the best environmental.
11. Waste management practices

There are several factors that have facilitated increase in the volume of solid waste generated. One of
the factors that have led to increased solid waste generation is rapid urbanization (UNEP, 2012).
Urbanization comes with expansion of towns which manifests through the growth of social and
economic infrastructure/services and industrialization. The growth in such services warrants the
increase in population in such areas. An increased population automatically means increased demand
for not only social services but also consumables which potentially present a larger base for waste
generation-in most cases solid waste (Bournay, 2014).

The increase in the volumes of waste generated has also been proved to be synonymous with the “new
lifestyles associated with greater affluence” which convert into higher consumption levels, thus
generating more waste amidst changes in waste composition (UNEP, 2012:224). Affluence influences
people to adopt superfluous demand and purchase patterns making people acquire more of what is not
very necessary for their wellbeing. When people possess more than what they actually need, failure to
consume all that they affluently have, eventually leads them to get rid of the useless excess which turns
into solid waste. In most cases more purchases also mean more packaging material- which readily
translates into solid waste especially for the manufactured products. The manufactured products
contain materials which are very difficult to decompose, for example plastics, thus increasing waste
volumes uncontrollably.

12. Threats and Impacts of Improper Waste Management

With the increase of population comes to the increase in consumption, and consequently, in the amount
of wastes we generate. Through time, problems resulting from improper and irresponsible management
of our wastes have arisen and continue to do so. Human and ecosystem health can be adversely
affected by all forms of waste, from its generation to its disposal. Over the years, wastes and waste
management responses such as policies, legal, financial, and institutional instruments cradle-to-cradle or
cradle-to-grave technological options; and socio-cultural practices have impacted on ecosystem health
and human well-being (Bernado, 2013).

Examples are evident in all countries.

A popular example of how improper waste management and lack of coordination in policies can bring
huge environmental and human impacts is the ³Love Canal Incident´. The Love Canal is an area situated
at Niagara Falls, New York. In 1953, the Hooker Chemical Company, then the owners and operators of
the property, covered the canal with earth and sold it to the city for one dollar.

In Fiji Island, for example, it has been concluded that the disposal of untreated human and domestic
waste has been the major contributor to the degradation of the islands marine environment.
Development to the island had brought a shift in species dominance from hard coral to macro-algae
(Mosley and Aalbersberg, 2005 as cited in the 2005 WHO Liquid Waste Monitoring Project).

13. waste

Waste can be described as "any substance or object the holder discards, intends todiscard or is required
to discard", as defined by the Waste Framework Directive(European Directive (WFD) 2006/12/EC),
(amended by the new WFD (Directive2008/98/EC, coming into force in December 2012).
In the Philippines Republic Act No. 9275 (An Act Providing For a Comprehensive Water Quality
management and for Other Purposes), waste means any material either solid, liquid, semisolid,
contained gas or other forms resulting from industrial, commercial, mining or agricultural operations, or
from community and household activities that is devoid of usage and discarded.

14. Incineration

Incineration, or the controlled burning of waste at high temperatures to produce steam and ash, is
another waste disposal option and an alternative to landfilling (US Environmental Protection Agency,
2009). Incinerators are designed for the destruction of wastes and are commonly employed in
developed nations who could afford the costs of the burning facilities, plus its operation and
maintenance (Mc Cracken, 2015).

This type of waste disposal is the second largest disposal method in most developed countries and ranks
next to landfills in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the UK, approximately 5% of household
waste, 75 % of commercial waste and 2% of industrial waste is disposed of through this method.

15. Hazardous Waste Management

Much of the concern of many countries regarding their waste management circulates around the
disposal of hazardous wastes. Due to their toxicity and large threat to human and environment health,
this type of waste requires more stringent and sophisticated methods of disposal. Basically, the United
States federal regulations classify their waste into two types: hazardous and solid. In 1976, congress
adopted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the primary national law for
addressing production waste (waste generated in the course of ongoing activity or business).In such act,
the term solid does not necessarily refer to a wastes physical property and thus the waste can also be a
liquid or a contained gas (National Society of Professional Engineers, USA, 2013).

Under the law, a µcomprehensive national ³cradle-to-grave´ program for regulating the generation,
transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes is established. Such program
includes a system for tracking the wastes point sources and point of disposal, and a permitting system to
control the operation of treatment, storage and disposal facilities.