Solid Waste Treatment Technologies - How Effective is Recycling

Do you want to know the latest solid waste technologies? This article will give you all the facts you need to know about it, and why effective disposal services and recycling services are very important to the environment as well as the challenges of reducing wastes to the lowest level. Just keep calm and read the rest of the content. Don’t forget to leave your comment for further actions.

What is Solid Waste?

Solid wastes can simply be expressed as any abandoned materials like garbage, domestic refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant also from water supply treatment plant, and other discarded materials like scrap metals, waste tires, paints, compressed gas cylinders, construction and demolition debris, resulting from industrial, commercial services, and from our various community activities.

Types of Solid Wastes Common in our Environment

Sanitation residue

Construction and demolition debris

Scrap metal

Abandoned old appliances and vehicles

Discarded furniture

Toys

Garbage

Old batteries

Shoe polish

Latex paint and paint tins

Medicine bottles

Old tires

However, all the above can be grouped into different types. We have the household wastes, industrial wastes, biomedical wastes, mining and agricultural wastes.

Solid Waste Technologies & How to Reduce Wastes

When we’re discussing the various forms of solid waste treatment technologies, two other important aspects namely disposal and recycling services can never be left out. The following are the best technological services that are commonly available globally to reduce wastes.

Composting: This form of disposal, recycling and reduction of abandoned materials is a simple process which requires collecting and keeping wastes outdoor for a year or more. Modern, methodical composting is a multi-step, closely monitored process with measured inputs of water, air and carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials. The decomposition process is aided by shredding the plant matter, adding water and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture. Worms and fungi further break up the material. Aerobic bacteria act on the chemical process by converting the inputs into heat, carbon dioxide and ammonium. The ammonium is further converted by bacteria into plant-nourishing nitrites and nitrates through the process of nitrification.

Incineration: This is a treatment technology that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in discarded materials. Incineration is a temperature waste treatment systems. Incineration of discarded materials converts them into ash, flue gas, and heat. Most importantly the heat generated by incineration can be used to generate electric power. Incinerators is a very good agent in reducing waste but greatly depend on its composition and the degree of recovery of materials such as metals from the ash for further recycling services.

Landfill: This is a reserved site for the disposal of abandoned materials and of course the most popular among the various waste treatment technologies. With this technology, the waste collection vehicles are first weighed at a weighbridge on getting to the landfill site and their carried load is inspected to check materials that are not within the landfill’s waste acceptance criteria. Immediately the loads are deposited, compactors are then used to spread and at the same time compact the refuse. And in the working face, the compacted wastes are then covered with soil daily.

Recycling: Of all treatment technologies, recycling is simply by processing discarded materials into new products. Recycling is very crucial in the management of solid waste. Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become refuse into valuable resources. This is needed to avoid unnecessarily wasting of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, it also reduce air and water pollution, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Examples of Recyclable Materials

Paper

Metal

Glass

Plastic

Textile

Electronic gadgets

Windrow Composting: Using one of these technological services, windrow composting involves the production of compost by piling up organic matter or biodegradable wastes, such as animal manure and crop residues, in long rows. Typically, this farm scale composting method is very useful in producing large volumes of compost which are very useful in organic farming.

Why is Solid Waste Recycling Important to our Environment?

The importance of recycling these discarded materials should not be undermined. Some of the benefits of recycling to the environment are listed below.

1. Compost not only benefits the environment and keeps unnecessary refuse out of landfills, it also provide economic benefits. It is used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, and agricultural purposes. It can even serve as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer, addition of vital humus, and as a natural pesticide for soil. In ecosystems, compost is useful for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover.

2. Recycling discarded materials goes a long way toward reducing air and water pollution, again the best method to keep the environment safe is by reducing the resources we use. Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources, thus, conserves natural resources while using existing ones which is very beneficial.

3. Again, another benefit of recycling is that the heat generated by incineration can be used to generate electric power.

Challenges of Reducing Solid Wastes

What are some of the challenges facing the reduction of wastes? Below are some of the problems.

1. Uncared attitude of some citizens towards proper and hygienic solid waste disposal. Some folks just throw away discarded materials without considering the health implication on the society at large.

2. Poor countries are unable to afford the cost of setting up solid and effective recycling plant and where such facilities are available they lack maintenance. And so they’re in deteriorating condition.

3. Lack of adequate information on the quantity of solid refuse brought to the landfill site. Insufficient solid waste transfer stations which act as a temporary storage for municipal solid waste before being transported to landfills or incinerating facilities.

4. Attitude of the citizens towards recycled materials. Some folks said they don’t want recycled wastes, and they gave reason that materials recycled are no where comparable to the original ones in terms of quality.

5. Inadequate refuse collection system designed for the collection of solid waste. And also inadequate waste containers placed at strategic locations throughout the neighborhood to maximize convenience and reduce waste.

In conclusion, we’ve just learned some of the refuse treatment technologies available, and why recycling is important to the environment. Keep in mind that solid waste recycling and other related services like proper disposal are key factors in the management of solid waste.