Solid waste and public health

1. Unit 6: Solid waste handling and health
of the public
Nabin Lamichhane
MPH, M. Phil.
Assistant Professor
MPH Program
PUCMAS, Gothgaun
We can reduce but not, usually, eliminate waste

2. Waste
• Any unwanted objects perceived as useless materials.
• Any materials unused and rejected as worthless or
unwanted and “ A useless or profiles less activity using or
expanding or consuming thoughtlessly or carefully”
2

3. Waste……
• Disposal of waste: Domain of Public Health engineers and
sanitarians.
• Public health/health professional need to have knowledge
on subject.
3

4. Types of wastes
• Solid waste
• Liquid Waste
• Gaseous waste
• Animal By product (ABPs)
• Chemical Waste
• E-waste
• Commercial waste/ business waste
• Biomedical and hospital waste etc.
4

5. Solid Wastes
• Generally Non liquid, non-soluble materials produced from
wide range of human operations such as industry,
commerce, transport, agriculture, medicine and domestic
activities.
• Per capita solid waste output 0.25- 2.5 kg per day.
5

6. Solid waste
Includes both Bio-degradable and Non-biodegradable wastes:
• Garbage (food waste)
• Rubbish (paper, plastics, wood, metal, throw-away containers,
glass)
• Demolition products (bricks, masonry, pipes),
• Sewage treatment residue (sludge and solids from the coarse
screening of domestic sewage),
• Dead animals,
• manure and
• other discarded materials
• E-waste (20-50 million metric ton/per year)
6

7. Solid waste
7

8. Solid waste
• Food waste (garbage)
– Waste from the preparation, cooking and serving of food, market
reuse, waste from the handling storage and sale of meat and
vegetables are classified as food waste or garbage. Their sources
are usually households, institutions and commercials such as
hotel, stores, restaurants, markets, etc.
• Rubbish
– Rubbish includes combustible (primarily organic) such as paper,
cardboard, cartons, wood, boxes, plastics, rags, cloths, bedding,
leather, rubber, etc. and also includes noncombustible such as
metal, tin cans, metal foils, dirt, stones, bricks, ceramics, crockery,
etc.
8

9. Solid waste
• Ashes and residue
– They are the residue from fires used for cooking and for heating
building, cinders, clinkers, and thermal power plants.
• Bulky waste
– Bulky waste includes large auto parts, tires, stoves, refrigerators
and other large appliances furniture etc.
• Street waste
– They include paper, bottles, dirt, leaves, animal droppings, the
content of litter, receptacles, dead animals, etc. Their sources are
streets, sidewalks, alleys etc.
9

10. Solid waste
• Pathological wastes
– They are the human wastes and dead animals. The moisture
content is 85% and there are 5% non-combustible solids.
• Construction and demolition waste
– They are lumber, roofing and sheathing scraps, crop residues,
broken concrete, plaster, conduit, pipe, wire, insulation, etc. Their
sources are construction and demolition sites, remodeling and
repairing sites.
10

11. Solid waste
• industrial waste
– Solid waste resulting from industry processes and manufacturing
operations, such as food processing wastes, boiler, house cinders,
wood plastics and metal scraps and shaving etc. effluent treatment
plant sludge of industries and sewage treatment plant sleds, etc.
Their sources are factories, power plants, treatment plants, etc.
• Hazardous waste
– They are hazardous waste, pathological wastes, explosives,
radioactive material, toxic waste, etc.
11

12. Solid waste
Produced from wide range of sources:
• individual
• Household: Garbage, Ash, Rubbish, garbage
• Business:
• Industrial:
• Rural
• Urban
12

13. E-waste: New threat to public health
• 20-50 million metric ton per year.
• 80-85% of e-waste directly thrown into landfill with other
waste or burnt
• 70% of e-waste of world imported to china
• 90% of e-waste can be recycled. But only 12.5% e-waste is
recycling now a days.
13

14. Global Status: SWD
• Around the world, waste generation rates are rising. In
2012, the worlds’ cities generated 1.3 billion tonnes of solid
waste per year, amounting to a footprint of 1.2 kilograms
per person per day. With rapid population growth and
urbanization, municipal waste generation is expected to
rise to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025.
Source: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/solid-
waste-management (Accessed on 22 November, 2017)
14

15. Nepal’s Solid Waste Management Status
• The per capita generation of solid waste in developing
countries in Asia ranges from 0.3 kg/day to 1.0 kg/day.
• A survey conducted in all 58 municipalities of Nepal in 2012
found that the average municipal solid waste generation
was 317 grams per capita per day. It means 1,435 tons per
day or 524,000 tons per year of municipal solid waste
generation in Nepal. (ADB 2012)
15

16. Characteristics of a good solid waste handling
system
• Waste is a resource
(money)
• Reduce, Recycle and Reuse
• Proper sorting, storage and
processing at source
16

17. Characteristics of a good solid waste handling
system ….
• It provides Biohazard alert
• Make people aware about Regular cleaning and disinfection of containers.
• Prevents pollution caused by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials
• Saves energy
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change
• Helps sustain the environment for future generations
• Saves money
• Reduces the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or sent to landfills
and incinerators
• Allows products to be used to their fullest extent
• Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators
• Conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals
• Increases economic security by tapping a domestic source of materials
17

18. Need for a good solid waste handling system for
healthful living
• Physical:
– Reduce environmental pollution and degradation
– There is a correlation between improper solid waste disposal and
the incidence of vector-borne diseases.
18

19. Need for a good solid waste handling system for
healthful living
– Arrangement of goods and waste is seemed to be beautiful
– Prevents contamination
– Waste can be used for energy production.
– Making paper from waste save 50% of energy
– Reduction in Risk factors for the diseases
– Biodegradable waste : composting: used a as organic fertilizer.
– Helps to reduce air pollution, water pollution etc.
19

20. Need for a good solid waste handling system for
healthful living
• Social:
– Better hygiene
– Brings in increased awareness and environmental consciousness
in the society.
– Provides employment to large number of economically weaker
sections or unskilled labor /rag pickers with better and hygienic
condition
– Scope of allowing citizen participation
– Reusing the waste: Foster Social dignity and corporate image
20

21. Need for a good solid waste handling system for
healthful living
• Mental:
– Lowers the irritability and stress
– Avoids congestion,
– Freshness and comfort
– Create best working and learning environment
– Everyone wants to live and visit places that are clean, fresh and
healthy. A city with poor sanitation, smelly and with waste matter
all over the place do not attract good people, investors and
tourists. Such cities tend to have poor living standards.
21

22. Ways of promoting and maintaining
a good solid waste handling system
The ways of promoting and maintain a good solid
waste handling system comprises the series of
activities form the point of generation to final
disposal.
22

23. Ways of promoting and maintaining a good solid
waste handling system
• Proper classification of Waste at the source.
• Regularly inspect solid waste containers for structural damage.
Repair or replace damaged containers as necessary
• Secure solid waste containers; containers must be closed tightly
when not in use.
• Do not fill waste containers with washout water or any other
liquid.
• Remove all debris from containers prior to cleaning with water.
Only clean out containers in a designated area that drains to a
landscaped area or a wash rack that is connected to a sanitary
sewer
23

24. Ways of promoting and maintaining a good solid
waste handling system
• Do not mix liquid wastes, this can cause chemical reactions
or make recycling impossible and complicate disposal.
• Enforce solid waste management plan, policies and laws.
• Enhancement of public participation and consultation
24

25. Ways of promoting and maintaining a good solid
waste handling system
• Minimize spillage/leaking from solid waste containers. For
larger solid waste containers (especially compactors) that
utilize a hydraulic fluid pump system, regularly inspect and
replace faulty pumps or hoses to minimize the potential of
releases and spills.
• Ensure that only appropriate solid wastes are disposed of.
Certain wastes such as hazardous wastes, appliances,
fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, etc. may not be disposed of in
solid waste containers
25

26. Ways of promoting and maintaining a good solid
waste handling system
• The adverse impacts of waste management are best
addressed by establishing integrated programs where all
types of waste and all facets of the waste management
process are considered together. The long-term goal should
be to develop an integrated waste management system and
build the technical, financial, and administrative capacity to
manage and sustain it. (USAID, 2009)
26

27. Ways of Promotion…..
• Containerization and on-site storage of waste
• Source separation
• Collection mechanism (roadside collection, door-to-door collection,
communal containers, on-time collection etc.)
• Cleansing of streets and other public places
• Time of collection
• Type of vehicles used for collection
• Frequency of collection
• Route planning
• No. of staff used for collection
• Special collection for bulk waste generators
• Separate collection for special waste such as medical waste and household
hazardous waste
• Transfer of waste from primary collection vehicles to larger vehicle for
secondary transport
27

28. Measurement of a good solid waste handling
system
• Waste Management (WM) Indicators
– Indicators (usually a quantifiable variable) are a valuable tool to
measure the progress made in achieving a standard or a goal
– Waste Management Indicators are the tools that measure progress
on waste reduction and recycling performance, and resource
efficiency.
28

29. Measurement of a good solid waste handling
system
• WM indicators should cover an extensive number of areas,
but normally covers three basic areas;
– Amount of municipal waste generated per capita
– Amount sent to landfill or to the incineration plant
– Total Waste generation (EU generates around 1.3 billion tons of
waste every year)
– Waste generation from household and commercial activities
– Recycling rate
– Knowledge, practice and Behavior change
– Waste Diversion rate
29

30. Recycling Rate
30

31. Waste Diversion rate
31

32. Characteristics of unhealthy solid waste disposal
• Solid waste contains garbage, refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment
plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other
discarded materials including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous
material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural
operations.
• If solid wastes are not collected and allowed to accumulate, they may create
unsanitary conditions.
• Unmanaged Solid wastes lead to epidemic outbreaks. Many diseases like
cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, plague, jaundice, or gastro
intestinal diseases may spread and of human lives. In addition, improper
handling of the solid wastes is a health hazard for the workers who come in
direct contact with the waste.
• Improper handling of the solid wastes is a health hazard for the workers who
come in direct contact with the waste.
• Physical and chemical composition of solid wastes vary depending on sources
and types of solid wastes. Because of the heterogeneous nature of solid
wastes, determination of composition is not easy
32

33. Characteristics of unhealthy solid waste disposal
• If the solid wastes are not treated properly, decomposition
and putrefaction may take place, causing land and water
pollution when the waste products percolate down into the
underground water resources. The organic solid waste
during decomposition may generate obnoxious odors. Stray
dogs and birds may sometimes invade garbage heaps and
may spread it over the neighborhood causing unhygienic
and unhealthy surroundings.
• Heaps of refuse present an unsightly appearance and
nuisance from bad odours.
33

34. Degeneration time of solid waste
Type of waste Approximate time it takes to degenerate
Organic waste such as vegetable and fruit
peels, leftover foodstuff, etc.
a week or two.
Paper 10–30 days
Cotton cloth 2–5 months
Wood 10–15 years
Woolen items 1 year
Tin, aluminium, and other metal items
such as cans
100–500 years
Plastic bags one million years?
Glass bottles undetermined
34
Source: http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/solwaste/types.htm
(Accessed on 20 November 2017, 18:30 pm, Nepal)

35. Mechanisms of health effects of unhealthy waste
disposal
• Uncollected solid waste also increases risk of injury, and infection
• May lead to epidemic outbreaks
• Solid waste leads to increase in disease causing organism such as mosquitoes,
flies etc to thrive freely and increase in pollution.
• Environmental Effects
– Soil contamination
– Surface water contamination
– Pollution
– Leachate (Water trickle through contminated are, contain very harmful
chemicals and hazardous waste)
• Economic Effects
– Municipal wellbeing
– Recycling revenue
35

36. Measurement of unhealthy waste disposal system
• Please refer to the measurement of good solid waste
handling system.
• Monitoring the site of disposal.
• Availability of methods
• Measure the burden of disease caused by improper solid
waste disposal
36

37. Solid waste handling related human behaviors
that need to be encouraged or discouraged
Encouraged
• Segregation at the generation site
• Low waste generation as possible
• Apply 3R
• Use biodegradable products
• Enforce plans, policies and strategies
• Proper transportation of waste
carrying
• Disposal are should be far from
residential areas
• Composting
• Use Public Dust bins
Discouraged
• Plastic bags
• Incineration in community level
• Mixing practices non-biodegradable
and biodegradable wastes
• Bad practices
• Open excreta disposal
• Mixing Hospital waste and municipal
waste
37

38. Ways of preventing unhealthful practices of solid
waste disposal
• No single practice that is equally suitable in all
circumstances.
• The choice of appropriate practice or particular method
depends upon:
– Cost
– Availability of land and labor
38

39. Ways of preventing unhealthful practices of solid
waste disposal
• Different practices of Solid waste disposal
– Dumping
– Controlled tipping or sanitary land-fill
– Composting
– Burial
– Incineration
– Manure pits
– Biogas Plant
– Burial.
39

40. Dumping
• Dumped in low lying areas
• Due to bacterial action, refuse decreases considerably in volume
and is converted gradually into humus
• Drawbacks:
– May be exposed to flies and rodents,
– Nuisance from the smell and unsightly appearance.
– Dispersed by the action of the wind and
– May contributes to pollution of surface and ground water.
“A most insanitary method that creates public health hazards, a nuisance, and severe
pollution of the environment".
(A WHO Expert Committee, 1967)
40

41. Controlled tipping/ Sanitary landfill
• Satisfactory method (If suitable land is available)
• Differs from ordinary dumping
• Material is placed in a trench or other prepared area,
adequately compacted, and covered with earth at the end
of the working day
• Modified sanitary landfill (compaction and covering are
accomplished once or twice a week)
• Three methods
– The trench method
– The ramp method
– The area method
41

42. Controlled tipping/
Sanitary landfill……..
– The trench method
• Need adequate ground level
• Long trench : Depth 2 to 3 meter (6-10 ft) & width 4 to 12 meter (12 to 36 ft)
• Refuse compacted and covered with excavated earth
• Compacted refuse is placed in the fill to a depth of 2 m (6 fi. ).
• Estimated that one acre of land/year/10,000 population
42

43. Controlled tipping/
Sanitary landfill……..
– The ramp method
• well suited where the terrain is moderately sloping.
• Some excavation is done to secure the covering material.
43

44. Controlled tipping/
Sanitary landfill……..
– The Area Method
• Used for filling land depressions, disused quarries and clay pits.
• The refuse is deposited, packed and consolidated in uniform layers up to
2to2.5 m (6-8 ft.) deep.
• Each layer is sealed on its exposed surface with a mud cover at least 30 cm (12
inches) thick. (For preventing infestation by flies and rodents and reduce of
smell and dust). the disadvantage is the of requiring supplemental earth from
outside sources.
44

45. Controlled tipping/
Sanitary landfill……..
– The Area Method…….
• Chemical, bacteriological and physical changes occur in buried refuse
The temperature rises to over 60 deg. C within 7 days and kills all the
pathogens and hastens the decomposition process. Then it takes 2 to 3
weeks to cool down.
• Normally it takes 4 to 6 months for complete decomposition of organic
matter into an innocuous mass
45

46. Composting
• In this process, organic matter breaks down under bacterial action
resulting in the formation of relatively stable humus-like material,
called the compost which has considerable manurial value for the
soil.
• The principal by-products are CO2, H2O and heat. The heat produced
during composting 60 deg C or higher, over a period of several days-
destroys eggs and larvae of flies, weed seeds and pathogenic agents.
The end-product -
• Compost contains few or no disease producing organisms, and is a
good soil builder containing small amounts of the major plant nutrients
such as nitrates and phosphates
46

47. Burial
• Only suitable for small camps
• A trench 1.5 m wide and 2 m deep is excavated, and at the
end of each day the refuse is covered with 20 to 30 cm of
earth
• When the level in the trench is 40 cm from ground level,
the trench is filled with earth and compacted, and a new
trench is dug out
• The contents may be taken out after 4 to 6 months and
used on the fields
• If the trench is 1 m in length for every 200 persons, it will
be filled in about one week
47

48. Incineration
• Method of choice : If suitable land is not available.
• Hospital refuse: particularly dangerous is best disposed of
by incineration
• incineration is practiced in several cities of the
industrialized countries, particularly in large cities due to
lack of suitable land.
• Incineration is not a popular method because the refuse
contains a fair proportion of fine ash which makes the
burning difficult.
48

49. Bio-gass
• The animal excreta generated in the rural areas are
fairly large in quantity and could be utilized to
generate bio-fuels and thus be recycled. In the rural
areas this excreta is mixed with straw to make dung
cakes which are used as fuel for cooking purposes
49

50. Integrated solid waste management
• Effective solid waste management is more than just
cleaning the streets or collecting waste and dumping of the
collected waste, as practiced by most municipalities
• It requires efficient combination of various components of
solid waste management in an integrated manner.
Integrated solid waste management is therefore a process
of optimizing the waste management system as a whole
with application of a variety of suitable technologies.
50

51. Integrated solid waste management
• Reduction of the amount of waste generated
• Proper segregation and storage of waste at source
• Efficient waste collection
• Street sweeping
• Waste transfer from preliminary collection vehicles to haulage vehicles
• Transportation of waste
• Waste composting and recycling
• Land filling
• Hazardous waste management
• Public education and participation
• Formulation and enforcement of policies and regulations
• Organizational management
• Financial management
51

52. 52

53. Overview of national policy, strategies, and
programs focused on solid waste disposal
• Solid Waste (Management and Resource Mobilization)
Center Act 1987 (2044 BS)
– Establishes the Solid Waste Management and Resource
Mobilization Center.
53

54. Overview of national policy, strategies, and
programs focused on solid waste disposal
• Solid Waste (Management and Resource Mobilization)
Regulation 1989 (2046 BS)
– Deals with the collection, transportation and disposal of solid
waste.
• Environment Protection Act 1996 (2053 BS) & Environnent
Protection Régulation 1997 (2054 BS)
54

55. ‘Solid Waste
Management Act 2011’
• The responsibility to manage or cause to manage solid
waste according to this Act shall rest with the Local Body.
• Any individual, organization or institution shall have to
reduce the amount of generated solid waste as much as
possible while carrying out any work or business.
• The Local body shall have to prescribe for segregation of
solid waste at source by dividing the solid waste into
different categories including at least organic and inorganic.
55

56. Overview of national policy, strategies, and
programs focused on solid waste disposal
• The Industrial Enterprises Act 1992 should be reviewed to
ensure that waste discharges and other emissions are
controlled. Comprehensive regulations under this
legislation should be drafted to set standards for licensed
discharges, in relation to air, water and noise pollution.
• Solid Waste Management National Policy 2053 (1996)
56

57. SWM Policy Summary
• Acts and Regulations
– Interim Constitution of Nepal,
2007
– Solid Waste Management Act,
2011
– Solid Waste Management
Regulation, 2013
– Local Self Governance Act,1998
– Local Self Governance
Regulation, 1999
– Environment Protection Act,
1996
– Environment Protection
Rules,1997 (with amendments)
– Industrial Enterprises Act, 1992
– Labor Act, 1991
– Soil and Watershed Conservation
Act, 1982
57
• Policies
– Solid Waste Management National Policy, 1996
– Nepal Environmental Policy and Action Plan, 1993
– National Urban Policy, 2007
– Industrial Policy, 2010
– National Health Policy 2014
Guidelines
1. Health Care Waste Management Guidelines, 2008/09
2. Environment Friendly Local Governance Framework, 2013

58. International Campaigns
• International Solid waste and public cleansing Association
(ISWA) in 1970, Austria.
• WHO International Reference of Center in Switzerland to
collect, evaluate and disseminate information on waste-
disposal practices and to foster research.
• The World Bank Group: Partnership and Collboration
58

59. International Campaigns
• International Legislations
– Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of
Hazardous Waste, 1989
– Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 2001
– Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management
(SAICM)
59

60. Roles and responsibilities of public health
professionals/workers regarding proper waste disposal
• Not directly involved in actual disposal
• Cooperates with the agencies
• acting as a consultant
• Clearinghouse for information
• Providing and Designing training courses
• Developing a public information and relations program in
connection with the problem of wastes.
• ( Source: Mafrici, 2010)
60

61. • Thank You!!
61