subject: Environmental health [print this page] INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
Solid waste is any material that is discarded, useless or unwanted is considered solid waste; it is not being liquid or gases state. The problem of Solid Waste is drawing increasing attention of the people as huge garbage is lying down uncollected beside the roads, streets dustbins and on the ground which is causing threat to the environment as well as endangering public health.
Solid wastes are typically categorized by sector of the economy responsible for the producing them, such as mining, agricultural, manufacturing, and municipalities.
The kinds of solid waste we disposal depend on our level of life style.
There are four kinds of solid waste and they are.
1) Mining waste
2) Agricultural waste
3) Industrial solid waste
Mining waste: In general in two primary ways. First, in most mining operations, large amounts of rocks and soil need to be removed to get the valuable ore. This waste material is generally left on the surface at mine site and harmful to the human health and environment as whole. Second this operations use various technologies to extract valuable materials from the ore.
These techniques vary from relatively simple grinding and sorting to sophisticated chemicals separation process.
Agricultural waste: Agricultural is the second most common form of waste and includes waste from the raising of animals and the harvesting and processing of the crops and trees. The amount of animals manure produced annually is estimated at about 1240 million metric tones. Other waste associated with agriculture, such as waste from processing operations (peelings, seeds, straw, stems, sludge, and similar materials), might bring the total agricultural waste to about 1500 metric tones per year. The most waste from agricultural is organic, approximately 90 percent is used for fertilizer or for other soil-enhancement activities
Industrial solid waste: from the sources other than mining is variously estimated to between 200 million and 600 million metric tons of solid waste per year. It includes wide variety of materials such as demolition waste, foundry sand, scraps from manufacturing process, sludge, ash from combustion, and other similar materials.
These materials they are hazard for human health and other living organisms.
Municipal solid waste (MSW): Is all the waste produced by the residents of community such as High-grade paper Office and computer paper Mixed Paper: Mixed colored papers, magazines, glossy paper, and other paper, not fitting the categories of high grade paper, newsprint, and corrugated.
Municipal waste s can be categorized in to two;
i) Putricible or biodegrable waste
ii) Non-putricible biodegrable
Putricible ; this waste can be broken by natural biological process in the environment and completely reduced to acceptable levels that have no harm to the environment.
Non-putricible; this same times called rubbish. These types of wastes presents a big problem because it takes to breakdown for long time such as papers, plastics cardboard, glass, metal textiles.
The refuse generated by municipals is mixture of materials from households and small business, with proportions vary greatly, depending on the generator (commercials versus residential), the neighborhood (affluent versus poor), and the time of years (during certain sources, yards waste, such as grass clippings and raked leaves, add to the solid waste burden, often equality all the other categories combined.
Effect of solid waste on the human health and environment
The amount of solid waste can effect on the human health are the fallowing;
Skin and eye infections are common
Dust in the air at dumpsites can cause breathing problems in children and adults
Flies breed on uncovered piles of rotting garbage and spread diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis, and cholera. Mosquitoes transmit many types of diseases like malaria and yellow fever
Dogs, cats and rats living around refuse carry a variety of diseases including plague and flea born fever
Intestinal, parasitic and skin diseases are found in workers engaged in collecting refuse.
Ground water pollution:The most serious problem is groundwater contamination. As water filters through any material, chemicals in the material may dissolve in the water, a process called leaching. The resulting mixture is called leachate. As water percolates through MSW, it makes a leachate that consists of decomposing organic matter combined with iron, mercury, lead, zinc, and other metals from rusting cans, discarded batteries and appliances. It may also contain paints, pesticides, cleaning fluids, newspaper inks, and other chemicals. The toxics contain in the waste, contaminates water. It also makes soil infertile and decrease the agricultural activity. Contaminated water can have a serio:s impact on all living creatures, including humans, in an ecosystem.
Air pollution: When solid waste is burnt heavy metals like lead, toxic gases and smoke spreads over residential areas. The wind also carries waste, dust and gases caused by decomposition. Putrefaction of waste in sunlight during daytime results in bad smells and reduced visibility.
This solid waste is generated as consequences of household activities such as the cleaning, cooking, repairing empty containers, packaging, huge use of plastic carry bags. Many times these waste gets mixed with biomedical waste from hospitals and clinics. There is no system of segregation of organic, inorganic and recyclable wastes at the household level. Door-to-door collection is rarely practiced community collection bins are poorly managed and are usually no more than open dumps on the roadside.
The improper handling and management of Solid Waste from households are causing adverse effect on the public at large and this deteriorates the environment.
The municipal workers are most affected people by the occupational danger (hazard) of waste handling; they suffer from illness like eye problems respiratory problems, gastro and skin problems. The persons who wander for collecting the discarded things for selling purpose through wastes also suffer from various health problems like respiratory problem from inhaling particles, infection from direct contact with contaminated materials which lead to headache, diarrhea, fever and cough and cold.
The growing problem of lack of solid waste management collection as well as improper disposal techniques also lead to various diseases and even death of the animals specially cows, birds and stray dogs that wander and rummages through the waste for food. These wastes are having different characteristics and having toxic elements. Many times the animals like the cows, buffalos eat up the plastics along with the food and due it the death of animals ensues. Due to eating up of waste generated food it affect the quality and quantity of the milk products of the animals.
The improper management and lack of disposal technique of the domestic waste pollutes to the environment as we talked about. It affects the water bodies. It also changes the physical, chemical and biological properties of the water bodies. Uncontrolled or improper incineration of solid waste, whether on land or sea, can contaminate the atmosphere and the surrounding environment. The discharge of hazardous substances into sea or into lakes and rivers often kills fish and other aquatic life.
Due to uncollected waste and improper disposal techniques drains also get clogged which lead to mosquitoes by which various diseases like malaria, chicken-guinea, wirel fever, dengue etc. arise and affect the health of people adversely.
The improper and apathetic attitude towards management of Domestic Solid Waste has adverse effects on the society as well as environment causing various diseases like diarrhea, fever, cough and cold, headache, chicken-guinea etc. to the people living nearby areas of such local dustbins, to the municipal workers and also the animals like cows, birds who wander through these waste for food. Uncollected Domestic Waste is causing health hazard as well as polluting to the environment endangering the life of the people at large.
With the growing population the huge waste is being generated day by day. There is wide use of plastics, advanced technology and other materialistic things. This resulted in different characteristics of waste which became complicated problem for management of Domestic Waste and disposal techniques.
This is such a burning problem concerned with environment that needs to be carefully studied and researched as on every street waste is lying uncollected scattered around local bins and dumped around locality consequently there is occurrence of bad smell as well as hazard to the human health and to the passerby.
Conclusion
There is an urgent need to manage MSW from the time it is created to its safe disposal. The public and local municipal authorities need to work together. It is important to create awareness about the consequences of pollution so that people become conscious of the need to deal with this problem.
References
William P. Cunninggam (1995), Environmental sciences, publisher by
U.S.A
Enger smith (1997), Environmental sciences, printer by Quebecor
Printing Group,
Enger smith, (2006), Environmental Sciences, publisher by Margaret J.
