Solid Waste

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Solid Waste Management
ISSUES OF CONCERN
Prof. Ir Dr. Mohd Omar Ab Kadir Division of
Environmental Technology School of Industrial
Technology Universiti Sains Malaysia
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FACT OR FALLACY??
Many people feel that solid waste management is
a simple affair - simply load the wastes into a
vehicle and unloading it at a dump.
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If this were true, then why do so many towns
suffer from uncollected refuse blocking streets
and drains, harbouring flies and rats, and
degrading urban environment?
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Presentation On Issues of Concern

• Brief Introduction
• Disposal of solid wastes
• Risks problems associated with solid wastes
• Impacts of local conditions
• Resource recovery
• Problems and Challenges of Waste
  Management
• Recommendations and Conclusions

Plastic paper waste-USM Penang
Rubbish heap at Lip Sin market
Wastes from factory
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Brief Introduction

• Malaysia, like most of the developing countries,
  is facing an increase of the generation of wastes
  and problems associated with the disposal of
  these wastes.
• Overall, the local communities generate 16,000
  tons of domestic wastes per day, from 0.45 to
  1.44kg/day depending on the economic status of an
  area. In general, the per capita generation rate
  is about 1kg/day.
• In 2001, about 6.378 million tons of solid wastes
  were generated.
• There are 170 recycling centers throughout the
  country.

Trash basket in a commercial alley
Renovation wastes
Yard paper wastes
Landfill
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Brief Introduction
Source World Bank. What a Waste Solid Waste
Management in Asia, May 1999
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Brief Introduction

• If solid wastes are not managed properly, there
  are many negative impacts that may result.
• The impacts depend on local conditions.

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How are Solid wastes disposed?
1. Sanitary landfill - There are 168 disposal
sites throughout the country, of which only 7 are
sanitary landfills. Recently the federal
government had spent RM 20.9 million (?US 5.5
million) to build 9 sanitary landfills and
upgrade 27 existing landfills in 34 designated
areas. These measures are, however, insufficient
to overcome the problem of waste disposal as the
waste generation rate is increasing rapidly due
to high population growth and urbanization. 2.
Open dumps - About 80 of these dumps have been
filled up to the brim and many have to been
closed as of 2005. 3. Incineration relatively
new
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Disposal By Sanitary landfill

• A sanitary landfill is a site where solid wastes
  are placed on or in the ground at a carefully
  selected location by means of engineering design
  and techniques that minimize pollution of air,
  water and soil, and other risks to man and
  animals. Aesthetic considerations are also taken
  into account.
• However, little attention is paid to the
  training of a site manager and to the financial
  and physical provisions to allow a reasonable
  standard of operation.
• Ultimately, good landfill design and construction
  cannot achieve good operational practices.

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Disposal By Incineration

• Presently, there are four types of wastes that
  can be incinerated
• domestic solid wastes
• medical wastes
• hazardous wastes
• infected plants and animals

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Clogged Drainage Flooding
Risks problems associated with solid wastes

• Uncollected wastes often end up in drains,
  causing blockages which result in
• flooding and
• unsanitary conditions.

Domestic waste, Sg. Dondang, Penang
Excavation of Domestic waste, Sg. Dondang, Penang
Domestic waste, Jelutong, Penang
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Infestations of Disease vectors
Risks problems associated with solid wastes

• Flies breed in some constituents of solid wastes,
  and flies are very effective vectors that spread
  disease.
• Mosquitoes breed in blocked drains and in
  rainwater that is retained in discarded cans,
  tyres and other objects. Mosquitoes spread
  disease, including malaria and dengue.
• Rats find shelter and food in waste dumps. Rats
  consume and spoil food, spread disease, damage
  electrical cables and other materials and inflict
  unpleasant bites.

Discarded tyres from workshop
Rats at dump site
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Air Pollution
Risks problems associated with solid wastes

• Dust - air pollution
• The by-products of thermal combustion include
  dioxins which are particularly hazardous.
• Fungi and pathogen (spore) spread from
  uncollected and decomposing wastes.

at landfill
Thermal combustion might generate Dioxin
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Air Pollution

• Methane (one of the main components of landfill
  gas) is much more effective than carbon dioxide
  as a greenhouse gas, leading to climate change.

Source Microsoft Encarta 2005
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Water Pollution
Risks problems associated with solid wastes

• Polluted water flowing from waste dumps,
  residential areas and disposal sites can cause
  serious pollution of water supplies.

Domestic waste at Jelutong
Leachate from disposal site
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Occupational Safety Risk
Risks problems associated with solid wastes
Landfill at Mecca
Landfill at Pulau Burung

• Large quantities of waste that have not been
  placed according to good engineering practice can
  slip and collapse.
• Waste disposal sites provide very poor foundation
  support for large buildings, so buildings
  constructed on former sites are prone to
  collapse.

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Occupational Safety Health
Risks problems associated with solid wastes
Trash collectors

• Waste collection workers face occupational
  hazards, --
• strains from lifting,

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Risks problems associated with solid wastes
SCAVENGING RISKS
Scavenging for reusable items through dumpsites
exposed to dangerous items (broken glass,
razor blades, hypodermic needles) and diseases.
Aerosol cans can explode if punctured
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Damage to Properties
Risks problems associated with solid wastes

• Heavy refuse collection trucks can cause
  significant damage to the surfaces of roads that
  were not designed for such weights.

Trash collectors at residential areas
Trash collectors at residential areas
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Decrease of Aesthetic Value
Risks problems associated with solid wastes
Residential trash bin
Uncollected waste
Litter at park

• Uncollected waste degrades the urban environment,
  -- cause a severe aesthetic issue in terms of
  smell and appearance. Can affect tourism
  industry.

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Chemical Wastes Containers

• Used chemical waste containers e.g.
  carboys/winchester bottles can be recycled after
  being cleaned effectively.

Chemical Waste containers
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Fire Hazard

• Landfill gas (which is produced by the
  decomposition of wastes) can be explosive if it
  is allowed to accumulate in confined spaces (such
  as the cellars of buildings).
• Fire at disposal sites can cause
• major air pollution,
• illness from fume inhalation
• reduced visibility
• disposal sites to be dangerously unstable
• explosions of cans,
• spread to adjacent property.

Confined space can lead to Gas accumulation
Fire at disposal site
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Clinical wastes from hospitals

• Healthcare wastes - crucial because of the
  potential dangerous disease transmissions, such
  as increasing concern about AIDS and hepatitis.

Needles from syringes and drips,
Used cotton / bandages / dressings Blood wastes
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Factors of Local Conditions on SWM

• There are many factors that vary from place
  to place and that must be considered in the
  design of a solid waste management system.
  Amongst them are
• The waste itself (characteristics) approximately
  (60 to 70 moisture)

Waste Composition ()
Figure 1 Waste Composition (Kuala Lumpur,
Selangor, Pahang, Terengganu and
Kelantan) Source Roundtable on Urban Solid
Waste Management. Privatization Management on
Solid Waste in Developing Countries, The Malaysia
Experience. 27-28 Sept 1998
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Factors of Local Conditions on SWM

• Access to waste collection points is crucial
  location of collection point (alley or front
  road), road system, surface and width, traffic
  condition.
• Collection frequency -, collection frequency.
• Dumpster users Size of the dumpster ensure
  garbage thrown into and not out of the dumspters

Uncollected wastes at a dumpster behind a wet
market
Waste from wet market, Jelutong
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Factors of Local Conditions on SWM

• Selection of equipment - influenced by the types
  of vehicles and chassis that are already widely
  used and for which spare parts and maintenance
  expertise are available. Taxes, duties and import
  restrictions should also be considered.

• Current and intended legislation and the degree
  of enforcement.

Signage at Sg. Dondang, Penang
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Implementation of Resource Recovery

• Resource recovery means the obtaining of some
  economic benefit from material that someone has
  regarded as waste. It includes

• Reuse - being used for the same purpose again
  (such as refilling a soft drinks bottle)
• Recovery - processing material so that it can be
  used again as the same material, such as the
  processing of waste paper to make pulp and then
  new paper

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Implementation of Resource Recovery

• Conversion - processing the material to make
  something different (such as producing padding
  for clothing and sleeping bags from plastic
  bottles, or producing compost from food waste)
• Energy Recovery - usually referring to the
  burning of waste so that the heat can be used
  (for example, for heating swimming pools).
  Another method of energy recovery is to collect
  the gas that is produced in very large sanitary
  landfills and use it as a fuel or to generate
  electricity.

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Problems and Challenges of Waste Management

• Low collection coverage on average due to the
  inaccessibility by vehicles in some areas,
• Irregular collection services
• Inadequate equipment used for waste collection
  crude open dumping and burning without air and
  water pollution control
• Inadequate legal provisions and resources
  constraints.

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Problems and Challenges of Waste Management
Lack of coordination among the relevant agencies
- results in duplication of efforts in waste
management, wasting of resources, and
unsustainability of overall waste management
programs
The lack of effective legislation for waste
management is partially responsible for ill
defined functions of the agencies.
Technical constraints - lack of human resources
at both national and local levels with technical
expertise necessary for solid waste management
planning and operation.
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Recommendations

• A clear guidance on waste avoidance and resource
  recovery
• Make it an obligation for all manufacturers and
  importers to recycle a certain percentage of
  their products that are being discarded
• Establish both private and state-owned hazardous
  waste treatment facilities. (In this way, the
  government is in a position to obtain practical
  experience in the field, which is important for
  establishing a good regulatory system.)

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Recommendations

• Involvement of private sectors
• Failure of municipal systems to provide adequate
  services, and pressure from national government
  and international agencies promote participation
  of private companies in solid waste management.
• Success of private sector participation is the
  ability of the client or grantor - usually a
  municipal administration - to write and enforce
  an effective contract stating
• Cost,
• Terms of services required,
• Penalties due to shortcomings..
• Effective monitoring and enforcement.

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Conclusions

• Even though the Malaysian Government has tried to
  reduce waste through its own recycling programs,
  its policy seems to be less efficient because
  there is a lack of clear guidance on issues of
  concern that were presented.
• Funding arrangements on landfill are still under
  debate as it is unclear who should pay for the
  management of waste.

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Conclusions

• Hence, it appears that the current policy and
  system are more resulting from reacting to the
  problem of increasing waste, in particular in
  urban areas, and less from taking a proactive
  stand in respect of tackling the problems and
  issues at its root.

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• Successful solid waste
• management is rarely achieved
• without thought, effort and much
• learning from mistakes.

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Thank You