Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

Waste Management – A Perspective

ASHOK AGARWAL

Abstract:- This paper provides the reader with an processed or treated in the country increases from 22-
understanding of the types of solid waste, disposal 28% to at least 70% by 2030.
methods and its advantages and disadvantages as well as
available technologies such as ISWM, WTE and SYNOPSIS:- According to the Ministry of
Thermolysis solid waste processing with the aim of Environmental & Forests (1) it is estimated that 62
raising awareness that technology is available. to reduce million tons of solid waste are generated annually in the
untreated waste disposal in a manner that is not country where only 22-28% of this waste is processed in
detrimental to public health. According to the Ministry an environmentally friendly manner. The rest goes to the
of Environment, of the Government of India 75-80% of garbage dump. Declaration In order to successfully
municipal waste is collected but only 22-28% of this achieve a high percentage of solid waste processing, solid
waste is collected , processed and treated It is projected waste classification needs to be done. Non-perishable
that "Garbage generation will increase from 62 million waste can be used to make compost or fuel to remove
tons to 165 million tons by 2030," It is, therefore, waste from the Power Plants or to fill the gas thus
imperative to mention that there is a need to raise reducing solid waste sent to the landfill. Hazardous
awareness and that there is still much to be done in waste such as plastic, waste rubber, debris and medical
waste management so that the amount of waste waste can also be processed using a thermolysis / Plasma
process [1] to convert this waste into oil / gas.

Figure 1is a Pie chart depicting the typical percentage& type of wastes found in I garbage

food
14 3 15 paper
6 glass

9 metals
27
plastics
13 rubber, leather textiles
9 4
wood
yard trimmings
other

Fig. 1: Typical percentage of wastes found in garbage

I. INTRODUCTION added that 62 million tons of waste was generated annually

in the country, of which 5.6 million tons were plastic waste,
The Department of Environment in 2016 reviewed 0.17 million tons was natural waste, hazardous waste
Strict Waste Management Regulations after 16 years. The production was 7.90 million tons per year and 15 lakh tons.
then Minister of State (Independent Paymaster) for e-waste. He added that per capita waste production in Indian
Environment, Forestry and Climate Change , Shri Prakash cities ranges from 200 grams to 600 grams per day. Shri
Javadekar [1] said that the Laws are now in place outside Javadekar stressed that 43 million TPAs are collected, 11.9
municipal areas as well and will extend to the integration of million are treated and 31 million are dumped in landfills,
cities, census towns, notified industrial townships as well as meaning that about 75-80% of municipal waste is collected
areas under government control i.e. Indian Railways, and only 22-28% of this waste is collected .processed and
airports, airport, sea port, security centers, special economic treated. "Garbage generation will increase from 62 million
zones, regional and central government agencies, tourist tons to 165 million tons by 2030," he said.
destinations and significant religious centers of history.He

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
The above shows the worst case scenario regarding II. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT METHODS
solid waste management in the Indian stateIt is therefore
imperative to mention that there is a need to raise awareness Solid waste refers to a large amount of waste from
and that there is still much to be done in waste management animal and human waste disposal as unwanted and
so that the amount of waste consumed in the country useless. Solid waste is produced by industries,
increases from 22-28% to at least 70% by 2030. residential and commercial areas anywhere, and needs
The key features of the SWM Rules [1] ( Soild Waste to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly
Management Rules ) issued by the Department of manner.
Environment and Forestry, India, 2016 are:-
 Trash Generator Bonds have been made to separate waste Regardless of the origin, content or potential
into three streams, Wet (Decay), Dry (Plastic, Paper, hazard, solid waste must be managed and disposed of
metal, wood, etc.) and hazardous household waste in a systematic manner to ensure acceptable local
(nappies, nappies, empty containers for cleaning materials, practices. Since solid waste management is an
materials. etc.) and to provide separate waste to authorized important aspect of environmental cleanliness, it needs
collectors or collectors of waste or local bodies. to be included in any environmental planning.
 The integration of garbage collectors / garbage collectors
and waste sellers / Kabadiwala into a formal system must Solid waste can also be classified as perishable
be done by the Provincial Government, and the Self Help and non-perishable waste.
Group, or any other group to be established.
 No person shall dispose of, burn or dispose of solid waste A. NON PERISHABLE WASTES:
created by him, on roads, public open spaces outside his or Ferrous & Non Ferrous Metal Residues, Glass,
her premises, or in ditches, or in wet areas. Sandstones, E Waste, Medical Waste, Plastic and Rubber
 The Trash Generator will be required to pay ‘User Fee’ to including other Non-perishable litter in the above system
the Trash Collection and ‘Spot Fine’ Disposal and Non- fall under ths category.
Disposal
 All hotels and restaurants must dispose of biodegradable B. PERISHABLE WASTE:
waste and establish a collection system or follow a Perishable waste can be used in a waste disposal facility,
collection plan established by the local council to ensure i.e. incinerated, incinerated under natural conditions or
that such food waste is used for composting / converted to compost while non-biodegradable waste if
biomethanation. disposed of cannot be sent to a landfill or incinerator. Non-
 All welfare organizations and markets, community Biodegradable waste is also classified as HERFUL as metal,
communities and institutions with an area of more than glass, certified sand products AND DANGEROUS such as
5,000 sq. M. m should separate the waste from the source rubber, e-waste, medical and plastic waste etc.The typical
of dry waste such as plastic, tin, glass, paper, etc. structure of solid municipal waste is shown in Figure 1 on
authorized waste collectors or licensed recyclers, or an the Pi chart below:
urban local body.
 The developers of the Special Economic Zone, industrial III. DIFFERENT WAYS TO DISPOSE OF WASTE
area, industrial park will place at least 5% of the total  TREATMENT: The most commonly used waste
building area or 5 sites / sheds for recycling and reuse. management methods DISPOSAL. This method is
 All such product owners who sell or market their products declining in popularity these days due to environmental
in non-perishable packaging should have a packaging problems, strict regulations and a lack of space .The strong
waste collection system created for their production. presence of methane and other dumping gases emanating
 All petroleum industries located within 100 km of the from dumping sites can be dangerous. Landfills create air
RDF waste processing plant will make arrangements to and water pollution that greatly affects the environment
replace at least 5% of their fuel demand with the RDF and can be dangerous to the lives of people and animals
produced as such. living near you.
 A high amount of calories from non-perishable waste will  INCINERATING is a practice in countries where
be used for joint processing in cement or thermal power landfills are no longer available,
industries.  BIO TREATMENT: Composting is a simple and natural
 Construction and demolition waste should be stored and process of bio-degradation that takes up organic waste i.e.
disposed of separately, in accordance with the plant waste and garden and kitchen waste and turns it into
Construction and Demolition Waste Management nutritious food for your plants. Composting, which is
Regulations, 2016. usually used for organic farming, occurs by allowing
 Agricultural waste and garden waste generated ANY area organisms to stay in one place for months until the
must be disposed of in accordance with the guidelines of bacteria rot. Composting is one of the best ways to dispose
the local council. of waste as it can convert unsafe natural products into safe
 In the event that the land is not available, efforts will be compost. On the other hand, the process is slow and takes
made to establish a regional landfill site for the use of up a lot of space.
vacant waste and residual wastes (2,3). .

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
 PLASMA GASIFICATION [2,4] Plasma gasification is reuse, animal feed, recycling, composting, fermentation,
another way to control waste. Plasma is basically a gas- landfills, incineration and land use.
charged or highly ionized gas. (Light is a single type of  Garbage disposal; - Daily dumping of rubbish / rubbish
plasma that produces temperatures above 12,600 ° F). in landfills is the most popular method of disposing of
With this waste disposal method, the furnace uses plasma waste. This waste disposal program is focused on
torches operating at + 10,000 ° F creating an air intake of eliminating waste in the country. Garbage dumps are often
up to 3,000 ° F to convert solid or liquid waste into syngas found in developing countries. However, this method of
and vitrified residues that do not work .During solid solid dumping is frustrating by environmentalists around the
treatment. . waste by plasma gasification waste molecule world because of the huge impact on the environment and
bonds are broken due to high temperatures in the furnace human health.
and basic components. Some bacteria are resistant to  Burning / Incineration: Burning or incineration is a
moderate temperatures so medical waste is best processed method of disposal where solid municipal waste is burned
in plasma furnaces to ensure safe disposal. at high temperatures to be converted into harmless
 RETURN AND REVIEW: Acquisition is a process of residues and gaseous products. The main advantage of this
taking useful waste disposal items into solid waste for type of method is that it can reduce the amount of solid
future use. These discarded materials are then processed to waste to 20 to 30 percent of the initial volume and reduce
extract or replace raw materials or convert them into the space they take up / reduce the waste disposal pressure.
commercial articles and / or energy in the form of usable This process is also known as heat treatment in which
heat, electricity, or fuel. solid waste is converted by Incinerators into heat, flue gas,
and ash. However, this method involves the disposal of all
Recycling is the process of converting waste into waste that may be contaminated by bio / hazardous waste,
new products to reduce energy consumption and the use of prior to incineration. This process is still unconventional
new raw materials. Recycling is the third part of the due to greenhouse gas emissions / toxic gases / emissions
Minimize, Recycle and Recycle the waste category. The from the atmosphere. In addition, the heat generated is not
idea of recycling is to reduce energy consumption, reduce used efficiently leading to wasted energy.
the amount of landfills, reduce air and water pollution,  Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM): ISWM
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural is a very important term in the field of waste management.
resources for future use. Refers to the selection and implementation of appropriate
 WASTE CONTROL: [3] a solid waste treatment process. management systems, technologies, and strategies to
Provides a variety of solutions for recycling non-waste achieve the objectives and objectives of waste
products. It is about how garbage can be used as an management.
important resource. Waste management is a requirement
for every Government, Business Housing and Home in the The ISWM process involves transferring waste over
world. Waste management disposes of the products and magnetic separators to separate metal metals and
services we use in a safe and efficient manner while subsequently transfer over Eddy Current separator to
providing additional value from recycled products. separate incoming metals, glass, discarded debris and
plastics. The waste is then passed through a liquid bed dryer
Waste management or waste disposal is all the where hot air (a mixture of Flue gases from the furnace and
activities and steps required to manage waste from the cold air) is used to remove the rotting decay and thus wipe it
beginning to the end of its disposal. This includes, among off.
others, collection, transportation, segregation, waste
management and disposal as well as monitoring and About 2500 to 3500kcal / kg calorific pellets are
control. It also incorporates a legal and regulatory supplied to the ISWM Bio gas generators to produce gas and
framework related to waste management including use the same in power generators to generate energy.
recycling guidelines and more. ”
SWM residues i.e. ash comprises about 30% of the
There are four main groups of waste management inlet pellets and can be used as a filler in the mud used to
methods, each of which is also divided into many smaller make blocks or to be sent to a landfill .Block diagram of a
categories. Those groups include resource reduction and typical ASWM plant scheme is shown in Figure 2

Fig. 2: Typical process flow representation of the ISWM processing plant

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165

 Waste to Energy (WTE) [3] The process involves the emissions by eliminating the need for energy from fossil
conversion of recyclable waste into useful heat, electricity, fuels. Waste-to-Energy, also known by its acronym WTE
or fuel by various processes. This type of energy source is for the production of energy by heat or electricity from
a renewable energy source as recyclable waste can be used waste.
repeatedly to create energy. It can also help reduce carbon

Fig. 3: showing general waste (WTE) on energy plants

WTE Energy plants as shown above comprise of a equipmnets process the spent flue gases tseperate ash and
material process chamber wherein waste is fed. The waste other impurities before letting the flue gas enter the
enters combustion chamber where they burn. The hot flue atmosphere throughthe chimney. From the Ash metals and
gases pass through the cluster of steam coils water pumped other non combustibles can be segregated the residual ash
intot eh coils is converted o high pressure steam which can then be used as a filler for cement block.
operates the power generation turbine. Environment control

Fig. 4: schematic of another Waste to Energy plant In the ISWM and WTE waste management process, non-ferrous metal
residues, rubber, glass and plastics are separated from the furnace litter.

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
IV. METALS without hot organic matter and plastics in their original state
namely Hydrocarbons. In contrast to the combustion process
 Metal and glass residues are valuable as they can be sold the thermolyis / pyrolysis process almost never emits.
to dealers in scrap metal and discarded glass to recycled
mills for these products to produce additional final VI. PYROLYSIS TECHNOLOGY
products.
 PLASTICS AND RUBBER: [4] Plastic and rubber fall Plastic waste is delivered to the DE polymerization
into the category of `Harmless Bio Damage` As they burn reactor along with a catalysts in the absence of air through a
at high calorie value. However, when used on burning hydraulic feeder. At a temperature of about 750 o C the
plants it will produce toxic gases that will be released into plastic melts and depolymerizes into hydrocarbon fractions
the atmosphere by flue gases. Therefore, these materials in presence of the catalyst and under oxygen free conditions.
are not used in ISMP & WTE plants About 80% of The hydrocarbon vapors are condensed in a water cooled
recycled plastics by melting and recycling of recycled condensers which is the product fuel oil . The non-
waste plastic. Pellets are used as a combination with condensable flammable hydrocarbon gases are used to fire
stainless plastic pellets in molding machines to produce the furnace resulting in the process being self sufficient as
commercial articles thus recycling plastic waste. far as energy for depolymerisation is concerned Figure -5
shows process flow diagram of a typical plastic to fuel oil
The 20% balance of reusable plastic and rubber for plant that could process waste plastics and convert the same
commercial use (in the Indian average of 1.2 million metric to fuel oil which can be further fractionated to produce value
tons) cannot be shipped to a landfill or burned but can be added Hydrocarbon chemicals.
processed through a process known as Thermolysis or
Pyrolysis. The Solid residues left after the depolymerisation
consist of carbon and fillers that were in the plastic. The
V. WHAT IS THERMOLYSIS / PYROLYSIS? residue is removed from time to time from the reactor and
can be used as a filler in block making or sent to a waste
It is the technology of the future. Has great economic disposal site.
strength, 2 oil waste, less ventilation technology especially
on disposable plastics and rubber Can work with different Fig-5, Process flow diagram of the ” Plastic to fuel oil
types of inputs: discarded tires, disposable wood, car plant ” designed, installed and operated by Ashok Agarwal
batteries, RDF, electric waste, plastics and much more. With the author of this paper.
regard to combustion of waste thermolysis decomposes

Fig. 5: Process flow diagram of a 10MT/Day continuous plastic pyrolysis plant of a project I installed and operated in
village,Palej, Dist Bharuch, Gujarat. ( 2013-2016)

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
The product pyrolysis oil does not contain Sulfur or
chloride; it is therefore important as a potential raw material
in various industrial sectors. It also helps the community at
large in disposal of non bio degradable plastic and rubber
wastes while producing fuels that replace fossil fuels.Plastic
/ Rubber plants to Oil are installed in Germany, the United
Kingdom, Japan and the United States of America. The
overnment provides high levels of support/subsidy for such
plants in these countries.However ,such green projects do
not enjoy any subsidy or benefits in India and hence provide
no encouragement to investor. If government subsidies are
made available in such industries in India many such plants
processing Plastics/rubber to Fuel Oil plant would get
installed to process the hazardous waste now being forcibly
sent to the landfill.

REFERENCES

[1.] Media Release by Government of India, Department of

Environment and Forestry, Revised Solid Waste
Management Rules
[2.] Waste disposal and waste management practices in a
future Conserve Energy journal Additional Assessment
of Waste Engineering to Energy Technologies by
Thomas String partner.
[3.] To turn waste plastic into a resource, Comendium of
Technologies compiled by United Nations
Environment Program, Division of Technology,
Industry & Economics, International Environment
Technology Center, Osaka / Shiga, Japan
[4.] Article of Ashok Agarwal “ Depolymerisation of
Waste Plastics to fuel oil” in the Institution of
Engineers (India) Journal,Vol-.2, 2017.

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