SOLIDWASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING
SPATIAL ANALYSIS TOOLS


Planning Integrated WMS for Bangalore
       

Bangalore City is in need of an effective solid waste management system to ensure better human health and safety. The system needs to be safe for workers and safeguard public health by preventing the spread of disease. In addition to these prerequisites, an effective solid waste manage must be environmentally sustainable and economically feasible. It is quite difficult to minimise these 2 variables, environmental impacts and cost simultaneously. The balance that needs to be struck is to reduce the overall environmental impacts of waste management as far as possible,withinan acceptable level of cost.An economically and environmentally sustainable solid waste management system is effective if it follows an integrated approach i.e. it deals with all type wastes from generation and its disposal.The integrated approach must be based on a logical hierarchy of actions.
       The steps, in order of priority, which must be taken for Bangalore are as follows:

Minimise the production of waste or source reduction:
Source reduction is a basic solution to the garbage glut: less waste means less of a waste problem. In many cases, source reduction can be done not necessarily by adopting a high technology but also by inculcation of better personal habits in people.

A reduction in the amount of wastes could be achieved by the following measures:

         Studies by lIT, Mumbai, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) etc. indicate that nearly 20 percent reduction in waste generation is possible through simple housekeeping measure requiring nil or marginal investment. Waste reduction may occur through proper design of manufacture and packaging of products with minimum volume of material and longer useful life. Waste reduction may occur through selective reuse of products and materials. For example, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India has been establishing Waste Minimisation Circle(WMC)similar to KAIZENof Japan in large and medium scale industries. Such circles can introduce a number of practices which can result in the minimisation of wastes which will ultimately lead to increased profits for the company.Maximise waste recycling and reuse:
        This is the second best option in IWM. Though recycling of solid wastes is extensively practiced in Bangalore,the full official recognition of the need for promotion of recycling is yet to come. It is only in recent years that the role of this sector has been receiving some attention. Municipal authorities should actively support recyclables at source schemes by strengthening the informal sector, for example by the provision of sites for sorting of recyclables or perhaps by developing bonus schemes for the workers in the informal sector.
        There are considerable benefits to increasing solid waste recycling and reuse. Source separation and recycling of waste reduces the volume of wastes to be disposed. By promoting recycling as an alternative to existing forms of waste disposal, the authorities may gain net cost savings. Authorities may seek competitive bids as the recyclingitself, by itself may be a profitable commercial operation thus generating them a net income. Also thousands of poor people support themselves and their families by directly or indirectly participating in waste collection and recycling. Many organisations in Bangalore such as Clean Environs, Waste Wise (Mythri foundation) and Centre for Environmental Education helps street children and other un~mployed people to collect wastes from household and gives them a right to sell it too.Encourage waste processing: Composting and biogasification :
        Organic waste in Bangalore constitutes 75 percent and is therefore amenable to composting and biogasification. It is a form of source reduction or waste prevention as the materials are completely diverted from the disposal facilities and require no managementor transportation. Diverting such materialsfrom the waste stream frees up dumping space needed for materials that cannot be composted.
        Currently composting is provided for only 2 markets in Bangalore and this should be extended to other markets, hotels, restaurants, and households. Composting is considered viable only if there is a market for compost. Thus a better understanding of the process, benefits to the environment and public education can promote the practice of composting at least in cities where sites and skilled manpower are available, and marketscan be developed. It is also essential to provide basic training and education of workers in technical, health, and safety aspects.
        BMP can compost garden and park waste to reduce wastes for final disposal. Many resident associations in Bangalore have set up their own composting plants. Waste Wise Project of Mythri Foundation and the Centre for Environment Education has set up small scale vermicomposting plants for providing fertilisers in local parks. Biogasification is an excellent option in handling the organic wastes. Once the MSW is segregated into fermentable and non-fermentable fractions, even at a >90% efficiency of sorting, MSW becomes amenable for biogas production.
        Biogasification has several advantages such as net energy output as well as low odour emissions during treatment. Digested material, compost, with or without a post-composting stage, is safe for disposal as manure. A study carried out at ASTRA, IISc revealed that plug flow digestersare very good for biogasification of MSW as it is anexcellentfeedstock for biogas production and has a very high gas production (both gas production rate as well as specific gas production) to warrant viable decentralized treatment by anaerobic fermentation to biogas. It also requiresvery little pretreatment.

Promoting the safe disposal of wastes:
Wastes are either burnt or dumped in open spaces. These practices should be abolished,as they are deleterious to human health and the environment. Landfilling occupies the lowest rung in integrated waste management.However land filling of waste is a better option than dumping wastes in open spaces.It relieson containment rather than treatment (for control) of wastes.The purpose of land filling is to bury or alter the chemical composition of the wastes so that they do not pose any threat to the environment or public health. Land fills are not homogenous and are usually made up of cells in which a discrete volume of waste is kept isolated from adjacent waste cells by a suitable barrier. Commonly used barrier is a layer of natural soil (clay), which restricts downward or lateral escape of the waste constituents or leachate.Sanitary landfilling normally has a double liner to prevent leaching into the groundwater. Appropriate run-off controls, leachate collection and treatment, liners for protection of the groundwater(from contaminatedleachate), biogasrecovery mechanism (due to anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes landfill gas contains high percentage of methane),monitoring wells, and appropriate final cover design constitute integral components of an environmentallysoundsanitary landfill. Proper and regular monitoring shouldbe done at landfill sites.


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