Waste prevention; classifications, handling and control measures

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What is waste?

Wastes are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or it is worthless, defective and of no use. For example; Municipal waste includes household waste,

commercial waste, and demolition waste Hazardous waste includes industrial waste Biomedical waste includes clinical waste Special hazardous waste includes

radioactive waste, explosive waste, and electronic waste (e-waste)

Generally, waste could be liquid or solid waste. Both of them could be hazardous or non hazardous. Liquid and solid waste types can also be grouped into organic, re-usable and recyclable waste.Liquid type:• Some solid waste can also be converted to a liquid waste form for disposal. It

includes point source and non-point source discharges such as storm water and wastewater. Examples of liquid waste include wash water from homes, liquids used for cleaning in industries and waste detergents.

Solid type:• Solid waste predominantly, is any garbage, refuse or rubbish that we make in

our homes and other places. These include old car tires, old newspapers, broken furniture and even food waste. They may include any waste that is non-liquid.

• Hazardous type: Organic type:• Organic waste comes from plants or animals sources. Commonly, they include

food waste, fruit and vegetable peels, flower trimmings and even dog poop can be classified as organic waste. They are biodegradable.

Recyclable type:• These are Wastes that can be potentially recycled. Aluminum products (like

soda, milk and tomato cans), Plastics (grocery shopping bags, plastic bottles), Glass products (like wine and beer bottles, broken glass), Paper products (used envelopes, newspapers and magazines, cardboard boxes) can be recycled and fall into this category.

Local problems with waste

Many countries either do not have appropriate regulations, or do not enforce them. Local problems with Waste accumulation in an area is due to the following;• Inadequate training in proper waste management, • Absence of waste management and disposal

systems, • Insufficient financial and human resources • Uncontrolled dumping• Significant litter• Limited recycling and,• Limited education knowledge amongst population

Waste prevention• Waste prevention means reducing the amount of waste generated, reducing the

hazardous content of that waste and reducing its impact on the environment. • It is based on a simple concept: If you create less waste, you consume fewer

resources so you don't have to spend as much money to recycle or dispose of your waste. For instance, repairing your old bicycle instead of buying a new one is a perfect way to reduce waste.• It is also important to note that individuals and businesses can often save a

significant amount of money through waste prevention: waste that never gets created doesn't have management costs (handling, transporting, treating and disposing of waste). Waste prevention offers the greatest environmental benefits and provides substantial cost savings to organizations.

Pre waste prevention EUPrevention is better than cure. 2013

Waste prevention

• Waste prevention includes strict avoidance of waste generation, qualitative and quantitative reduction at source, and reuse of products. It does not include recycling of materials and separate waste collection.

Reduce • Businesses can often modify their current practices to reduce the amounts of

waste generated by changing the design, manufacture, purchase, or use of materials or products.

ReuseReuse of products and packaging prolongs the useful life of these materials, thus delaying final disposal or recycling. Reuse is the repair, refurbishing, washing, or just simple recovery of worn or used products, appliances, furniture, and building materials for internal reuse.

Waste management hierarchy

The hierarchy ranks the various management strategies from most to least environmentally preferred. The hierarchy places emphasis on reducing, reusing, and recycling as key to sustainable materials management. The evaluation of processes that protect the environment alongside resource and energy consumption to most favorable to least favorable actions. The hierarchy establishes preferred program priorities based on sustainability. To be sustainable, waste management cannot be solved only with technical end-of-pipe solutions and an integrated approach is necessary. The waste management hierarchy indicates an order of preference for action to reduce and manage waste

Waste management hierarchy and Homeland Security Incidents Environmental Protection Agency

Waste management hierarchy

Waste management Hierarchy

• The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste. The proper application of the waste hierarchy can have several benefits. It can help prevent emissions of greenhouse gases, reduces pollutants, save energy, conserves resources, create jobs and stimulate the development of green technologies

Handling and Storage of wastes

As has already been stated (Developing a hazardous waste policy and strategy) there is a need for a structured hazardous waste management system. In the simplest form, a hazardous waste management system comprises three units: • Storage upon generation• Collection and transportation• Final treatment and disposalDifferent materials have to be handled in different ways, and may have special storage requirements. For this reason proper identification and labelling of materials is essential, and is likely to represent the difference between a safe hazardous waste management system and a dangerous one. Correct handling, storage, packaging and labelling are vital if accidents are to be avoided and the environment is to be protected.

Typical storage considerations may include temperature, ignition control, ventilation, segregation and identification. Proper segregation is necessary to prevent incompatible materials from inadvertently coming into contact. If incompatible materials were to come into contact, fire, explosion, violent reactions or toxic gases could result. Hazardous wastes must be kept in containers, tanks and bags or boxes that have the following properties;

• Inert-will not react with contents is impervious to attack from contents • Robust and able to absorb impact• Good condition- free of leaks, structural defects or rust, clean• Able to be kept closed except when waste material being added or removed• Contents will not escape in normal handling• Suitable for quantity/volume of wastes - not over filled

Waste transportation

Before waste can be moved from homes and businesses to a landfill, be burned in an incinerator to make energy, or be recycled or treated, it needs to be properly and safely packaged for transportation

The waste collector / transporter must:• Ensure all vehicles are constructed to prevent spillages• Ensure all containers are well secured on the vehicle• Have insurance to pay for clean-up in the event of an accident• Incompatible wastes are not to be mixed

Waste handling

Transport of waste in uncovered lorries posing a hygiene risk

Mitigation measures • Education and awareness in the area of waste and waste management is

increasingly important from a global perspective of resource management• Energy recovery from waste is using non-recyclable waste materials and

extracting from it heat, electricity, or energy through a variety of processes, including combustion, gasification, pyrolyzation, and anaerobic digestion. This process is referred to as waste-to-energy. .

• The economic costs of managing waste are high, and are often paid for by municipal governments; money can often be saved with more efficiently designed collection routes, modifying vehicles, and with public education. Environmental policies such as “pay as you throw” can reduce the cost of management and reduce waste quantities.

“International Waste Activities.” 2003. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 12 Oct 2009. epa.gov

Mitigation measures continue

• Development and implementation of laws that control waste disposal• The government should organize regular programs to collect household rubbish

which is potentially hazardous, e.g. paints, oils, expired pharmaceuticals• Segregation reduces the risk of waste being incorrectly classified and ensures that

the correct procedures are followed from the point of generation through to final disposal.( Environmental Standards, Waste Handling and Storage PME, article iii)

Mitigation measures

• Liquids must be kept separate from solid wastes, and non-hazardous and inert waste must be segregated from hazardous wastes, so as to create effective segregation systems to:

i) prevent unwanted or potentially dangerous reactions; ii) Reduce the rate of accidental exposure to potentially hazardous substances;iii) Ease handling and disposing of wastes;iv) Increase the diversion of waste for the purposes of recycling.v) Keep the cost of waste disposal to a minimum.

References

• Environmental Standards, Waste Handling and Storage PME, article iii

• Prevention is better than cure. 2013• pre waste prevention EU• International Waste Activities.” 2003. U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency. 12 Oct 2009. epa.gov• Waste management hierarchy and Homeland Security Incidents

Environmental Protection Agency