6.2.1 Types of Waste
6.2.1.1 Solid Waste
Any unwanted material, discarded by human activities, that can neither flow easily in
the water streams and nor escapes into the atmosphere immediately in the gaseous
form is called as solid waste.The quantity and characteristics of solid waste generation depends upon a place, season, climate, social behavior, income source, population size, etc.
They can be classified into two categories by its characteristics, namely:
(1) Biodegradable and (2) nonbiodegradable waste
1. Biodegradable waste: Those solid wastes that can be easily degraded are called
biodegradable waste. They are generally organic in nature which originated from
living beings like plants and animals. Example of biodegradable solid waste
includes agricultural waste, animal waste, food waste, paper waste, etc.
2. Nonbiodegradable waste: Those solid wastes that cannot be degraded are
known as nonbiodegradable waste. They are inorganic in nature. They create
environmental problems if they are not managed properly. They stay in the
environment for a longer period of time. Example of nonbiodegradable solid
waste includes plastics, metals, glass, thermocoa etc.
6.2.1.2 Liquid Waste
Wastes that are produced in the form of liquid are called liquid wastes. Wastewater
generally originates from two sources: (1) domestic wastewater from gray water,
toilets, and other domestic activities and (2) industrial wastewater, generated by
industries during the normal course of activity, which often relies on the local
sewerage systems for waste processing. Therefore, they mainly consist of
Waste
Solid
Liquid
Biodegradable
Non-biodegradable
Domestic sewage
Industrial Effluent
-Agricultural waste, -plastics,
-Animal waste,etc
-glass, etc
Fig. 6.1 Classification of waste
90
S. I. Singh et al.
6.2.1.1 Solid Waste
Any unwanted material, discarded by human activities, that can neither flow easily in
the water streams and nor escapes into the atmosphere immediately in the gaseous
form is called as solid waste.The quantity and characteristics of solid waste generation depends upon a place, season, climate, social behavior, income source, population size, etc.
They can be classified into two categories by its characteristics, namely:
(1) Biodegradable and (2) nonbiodegradable waste
1. Biodegradable waste: Those solid wastes that can be easily degraded are called
biodegradable waste. They are generally organic in nature which originated from
living beings like plants and animals. Example of biodegradable solid waste
includes agricultural waste, animal waste, food waste, paper waste, etc.
2. Nonbiodegradable waste: Those solid wastes that cannot be degraded are
known as nonbiodegradable waste. They are inorganic in nature. They create
environmental problems if they are not managed properly. They stay in the
environment for a longer period of time. Example of nonbiodegradable solid
waste includes plastics, metals, glass, thermocoa etc.
6.2.1.2 Liquid Waste
Wastes that are produced in the form of liquid are called liquid wastes. Wastewater
generally originates from two sources: (1) domestic wastewater from gray water,
toilets, and other domestic activities and (2) industrial wastewater, generated by
industries during the normal course of activity, which often relies on the local
sewerage systems for waste processing. Therefore, they mainly consist of
Waste
Solid
Liquid
Biodegradable
Non-biodegradable
Domestic sewage
Industrial Effluent
-Agricultural waste, -plastics,
-Animal waste,etc
-glass, etc
Fig. 6.1 Classification of waste
90
S. I. Singh et al.