Open Dumps
These landfills are the most common means of waste disposal in developing
countries where the waste is dumped into a low-lying area.
Semicontrolled landfills: In these types of landfills, the waste is covered with the
covering layer to prevent the nuisance, but these are not engineered to collect and
manage the toxic leachate and gases.
Sanitary or Secure Landfills
According to Narayana (2009), landfills having the provisions for control and proper
management of gases and leachate from the waste decomposition are called sanitary
or secure landfills. This type of landfill is considered to be the safest of all the three
types of landfills, but its construction and management are costly. This type of
landfill is mostly used in developed countries. The gases from the landfill are mainly
composed of methane, carbon dioxide, and a small amount of some other
non-methane organic compounds. Among them, methane is considered to be the
most potent greenhouse gas, i.e., 28–36 times greater than carbon dioxide. This
mixture of landfill gas is collected and processed which is ultimately used for energy
generation.
6.3.1.4 Composting
It is considered to be one of the most preferred methods in solid waste management.
Composting is one of the biological decompositions of organic waste under controlled conditions. It can be either aerobic (presence of oxygen) or anaerobic process
(absence of oxygen). In aerobic composting, organic waste is consumed by aerobic
thermophilic and mesophilic microorganisms which convert them into mineralized
products such as carbon dioxide, water, ammonia, and relatively stable organic end
product. The end product of composting is called compost which is a stable, humusrich, and complex mixture that helps in improving the physical properties of soil and
is a rich source of nutrients for plants (Watteau and Villemin 2011). Anaerobic
composting is a low-temperature process as a result of which it leaves weed seeds
and various pathogens intact. Anaerobic composting takes a longer time than aerobic
composting. There are different factors that affect the process aerobic composting
which include temperature, moisture, nutrients, aeration, and pH and C/N ratio.
According to López-González et al. (2015), to provide an optimum environment for
microorganisms to degrade the organic waste, the above factors are regulated and
controlled. In this method, addition of organic material is provided to act as nutrient
media for the growth of the microbial population. It can be used as an alternative to
landfilling. The final compost obtained can be used as manure.
6 Vermitechnology: A Sustainable Approach in the Management of Solid and Liquid. . .
93
These landfills are the most common means of waste disposal in developing
countries where the waste is dumped into a low-lying area.
Semicontrolled landfills: In these types of landfills, the waste is covered with the
covering layer to prevent the nuisance, but these are not engineered to collect and
manage the toxic leachate and gases.
Sanitary or Secure Landfills
According to Narayana (2009), landfills having the provisions for control and proper
management of gases and leachate from the waste decomposition are called sanitary
or secure landfills. This type of landfill is considered to be the safest of all the three
types of landfills, but its construction and management are costly. This type of
landfill is mostly used in developed countries. The gases from the landfill are mainly
composed of methane, carbon dioxide, and a small amount of some other
non-methane organic compounds. Among them, methane is considered to be the
most potent greenhouse gas, i.e., 28–36 times greater than carbon dioxide. This
mixture of landfill gas is collected and processed which is ultimately used for energy
generation.
6.3.1.4 Composting
It is considered to be one of the most preferred methods in solid waste management.
Composting is one of the biological decompositions of organic waste under controlled conditions. It can be either aerobic (presence of oxygen) or anaerobic process
(absence of oxygen). In aerobic composting, organic waste is consumed by aerobic
thermophilic and mesophilic microorganisms which convert them into mineralized
products such as carbon dioxide, water, ammonia, and relatively stable organic end
product. The end product of composting is called compost which is a stable, humusrich, and complex mixture that helps in improving the physical properties of soil and
is a rich source of nutrients for plants (Watteau and Villemin 2011). Anaerobic
composting is a low-temperature process as a result of which it leaves weed seeds
and various pathogens intact. Anaerobic composting takes a longer time than aerobic
composting. There are different factors that affect the process aerobic composting
which include temperature, moisture, nutrients, aeration, and pH and C/N ratio.
According to López-González et al. (2015), to provide an optimum environment for
microorganisms to degrade the organic waste, the above factors are regulated and
controlled. In this method, addition of organic material is provided to act as nutrient
media for the growth of the microbial population. It can be used as an alternative to
landfilling. The final compost obtained can be used as manure.
6 Vermitechnology: A Sustainable Approach in the Management of Solid and Liquid. . .
93