97
5.3.4 Transportation
Transportation operation of solid waste involves several steps that are necessary for
proper disposal. In India, the transportation system for solid waste management
generally involves two stages: first is the transportation of the collected waste from
a doorstep community bin or smaller collection vehicle to larger transport equipment. Secondly, the waste is transported usually over long distances to the disposal
or recycling site. The waste is thrown on streets transported by hand-cart trolley to
the nearby open dumps or to community bins, or directly by tractor trolley to the
out-skirt of the city. Municipal workers then collect waste from collection points
(open dumping spaces or bins) into various vehicles including tractors and ox-carts
which is then hauled to disposal sites (Vij 2012). Transportation of waste is done
mainly through the tractor-trailers or open trucks. These vehicles are often loaded
manually. The frequency of collection of wastes and the number of transport vehicles are inadequate. Poor maintenance of transportation vehicles and machineries
result in a large percentage of vehicles remaining off roads. Moreover, workshop
facilities are inadequate for maintaining vehicles and other machines (Supreme
Court of India 1999). In addition, use of open trucks and overloading of vehicles
results in littering of waste during transportation and due to improper handling the
segregated constituents get mixed up again mainly during open transportation.
Moreover, lack of appropriate collection routes and often unavailability of collection vehicles cause problems in the waste management system in Indian ULBs
(Ahmad et al. 2015; Panda et al. 2014).
5.3.5 Disposal of Waste
Disposal of waste is a burning issue facing India today since about 90% of waste is
currently disposed of by open dumping. The waste is disposed at a common disposal centre and often in low-lying areas without taking proper precautions or operational controls (Narayana 2009; MoUD 2005). Even in small municipalities, there
are no notified dumpsites (Asnani 2006). As cities are growing in size with a rise in
the population, the increasing amount of waste is becoming unmanageable. The
methods adopted for the disposal of waste by ULBs are open dumps, landfills, sanitary landfills. Waste disposal in India simply involves rounding up the waste from
different parts of the city and dumping everything in a landfill. Generally, once a
landfill is completely occupied, a new landfill is identified in a different part of the
city (Banerjee 2016). But India’s landfills are bursting at the seams and overflowing
with items that should not be thrown in the trash (Hanrahan 2006). As a result, most
of them are brimming and are way past their limit. At many landfill sites, open burning is done without segregation of wastes into biodegradable and non-degradable
(Kansal 2002). This leads to the release of toxic gases that cause acute respiratory
diseases and environmental degradation. The Energy Research Institute estimates
5 Environmental Pollution and Municipal Solid Waste Management in India
5.3.4 Transportation
Transportation operation of solid waste involves several steps that are necessary for
proper disposal. In India, the transportation system for solid waste management
generally involves two stages: first is the transportation of the collected waste from
a doorstep community bin or smaller collection vehicle to larger transport equipment. Secondly, the waste is transported usually over long distances to the disposal
or recycling site. The waste is thrown on streets transported by hand-cart trolley to
the nearby open dumps or to community bins, or directly by tractor trolley to the
out-skirt of the city. Municipal workers then collect waste from collection points
(open dumping spaces or bins) into various vehicles including tractors and ox-carts
which is then hauled to disposal sites (Vij 2012). Transportation of waste is done
mainly through the tractor-trailers or open trucks. These vehicles are often loaded
manually. The frequency of collection of wastes and the number of transport vehicles are inadequate. Poor maintenance of transportation vehicles and machineries
result in a large percentage of vehicles remaining off roads. Moreover, workshop
facilities are inadequate for maintaining vehicles and other machines (Supreme
Court of India 1999). In addition, use of open trucks and overloading of vehicles
results in littering of waste during transportation and due to improper handling the
segregated constituents get mixed up again mainly during open transportation.
Moreover, lack of appropriate collection routes and often unavailability of collection vehicles cause problems in the waste management system in Indian ULBs
(Ahmad et al. 2015; Panda et al. 2014).
5.3.5 Disposal of Waste
Disposal of waste is a burning issue facing India today since about 90% of waste is
currently disposed of by open dumping. The waste is disposed at a common disposal centre and often in low-lying areas without taking proper precautions or operational controls (Narayana 2009; MoUD 2005). Even in small municipalities, there
are no notified dumpsites (Asnani 2006). As cities are growing in size with a rise in
the population, the increasing amount of waste is becoming unmanageable. The
methods adopted for the disposal of waste by ULBs are open dumps, landfills, sanitary landfills. Waste disposal in India simply involves rounding up the waste from
different parts of the city and dumping everything in a landfill. Generally, once a
landfill is completely occupied, a new landfill is identified in a different part of the
city (Banerjee 2016). But India’s landfills are bursting at the seams and overflowing
with items that should not be thrown in the trash (Hanrahan 2006). As a result, most
of them are brimming and are way past their limit. At many landfill sites, open burning is done without segregation of wastes into biodegradable and non-degradable
(Kansal 2002). This leads to the release of toxic gases that cause acute respiratory
diseases and environmental degradation. The Energy Research Institute estimates
5 Environmental Pollution and Municipal Solid Waste Management in India