toxic effects of this waste can be minimized as solid waste are much easier to
segregate on prior basis and use less expensive techniques then required for the
treatment of water or air pollution. Following subsections explains in detail the
impact of solid waste on ecosystem and its treatment.
1.3.4.1 Impact of Solid Waste Pollution
Due to increasing population and rapid industrialization the world is facing some
serious negative impacts from the solid waste. Lack of awareness among people as
well as improper and lenient govt. policies have created a self-granted mindset
among people without realizing the serious toxic impact of such wastes. If on one
side like China, which is the world’s largest global electronics giant is producing
inexpensive but toxic devices by involving the use of heavy metals in their products
at a rapid rate, on other, developing Asian countries like India have become a
dumping ground of these items. As a result, toxic mountains of such solid waste
are a common site in developing countries.
It may be noted that toxic fumes from such dumps not only contaminate our
environment but also it degrades the quality of soil on which it is located to such an
extent that it becomes useless for any agriculture use for centuries. The rain water
seeps through such dumps and percolates into the permeable soil, pollutes the
underground water, and makes it useless for not only consumption but also for
washing and other community activities. It may be noted that not only such big
dump mountains are responsible for increase in pollution but also the dumps at
localized level in urban cities have such implications. This localized dumped waste
pollutes societies and communities and creates an unhygienic environment for
people. The waste gets clogged in sewers and creates a flooding situation during
rains. Also, due to clogging the proper flow of water in sewers is obstructed. The flies
on the dumped waste are the major carrier of diseases, and it is also responsible for
the generation of excess number of mosquitoes.
1.3.4.2 Remediations/Treatment of Solid Waste Pollution
Solid waste can be controlled by various means such as disposal, incineration,
composting, recycling, etc. Disposing the solid waste can be achieved via sanitary
landfills or by incineration. In today’s world of growing population, the compactness
of solid waste in sanitary landfills is crucial, therefore these fills are designed on
impermeable soil. Heavy machinery is required to achieve the required compactness
of solid waste which is then covered with a layer of compact soil for proper disposal
each day. Another method of disposal is incineration, which is the process of burning
the waste within a specified temperature range by the municipal authorities. It may
be noted that using incineration the weight of solid waste may be reduced by 75%
which makes it an effective technique for solid waste disposal. Figure 1.9 displays
the process of incineration. Composting is a technique of decomposition of solid
waste and it generates humus from the organic waste. Such process is beneficial to
generate manure for agriculture.
While composting helps in decomposing organic waste, the nonorganic waste can
be recycled to gain some economic advantage. In today’s era of rapid industrial
1 Environmental Pollution, Its Causes and Impact on Ecosystem
17
segregate on prior basis and use less expensive techniques then required for the
treatment of water or air pollution. Following subsections explains in detail the
impact of solid waste on ecosystem and its treatment.
1.3.4.1 Impact of Solid Waste Pollution
Due to increasing population and rapid industrialization the world is facing some
serious negative impacts from the solid waste. Lack of awareness among people as
well as improper and lenient govt. policies have created a self-granted mindset
among people without realizing the serious toxic impact of such wastes. If on one
side like China, which is the world’s largest global electronics giant is producing
inexpensive but toxic devices by involving the use of heavy metals in their products
at a rapid rate, on other, developing Asian countries like India have become a
dumping ground of these items. As a result, toxic mountains of such solid waste
are a common site in developing countries.
It may be noted that toxic fumes from such dumps not only contaminate our
environment but also it degrades the quality of soil on which it is located to such an
extent that it becomes useless for any agriculture use for centuries. The rain water
seeps through such dumps and percolates into the permeable soil, pollutes the
underground water, and makes it useless for not only consumption but also for
washing and other community activities. It may be noted that not only such big
dump mountains are responsible for increase in pollution but also the dumps at
localized level in urban cities have such implications. This localized dumped waste
pollutes societies and communities and creates an unhygienic environment for
people. The waste gets clogged in sewers and creates a flooding situation during
rains. Also, due to clogging the proper flow of water in sewers is obstructed. The flies
on the dumped waste are the major carrier of diseases, and it is also responsible for
the generation of excess number of mosquitoes.
1.3.4.2 Remediations/Treatment of Solid Waste Pollution
Solid waste can be controlled by various means such as disposal, incineration,
composting, recycling, etc. Disposing the solid waste can be achieved via sanitary
landfills or by incineration. In today’s world of growing population, the compactness
of solid waste in sanitary landfills is crucial, therefore these fills are designed on
impermeable soil. Heavy machinery is required to achieve the required compactness
of solid waste which is then covered with a layer of compact soil for proper disposal
each day. Another method of disposal is incineration, which is the process of burning
the waste within a specified temperature range by the municipal authorities. It may
be noted that using incineration the weight of solid waste may be reduced by 75%
which makes it an effective technique for solid waste disposal. Figure 1.9 displays
the process of incineration. Composting is a technique of decomposition of solid
waste and it generates humus from the organic waste. Such process is beneficial to
generate manure for agriculture.
While composting helps in decomposing organic waste, the nonorganic waste can
be recycled to gain some economic advantage. In today’s era of rapid industrial
1 Environmental Pollution, Its Causes and Impact on Ecosystem
17