complex task. Considerations need to take place on several
levels simultaneously: local-regional-national-international
each with different priorities. And private sector interests also
need to be considered.
for results that can work with the local constraints and
site-specific conditions. There is no zero waste option. It is
pointless to plan and design the `perfect' technical system if it
cannot be practically implemented.
common waste type (MSW from residential and commercial
premises) must evaluate how each management scenario
affects the entire management chain. This means looking at
how the various components fit together: storage, collection,
transfer, treatment, and final disposal.
together, each with freedom to sway with the difficult bends,
but which ultimately stay together without coming off the
rails. The potential solution can be achieved through the
Integrated Waste Management Hierarchy (illustrated below).
The ideal result would promote a unified approach to meet
the community needs.
All communities generally oppose the siting
of a landfill and other SWM facilities in their
neighborhood. The protest is known as the Not in My
Backyard syndrome. Landfills are subsequently sited
in places where wind-blown waste, odor and gases,
leachate, and increased traffic have minimal impact
on adjacent communities.
material generated by humans. The technical
and environmental challenges it poses can only
be resolved through a clear understanding of
appropriate treatment and disposal technologies.
These technologies consider origin (residential,
commercial), type (municipal, construction),
composition (organics, plastics and other recyclables),
and chemical and physical properties (density,
moisture content, calorific value).
characterization surveys and laboratory analyses
should be repeated seasonally, accounting for
numerous changes. For example, organic/moisture
content increase during the summer months because
people eat more fruit and vegetables. Also, one tends
to find more plastics in developed communities,
rather than in rural areas.
samples from many neighborhoods. Another potential
bias comes from the fact that a lot of recyclable waste
is separated at source by peddlers and scavengers
who seize plastics and metals before the waste
reaches the collection vehicles.
question remains: