In: Civil Engineering
Compare the as discarded energy content for wastes A and C in
Waste
Waste is defined as any substance which is discarded after primary use or is worthless, defective and of no use.
Waste can become a by-product, joint product or resource through an invention that raises a waste product's value above zero.
Types of waste are-
(i)Municipal waste includes household waste, commercial waste and demolition waste.
(ii)Hazardous waste includes industrial waste.
(iii)Biomedical waste includes clinical waste.
(iv)Special hazardous waste includes radioactive waste, explosive waste, electronic waste etc.
Waste management
It is the collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal of waste materials produced by human activity.
It reduces the effect of waste on the environment, health and so on. It can also help to reuse or recycle resources such as paper, cans, glass etc.
Types of waste management includes the disposal of solid, liquid, gaseous or hazardous substances
Disposal methods are-
The main methods of disposing waste materials are landfill and incineration.
Landfill involves burying the waste to get rid of it. If it is done properly then it can be inexpensive and hygienic.
But in some countries landfill method is not carried out because of issues such as wind-blown litter, attraction of vermin and generation of liquid leachate.
Incineration method involves the combustion of waste materials.
In this method the waste material is heated to very high temperatures and is converted into materials such as heat, gas, steam and ash.
It can be done on a small scale by individual people such as in a fire and also done on a much larger scale by an industry.
But it is a controversial method of waste disposal because of the potential emission of gaseous pollutants.
Recycling methods
It refers to the reuse or recovery of materials that would normally be considered waste.
The methods of recycling are physical reprocessing, biological reprocessing and energy recovery.
The most common methods of recycling is physical reprocessing.
It is a method of taking waste materials such as empty beverage containers and using the material to create new materials.
The materials such as plants, food scraps and paper products can also be decomposed into organic matter.
Organic matter is produced from this type of recycling can then be used for things such as landscaping or for agricultural uses.
This method of recycling is done by putting the materials in a dedicated container until they decompose.
Energy recovery method harnesses directly and indirectly the combustion fuel and other types of fuel produced from waste.
This types of fuel can be produced by thermal treatment of the waste and used for such as cooking, heating or energy generation.
Avoidance and reduction methods
Avoidance and reduction of waste is a very important part of waste management.
Some methods of avoidance includes the reuse of second hand products, repairing of broken items and using them again and designing products that are reusable.