Question

In this unit, you became familiar with sources of municipal solid waste (MSW), beneficial uses of MSW, and MSW landfills.

For this assignment, you will write an essay that addresses the components listed below.

• Discuss the sources and beneficial uses of municipal solid waste.
• Describe the differences between garbage, rubbish, and trash.
• Elaborate on the four characteristics of optimum routing of MSW collection trucks.
• Explain the purpose of transfer stations.
• Provide two positive and two negative aspects of incinerators.
• Describe the purpose of composting.
• Discuss four differences between dumps and landfills.
• Address the following question: If each person in a city of 20,000 people generates 5 pounds per day of MSW, how many pounds of MSW are generated in a year in the city?
• Address the following question: In a different city, if the landfill volume required per year is 300,000 m3, and the average fill depth is 15 m, what is the required landfill area (m2) per year?

Your essay should flow smoothly from topic to topic with thoughtful transitions. It should be at least three pages in length, not counting the references page; a title page is optional.

Answer 1

Municipal solid waste are unwanted substances released from various municipal activities like construction demolition,landscaping etc. The wastes are generally classified based on sources and types.The sources of municipal solid waste are wastes from residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and construction demolition wastes. Types of wastes include garbage ,trash, Rubbish, organic wastes etc. Generally on considering types of wastes main confusion arises between three terms garbage, trash and rubbish.Garbage is food waste which can be degraded and disposed.Rubbish is a dry material only like glass, paper, wood etc. finally trash is rubbish itself having bulky substances like couches, old refrigerators etc. Solid waste management includes four steps namely waste generation,storage, collection, transfer and transport of waste. Collection process whose effeciency is ensured by providing effective routing of collection truck which is known as optimal routing.This routing reduces distance, time and cost like parameters. Next step of transfer and transport is effectively performed with the help of certain elements like transfer station. it is a processing site or temporary waste deposition site where collection vehicles stop to deposit waste cargo before transferring to larger vehicles.Its purpose is to connect waste collection and final disposal sites.The final waste disposal activities are done with the help of certain techniques like incineration, composting etc.Incineration is burning of wastes.It is beneficial in reducing waste volume and quantity, reducing pollution, production of energy, effective metal recycling etc.As the two sides of same coin it is having certain demerits like high expense, pollution, long term problems, ash production.Composting is another effective waste disposal method .Whose purpose is to increase fertility of the soil. So that over use of chemical fertilizers can be reduced.While considering this disposal of waste there may be confusion between two terms dump and lanfil. They are different.Dump is a piece of land excavated to store waste. whereas landfil is waste storage excavated land itself but under government rules and regulations.Dumps are hazardous compared to landfil.Dump is smaller area compared to landfills.Dump does not collect leachates like landfills.

• No of people in a city =20000, waste generated per day =5 pounds.

Waste generated in a year in a city = no of population* waste generated* 365

=20000*5*365= 36500000 pounds.

• landfil volume=300000m3, Depth = 15 m.Volume = area *depth

Therefore area = volume/ depth

Area =300000/15= 20000.