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Waste is regarded as any unuseful or unwanted material that can’t function anymore. Waste can be in the form of solids, liquids, or gases though generally, it is solid. Wastes can be of various types like torn clothes, unwanted food, kitchen waste, etc. Waste generation and its disposal has started to become something to be worried about due to the increase in population, the difference in our consumption patterns and lifestyles, expansion of industries, commercial infrastructures, communication, and the heavy use of the current technology. Waste management has become a serious challenge as if left unchecked, it can lead to major health-related and environmental problems. In this chapter, we will discuss the various types of waste and their sources.
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Key Terms: Waste management, agricultural waste, landfill, liquid waste, biogas
What is waste?
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Waste is referred to a substance that is discarded after its primary use and not used afterward. We generate a large amount of waste every day. For instance, the wrappers of the food that we eat and throw away, contribute to the generation of waste. The problem of waste has troubled us since the time of the Industrial Revolution. Technology has created automated machines, which in turn have had a major impact on our environment. Waste accumulation affects the planet adversely from non-biodegradable plastics to CFCs that destroy the ozone layer. By recognizing the type of waste, you can identify the sources of various wastes and therefore take steps to manage it further.
Types of Waste
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In general, waste can be divided into the following categories:
- Solid Waste
Solid Waste refers to the unwanted substances that are thrown away by human society. These include industrial, biomedical, radioactive, municipal, and agricultural waste.
- Liquid Waste
Liquid Waste refers to the waste generated by industrial cleaning, discharge, or manufacturing processes.
- Gaseous Waste
Gaseous Waste is the one that is released in the form of gas from the combustion of fossil fuels such as factories, automobiles, or petroleum. They mix with other gases in the atmosphere and can lead to smog and acid rain.
Sources of Waste
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Waste generation is an essential element of everyday human life. A variety of sources can produce waste. Daily necessities such as food waste, used plastic bags, soda cans, water bottles, broken furniture, broken utensils, and clothes make up for waste from various sources. The various kinds of sources of wastes are listed below.
- Construction or Demolition waste
Concrete debris, wood, large packaging cabinets, and plastic building materials are made up of construction waste that results from the construction of roads and buildings.
Demolition of old buildings and structures also produces waste, which is called demolition waste.
- Commercial Waste
Commercial waste refers to waste from commerce or commercial enterprises. With the advancement of modern cities, industries, and automobiles, commercial enterprises routinely generate large amounts of waste. This includes food, disposable medical products, textiles, and more. Garbage and waste from restaurants, hotels, markets, or offices are all commercial waste. Industrial waste and household waste are not included in this category. Paper, food, plastic, glass, tissue, and even toxins are examples of commercial waste.
- Household Waste
Household Waste is garbage that is taken out of the home. Household waste can be organic or inorganic. Food, plastic, cardboard, rubber, metal, paper, wood, materials, chemicals, and more are regarded as this type of waste. Most food waste generated at home is organic. Batteries, electronics, and metals are inorganic wastes. Disposable mattresses and furniture are important elements of household waste. In the absence of proper recycling, a mattress might clog badly in the landfill. Chemicals in household cleaners contribute to the pollution of water resources.
Origins of Waste
- Medical or Clinical Waste
Waste generated in medical facilities such as hospitals, clinics, operating rooms, veterinary hospitals, and laboratories is called clinical/medical waste. These include surgical supplies, medicines, blood, body parts, wound dressings, needles, and syringes.
- Agricultural Waste
Agricultural waste refers to waste generated by agricultural activities. Waste generated by agricultural activities such as horticulture, livestock, vegetable fields, and saplings is called agricultural waste. Waste generated includes empty pesticide containers, old silage packages, obsolete medicines, used tires, extra milk, cocoa pods, and wheat husks.
Chemicals from fertilizer plants, crop waste from agricultural activities, and fertilizer spills from fields are different types of agricultural waste. It also contains waste from slaughterhouses, poultry farms, feedlots, vineyards, dairy farms, and agricultural farms. Fertilizer spills are an important source of waste that significantly pollutes local water sources, soil, and the sea (via other bodies of water). Pesticides and chemicals can also cause agricultural waste.
- Industrial Waste
The waste from manufacturing and processing industries such as chemical plants, cement factories, power plants, textile industries, food processing industries, and petroleum industries is known as Industrial Waste.
The industrial waste can take the form of solids, liquids, or gases. But when we talk about industrial waste, it is usually solid. Sources of industrial waste are power plants, metal processing industries, cement factories, steel manufacturing industries, leather product units, food packaging, chemicals, transportation equipment, resins, plastics, and paper. Even water treatment plants produce industrial waste.
It also includes metals, chemicals, plastics, demolition materials, medical waste, ash, packaging and other hazardous materials. Industrial sludge contains toxins that are harmful to the environment.
- Electronic Waste
DVDs, music players, TVs, phones, computers, vacuum cleaners, and all other household appliances that are no longer useful are electronic waste. It is also known as e-waste and some e-waste (such as televisions) contains lead, mercury, and cadmium, which are harmful to humans and the environment.
- Chemical Waste
The chemical waste contains all of the waste consisting of a chemical substance. Sources include industry, farms, commercial enterprises, and even housing. Cleaners and coolants are examples of household chemical waste.
If the waste is not recycled properly, both industrial and household batteries can be harmful. TV tubes, computers, and electrical appliance components contain chemicals that can cause chemical contamination. Lead and mercury from electronic components can seep into the soil and increase its toxicity in the soil and water
- Mining Waste
Mining activities might alter the physical and chemical properties of the land and the atmosphere. Waste includes overloaded material, mine debris (waste left over after ore is extracted from rock), and harmful gases released by blasting.
- Radioactive Waste
Sources of radioactive waste include nuclear reactors, extraction of radioactive materials, and atomic explosions.
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Waste Management
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Waste management is done in order to ensure that all types of waste and garbage are collected, transported, and disposed off properly. At times, it may include recycling waste so that it can be used again.
Waste management
Some of the processes through which waste can be disposed are:
- Incineration: Combusting waste in a controlled manner to minimize incombustible matter like waste gas and ash.
- Waste Compaction: Waste materials are compacted in blocks and are further sent away for the purpose of recycling.
- Landfill: Waste that can’t be recycled or reused can be thinly spread out in the low-lying areas of the city.
- Composting: Decay of organic material over time by microorganisms.
- Biogas Generation: With the help of fungi, bacteria, and microbes, biodegradable waste is converted to biogas in bio-degradation plants.
- Vermicomposting: Transforming the organic waste into nutrient-rich manure by degradation through worms.
Read more : Ecology and Environment
Things to Remember
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- Any unuseful or unwanted material can be classified as waste.
- Waste can be in the form of liquids, solids, or gases.
- Waste generation is an essential element of everyday human life. A variety of sources can produce waste.
- Most food waste generated at home is organic. Batteries, electronics, and metals however are inorganic wastes.
- If the waste is not recycled properly, both industrial and household batteries can be harmful.
- TV tubes, computers, and electrical appliance components contain chemicals that can cause chemical contamination.
- Lead and mercury from electronic components can seep into the soil and increase its toxicity in the soil and water.
Previous Year Questions
- Gas released during Bhopal tragedy was… [NEET 1990]
- Global agreement in specific control strategies to reduce the release of ozone depleting substances was adopted by... [NEET 2009]
- Global warming can be controlled by...[NEET 2013]
- High value of BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) indicates that...[NEET 2015]
- Kyoto Protocol was endorsed at..[NEET 2013]
- Lead concentration in blood is considered alarming if it is...[NEET 2004]
- MAB stands for... [NEET 1997]
- Major aerosol pollutant in jet plane emission is...[NEET 1990]
- Ultraviolet radiations from sunlight causes a reaction that produces...[NEET 1993]
- What is the intensity of sound in normal conversation?….[NEET 2001]
- Which of the following are most suitable indicators of SO2 pollution in the environment?…[NEET 2015]
- World Ozone Day is celebrated on...[NEET 2018]
- Which one of the following statement is not valid for aerosols?...[NEET2017]
- Which one of the following is a wrong statement...[NEET 1980]
- Which one of the following gases contributes maximum to the 'green house effect' on the earth?...[NEET 1994]
- Which one is not a pollutant normally?...[NEET 1992]
- Which of the following statements about ozone is correct?...[NEET 2019]
- Which of the following pairs of gases is mainly responsible for green house effect?...[NEET 2019]
Sample Questions
Ques. Why should we segregate different types of wastes? [3 marks ]
Ans. Different types of waste have different treatment methods.
For example, some are contaminated with biohazard and toxic substances, so they are treated differently.
Household waste offers the opportunity to recycle some materials, but because of the different treatments, paper, plastic and metal need to be separated.
In addition, some garden waste can be composted and separated again.
When recycling is done, it is not clear what materials could be recycled economically, so separate all trash. Hence, recyclable waste should be separated from those that can only be incinerated or buried.
Ques. What could be some waste disposal techniques? [2 marks ]
Ans. There are six effective waste treatment methods as listed below:
- Prevent or reduce waste generation
- Combustion
- Compost
- Sanitary landfill
- Sea Disposal
- Plasma gasification
Ques. What types of waste disposal technologies are there for landfills? [2 marks ]
Ans. The most common are cell/bottom landfills with repair and gas recovery systems. Pale coal is collected and processed on-site or collected for processing at another facility. It is also necessary to capture the gas, some of which can be used as an energy source.
Ques. What type of waste are batteries? [2 marks ]
Ans. Batteries are unique and specific types of waste that must be disposed of specifically and individually. For example, it is different from waste electrical equipment (AEE).
Ques. What types of waste cannot be recycled?[2 marks ]
Ans. The most complex waste to handle is juice boxes and other containers containing multiple materials (plastic, paper, aluminium foil, silicone coatings), chemically treated objects (preserved wood, flame-retardant materials, etc.), and compositions that contain toxic substances (silicone, paints, cleaners, construction materials, etc.)
Ques. What is industrial waste? [3 marks ]
Ans. The waste from manufacturing and processing industries such as chemical plants, cement factories, power plants, textile industries, food processing industries, and petroleum industries is known as Industrial Waste.
- The industrial waste can take the form of solids, liquids, or gases. But when we talk about industrial waste, it is usually solid.
- It also includes metals, chemicals, plastics, demolition materials, medical waste, ash, packaging, and other hazardous materials.
- Industrial sludge contains toxins that are harmful to the environment.
- Sources of industrial waste are power plants, metal processing industries, cement factories, steel manufacturing industries, leather product units, food packaging, chemicals, transportation equipment, resins, plastics, and paper.
- Even water treatment plants produce industrial waste.
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