MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES 1

Introduction to Environmental Engineering

SOLID WASTES – discarded solid materials from municipal, industrial and agricultural activities.
- wastes not transported by water, that has been rejected for further use.

SOURCES AND TYPES OF SOLID WASTES:

Source Facility Types of Wastes
Domestic - single family dwelling, - food, paper, packagings,
multifamily dwelling, low, glass, metals, ashes, bulky
medium and high rise household wastes, hazardous
apartments household wastes
Commercial - shops, restaurants, markets, - food, paper, packagings,
office buildings, hotels and glass, metals, ashes, bulky
motels, institutions household wastes, hazardous
household wastes
Industrial - fabrication, light and heavy - industrial process wastes,
manufacturing, refineries, metals, lumber, plastics, oils,
chemical plants, mining, hazardous wastes
power generation
Construction and Demolition - soil, concrete, timber, steel,
plastics, glass, vegetation

CHARACTERISTICS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES:

1. Garbage – putrescible food wastes
2. Rubbish – includes the variety of material that may be combustible (paper, plastics
and textiles) or noncombustible (glass and metal).
3. Special Wastes – wastes that are collected on an irregular interval from different
places.
Ex. Construction debris, leaves and street litter, abandoned automobiles and old
appliances.

AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES OF DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES:
Component % by weight
Food Waste 46 %
Ashes and Dust 19 %
Paper and Cardboard 11 %
Plastics 9%
Glass 7%
Metals 5%
Clothing/Textiles 1%
Unclassified 2%
Total 100 %

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COMPOSITION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES:

1. Climate
2. Frequency of collection
3. Prevalence of home garbage grinders
4. Social customs
5. Per capita income
6. Acceptability of packaged and convenience foods
7. Degree of urbanization and industrialization of the area

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

The objective of the solid waste management is to control, collect, process, utilize and
dispose of solid wastes in the most economical way consistent with the protection of public
health and the natural environment and the wishes of those served by the system.

HIERARCHY OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:

1. Source reduction – waste prevention, means consuming and throwing away less.

Environmental Benefits:
 prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases
 reduces pollutants
 saves energy
 conserves resources
 reduces the need for new landfills and combustors

2. Recycling – turns materials that would otherwise become wastes into valuable
resources and generates a host of environmental, financial and social benefits.

Benefits of Recycling:
 conserves resources for our children’s future
 prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants
 supplies valuable raw materials to industry
 creates jobs
 stimulates the development of greener technology
 reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators

Composting – is the controlled biological decomposition of organic matter, such as food and
yarn wastes into humus, a soil-like material.

Organic matter + O2  new cells + CO2 + H2O + NH3 + SO4

* the final product of compost consists of minerals and humus

Benefits of Composting:
 keeps organic wastes out of landfills
 provides nutrients to the soil
 increases beneficial soil organisms (worm and centipedes)
 reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides
 protects soil from erosion

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Recyclable Materials:

 Acid-free paper  Electric vehicle battery  Nickel-metal hydride

 Aggregate (composite)  Electronic waste battery
 Alkaline battery  Enameled wire  Notebook
 Aluminium  Energy recycling  Packaging and labelling
 Artificial turf  File folder  Paper
 Asphalt  Fluorescent lamp  Paperboard
 Battery (electricity)  Fordite  Plastic
 Battery holder  Glass  Plastic bottle
 Beer bottle  Glass Bottles  Plastic mulch
 Beverage can  Graph paper  Plastic shopping bag
 Bioasphalt  Graphite  Polyester
 Biodegradable plastic  Green waste  Polyethylene
 Biodegradable waste  Halogen lamp  Polyethylene
 Book  High-density terephthalate
 Bottle polyethylene  Polystyrene
 Business card  Incandescent light  Polyvinyl chloride
 Button cell bulb  Post-it note
 Car battery  Incinerator bottom ash  Rechargeable alkaline
 Card stock  Inkjet paper battery
 Cardboard  Iron  Rechargeable battery
 Compact fluorescent  Kraft paper  Ruled paper
lamp  Lead  Scrap
 Composition book  Lead-acid battery  Sewage
 Construction aggregate  Lithium battery  Sketchbook
 Copper  Lithium-ion battery  Stainless steel
 Corrugated fiberboard  Loose leaf  Steel
 Corrugated plastic  Low-density  Stretch wrap
 De-inked pulp polyethylene  Textile
 Digger gold  Magazine  Tin can
 Dimension stone  Manila paper  Tire
 Mason jar  Two-liter bottle
 Mayonnaise jar  Wine bottle
 Mercury (element)  Wood-pulp paper
 Mercury battery  Writing paper
 Nickel-cadmium
battery

Recycling of Plastics

Identification Markings on Plastics

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Introduction to Environmental Engineering

Common Types of Plastics that May Be Recycled

Code Number Chemical Name Nickname Typical uses
1 Polyethylene PETE Softdrink bottles,
terephthalate cooking oil bottles,
peanut butter jars
2 High-density HDPE Milk cartons,
polyethylene detergent bottles
3 Polyvinyl chloride PVC plastic pipes, outdoor
furniture, shrink-wrap,
water bottles, salad
dressing, liquid
detergent containers
4 Low-density LDPE Plastic film used for
polyethylene food wrapping, trash
bags, and baby
diapers
5 Polypropylene PP Automobile battery
castings and bottle
caps
6 Polystyrene PS Food packaging, foam
cups and plates, and
eating utensils
7 Mixed Plastic Fence post, benches
and pallets

3. Combustion/Incineration – a chemical process in which the combustible portion

of the waste is combined with oxygen, forming mostly carbon dioxide and water.

Advantages of Incineration:
 it can reduce the total volume of municipal waste by about 95% (the
most effective method to reduce the volume and weight of municipal
solid wastes)
 it can be used to generate electricity

Disadvantages of Incineration:
 it is expensive
 requires high-level technical supervision and skilled employees for proper
orientation and maintenance

Products of Incineration:
 flue gas
 bottom ash – the solid residue remaining in the furnace after the
combustion (glass, metal, fine mineral particles and other unburned
substances)
 fly ash – is carried along in the flue gas that consists mainly of finely
divided particulate matter (cinders, mineral dust and soot)

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1 – Storage Pit
2 – Grabbers
3 – Feed Hoppers
4 – Grates
5 – Stoker Grates (Where the wastes are incinerated)
6 – Ash Discharger
7 – Boiler
8 – Turbine Hall
9 – Bag Filter
10 – Activated Carbon Filter System
11 – Induced Draft Fan

4. Landfilling – the most widely used method for ultimately disposing of solid waste
- it was obtained by compacting the waste in layers and covering it with
earth at the end of each day operation.
- it is carefully planned and engineered facility for solid waste disposal

Characteristics of Municipal Sanitary Landfill to distinguish it from

Open Dump:
 Solid waste is placed in a suitably selected and prepared landfill site in a
carefully prescribed manner
 The waste material is spread out and compacted with appropriate heavy
machinery

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 The waste is covered each day with a layer compacted soil

Wastes Unsuitable for Landfilling:

 Liquid wastes
 Oxidizing, explosive or flammable wastes
 Infectious wastes
 Mixed hazardous and inert wastes for the purpose of dilution

Problems with Landfilling:

 Property devoted to landfilling is no longer available as productive farm
or as taxable property
 It generates significant amount of highly contaminated liquid called
leachate
 It generates landfill gas

Typical Leachate Composition

Parameter Concentration, mg/L
TSS 500 – 2000
Cl- 1000 – 3000
Total N 500 – 1500
Ammonia - N 200 – 1200
Total P 5 – 100
Na 500 – 2000
Cd 10 – 100
Cr 20 – 1000
Cu 10 – 1000
Ni 50 – 2000
Pb 20 – 1000
Zn 0.1 – 10

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Phenol 0.5 – 5
Oil/Grease 2 – 20

Typical Landfill Gas Composition

Component % Volume
Methane 63.8
Carbon Dioxide 33.6
Oxygen 0.16
Nitrogen 2.4
Hydrogen 0.05
Carbon Monoxide 0.001
Saturated HC 0.005
Unsaturated HC 0.009
Halogens 0.00002
Hydrogen Sulfide 0.00002
Organosulfur Cpds 0.00001
Alcohol

SOLID WASTE PROCESSING:

1. Incineration
2. Composting
3. Recyling
4. Landfilling
5. Sorting
6. Compaction
7. Shredding
8. Bailing
`
TRANSFER STATIONS:
- The transfer station is simple but efficient, also providing a small area where
open topped containers provide for the collection of green waste, plastics, paper and
other recyclable fractions.

RECOVERY OF ENERGY:
The two principal wastes to use the energy contained in municipal solid wastes are:
1. to use the material as fuel
2. to recover material for reuse, thus saving energy needed for processing and
transporting virgin material

RA 9003:
- RA 9003, otherwise known as the "Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000,"
mandates that "segregation and collection of solid waste at source shall be conducted at the
barangay level specifically for biodegradable, compostable and recyclable wastes," and that the
respective cities and municipalities shall promote initiatives in the community to undertake waste
segregation and collection at source (or CBSWM initiatives) pursuant to the spirit of the law.
Complementing this provision, the law mandates that "collection of non-recyclable materials and
special wastes shall be the responsibility of the municipality or city" (Section 10, RA 9003). These
mandates are defined in accordance with the Local Government Code (RA7160).

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COLLECTION:

- From 1997, solid waste collection became the responsibility of the local governments. Only one
(1%) percent of the solid waste collected was handled by MMDA, while the majority managed by
the LGUs through private contracts (86 percent), or by the LGU administration 
administration  (13 percent).
MMDA’s collection focused on Pasay, Pasig and Pateros. No segregation of wastes was at that
time undertaken in any of the LGUs. MMDA had previously established requirements for waste
segregation, but these have never been properly implemented by the LGUs.
- The approval of RA 9003 reinforced the LGUs’ responsibilities for the collection of non-
biodegradable and special wastes, while the barangay units were given the responsibility of
segregating and collecting biodegradable, compostable, and reusable wastes. At present, the
LGUs collect MSW in Metro Manila either through private contracts (11 of the 17 LGUs), or
through the LGUs’ own sanitation services departments (6 LGUs). MSW collected by the LGUs are
mostly disposed of either at their own facilities, or at the MMDA Dumpsite at Rodriguez, Rizal.
- The common MSW collection practice, especially for household wastes, is through house-to-
house collections and/or via curbside collections. Wastes are placed in plastic bags, rattan
baskets, or in various types of bins usually provided by the residents themselves.

- Many LGUs do have detailed local plans covering waste collection

services, or detailed route maps for collection vehicles, coupled to identification of frequencies of
services required (mostly undertaken by private contractors.

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