Proper and combined effort of managing waste

One third of the total waste in the world is from the construction and eradication fields. 325 million tons of waste is being repelled by US every year. At the same time the waste produced from the houses and towns in developing countries have decreased according to the report published by the Waste Watch Company that has its headquarters at Britain. The report also points out that 80% of the total waste produced around the world are recyclable. However some proper methods of managing waste have been developed that are capable of removing the entire waste from the surface of the earth. Let’s go through some of them.

Proper waste management methods

The method of carrying out waste disposal is of great importance. In today’s world creation of waste is a common fact. Since they are harmful to the environment, the method by which you dispose them off affects the environment a lot. Proper waste disposal keeps the environment disease free and green. The methods discussed below will help you keep your environment clean.

Recycling waste

It is a well known method of managing waste. It is not only a cheap method but can also be done easily by you. Recycling will save energy, resources and hence reduce pollution. Moreover you can save money by recycling. You can not only reduce the volume of waste materials but can also prevent things like batteries, tires and asphalt from ending up in landfills and incinerator. If you are a responsible citizen you should practice recycling and thereby reduce your waste.

Composting

Composting is free of any hazardous by products and also a natural process. Through this process waste materials are broken down into organic compounds which can be utilized as manure. It can be carried out easily in one’s own backyard. Any kind of waste items like leaves, grass, twigs, vegetables and fruit peels can be used. The whole matter will decompose within a few days. This nutrient rich compost can be used to improve the soil in gardens or vegetable gardens.

Landfills

Large area is required to manage waste through this process. Here the entire area is dug open in which the waste is filled. Then the waste is covered with soil. But it is not safe as highly hazardous gases like methane is given off. If proper safety means are ensured it is a good method of managing waste. For the safety of surrounding areas it is very necessary that landfills are properly lined and the waste do not come in contact with the adjoining areas.

Burning waste materials

The waste materials produced in the house can be burned. It is the best and easiest method if you cannot recycle or if there are no proper places for setting up landfills. It is an ideal waste disposal system in which steam and ash is generated by the controlled burning of waste at high temperatures. The volume of the waste is also reduced in this method. Moreover the process of combustion can be used to produce energy continuously from solid waste. The energy thus produced can be channeled into other useful purposes.
The above mentioned are some of the methods of waste management that you can carry out in the individual level. Moreover they are also safe and inexpensive. New techniques are being developed in which materials as well as energy is recovered from solid waste. These new techniques are aiming at diminishing pollution and also to conserve natural resources. Some of such approaches are intensified combustion, pyrolysis, replacing polystyrene packaging with less bulky wrapping made largely of paper etc. Let’s have a look at a completely new technique in which robots play a vital role in waste management.

Robots coming to remove waste

Robots that are capable to classify waste materials have been developed to find an ultimate solution for the increasing global waste. The wise robot named Senerobotic recycler has been developed by the Finisha technological company, Senrobotics.
These recycler robots classify and remove the wastes harmful to human beings in the construction field. This is possible through the process of ‘sensor fusion’. Three dimensional scanning, measuring and tangible assessment are also possible through sensor fusion.

Though a lot of methods have been mentioned above don’t get confused on which method to be selected. A single approach is not sufficient to address the waste problem. But all the above mentioned techniques play their own separate roles in reducing waste.

The First Joint Scheme To Produce Electricity From Waste In Kerala/ Scheme To Bring Down Solid Waste Accumulation In Kadakkal Market

(In the Kadakkal panchayat of Kollam district)

The first Decentralised Solid Waste Management Scheme of Kerala has been implemented in Kadakkal grama panchayat by setting up a power generation plant from the solid waste of markets and slaughter houses. The Kadakkal grama panchayat office and the other offices are situated in the premises of Kadakkal junction. The waste produced in the market and slaughter house, the blood and waste water from the slaughter house being dumped in the market place, the bad odor produced by it etc are the main problems faced by the people here.

Benefits of the scheme

The joint waste disposal plant that could change the bio waste produced in the market to electricity and biowaste was constructed with the help of bio tech technology and placed at the Kadakkal grama panchayat market of Kollam district. The scheme aims at curbing the menace of solid waste accumulation in the district by canalizing the waste material for power generation.It is the first joint scheme in Kerala to produce electricity from waste. This plant can dispose one ton of waste per day. The electricity produced from this plant is used to light 1200 bulbs in the market, Kadakkal children’s park and the nearby areas. Biotech, which was started in 1994 as a nodal agency under the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy, has implemented 11 such projects.

Functioning of the plant

Kadakkal grama panchayat, which has almost an area and population equal to a municipality, is already facing an acute crisis of solid waste disposal. The plant has been set up in the market in the panchayat. The organic waste of the market is being utilised for generating power through the technology of biogas production. The Kadakkal market biotech has implemented a disposal scheme that could dispose wastes of different types and structures effectively at the same time by incorporating different technologies. This scheme that changes the blood and waste water from the slaughter house into pure water with the help of this plant has also been started. The water, which comes out of the plant after the treatment of waste, will be recycled for the functioning of the plant. A recycling unit has also been set up for this purpose. The purified water is then used to clean the slaughter house and for other purposes of the plant.

An integrated waste disposal plant with the capacity to process all types of solid waste, including plastics as well as the liquid waste from slaughter houses and market, has been designed by Biotech. The plant functioning at Kadakkal market in Kollam district is the first one of this type. A similar power generating plant is functioning at Sreekaryam Market in Thiruvananthapuram.

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Solid Waste Management In Developing Countries

All activities that seek to minimise the health, environmental and aesthetic impacts of solid wastes are included in solid waste management. Generally the term solid waste includes human or animal excreta and such materials. But material which is not in liquid form, and has no value to the person who is responsible for it is actually solid waste. “Garbage”, “trash”, “refuse” and “rubbish are the terms which are the synonyms of solid waste. Solid wastes from houses, streets and public places, shops, offices, and hospitals, which are very often the responsibility of municipal or other governmental authorities is referred to as municipal solid waste. Solid waste from industrial processes cannot be considered "municipal" waste. But they need to be dealt with solid waste stream as they often end up in the municipal solid waste stream.

Waste is created through human activities. The way in which these wastes are handled, stored, collected and disposed of can pose risks to the environment and to public health. Problems and issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) are of immediate importance in urban areas, especially in the rapid urbanizing cities of the developing world. Most governments have acknowledged it. However rapidly the population growth over-whelms, the capacity of most municipal authorities is restructured to provide even the most basic services. Typically much part of the solid waste generated is not collected. Thus the uncollected waste gets mixed with human and animal excreta, which is then dumped indiscriminately in the streets and in drains, so contributing to flooding, breeding of insect and rodent vectors and the spread of diseases. Even the collected waste is often disposed of in uncontrolled dumpsites or burnt, polluting water resources and air.

Though urbanisation in developing countries has contributed to wealth accumulation, it has also been accompanied by an alarming growth in the incidence of poverty. Today many people in cities lives in absolute poverty and some in relative poverty. Life threatening conditions deriving from deficient MSWM is mostly suffered by the urban poor who live in peri-urban areas. Municipal authorities allocate their limited financial resources to the richer areas of higher tax yields where citizens with more political pressure reside. Usually as income of the residents' in-creases, part of the wealth is used to avoid exposure to the environmental problems close to home, but as waste generation also increases with increasing wealth, the problems are simply shifted to some other places. The preparation and management of a high-quality solid waste management system needs contributions from a range of disciplines, and cautious concern of local conditions.

Challenges faced by Solid waste management

There are a number of problems faced by the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) of developing countries. Some of them are described below.

Service coverage

Generally only a limited part of the urban population is served by the Municipal solid waste collection schemes of cities in the developing world. Waste collection services are not usually available for the low-income population. Inefficient institutional structures, inefficient organizational procedures, or deficient management capacity of the institutions involved can also be the reason that affects the availability or sustainability of a waste collection service.

In many countries there is presently great interest in linking private companies in solid waste management. Sometimes this is driven by the failures of municipal systems to supply adequate services, and sometimes by pressure from national governments and international agencies. Arrangements with private companies have not all been successful, and as a result some opposition to private sector participation is now in evidence. A recurring problem with collection schemes that operate at the community level is that these systems generally collect and transport the waste a relatively short distance up to a transfer point, from where the waste should be collected by another organisation often a municipality. Problems of coordination and payment often result in the waste being left at transfer points for a long time creating a hygienic unsatisfactory situation. Another move towards waste management is to recycle as much of the waste locally so that there is very little need for on going transport of collected waste.

Resource recovery and recycling

Recycling inorganic materials from municipal solid waste is often well developed by the activities of the informal sector. But such activities are rarely accepted, supported, or promoted by the municipal authorities. The cost of the separated material, its purity, its quantity and its location are some factors that the potential for resource recovery. The economic potential for resource recovery is decided by the major factors like costs of storage and transport.

Reuse of organic waste material that contributes to more than 50% of the total waste amount is still quite limited but often has enormous recovery potential. It reduces costs of the disposal services, prolongs the sites life span, and also reduces the environmental impact of disposal sites as the organics are largely to blame for the polluting leachate and methane problems. This is one of the reasons why solid waste managers in many parts of the world are now exploring ways to reduce the flow of biodegradable materials to landfills. For the success of composting activities to manage organic waste is, a clear legislation, policy and municipal strategy.

DisposalMost of the municipal solid waste (MSW) in developing countries is dumped on land in an uncontrolled manner. These dumps make very uneconomical use of the available space, allowing free access to waste pickers, animals and flies and often produce unpleasant and hazardous smoke from slow-burning fires. Financial and institutional restrictions are the main reasons for insufficient disposal of waste particularly where local governments are weak or underfinanced and rapid population growth continues.

Financing of safe disposal of solid waste poses a difficult problem. This is because most people are willing to pay for the removal of the refuse from their immediate environment. But no one is generally concerned with its ultimate disposal. The present disposal situation is expected to deteriorate even more as with rapid urbanization settlements and housing estates now increasingly encircle the existing dumps and the environmental degradation associated with these dumps directly affect the population. Waste disposal sites are therefore also subjected to growing opposition and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new sites which find public approval and which are located at a reasonable distance from the collection area. Finding landfills at greater distances to the central collection areas implies higher transfer costs as well as additional investments in the infrastructure of roads hence intensifying the financial problems of the responsible authorities. In addition to all this, an increase in service coverage will even aggravate the disposal problem if the amount of waste cannot be reduced by waste recovery.

Other reasons for inadequate disposal are the mostly inappropriate guidelines for finding sites for landfills, design and operation of new landfills. Many of the municipal officials think that uncontrolled waste disposal is the best that is possible. Often the only guidelines for landfills available are those from high-income countries. These are based on technological standards and practices suited to the conditions and regulations of high-income countries and do not take into account for the different technical, economical, social and institutional aspects of developing countries.

There are many factors that influence the Solid Waste Management and vary from place to place. Typically, domestic waste from industrialised countries has a high content of packaging made of paper, plastic, glass and metal, and so the waste has a low density. In many developing countries wastes contain large amounts of inert such as sand, ash, dust and stones and high moisture levels because of the high usage of fresh fruit and vegetables. These factors make the waste very dense.

Public awareness and attitudes to waste can affect the whole solid waste management sys-tem. All steps in solid waste management starting from household waste storage, to waste segregation, recycling, collection frequency, the amount of littering, the willingness to pay for waste management services, the opposition to the siting of waste treatment and disposal facilities, all depend on public awareness and participation. Thus this is also a crucial issue which determines the success or failure of a solid waste management system.

Solid Waste Management In Kanpur/ Kanpur City The Best Example In Waste Management

We Indians have accepted the phenomenon of garbage spilling over from municipal dustbins at street corners and often even strewn around in open public spaces. We have become so used to it, that it seems inevitable. No one is ready to take this as a challenge but instead, hope that some day; someone will find a solution to our problem and rid us of this major health hazard of urban living in India.

But the integrated solid waste management project in Kanpur offers hope. Kanpur which is Located on the western bank of the Ganga, is an important industrial city of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India. Kanpur which is a thickly populated city is also the home of textiles, leather, fertilisers and arms manufacturing. Each of these manufacturing sections has got the capacity to produce maximum pollution.

Until a few years ago, the condition of the solid waste management in Kanpur was almost the same as most other Indian cities. The responsibility of collecting, transporting and disposing of the solid waste generated in the city was under Kanpur Nagar Nigam (KNN). About 1500 tonnes of waste was generated in the city per day. Most of the collection centres in the city were open dumps. There was an authorised site a few kilometres away from the city were these wastes were to be dumped. It was done at an annual cost of Rs.42 crores. Scientific disposal of the garbage was not even considered. Grants from the state finance commission were looked forward for the collection and transportation activity. Recyclable waste from the waste chain was removed by a community of rag-pickers.

The Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling, which is actually the responsibility of the states was nudged by the Supreme Court so that the governments acted in this area. The need to improve public service delivery in urban areas in general and solid waste management in particular, and providing funds to support such activities, was launched by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), under the Government of India in 2005. The public-private partnership in transforming the system of solid waste management in the city was thought to be experimented by the KNN and the state government of Uttar Pradesh. They worked together on it seizing the above mentioned opportunity.

In order to process and dispose the waste, KNN gave a BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) contract to A2Z Infrastructure, a private company in 2008. For the project 46 acres of land was given free on a long lease of 30 years. The plant was set up with a tipping platform, a pre-segregation unit, a composting unit, an RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) unit, a plastic segregating unit, a briquette manufacturing unit, and a secured landfill in place. This plant had the capacity to process 1500 tonnes of solid waste per day. The total project cost was Rs.110 crores. But Rs.56.6 crores was provided by JNNURM and the rest from the private partner. The same company was given the contract to collect and transport waste. Thus the collection and transportation activities were integrated with waste processing and its scientific disposal, with possibilities for revenue generation.

Now door-to-door collection of garbage is being done in bins attached to rickshaws by workers using hand gloves and protective masks. The garbage is then dumped into refuse compactor trucks that may have the capacity to load 40 to 50 bins of waste. Since compression of garbage is done while being transported, more waste can be accommodated in the vehicle. Every incidence of the compactor halt to collect garbage is monitored and recorded because each of these transport vehicles is equipped with GPS. Thus the scope for deception and fuel theft is discouraged.

A monthly user charge has also been set by KNN for houses, industries and urban poor. This is being collected by A2Z on behalf of KNN, and the monthly collection at present is Rs.0.75 crores. There was no charge in the first three months to sensitise people to the benefits of door-to-door collection. This method has given employment opportunities for many people.

The garbage is then taken to a central site where it is sorted, segregated, transformed into a number of products of value. Only less than 2% of waste remains to be deposited in the landfill, after selling off the recyclable materials. Since the waste is reused the landfills which were expected to fill within seven years would take much more time to get filled. About 50 per cent of the waste collected from Kanpur is biodegradable, thus changing Kanpur Waste Management Plant into the largest producer of compost from organic waste. The quality of the compost is also being improved by scientific inputs. Premium quality organic fertiliser is sold through various fertiliser marketing companies and also directly under their own brand "Vasundhara". At present the plant is not able to meet the growing demand for organic fertiliser.

Rs.110 crores was invested by A2Z Infrastructure, in 2010 to set up a waste-to-energy plant. Thus it became the largest integrated project in solid waste management in Asia. Thus the company was able to exploit the synergies between collection, processing and disposal through this power plant. Using the RDF produced in houses, this plant produces 15 MW of electricity. It makes use of the CFBC (Circulating Fluidised Bed Combustion) technology, which is an advanced fuel combustion technology from Germany. A fuel made from garbage at low temperatures named the RDF is burned in these boilers. This is to ensure that the plant does not emit any oxide of nitrogen or sulphur, nor dioxins and furans. The CFBC technology was initially used here in India.

Now it is hard to find any garbage on the streets of Kanpur. The earlier garbage collection centres in Shastri Nagar and near M.G. College, civil lines, have now been converted into parks with the help of the local community. One of the largest open temporary dumpsite has now been converted to a park and also a public space for expression of art.

The Kanpur project has been recognised for its significant achievements. Kanpur has now become one of the best cities for the management of solid waste. The Kanpur Nagar Nigam received the JNNURM award in 2011. Kanpur has set an example on solid waste for all.

Solutions To Plastic Pollution/ Effective Ways To Control Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution statistics have assumed scary proportions if we open our eyes and look around into our surroundings. Plastic is a popular material used in a wide variety of ways. Many of the items we buy or use is either made of plastic or wrapped with it. Plastics are used because they can last longer and are easy and cheap to make. Unfortunately these same useful qualities have made plastic a huge pollution problem. It is discarded easily since it is cheap and its long lasting makes it survive in the environment for long periods.

Plastic pollution is a threat to life that has gained significant media attention in the last couple of decades. Several laws and amendments have been enacted by government in order to curb the pollution caused due to the usage of plastic. This issue has also been raised globally by environmentalists and NGOs all across countries. “Zero waste” is a concept in which production, consumption and recycling of products is carried out, without throwing even a fraction of the plastic garbage into the environment. Many countries are working tirelessly to achieve their goal of zero waste. The only way to overcome the problem of plastic is total recycling of plastic bags or using other alternatives. We must make efforts to finding efficient plastic pollution solutions before we run out of places to dump the plastic wastes.

Ways to stop plastic pollution

The concept of zero waste is likely to fail in its objectives. But we can try our maximum to reach the goal of zero waste. It would be an astounding success even if we are able to eliminate at least 40%-50% of plastic waste. Now let’s have a look at the solutions to plastic pollution.

Everything that goes wrong in the environment is usually blamed on governments. Wait for environment laws rather than waiting for governments to make laws and compel us to conserve our nature. A huge difference can be made if each one of us becomes ready to do our bit for nature. You can become an environmentally aware citizen if you are ready to follow some simple steps.

• Try to buy products with less plastic packaging and carry jute, paper or your own personal bag to the market. Even if you don’t possess any one of the bags mentioned above, carry a plastic bag so that you can avoid carrying an extra plastic bag back home.
• Educate and encourage shoppers to use their own bags or recycled paper bags. Encourage people to use their own bags while going purchasing. Try to spread this extremely beneficial habit.
• Internet is an awesome source through which you can find tips to reduce plastic pollution at home, work and during journeys.
• Try to spend time with communities in endeavours of environmental pollution control. Depending on your qualification and ability, volunteer for NGOs.
• Encourage the reuse of plastic substances. Support recycling schemes and other similar schemes that help the environment.
• Always remember that plastic waste can cause only harm and so practice and promote its proper disposal.
• Never throw plastic waste in the street, out of the car or on the pavement.
• Since the problem of plastic pollution is serious, it requires further urgent study. Reduce the amount of plastic used in wrapping and packing which is usually thrown away immediately.
• The dangers of plastic pollution should be labelled as a warning on plastic wrappings and bags.

Plastic is a useful and popular material which can be produced with relatively little damage to the environment. They are not themselves a problem. The one-off applications of plastic, its excessive use and careless disposal has turned it into a very dangerous material. A solution could be found to this problem only by the combined effort of the government and its citizens

A New Method For Waste Management / Thiruvananthapuram Town Corporation Experimenting A Simple And Cheap Method For Waste Management

Collecting the waste and disposing it in the proper manner has now become a matter of great concern in Kerala. Since the increasing waste problem is a result of the developmental process and growth, there won’t be a different opinion for anyone regarding this. We can approach the waste disposal procedure by taking into consideration the peculiarities of Kerala.

The waste disposal procedure is associated with the increased population, urbanization, climate etc. A new cleanliness policy has to be developed for Kerala by considering all these facts. The native municipal institutions are following some waste management procedures according to their tactics. But there are experiences that prove some defects in these activities. The methods that were followed for waste management, has now come under wide discussions and disputes due to the problems in Vilappilshala, Brahmapuram and Lalur. Usually the medias present this as a problem between villages and towns. This kind of approach worsens the situation and never paves a way to find a solution to this problem. All the sections must come together and find a solution together, rather than creating all such problems.

As a result of the nonfunctioning of the Vilappilshala plant, the Thiruvananthapuram municipality has started searching easy as well as cheap waste disposal methods that could dispose the waste in the place of its origin itself. For this they have decided to widen the use of methods like biogas plants, vermi composts, ring compost etc. In order to widen these methods the native municipal institutions have to follow some rules.

In order to build waste disposal units, the native municipal department has to examine the technical adequacy and confirm whether it is usable. Any of the above mentioned methods can be built only through accredited agencies or service providers. For these convenient rules from government are also required. The difficulties in handling vermin compost and the indifference shown by service providers towards constructing 500 liters and 1000 liters biogas plants that can be used in houses at the rate instructed by the state government has made such methods difficult to be implemented. A quick solution for this problem has now become very important for the town corporation.

The technical committee and the representatives of the people of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation are conducting incessant discussions and meetings to find a solution to the waste disposal problem. It was at this time that a pipe composting method in a house of Chettivilakam ward of Thiruvananthapuram town came into notice. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation mayor and the technical committee members of the town corporation tried to find out more about this method and came to a conclusion that the method followed by them can be easily followed. The average amount of waste produced by a person in Thiruvananthapuram town per day is 400 grams. Two kilograms of waste is produced in a house of four or five members. Since the pipe composting unit was found to be very effective, simple and cheap the town corporation decided to establish such composting units extensively. The house of Chandrika and Ravindran Nair in Chettivilakam ward is situated in a five cent area. The terrace and area surrounding the house is filled with all types of vegetables and fruits. This house is using the concrete pipe unit for the last three years where the manure essential for all these plants are required from the house hold waste. Pipe composting method is similar to the ring composting method. Chandrika and Ravindran Nair had started using this method coincidently. There was a concrete pipe lying in their courtyard. They selected it to dump the house hold wastes so that there won’t be any flies or bad smell. They continued it daily by covering it with a lid. When the pipe gets filled they covered it again by putting some lime. Since there were only two members it used to take 90 days for the pipe to get filled. Then they used to use another pipe for the purpose and the waste in the first pipe turned into manure. It doesn’t need 90 days for the waste to turn into manure. Only 30-40 days is required for it. While taking the manure out of the pipe, put it in the sunshine for sometime. The town corporation unit has decided to provide EM Solution to those houses where such a unit is used. This solution that has to be sprinkled into the pipe occasionally will make the decomposing process much easier. This task can be done with the help of the Kudambasree agent. When pipe composting will become wide, the houses will start getting manure also. If agriculture is done in the yard of the house, this manure can be used for it. The benefits of this unit are to minimize the flies, bad smell etc and also to produce manure. It is very cheap and simple to handle.

The domestic sector can be considered the main source of the waste in Thiruvananthapuram Town Corporation. The trade centers, hospitals, hotels, markets, building blocks etc are the other sources. 20 tons of waste is produced in the markets of the town daily. The residues of building constructions come to about 13 tons per day. The waste other than bio chemical waste from hospitals is about 10 tons. It is estimated that the waste accumulated is 7.5 tons in ditches, 20 tons in hotels, 25 tons in trading centers, 3 tons in slaughterhouses, 4 tons in schools per day. The domestic waste is about 150 tons. It is expected by the town corporation that about half the solution to this waste disposal problem could be found if such pipe composts are established in all the houses of the town. The steps to construct waste disposal schemes in markets, schools and such public places have already started. It would also be checked whether there are waste disposal plants in hotels, restaurants, flats, institutes etc. The town corporation has also decided to find a new method for plastic disposal.

The more developments paved the way for a dirty Kerala. The Thiruvanathapuram town corporation tried hard and at last found an easy and inexpensive method for handling the house hold wastes. Soon this pipe composting method will be made common and thus a solution would be found for the grave problem of waste.

Health Impacts Of Improper Waste Disposal

Modernisation and progress along with its advantages have contributed a great disadvantage that has become a great threat to the world. I.e. the pollution it is causing to the earth. There has been a rise in the amount of waste being generated daily by each household with the increase in population and rising demand for food and other essentials. This includes both household and biomedical waste. These wastes finally reach the landfills and dumps. But all the waste doesn’t reach the final dumpsites. It is either due to resource crunch or inefficient infrastructure. But each type of waste must be disposed properly because it can cause serious impacts on health and problems to the surrounding environment.

Serious health hazard and the spread of infectious diseases are the results of improper waste management. The unattended waste attracts the disease spreading creatures like flies, mosquitoes, rats etc. The decomposition of wet waste leads to unhygienic conditions and health problems. Plastic waste is also another cause for ill health. So certain preventive measures should be taken to control the generation of excessive solid waste.

High risk wastes

Is this Waste Management in Kerala ?

Although every kind of wastes that are disposed improperly carry the risk of spreading disease, some wastes are found to have a higher risk of spreading disease when compared to the others. Medical waste and bio waste come at the top of the list. Any waste that had been used in a medical procedure comes under this category. These wastes require disposal very similar to hospital medical waste. Some household wastes also offers increased risk of spreading diseases. Deposits of mould that are removed from houses are the main among this type of waste.

Diseases

Certain chemicals like cyanides, mercury etc if released untreated, are highly toxic which may lead to many serious diseases and even death. Studies have proved that the residents exposed to hazardous waste are likely to be detected with excesses of cancer. So understand the connection between health and hazardous waste and take necessary precautions for its proper disposal.

Some hazards associated with waste handling

• Direct contact with waste and infected wounds cause skin and blood infections.
• Exposure to infected dust causes eye and respiratory infections.
• Bites of animals feeding on waste cause different diseases.
• Flies feeding on waste transmit intestinal diseases.
• Exposure to dust and hazardous compounds cause chronic respiratory diseases.

Plastic- the greatest threat to humanity

The unhygienic use and the improper disposal of plastic have affected the human health greatly and it has become a matter of concern. The pigment contained in coloured plastics contain metals like copper, lead, chromium, cobalt, selenium etc which are highly toxic. Coloured plastics have been legally banned in many industrialized countries. This is an example that has to be emulated by each and every country of the world.

Integrating proper disposal methods

There are some locations where high risk waste materials are accumulated daily. Such locations should integrate some disposal methods. There are some items at home that have special disposal instructions. When disposing such products be certain to follow those instructions to ensure that it does not affect the environment around the area or cause health hazards to the people living there. All organic matter at the household-level should be kept aside for composting and can also be used as fertilizer.

Precautions

The general precaution is avoidance. It’s advisable not to handle or touch waste when possible. Certainly use medical grade gloves to prevent exposure if required. Also take care to prevent puncture by sharp items, which are not disposed properly, by using adequate equipments. Only drink treated water and have food prepared in a hygienic place.

Disposing garbage in an improper manner is not just an eyesore, but it poses a serious threat to nature. If you are implementing recycling methods and proper waste management techniques into your lifestyle, you are taking a very good step toward helping the environment.

Efficient Ways To Reduce Waste/ Importance Of Reducing Waste

If we reduce the amount of waste, we are automatically saving our environment from pollution that causes many other related problems to man. Modern landfills are lined so that it doesn’t cause pollution to the groundwater and soil. But these liners don’t have enough lifespan and thereby pollutes the groundwater and soil through leaks from pollutants in garbage. Though landfills are meant to dump waste, the space used for it can be used for other activities like agriculture and housing facilities. In spite of its advantages, landfill creates a lot of air pollution during the transportation of waste from the curb to it.

So it has become very necessary that we reduce the amount of waste we produce unknowingly. We must become aware of how much we discard and become ready to change our consumption habits. So let’s start practicing the three “R”s.

• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle

Reduce: - It means that we must consume less. Each and every item we buy or use needs natural resources and energy for its production. While producing them it generates a lot of waste. Its transportation also requires energy. Consuming less doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t buy anything that is very important for you, instead it means you should buy things that are really very essential, long lasting and that have minimal packaging. Among the three “R”s, “Reduce” is the most important one as it is more effective in reducing waste, conserving natural resources and protecting the environment.

Reuse: - If an item is able to be used several times, it is a good way to reduce waste. Such items include food storage containers, cloth napkins, shopping bags, coffee mugs, personal water bottles, cloth diapers, shoes etc. Such items can be repaired, donated or even sold which facilitate reuse. Reusing is better and cheaper than recycling as items don’t need to be reprocessed before being used again.

Recycle: - Recycling is the process of converting materials into valuable resources. Materials like paper, aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles are some among them. Through this we can save our natural resources and reduce the need of landfill units. The method of recycling can be made effectively used if consumers purchase products made of recyclable materials.

Specific ways to practice the three “R”s efficiently

Packing waste free food items: Try to avoid baggies and single serving packaged products like juice boxes and pouches, milk cartons, snack bags, yogurt cups etc. Pack snacks, sandwiches and drinks in reusable containers. Use reusable silverware and cloth napkins. So opt for cooking at home that makes fewer packages and wrappers. It provides you with not only a healthy meal but helps to keep the city clean.

Using compost bins: Construct an outdoor or indoor compost bin to keep leaves, vegetable wastes, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggs shells etc out of the garbage and thereby save landfill space and energy. Composting also provides us with rich fertilizer for the plants.

Reuse whatever possible: The bags you get while purchasing groceries, produce and items at the mall can be used again. Always have food in reusable plates, cups, and utensils. Avoid using one time use beverage bottles and packaged snacks. Instead use reusable drinking bottles and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Recycle wherever possible: Make sure that there is an adjoining recycling receptacle wherever there is a garbage receptacle. Plastic bags should be avoided from the collection process by utilizing bag less receptacles. It should be practiced even in public areas and thus recycling must be made more convenient. Products that have limited recycling possibilities should be avoided. Many of the aluminium and metal items can be further recycled. Even though reusing is preferable to single use products, for things that cannot be reused its better to choose things that can be recycled.

Reduce consumption on the whole: It is a great challenge to most of the people. It doesn’t mean you stop purchasing things. Instead spend money to buy high quality goods and services and avoid using lower quality items. Buy hybrid cars that reduce pollution and also the money that you spend on gas. Buying less stuff is very good for the environment, health and well being of a society.

Purchasing electronic products: Electronic appliances must be used as long as possible. Try to purchase such items from companies that take responsibility to take back your product and recycle it efficiently after its life span. Since the recycling of such items causes pollution, it is better to think twice before buying whether it is necessary or not.

The residents of a city are those who contribute to the waste there. You can definitely contribute to reducing waste in your city if you are ready to apply the above mentioned ways of reducing waste, thereby decreasing the amount of toxicity of waste produced by individuals. Reducing waste is the most important step that conserves resources and decreases the amount of waste that usually ends up in landfills. During the last few years the amount of waste created by each person has doubled. So preventing waste in the first place must be practiced by all which is the most efficient way. So it’s necessary to bring some changes in our daily routines that help in source or waste reduction.

Important Waste Treatment Methods Suitable For Houses

The treatment of waste is something that can be conducted very easily even without any foul smell.

1) Do not throw waste in public places or at your own homes.
2) Separate the solid waste into the ones that gets rotted and that doesn’t.
3) Select an adequate method of treating the waste at homes.

Biogas plant
Biogas plant is a method to treat waste and produce cooking gas in the absence of oxygen. A unit having a capacity of 0.5cu.m would be required for a family with three or four members. Biogas plants would work properly only in houses where a minimum of one kilogram of waste is produced daily. The things such as egg shells, coconut shells, banana leaves, orange, lime, pickles, pesticides, phenol, dettol, soap water, glass, plastics, metals, wood pieces, soil etc should not be put in the tank. Houses that produce a minimum of one kilogram of waste, other than the above mentioned thing can think of constructing a biogas plant.

A family with many members will require a unit of 1cu.m. Different designs of units made of PVC, HDPE, fiber, reinforce, plastic etc are available. The biogas required for two hours will be acquired from a unit of 1cu.m.

Things to be noted
 You can deposit cow dung, kitchen wastes, human excreta, rubber sheet water and other bio wastes into the plant.
• Put the waste by slicing them into 1mm length and then mixing 1l of water per 1kg of waste.
• Dump the waste only according to the capacity of the tank.
• If dumped less than the instructed amount of waste or not dumped waste in the tank for more than 10 days there are chances for the germs to get destroyed.
• There are chances for mosquitoes to breed in the water jacket. Pour some kerosene or diesel in order to resist it.
• Keep a bucket or plate in order to collect the slurry that comes out. It’s very good manure.
• At the beginning dilute it by adding three times water to the amount of cow dung and then sift it and then fill in the digester.

Composting

How much solid waste would be there in a house where three or four people live? A maximum of one kilogram. Composting is the best method that can be established in such a house for treating the waste produced there. At present there are different types of composting.

1) Pit composting
 Make two pits of 1m length, 60cm width and 1m height in a place where the chances of water getting filled is considerably less.
• Make a small hoop around the pits with mud or bricks at a height of about 10cm so that water doesn’t flow into it.
• Use one pit for the first six months.
• After dumping the waste into it daily sprinkle some mud over it.
• When the pit is completely filled, put mud over it at a height of 6inches and then keep it as such.
• Then start putting the bio wastes in the next pit.
• In order to decompose the waste quickly you can put some cow dung below the pit.
• The waste in the first pit will change into manure within six months.
• After removing the manure from the pit it has to be cleaned so that it can be used again by the time the second pit is completely filled.

2) Pitcher composting

Things required:
• Two pitchers of 50cm height and the central part having a circumference of about 1m.
• Crock lids for the pitchers to be closed.
• Two stands made of metal, wood or plastic, with a height of 15cm each, for the pitchers to be placed on it and for the convenience of taking the leachate* outside.
• Plastic or steel plates having a height of less than 10cm for ½ l of leachate to be collected.
• Make a hole at the centre below both the pitchers without breaking it.
• Place both the pitchers on stands behind the kitchen in a place where rain water doesn’t fall directly into it and in such away that they don’t touch the walls.
• The plate for collecting the leachate has to be placed below the pitchers just under the hole.
• Spread four spoons of salt into these leachate plates to control insects.
• Put the wastes in the first pitcher and then close it and place a brick over it.
• When the pitcher is filled (takes about 1 month time), close it and use the second pitcher.
• By the time the second pitcher fills, the waste in the first pitcher will have changed into compost.
• This compost can be used as manure for plants and trees.

* Leachate is any liquid that, in passing through matter, extracts solutes, suspended solids or any other component of the material through which it has passed.

3) Pipe composting

Things required:
• Two PVC pipes with 20cm diameter and a height of 1m. (Soil pipes or Ferro cement pipes can also be used.)
• 2 lids having a diameter of 20cm.
• Make two pits having a depth of 30cm each at a convenient place and fix the pipes in it.
• Cover the top part of the pipes with lids.
• Put the bio wastes into the pipe by cutting it into small pieces.
• When one pipe is completely filled, close it and use the second pipe.
• By the time the second pipe is filled (about four months), the waste in the first pipe will have changed into manure. Take the pipe out of the pit and remove the manure from it.
• This pipe can again be fixed on the soil and used again.

4) Plastic bucket composting

Things required
• Two plastic buckets with lids, having a capacity of 50 l each and having taps connected to it at the bottom.
• Required amount of coconut shells.
• Place one layer of coconut shells at the bottom of the bucket with upside down.
• Put the daily bio wastes over it and then keep the bucket closed with the lid.
• One bucket will be filled in one month. Then start using the next bucket.
• The leachate that seeps in the bucket can be collected through the tap. This can be used as manure for plants.
• By the time the second bucket gets completely filled, the waste in the first bucket will have changed into manure.

5) Earthworm compost

• Earthworm compost tanks made of plastic, terracotta, fiber etc are available.
• Two tanks of 25 l capacity are required for a house.
• First make a base layer by spreading coconut husk at the bottom of the tank and smattering cow dung powder over it. Then put the earthworms over it.(200 numbers)
• Chop and spread old food items, vegetables and the waste of fish and meat over it.
• When the tank is filled cover it with a jute bag. Pour some water regularly over it.
• Use the second tank for the next two weeks in the same manner.
• When the second tank is filled, the waste in the first one will have changed into manure by the earthworms.
• Remove the jute bag from it and keep it in a place where it would get some sunlight.
• Within two days the earthworms will set off to the bottom layer of the tank.
• Remove the manure from the top and then start putting the waste over it.

Manure for agriculture

The manure obtained by these composting methods cost high rates in the market. It is very easy to carry out agriculture with this manure. Vegetable seeds and seedlings in bags are now being distributed from the agricultural office of each district. Many governmental organizations like athma, horticulture mission etc is performing actively in this field. The vegetable yielding obtained by them need not be sprayed by any pesticides. If we spend ten minutes daily in the morning, we can remove the pests that affect the plants. You may already be aware of the fact that the curry leaves we buy from markets are sprayed largely with pesticides. If we eat a lot of vegetables that are sprayed with pesticides we may have to suffer many genetic problems and even cancer. Don’t we have the responsibility to save the future generation from the prison of such disabilities? If we are ready to spend some time for our family the wastes will turn into a boon for us.

The Incantation Of Neatness: ‘Zero Waste=100 Marks’

Steps for a waste free Kerala through Zero waste scheme

As a result of the increasing waste and the related health problems in Kerala, it has become necessary that all work together with great responsibility for a better tomorrow. When a substance is thrown away after its use or not placed where it actually has to be, then that thing is usually considered as waste or something that may cause health problems. Hence the correct usage and placement of a substance can be considered as cleanliness. This habit is to be taught among school students for making them aware of the importance of cleanliness.

Let’s aim for a clean Kerala through the first lessons of cleanliness taught to us from schools. The scheme named Zero waste=100 marks, is advancing towards cleanliness by incorporating the complete involvement of school students. The schools that gain first and second place for cleanliness will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs.1lakh and Rs.50,000 each. Eight schools will be awarded with a consolation prize of Rs.5000.

The schools that keep their school and surroundings clean will be selected as winners. The schools interested to participate in this competition have to first register in Manorama online and then upload the photos of classrooms, playground, garden, bathroom, wash area, the road in front of the school or any other area that you refer to be kept clean. The jury will select the best 200 schools from these. Later the jury will secretly enquire whether the schools are kept as clean as shown in the photos provided.

While trying to keep the school clean, necessary steps must also be taken to keep the school free from plastic wastes. Debates and quiz programs can also be conducted to make students aware of the availability of clean water and the hazards caused to life as a result of polluted water. Make them also aware of the correct usage of clean water.

Cleanliness of body, school, house and surrounding will pave the way to cleanliness. When children gain this knowledge and become ready to follow the measures to keep the surroundings clean, it will automatically bring about some changes in the grown ups. Thus the combined effort of each and every citizen in Kerala can turn it into the most wonderful place on this earth to live in. Even though Kerala is known as “God’s own country”, this saying will become absolutely true only when we all try our best to keep it clean.

These lessons of cleanliness have to be completed in each school within three months by participating each and every student of the school. Teachers must also be empowered to give necessary instructions to the students to make this attempt a grand success. The jury containing the environmental experts will take the last decision regarding the winners.

The winners will be announced on February, 2013.  Last date: November 9th.

If you have any doubts regarding the zero waste, please contact us from Monday to Friday on the number 9744175303.

E-mail: zerowastekerala@gmail.com

Biogas Plants - How To Get Cooking Gas from Kitchen Waste

There are a number of problems people have to face in this modern era. As we make a lot of developments with the now available new inventions, we don’t give much attention to the side effects they present us. The main defect of all these are the waste that gets accumulated around us. The three main problems faced today are:

•     The difficulty of managing the household wastes.
•     The non availability and increasing cost of cooking gas.
•     The threat of diseases as a result of food waste and other impurities getting accumulated.

Benefits of Bio-gas Plant

The only solution to all these problems is bio-gas plants. The four main benefits of bio-gas plants are :

•     Refines waste
•     Produces cooking gas
•     Provides bio fertilizer
•     Produces electricity

Working of The Biogas Plant

 

1. Collect the food waste, water after washing cereals, meat, fish etc in a vessel and then put the wastes of vegetables and fruits and other shabby food into it.
2.  Then pour this mixture into the tank of the plant. 
3. Along with these you can also dump the excreta of cattle, goat, hen etc with equal amount of water into the tank. 
4. These waste materials change into cooking gas and bio fertilizers. 
5. The cooking gas that gets collected within the plant can be transferred into the gas stove of the kitchen as needed through a pipe line connected to the plant. 
6. The bio fertilisers that come out of the plant can be used for agriculture. 

Portable Bio-gas Plants in Kerala

The speciality of the biogas plant is that along with the production of cooking gas, it keeps the surroundings clean and it is very safe to use. It occupies only a very small area and it is portable. It can also be easily transferred from one place to another. No labour work or digging a pit is required for this. 

Portable WaterJacket biogas Plant

Special models of biogas plants are available for hotels, fast food shops, vegetable shops and fruit shops along with subside. You can save more than 70% of LPG gas.



Some things are to be noted while purchasing a portable type biogas plant. 

Ask for the water jacket model of plants that do not show the waste outside and keep the mosquitoes away. Special models of KVIC and ANERT plants are now available for houses, hotels, hospitals, hostels and schools along with subside.


So there is no doubt that a biogas plant would be a great asset for each place or house where the above mentioned problems are to be solved. 

For more details contact the below given address of bio-gas plants: 

(NB: Ask for Special Discount of WmKerala.com Visitor)

 Waste Management Agencies  in Kerala

Rural Development Society
Nadathara P.O
Thrissur 680751
Ph: 0487 2444981, 9447615133, 9946682913

Modern Waste Refining Plant at Brahmapuram

The disposal and refining of wastes have become a great problem even in small towns of the state. The activities of the Vilappilshala waste refining centre at Vilappilshala panchayat under Thiruvananthapuram Town Corporation, is in great crisis. Since all the waste of the town is being dumped in this centre the people living in that area have come forward with their complaints. Yet no action is being taken from the side of Town Corporation or the changing governments so as to dispose the waste in a scientific manner and to avoid environmental pollution. Still many problems are going on associated with it. It is at this situation that the government has taken necessary steps to start a very modern impurity refining plant at waste disposal centre at Brahmapuram, which is under Cochi Town Corporation. This decision is of great importance. Through pollution free activities it should become a model to the state itself.

The government is deciding to start such plants even at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Thrissur. It’s known that such waste refining plants are functioning in a good manner not only in foreign countries, but also in great cities of India like Bangalore. But such plants in the state are creating great problems to the people living near them, because of their improper functioning. Many have come forward with protest against it. The bio waste disposal system at the Brahmapuram, Cochi Town Corporation’s waste disposal centre, was in a very bad condition for a long time. But now the activities have improved a lot. The accumulation of unsold bio fertilizers produced from the waste and plastic waste are the main problems faced now. The recycling of plastic wastes is not performed in a proper manner. The new waste disposal plant should find a solution to such problems also. At present there are no enough vehicles to carry waste from the towns to Brahmapuram plant. Carrying wastes in open trucks are creating great problems for people living on road sides. The collection and removal of wastes should also be done in a scientific manner. Thereby Cochi can become a model to other towns.

Not only the Vilappilshala at Thiruvanathapuram but the waste disposals at other cities like Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur etc are also facing serious problems. The leaders of all political parties must stand together to find a solution to this problem. Every one should work with unity for its solution. The polluted water from the waste at Vilappilshala is polluting other water bodies of the premises like wells, rivers, canals etc. Now steps have started to bring the necessary machineries to refine this polluted water, as a result of the instruction from the high court. But people were preventing the machinery transplantation by creating fire on the road. A solution to such conflicts should be found by political leaders. There is no problem that could be solved if leaders put forward their service for the benefit of people and for the development of that place. The proper functioning of the existing plants and the new plants must be strictly looked after. Proper action must be taken against any officials or any one else who don’t obey them strictly.

Start Practicing Waste Management From House

With the development of new technologies, we are not only damaging our soil and water but also air. The living proofs for it are Eloor, Karimugal and Edayar. The spreading of poisonous gas from the factories is capable enough to change even the original colour of day, dawn and night.

There is no permanent solution to the problem of waste. But an effective solution to this problem could be found by each citizen rather than government and authorities. The most important duty of reducing the amount of waste depends upon each person. Source decomposition is the final solution recommended by most. It’s not a good practice to deposit the waste of cities in barren areas. A final solution to this problem would be found when each person gets ready to reduce the amount of their waste production and also find a way to decompose the waste produced by them.

10 Golden rules for Waste Management

The following things can be done by each person for managing waste.

1) Keep in mind that a clean surrounding is equally important as a clean house.
2) Decompose the bio waste produced in houses within our own area.
3) Give importance to limit waste production along with its decomposition procedures.
4) Separate the plastic waste and take it to the nearest plastic shedding unit.
5) Try to find a solution to the waste decomposition depending upon one’s financial status. Example: pipe composting, pit composting, biogas plant etc.
6) Avoid the use of low quality plastic covers and plastic products.
7) Keep an extra cloth bag or paper bag while on a journey.
8) Handle the bio medical wastes in houses like syringe, cotton and medicines with great care.
9) Make others aware of the disasters created by waste.
10) Never forget that keeping the environment clean is the duty of each citizen.

Make your own cooking fuel

Biogas plant : Biogas plants are capable enough to find a solution both to the problems of waste and unavailability of cooking gas. Only one bio gas plant is required to produce gas for about one and a half hours for a family with five members.10 golden rules for waste management,

Any waste materials that get decayed other than tamarind, soap and ash can be deposited in it. The cost of a plant with that can decompose about 15 litres of liquid waste and 5 kilos of solid waste ranges from Rs.13,500 to Rs.16,000. A subside of Rs.5000 is also available. Place for constructing a tank of 1 meter diameter is required. The solid substance that is produced after making the biogas is a good manure. This manure is enough to grow vegetables in an area of 10 cent.

Energy from sun :The solar cooker and the solar water heater that can cook food and heat water with the heat from the sun have not yet gained popularity. The cost of a solar cooker having the size of a brief case is Rs. 3200. Four vessels can be placed on it. The things to be cooked have to be kept closed in vessels and then kept under sun from 10am to 1pm. They will get cooked by this time. Even though this system has got some practical deficiencies it can prepare food without the need of fuel. The average cost of solar cookers that can heat 100 litres of water up to 70 degree centigrade is Rs.18,000. The fuel required for cooking can be saved if we use this heated water for cooking. The hot water needed for washing and bathing are also available by it.

Landfilling For Waste Management in Kerala

Waste management methods are very important to protect the environment as well as improve health and quality of lives of people. Programmes for capacity building in waste management and change in the attitudes among people has to be launched. The quantum of investment required for setting up waste management facilities in Kerala has to be well estimated by the state government.  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has come forward with a huge amount to help in setting up solid and liquid waste management units across India. Thus the acute waste management problems can be resolved by implementing such plans.

Importance of Landfill Units

The result of such plans can be seen by segregating and treating as much as waste as possible at the source level itself. Urban waste dumping can be stopped only with the help of landfill units. Locating landfills for such a purpose is a very difficult task in a state like Kerala where there is acute shortage of land. But we cannot in any way avoid setting up landfill units for waste treatment. Sparsely populated plantations are thus being explored by the state government as landfill units for waste treatment.

Selecting places for landfills

Local bodies have great difficulties in finding land for setting up waste treatment plants. However hard we try, there would be 10% to 20% of inorganic waste that can be treated only with the help of landfills. Seven such regional landfill units across the state have been selected for this purpose. Inorganic waste treatment for the towns and municipalities in the neighbouring districts will be commonly facilitated here. Each such unit would require about 300 acres of land. Such units would be located mainly in rubber plantations as rubber products are not being used to eat.

Benefit of treating waste in landfills

Treating the waste in landfills reduce the impact it has on the environment and encourages recovery and recycling. The characteristic of the waste is changed here. A large amount of compost can be produced as a result of the waste treatment in such units. The compost produced from these units can also be used as manure for augmenting the productivity of rubber trees.

Selection of waste for landfills

Low level radioactive wastes must only be disposed at landfills. Certain wastes must not be send to landfills. These include:-

•  Liquid waste, also known as trade effluent
•  Used tyres
•  Infectious clinical wastes from hospitals, medical premises or veterinary establishments.
•  Wastes having explosive, corrosive, flammable or oxidising characteristics.

A Smart Move For Waste Management- Surveillance System To Catch Garbage Dumpers

A Smart Move For Waste Management- Surveillance  System To Catch Garbage-Dumpers

Waste watching is a beneficial program and an effective way to reduce waste in our surroundings, making neighbourhoods a better place. This is possible by setting up surveillance systems at necessary areas. The main driver for this system is to be able to identify unsuitable and hazardous waste entering a particular area. Donarbon and MBT which are the two important waste management parks have replaced an analogue surveillance system with multiple, strategically placed Axis network cameras.

In order to combat the problem of being bombarded with garbage bundles, Kerala has to adopt this high-tech method of waste management. Waste Management's video surveillance system gives you a cost-effective way to protect your premises. This method has already started functioning at Elankam in Thiruvananthapuram.

 Method of Working of Waste Surveillance System

A closed circuit TV camera unit has to be set up in one of the houses in that area. The camera which is very small has to be mounted at a height and should equip night vision. The inbuilt recorder stores the images which are streamed instantaneously to the CCTV monitors. To get a very clear view, fix an 80 Watt CFL lamp that lights up the area. About Rs 10,000 is required to set up such a system

Benefits of Surveillance System in Waste Management

Such units keep vigil on waste dumpers who make merry on the vacant places. These people who try to flee after dumping waste could be successfully nabbed with such units. The images stored can be handed over to the local police. This helps the health squads to easily identify them and slap a fine.

About three people were caught at Elankam within the first two days of mounting the surveillance. The residents of this colony handed over the stored image to Karamana police where they were identified and fined. The first catch itself boosted the confidence of the colony members and they are sure that the surveillance unit would help them stop the menace. The brain behind this idea is Padmakumar, a resident of the colony.

The Elankam strategy has been a huge draw with many other garbage-ridden associations, deciding to install CCTVs. Many of the councillors are holding talks with residents associations about setting up such surveillance units. The job of corporation health squads are also made easier with such a unit.

Various Technologies For Waste Water Treatment

The management of water has become a topic of serious concern with the increase in population and the increased demand for pure water. Water is very important for sustaining life on earth. Many people depend on ground water sources for their survival. A person requires about 135liters of water one day. Hence waste water management to increase the quality of water has become very important. Various techniques have now been found that depends upon the type and extend of contamination. Most of the waste water is treated in industrial scale waste water treatment plants. Some of them are listed below-

Decentralized Treatment 

This method is one of the most common waste water treatment methods used in the past. But this method has seen resurgence recently. It is an onsite or cluster waste water system used for treating small volumes of waste water. The size of such a system ranges from a single house to public facility for several households. There is no need of much equipment for this system as the distance between the collection point of waste water area and the origin point is less. Hence its cost is considerably less. The water treated by using this method can be used for landscape irrigation, toilet flush supply, cooling tower makeup etc.

Satellite Water Reclamation 

Such a system is an economically viable option when the need for reclaimed water is not located near an existing water reclamation plant. This method removes flows from nearby sewers to produce reclaimed water closer to use area. It can reduce the need for infrastructure pumps and pipes to return reclaimed water from a central plant. They are small waste water treatment plants. They usually treat the waste water from nearby large-diameter pipelines. The wastes thus produced are introduced back into the large-diameter pipeline for further treatment. It has an excellent odor removing ability and is designed to be neighbor friendly. This system produces only the quantity of reclaimed water needed. This system provides high quality reclaimed water at affordable cost.

Membrane Separation Technology

This method separates liquids from solids. The waste water is passed through a number of membranes to remove the impurities. The water treated by using this method is safe even to drink. This method is very effective in separating various mixtures of liquid materials in a growing range of applications. Ultra filtration, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration are the main types of membrane systems commonly used in industries. If membrane separation is used correctly they can provide financial savings and conserve resources. Using this technology, water can be purified and used in grey water applications, in irrigation or as a supplement to existing ground and surface water sources during times of low flow.

Resource Recovery from Waste Water

• Bio diesel from fats, oils and grease- Fats, oils and grease are collected during treatment in plants and then converted into bio diesel through esterification and hydrogenation.
• Electricity and heat from cogeneration- Biogas is a naturally occurring by-product of sludge dewatering. Electricity and hot water is produced from this biogas in cogeneration systems.
• Hydrogen from sludge dewatering plants- Methane from sludge dewatering plants can be converted into hydrogen which can be used in direct fuel cells. This helps in the powering of waste water plants.
• Biogas from waste water and sludge- Methane from sludge can be converted into hydrogen. But it can also be converted into biogas. Biogas can be used to fuel cars, taxis, trucks and public transportation.

Rules and Regulations for Waste Management in Kerala

The non cooperation shown by the authorities and major part of the society to public cleanliness is becoming a hindrance for Kerala’s trial for a waste free environment. The importance given by Keralites for personal cleanliness is not seen for public cleanliness. There are many who dump the waste of their houses to another person’s compound or in public places, thereby making this situation worse. Even though most of them are aware of the hazards brought by the waste accumulated in water bodies and public places to environment as well as humans, they are not ready to give up their practice. In places like Kerala where the population is high, such practices will lead to the spreading of serious illness.

Passing Urine at Public Places

The availability of pure drinking water is also affected by the wastes dumped in water bodies and public places. This will finally affect the public health. In such a situation authorities will become compelled to take strict rules and punishments to acquire the aim of a clean Kerala. As a part of this, a fine of Rs.100 can be charged from those who pass urine at public places.

This instruction can be seen in the collaborated public health rules which are in the consideration of financial and law department.

Allowing Polluted Water to Flow or Throwing Waste in Public Places

There is also an instruction to charge Rs.10000 for allowing polluted water to flow or throwing waste in public places. Even schools that don’t provide facilities for primary needs for the students and teachers will also be charged.

Rules Alone Can’t Solve The Waste Problems

There are many rules and regulations in Kerala to avoid the accumulation of waste materials. Such rules are welcomed when considered the situation of Kerala. But its results depend upon its implementation. If these rules are implemented as needed the waste problems in Kerala can be solved to a great extend. The other side of it should also be seen. The number of public latrines even in the big cities of Kerala is considerably very less. Those that already exist are in a very bad condition. The toilet facilities of many hotels and trains are also the same.

The related authorities are not becoming ready to construct the needed number of toilets or to confirm cleanliness in them. Women are the real sufferers. In common cases women have to reach back home for their primary needs. The pathetic situation of the public toilets in our cities is ridiculed by the tourists who have come here.

The authorities must take into consideration such things while bringing rules and regulations for passing urine in public places. Such rules can be obeyed only if an adequate number of public toilets are built and they are maintained well. Steps must be taken by authorities for such things too. Our local institutions have not been able to go much ahead in disposing waste in a scientific manner. Even though many units like ‘Kudumbasree’ are coming forward to render their service in waste disposal activities, they are not given much encouragement. The waste problems cannot be solved by rules alone. For such rules to be obeyed well, circumstances to obey the rule and support from the public is very necessary. There shouldn't be a situation where punishments are given only to people.