Solid Waste Management Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts from the lecture on Solid Waste Management, including waste classifications, management systems, and the 3Rs.

Waste

Any material thrown away, regarded as useless and unwanted, arising from man’s and animals’ activities; it can be solid, liquid, hazardous, or non-hazardous.

Garbage

Putriceable waste matter arising from the preparation, cooking, and consumption of food.

Rubbish

All non-putriceable wastes except ash, consisting of both combustible and non-combustible substances.

Refuse

Solid waste including both garbage and rubbish.

Sewage

Liquid wastes from household effluents, commercial effluents, and industrial liquid wastes carried in a system of pipes called a sewage system.

Recycling

The processing of used materials or waste into a new product.

Recovery

The removal of materials from the waste stream for recycling or composting to transform wastes into resources.

Hazardous wastes

Substances unsafe to use commercially, industrially, or agriculturally that possess properties of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.

Ignitability

A property of waste indicating it is flammable.

Corrosivity

A property of waste indicating it can rust or decompose.

Reactivity

A property of waste indicating it is explosive.

Toxicity

A property of waste indicating it is poisonous.

Non-hazardous waste

Substances safe to use commercially, industrially, agriculturally, or economically that do not possess hazardous properties.

Environmentally effective waste management

A system that reduces environmental burdens as much as possible, including emissions to land, air, and water such as $CO_2$.

Economically affordable waste management

A waste management system operating at a cost acceptable to the community, including private citizens, businesses, and government.

Socially acceptable waste management

A system that operates in a manner acceptable to the majority of people in the community.

Residential waste

Waste generated from dwelling apartments and households, also known as household waste.

Commercial waste

Waste from businesses such as shops and food and drink establishments.

Industrial waste

Waste from industrial processes such as paper manufacture, chemical manufacture, and metal processing.

Institutional waste

Waste generated from public and government institutions, such as schools, universities, and offices.

Municipal waste

Waste produced in an urban area, including residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional waste, but excluding some industrial wastes.

Healthcare waste

Any solid waste produced in hospitals, clinics, health posts, and other health facilities.

Organic solid waste

Wastes that are biodegradable and decompose, often emitting offensive smells (e.g., garbage/putrescible wastes).

Inorganic solid waste

Solid matter that does not decompose at any rate (e.g., rubbish/non-putrescible wastes).

Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM)

A comprehensive waste prevention, recycling, composting, and disposal program designed to protect human health and the environment.

Source Reduction

Also called waste prevention, this seeks to prevent waste from being generated through strategies like using less packaging or designing durable products.

Composting

A biological waste treatment process where organic matter breaks down under bacterial action to form a stable humus-like soil additive.

Combustion

The controlled burning of waste to reduce its volume, which can also be used to produce steam and water to generate energy.

Storage

A system of keeping material after it has been discarded and prior to collection and disposal.

Collection

The functional element including the gathering of solid waste and recyclable materials and their transport to the location where the vehicle is emptied.

Transfer station

A facility where wastes are transferred from smaller collection vehicles to larger transport equipment for long-distance transport.

Materials recovery facility

A facility where separation and processing of source-separated or commingled wastes usually occurs.

Incineration

The hygienic disposal of refuse by burning, most suitable for high calorific value waste, which can reduce waste volume by over $90\%$.

Open Dumping

The dumping of solid waste into uncontrolled sites, which is environmentally and socially unacceptable due to pollution and health hazards.

Sanitary landfill

An engineered facility for the disposal of municipal solid waste where material is compacted and covered with earth daily to minimize environmental impacts.

Monofills

Landfills designed for individual waste constituents such as combustion ash or asbestos.

Secure landfills

Landfills specifically designed for the disposal of hazardous wastes.

Waste hierarchy

A ranking of waste management options from most preferred (waste reduction) to least preferred (disposal in a landfill site).

Zero Waste

A philosophy encouraging the redesign of resource life cycles so all products are reused and no trash is sent to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean.

Upcycling

The process of finding alternate uses for common household items instead of throwing them away.