SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste is increasing now and then due to daily industrial activities, population growth, and

economic development

Strategies

The strategies for sustainable waste management are as follows

1. Recycling

2. Composting

3. Incineration

Recycling

Recycling is an effective strategy for sustainable waste management. This saves energy,

keeps the materials out of incinerations and landfills, and eventually provides the raw materials

for developing new products. Recycling conserves natural resources and ultimately reduces

energy demands. With the greater incorporation of recycled materials, ultimately, the use of raw

materials is reduced for identical applications (Keenan, 2018).

Recycling helps society to move towards sustainability because it reduces the need to

harvest, grow and extract new materials from Earth. As a result of this, harmful disruptions, as

well as the damage being done to the natural world, become less, a less polluted environment,

etc. Recycle also prevents greenhouse gases and eventually improves the air and water quality

which are the building blocks for the sustainable growing communities

Saahas Zero Waste is an organization that is a Bengaluru-based NGO that diverts around 53000

kg of waste from landfills on daily basis. "They specialize in handling bulk waste produced by
MNCs, residential communities, universities, tech parks, and other organizations, and carrying

out end-to-end turnkey projects. Using sustainably managed and recycled waste, the firm creates

clothing, stationery, bags, and backpacks, and sells them on their website" (Sharma, 2019). The

drawback of using this strategy could be the high upfront capital cost because building up a new

waste recycling unit eventually takes a large capital which inculcates chemical disposal, waste,

the utility of the vehicles, etc. Secondly, the products being recycled are not usually durable as

they are made of trashed waste material. There is also no assurance that high-quality products

will be eventually obtained because when input raw material is not good, how can the end

product be good enough

Composting

Another effective waste management strategy is composting. It is defined as "a biological

process in which the organic portion of refuse is allowed to decompose under carefully

controlled conditions" (Taiwo, 2011). It is a suitable way for recycling organic waste in an

environmentally friendly manner. It helps society in such a manner that it can be used for soil

amendment to improve the structure of the soil, water holding capacity, infiltration rate, and tilth.

Organic waste generates methane and by composting the waste food or organics, the emission of

methane is ultimately reduced. In some cases, it reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and

eventually promotes higher yields of crops.

Teng Hoi conservation organization uses composting to convert the food waste in the

school into compost for use in their partner farms to eventually produce homegrown vegetables

with a very low carbon footprint (Composting – Teng Hoi Conservation Organization, n.d.)
 The drawbacks of composting the by-product could be the cost for the site preparation as

well as for equipment too, targeting the final use of the compost product, the overall lengthy

treatment period, and other ecosystem-oriented issues such as dust and unpleasant smell.

Incineration

It is a waste treatment process that eventually involves the combustion of the substance

contained in the waste materials. It is an effective strategy for reducing the weight and volume of

solid waste. Burning the refuse in the incinerators to make electrical energy is considered a key

to reducing the emissions of carbon from waste treatment in the future. This strategy is useful for

society in terms of sustainability in such a way that this method is hygienic in which all the

pathogens and vectors are destroyed which reduces pollution and is beneficial for humanity

(Waste Incineration: Advantages & Disadvantages | Greentumble, 2019). The application of this

process includes the disposal of various kinds of nanomaterial wastes. An industrial furnace

system is used to ultimately incinerate the hazardous waste to recover the energy.

The drawback of using this strategy could be the air pollutants that are caused by the

burning of waste and as a result cause heart and lung diseases. It also gives rise to heavy metals

such as mercury and lead which eventually causes neurological diseases. At times, it also causes

water pollution which impacts the residential or commercial neighbors.

Composting – Teng Hoi Conservation Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2022,

from https://tenghoiconservation.org/composting/

Keenan, B. (2018, December 3). 5 Ways to Help Your Business Go Green.

Www.dumpsters.com. https://www.dumpsters.com/blog/sustainable-waste-management-

solutions

Sharma, M. (2019). 8 organizations that are making recycling easy in India. Vogue

India. https://www.vogue.in/culture-and-living/content/recycle-reuse-indian-

organisations-recycling-sustainable-eco-friendly-practices

Taiwo, A. M. (2011). Composting as A Sustainable Waste Management Technique in

Developing Countries. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 4(2), 93–

102. https://doi.org/10.3923/jest.2011.93.102

Waste Incineration: Advantages & Disadvantages | Greentumble. (2019, January 8).

Greentumble. https://greentumble.com/waste-incineration-advantages-and-disadvantages/