Solid Wastes

Solid wastes are, quite simply, everything that ends up in the trash. Municipal solid waste is the waste generated by homes, offices, shops, schools and hospitals that a municipality collects and disposes of, and it typically consists of paper, food scraps, plastics, glass, metals, rubber, leather and textiles.

Disposal methods and their limits

Burning reduces the volume of waste, but it is rarely burnt completely, and open dumps commonly become breeding grounds for rats and flies. Sanitary landfills were developed as a cleaner alternative to open burning: waste is compacted into a depression or trench and covered with a layer of soil every day. Even so, landfills are not a lasting solution — the sheer volume of waste generated, especially in large metropolitan areas, is filling these sites faster than new ones can be found, and there is a real risk of chemicals seeping out of landfills and contaminating groundwater.

Sorting and reducing waste

A more durable answer lies in people themselves becoming more conscious about waste. All the waste we generate can be sorted into three broad categories: biodegradable, recyclable, and non-biodegradable. Careful sorting at source matters — reusable or recyclable material should be separated out (India's kabadiwallahs and rag-pickers already play a valuable, if informal, role in this separation), biodegradable waste can be buried in pits to break down naturally, leaving only the genuinely non-biodegradable fraction that must be disposed of by other means.

Reducing how much waste we generate in the first place ought to be the priority, yet the trend has actually run the other way, with growing reliance on non-biodegradable packaging. A simple biscuit packet illustrates this — look closely and you will typically find several protective layers, at least one of them plastic. Everyday items like milk and drinking water are now routinely sold in plastic pouches, and fruit and vegetables are commonly packed in polystyrene and plastic wrapping that we pay for and then simply throw away, adding directly to environmental pollution. In response, several Indian state governments are actively pushing to cut plastic use and promote eco-friendly packaging, and individuals can contribute by carrying cloth or other natural-fibre bags while shopping and declining polythene bags.

Special categories of waste

Hospitals generate hazardous waste containing disinfectants, other harmful chemicals and disease-causing micro-organisms, all of which demand careful, dedicated treatment and disposal — typically through incineration. …