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MODERN INTEGRATED MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: CONCEPTS AND BENEFITS

The integrated solid waste management (ISWM) system is based on the waste management with an aim to reduce the amount of waste being disposed while maximising resource recovery and efficiency. Based on this waste management hierarchy, an assessment of local needs and conditions should lead to the selection of an appropriate mix of processes and technologies. The preferred waste management strategies within the hierarchy include:

At source reduction and reuse The most preferred option for waste management is to prevent the generation of waste at various stages including the product design, production, packaging, use, and reuse. Waste prevention helps reduce handling, treatment, and disposal costs. It also reduces leachate, air emissions, and greenhouse gases which have significant impacts on the environment.

Waste recycling The next preferred alternative is the recovery of recyclable material resources and strengthening a waste recycling chain through segregation, collection, and reprocessing to create new products.

Waste to composting: The organic fraction of waste can be composted to improve soil health and agricultural production adhering to FCO norms.

Waste to Energy: Where material recovery from waste is not possible, energy recovery from waste through production of heat, electricity, or fuel is preferred. Biomethanation, pyrolysis, gasification, waste incineration, production of refuse derived fuel (RDF), and co-processing of the sorted dry rejects from MSW in cement kilns are commonly adopted waste to energy technologies.

Waste Disposal: Residual waste at the end , which ideally comprises of inert waste are to be disposed in sanitary, lined landfills, which are constructed in accordance with stipulations of the SWM Rules, 2016.

The ISWM concept, as described, is closely linked to the 3R approach (reduce, reuse, and recycle), which is also aimed at optimising MSW management from all the waste-generating sectors (households, commercial and institutional establishments, parks and gardens, construction and demolition, urban agriculture, and safety and healthcare facilities) and involving all the stakeholders (waste generators, service providers, informal sector, regulators, government, and community or neighbourhoods). The adoption of the 3R concept helps to minimize the amount of waste to be handled by the municipal authority, minimising the public health and environmental risks associated with it.