Different Methods of Waste Disposal: Waste Management  

Date: 14 December 2022

Author: Sri Nihal Tammana

Waste management (or waste disposal) includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. Following are the methods of final disposal of waste-

1.     Landfill: Landfills are places where waste is disposed. For example, when you throw trash away, it goes to a landfill where the waste is safely disposed. In the 1900s the waste was just dumped everywhere which transmitted several diseases and thrashed our environment! Landfills are located and designed and operated to protect our environment and not have any threats. The trash is just left lying there because the waste there decomposes. Decomposition is a term used where the chemicals disintegrate, and that material breaks down the trash into simple substances. So, the chemical reaction breaks trash apart and turns it into simple substances. It is then collected and taken to a gas/energy plant where the trash is burned to generate electricity!

2.     Incineration: Incineration is a method of waste disposal where trash is burned. It is basically the destruction of waste. Trash is burned because it generates energy which is used for many different purposes. Industrial plants for waste incineration are called waste-to-energy facilities. The energy is then burned and created into steam and then into electricity. This has a very similar process to coal and oil combustion.  Even though incineration is useful, it produces so much CO₂ which is bad for our environment. Burning produces carbon monoxide and many other toxic gases which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to global warming! So please do not dispose of hazardous or explosive items like batteries! Else, it will produce more CO₂ and make choking toxic gas! Let’s hope that in a few years, the waste disposal process will be environmentally friendly!!!

3.     Composting: Composting is a method of trash disposal that involves the growth of biodiversity. It is a mixture of ingredients used to fertilize the soil. Sometimes, people just throw their veggie peels into the soil so it would become even more fertile, and plants could grow in that area.  Eggshells, coffee grounds, and used teabags make ideal composting materials. By composting trash into the soil, the fertile soil created by composting would improve the growth of plants and not cause many diseases in the plants! This could save a lot on fertilizer and soil! This process is very ideal because you can spend less and less waste on the landfill for recycling! to be successful!

4.     Vermicomposting: Composting is basically using used veggie peels to improve the quality of the soil for plant growth! Vermicomposting is totally the opposite! It is the product of earthworm digestion and aerobic decomposition. The worms decompose the items and the product of that digestion is used to improve the soil. Composting sometimes lacks space in your backyard as it requires so much space. Vermicomposting is a popular alternative to composting which many people use! There are several benefits to Vermicomposting: it diverts organic items from the landfill and reduces trash collection fees. It also creates resources from waste materials. 

5.     Biogas Generation: Biogas is a renewable fuel made by the decomposition of trash. In landfills, trash is dumped and left there to bake in the sun to decompose. The energy is released from the trash after it decomposes, and that biofuel is extracted! That biofuel is used in a variety of ways like renewable vehicle fuel and fuel for electricity generation plants. If we replace nonrenewable energy sources like fossil fuels with renewable energy like biofuels, we can reduce climate change and stop global warming.

We need to act now because we only have until 2100 to stop our crucial behavior to Mother Earth! If we don’t act and save earth now, climate change will be irreversible and no matter how much we try, it just wouldn’t work. Earth is our responsibility so we should be responsible and keep it safe for our future generations! So, let’s start by doing the right thing by going greener!

Please do treat earth like you treat your child! It is our mother after all!

 Edited By: Dr. Anchal Garg