Problem of Solid Waste Management
In most Indian cities, the problem of solid waste management is acute. Solid waste management is a critical service for the urban local bodies since many public health issues are connected with it. The situation is particularly bad in the unauthorized settlements and slums in urban areas where municipal solid waste management is virtually absent. Inadequate waste disposal may cause severe environmental and health problems. These problems may be attributed to the partial segregation of recyclable waste, absence of waste collection at source, unavailability of suitable infrastructure to treat and dispose the huge amount of waste generated. In order to meet these challenges we bring forward decentralized solid waste management to minimize the problems of solid waste management in urban areas. The main purpose is to provide a comprehensive view of the decentralized approach to solid waste management along with the appropriate technologies to solve the problem of processing and treatment of waste.
India is the second largest country in the world with a population of over 1.21 billion accounting for 17.5 percent of the world population. The increase in population has not only changed the physical size of the cities due to large scale of migration but is also exerting significant additional pressure on the basic services and infrastructure across the Indian cities.
Many Indian cities face the serious problem of solid waste management (SWM) due to rapid urbanization and are struggling to find effective responses to improve the living standard of people.Currently, the Indian cities generatesabout 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. It is assumed that urban India will generate 2,76,342 tonnes per day (TDP) by 2021, 4,50,132 tpd by 2031 and 11,95,000 tdp by 2050 (Planning Commission, 2014).The quantity and physical composition of solid waste is continuously changing with population redistribution, changing life styles, income and consumption patterns in Indian cities. While, the share of paper, plastics, rubber, glass and metals is constantly increasing that of the biodegradable organic materials still remains significant in our cities. Out of the total waste generated in India, more than 50 percent waste is organic, 31 percent inert waste and 18 percent is recyclable waste (Earth Engineering Centre, 2012).
