Post No. 12. Solid Waste.

Since origins of history human beings have been forced to dispose their wastes. But usually the problem has not been solved but transferred. Disposition of solid wastes includes cleaning, collection, disposal of solid waste and education to the public. Inappropriate behavior of citizens facing the problem aggravates the problem. Most of the times the origin of the problem is the inadequacy of the services and disposition of solid wastes.

All these factors are closely linked and constitute the foundations to the planning of a digital management plan and all factors are correlated and cannot go one without the other.

Failure in the Solid Waste Management may affect the health and hygiene of population in the surrounding areas, contamination so it is necessary to implement more efficient technologies including digital solutions.

In 1980 I presented a Graduation Thesis to opt for a Civil Engineering degree titled : “Analysis of the Problematic of Solid Wastes in Panama City.”(308 pages). This work had been used for many institutions and the suggestions were used to find alternatives to find a permanent solution of solid wastes in Panama City but it is imperative to update the technologies and management.

First, It is imperative to define the term “Solid Waste”. Some of the common definitions are:

“The term “solid waste” means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plan, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities” . (There are exclusions) (EPA)

“Solid waste are solid or semisolid, nonsoluble material (including gases and liquids in containers) such as agricultural refuse, demolition waste, industrial waste, mining residues, municipal garbage, and sewage sludge.” (Business Dictionary)

“Solid waste means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plan, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural operations.

The following are major sources of solid waste:

Residential
Industrial
Commercial
Institutional
Construction and Demolition areas
Municipal services
Treatment Plant and Sites
Agriculture

Alternative waste treatment technologies:

Anaerobic digestion
Alcohol/ethanol production.Bioconversion of biomass to mixed alcohol fuels (pilot scale)
Biodrying
Gasification
GasPlasma: Gasification followed by syngas plasma polishing (commercial test scale)
Landfarming
In-vessel composting
Mechanical biological treatment”