Solid Wastes | Chemistry for JAMB PDF Download

SOLID WASTES

Solid wastes means everything that goes in trash. Municipal solid wastes are wastes from homes, offices, stores, schools, hospitals etc. which are collected and disposed by municipality. It comprises mainly of paper, food waste, plastics, glass, metals, rubbers, leather, textiles etc.

Generally, these wastes are burned. Sanitary landfills are adopted as the substitute for open bring dumps in which wastes are dumped in depression or trench and covered with dirt.

But it also causes harm as it is a cause danger of seepage of chemicals and cause pollution of underground water.

Whole solid waste can be categorised as :
(1) Biodegradable
(2) Recyclable
(3) Non-biodegradable

Plastic is non-biodegradable, so its use should be minimized by minimum use of plastic bag or use of eco-friendly packaging material.

Electronic waste or e-waste are the irreparable computers, mobiles, electronic goods. E-waste are buried in landfills or incinerates.

Over half of e-waste of developed world are exported to developing countries mainly China, India, Pakistan where metals like copper, iron, silicon, nickle and gold are recovered during recycling process.

In these countries the people who participate in recycling of e-waste are exposed to toxic substances present in e-waste.

The eco-friendly recycling is only treatment of e-waste. 

Case Study of Remedy for Plastic Waste :
A plastic sack manufacturer in Bangalore has managed to find the ideal solution to the ever increasing problem of accumulating plastic waste. Ahmed Khan, aged 57 years old, has been producing plastic sacks for 20 years. About 8 years ago, he realised that plastic waste was a real problem. Polyblend, a fine powder of recycled modified plastic, was developed then by his company.
This mixture is mixed with bitumen that is used to lay roads. In collaboration with R.V. Collage of Engineering and the Banglore City Corporation, Ahmed Khan proved that blends of Polybend and bitumen, when used to lay roads, enhanced the bitumen's water repellant properties, and helped to increase road life by a factor of three.
The raw material for creating Polyblend is any plastic film waste. So, against the price of Rs. 0.40 per kg that rag pickers had been getting for plastic waste, Khan now offers Rs. 6.
Using Khan's technique, by the year 2002, more than 40 kms of road in Bangalore has already been laid. At this rate, Khan will soon be running short of plastic waste in Banglore, to produce Polyblend.
Thanks to innovations like Polyblend, we might still avoid being smothered by plastic waste.