Waste management is the safe and efficient disposal as well as the processing of waste into new products. As such, waste management is the duty of both the government and its citizens. And when either of the two parties is not doing their part, there is a total collapse of the waste management system. This will eventually lead to a full-blown garbage crisis. As such, we shall be taking a look at the strategies that can be employed to manage waste.

What Are The Ways To Manage Waste Disposal?

Landfills

Dumping waste in landfills is the most utilized waste disposal strategy today. This strategy involves the collection of bio-degradable waste which will be compacted before burying it under the ground. This strategy thrives on the concept that bio-degradable will naturally decompose on its own. In addition, the gas emitted from landfills can be used as fuel. However, landfills are to be located in a confined area far from civilization. In addition, they are only suitable for lands which have deep groundwater levels. Therefore, it is becoming extremely difficult to get lands that are suitable for landfills.

Incineration

Incineration is the process of subjecting solid waste to extremely high temperature so as to convert them to gases or residue. As such, this process is able to reduce the volume of wastes that reach landfills.

Recycling

Recycling is the process of treating and converting waste to new products that can be used by manufacturers as raw materials or for product packaging. Some of the waste products that can be recycled are plastics, glass, and paper. As such, recycling reduces the cost and energy used to manufacture new products. It also reduces the volume of waste dumped into landfills.

Plasma gasification

Plasma gasification is the conversion of waste to synthetic gas by exposing the waste to extreme temperatures. To do this, an electrically powered plasma torch is used to vaporize organic matter into synthetic gases (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). The byproduct generated from this process is slag.

Composting

Composting is the process of decomposing organic wastes into manure. Some of the wastes that can be decomposed are wastes from food and plants. As such, they are suitable for organic farming. Composting involves the piling up of organic for a long period of time so that microbes can start breaking them down. This is one of the safest ways to manage waste, however, it is a bit slow.

Waste minimization

Waste minimization is the process of managing the volume of waste generated. This can include the ban of some materials as product packages. In addition, households can reduce and manage the waste they generate. Therefore, the volume of waste each household contribute to landfills are immensely reduced.

Final thoughts

The above-mentioned strategies are some of the ways we currently manage the disposal of waste. Recycling and composting are the safest. However, composting is limited by the unavailability of land. In addition, recycling largely depends on the segregation of wastes, as such, waste management firms are required to have an efficient waste sorting system.