Introduction

Solid waste is defined as waste that is collected and transported by a means other than water. Solid waste can be classified into different types depending on the source:

• Household waste, also called municipal waste

• Industrial waste

• Hospital or biomedical waste.

Municipal solid waste consists of household waste, construction and demolition debris, sanitation residue, and waste from streets. This garbage is generated mainly from residential and commercial complexes. Garbage itself can be classified into four categories:

• Organic waste: kitchen waste, vegetables, flowers, leaves, fruits.

• Toxic waste: old medicines, paints, chemicals, bulbs, spray cans, fertilizer and pesticide containers, batteries

• Recyclable: paper, glass, metals, plastics

• Soiled: waste from first aid, cleaning vehicles and other machine parts

Over the last few years, the consumer market has grown rapidly, leading to products being packed in cans, aluminum foil, plastics, and other such nonbiodegradable items. Industrial solid waste includes metals, chemicals, paper, pesticides, dyes, rubber, and plastics. Hospital waste is generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in research activities in these fields, and in the production or testing of biologicals. These are in the form of disposables, swabs, bandages, etc. This waste is highly infectious and can be a serious threat to human health if not managed in a scientific and discriminate manner. These different categories of waste each take their own time to degenerate if left untreated (as illustrated in the Table 26-1).