DISPOSAL OF WASTES

INTRODUCTION
Closely related to the problems of water
sanitation and stream sanitation is that
of satisfactory waste disposal. The
health professionals need to have a
basic knowledge of this subject since
improper disposal of wastes constitutes
a health hazard.

Principles for waste disposal

The principles are:
There should be no contamination of ground water that may
enter springs or wells.
There should be no contamination of surface water.
The surface soil should not be contaminated
Excreta or other organic material should not be accessible to
flies or animals
There should be freedom from odors or unsightly conditions.
The method used should be simple , reasonable in cost, and
require a minimum of maintenance.

Solid wastes-refuse

The term solid wastes includes garbage,

rubbish ,demolition products ,sewage treatment
residue ,dead animals ,manure and other discarded
material.

Types of refuse
1.

2.

3.
4.

5.

Street refuse: consists of leaves, straw, papers, animal

dung and litter of all kinds.
Market refuse: consists of putrid vegetables and
animal matters.
Domestic refuse: consists of ash, rubbish and garbage.
Industrial refuse: consists of wide variety of toxic
chemical compounds.
Stable litter: consists of mainly animal dung and left
over animal feeds from animal stables.

Solid waste, if allowed to accumulate, is a health

hazard because:

It decomposes and favors fly breeding.

It attracts rodents and vermin.
The pathogens which may be present in the solid
waste may be conveyed back to mans food through
flies and dust.
There is a possibility of water and soil pollution.
Heaps of refuses present an unsightly appearance
and nuisance from bad odors.

Storage
Dustbins made of galvanized iron sheets with
proper lids.

Collection of refuse

The Environmental Hygiene Committee

recommends:
i.
House -to-house collection of refuse.
ii.
Open refuse carts should be replaced by enclosed
vans.
iii.
Mechanical transportation of refuse is more
practical and economical

Methods of refuse disposal

The different methods are:

1.
Dumping
In this method, the refuse is dumped in the low lying
area and later reclamation is done and used for cultivation
purpose.
Drawbacks :
o. the refuse is exposed to flies and rodents.
o. Smell and unsightly appearance.
o. Loose refuse is dispersed by wind.
o. Drainage from dumps leads to pollution of surface and ground
water.

2.Controlled tipping (SANITARY LANDFILL)

This is nothing but dumping or burial of the
refuse in a sanitary way as to prevent the health
hazards. The dumping site should be away from the
human habitation or outside the city limits and
sources of water, so that water pollution due to
leaching from refuse dumps are avoided.

There are 3 methods of controlled tipping

The trench method: this is preferred in those

areas, where low lying areas are not available. A
trench of about 2-3 m deep and 4-12 m wide is dug.
The refuse is then placed and covered with
excavated earth.
Ramp method: suitable in area where the terrain is
moderately sloping.
Area method: dried ponds and clay pits are
utilised for filling the refuse and covered with mud.

3. COMPOSTING: In this method, the refuse is

disposed off along with the night-soil or sewage.
There are 2 methods:
Biological:
It is also called Bangalore method or anaerobic
method or hot fermentation process.
in this method, trenches are dug measuring 5-10 m in
length, 2 m breadth and 1 m depth away from the city
limits. Alternate layers of refuse and human excreta
are put into the trench, in thickness of

15 cm and 5 cm respectively, the first and the last layer being that
of refuse. The trench is then covered with excavated earth.
Mechanical:
this is also called aerobic method. In this method, the refuse is
first cleared of salvageable materials such as rags, bones,
woods, glasses etc. and then powdered in a pulverizer. It is the
mixed with human night soil in a rotating machine and
incubated for 4-6 wks; at the end of which the entire process of
composting is complete by the action of temperature, moisture,
pH and aerobic bacteria. The mixture then changes into
compost.

4.MANURE PITS: In rural areas, the daily domestic refuse

is dumped and covered with earth after each days dumping.
The pit should be closed after it is filled.
5. INCINERATION: This is the process of burning(above
12500 f) the solid waste and is the most sanitary method of
disposal of refuse, especially the hospital refuse because of
its dangers.
By the process of burning, the refuse is reduced to about
1/4th of its original weight and the organic matter is
transformed into co2 and nitrogen. The residuum left is
called clinker.

6. BURIAL: This is same as trench method, but

only refuse is dumped into the trenches and not
human excreta.

DISPOSAL OF EXCRETA
Human excreta causes pollution of the physical
environment such as food, water and results in
many food-borne diseases.
Transmission of all the above mentioned
diseases can be prevented by construction of a
barrier called sanitation barrier which is nothing
but construction and use of sanitary latrines, which
prevents the access of pathogens from 6Fs.

Faeces

Fluids
Foods
Fruits & veg. Susceptible host
Fomites
Fingers
Flies

DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE
Sewage is waste water from a community
containing solid and liquid excreta, derived from
houses, street and yard washings, factories and
industries. If not drained and disposed off it can
contaminate sources of water and also food and
vegetables resulting in diseases and death.

Objectives of sewage disposal

Protection of water sources from contamination.

Protection of soil against pollution.
Protection of fish and aquatic lives.
Protection of human food, which are eaten raw.
Prevention of hazards to live-stocks.
Prevention of nuisance by sight and smell.

Biological oxygen demand

It is the amount of dissolved oxygen required by

the living organisms in the sewage, during 5 days
incubation at 200 C for aerobic oxidation of the
organic matter. It is expressed in terms of ppm.
If BOD is 100 ppm, the sewage is said to be
weak
If it is 300 ppm strong
After complete treatment of sewage, the BOD is
reduced nearly 90%

Chemical oxygen demand

It is the amount of organic matter in the sewage

that is susceptible to oxidation by strong oxidiser.

Suspended solids
If the amount of suspended solids is 100
ppm, the sewage is said to be weak and if more
than 500 ppm, the sewage is strong.
After treatment of the sewage, it should
become weak with reference to BOD and
Suspended solids.

The treatment of sewage is done in 2 stages:

Primary treatment
Secondary treatment

1)Primary treatment

1.

2.

In this stage, the suspended matters like the floating

objects, settleable organic matter and inorganic
particles are all removed by employing simple
physical methods such as:
Screening: the sewage is allowed to pass through
metal screens to hold back the floating objects.
Grit removal: the grit particles are allowed to pass
through a narrow chamber called the grit chamber at
a velocity of 0.3m/s, which is just sufficient to
permit the grit to settle down.

3.

Primary sedimentation: after clearing the

sewage from the floating objects and gritty matter,
it is subjected to sedimentation in a tank for the
removal of settleable suspended matter. All the
suspended organic matter settle as sludge.

2. Secondary treatment
a.

Biofiltration : in biofiltration, the sewage or the

effluent from the septic tank is allowed to filter through
a medium supporting the aerobic bacteria that carry out
the biological treatment. There are 3 methods:
trickling filters: also called as percolating filters or
streaming filters. Thefilter consists of water tight,
concrete, enclosure tank, circular in shape, of about
25m in diameter and 2.5m depth, filled with a filter
medium consisting of pieces of 2-10cm of coarse
materials arranged loosely to provide oxygen to the

Trickling filters

aerobic bacteria resting on them. This is called

zoological layer. As the effluent percolates
through the filter bed, it gets oxidised by the
bacterial flora in the zoological layer. The oxidized
sewage is then led to the secondary sedimentation
tanks.
Intermittent contact beds:
Intermittent sand filters:

b.

Bioaeration (activated sludge process):

This is modern method of purifying sewage in place
of trickling filters. The heart of the ASP is the
aeration tank. The effluent from the primary
sedimentation tank is mixed with the sludge drawn
from the final settling tank. The mixture is submitted
to aeration chamber for about 6-8 hrs. during the
process of aeration, the organic matter of the sewage
gets oxidized into co2 , nitrates and water with the
help of aerobic bacteria in the active sludge.

Advantages.
1.
The effluent is fully oxidized, it is clear and free
from colloids.
2.
Purification is rapid and perfect.
3.
The system is free from smell and flies.
4.
The sludge is inoffensive and has high manurial
value.
5.
Only a small area of land and a skilled attendant is
enough to manage the work.

Secondary sedimentation

The oxidized sewage from the trickling filter is led

into the secondary sedimentation tank where it is
detained for 2-3 hrs. the sludge that collects in the
sec. sedimentation tank is called aerated sludge.
Part of this is pumped back into the activated
sludge process and the rest is pumped into the
sludge digestion tanks for treatment and disposal.

Sludge digestion
the sludge is a thick, black mass containing 95%
water and it has a bad odor. There are a number of
methods of sludge disposal.
A. Digestion : if the sludge is incubated under
favourable conditions of temperature and pH, it
undergoes anaerobic auto-digestion in which
complex solids are broken down into water, CO2 ,
methane and ammonia.

B.
C.

Sea disposal :
Land sludge can be disposed off by composting
with the town refuse.

Other methods.
Sewage dilution
2.
Sewage lagoon
3.
Sewage farming
Sewage dilution:
This consists of discharging the sewage
directly into a large body of water such as
river(river outfall), or sea(sea outfall). However,
discharging the sewage beyond the habitation
area, in a downstream, will reduce the public
health hazard.
1.

Sea outfall is also good, because of large body of water

available for dilution and solids get oxidized. But the
drawback is that the offensive solid matter may be
washed back to the shore and create nuisance. It may
affect the aquatic life.
Sewage lagoon
This is also called as oxidation pond.It is so called
because in this lagoon (pond)the sewage organic matters
are oxidized into inorganic substances including CO2,
Ammonia and water and thus the sewage is purified.

The oxidation pond is a shallow pool of about 20 acres

area,constructed in open areas,about1.5 meter deep,
having an inlet in the middle of the pond to allow the
wind and wave action for the uniform mixing and
distribution of the sewage and an outlet for the
effluent.
The sewage lagoons stabilize the sewage by a complex
interdependent mechanism involving algae, aerobic
bacteriae,oxygen and sunlight.

The aerobic bacteriae,which feed on decaying organic

matter, oxidize the organic matter and convert it
into co2, ammonia and water. Hence the name
oxidation pond.
The lagoons require periodic servicing for optimum
fuctioning.The luxurious growth of marginal
vegetation and other weeds over a period of time,
should be eliminated periodically to discourage of
the mosquitoes.

OXIDATION POND

Sewage farming:
It suits in those areas where porous land is
available in the vicinity of the habitation. Before
admitting the sewage in the farm, it is subjected to
screening and grit removal. Sewage is allowed in
furrows and crops are grown on ridges. Only such
crops are grown which do not come in direct
contact with sewage or not likely to be eaten raw.
sewage sickness

Disposal of hospital waste

Hospitals generates large volumes of wastes as a
by-product of a variety of health services and
procedures carried out such as surgery, dressing of
wounds, dialysis, deliveries, laboratory procedures
etc. If such a waste is not collected, transported and
disposed off, it not only results in causation of
hospital acquired infections.

Objectives of waste management system:

To reduce the infectious or hazardous nature of the

waste.
To reduce the volume of the waste.
To prevent misuse or abuse of the waste.
To ensure occupational safety and health.
To consider aesthetically.
To reuse the items that can be of repeat utility.
To recycle the waste so that it can serve as another
utility item.

CATEGORIES OF HOSPITAL
WASTE
Category 1

Human anatomical waste

Category 2

Animal waste

Category 3

Microbiology & biotechnology

waste

Category 4

Waste sharps

Category 5

Discarded drugs & cytotoxic

drugs

Category 6

Soiled waste

Category 7

Solid wastes

Category 8

Liquid waste

Category 9

Incineration ash

Category 10

Chemical wastes

Norms of the color coding containers..

yellow

infectious wastes and or incineration

Blue/white

Wastes for autoclaving

Red

Human anatomical wastes for burial

black

Non-infectious wastes for municipal

dumping

Steps
Collection of wastes

Treatment and disposable technologies

1)
2)

3)

4)

Incineration
Chemical disinfection: using bleaching powder,
alcohols or gluteraldehyde.
Autoclaving : wastes are steam heated at specified
temperature and pressure for specific period of
time.
Screw-feed technology: the waste is heated in a
rotating instrument. The waste is reduced by 80%
in volume and 20-35% in weight.

5)

6)

7)

Deep burial: the pit measuring 4 ft sq. with a depth of

10 ft. should be selected at a fair distance from the
human surroundings and finally covered with a thick
layer of earth.
Land filling : disposal of residual solid wastes on
land in a facility designed with protective measure
against pollution of ground water.
Worm composting: the biodegradable wastes are
disposed off in a rectangular pit of about 1m deep
bound by brick wall. A few hundred earthworms are

introduced into the earth bed on which the wastes can

be dumped and water is sprinkled daily.
Other methods:
1.
Microwave irradiation
2.
Inertization
3.
Hydroclave

Governments role
Nurses role

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