Waste disposal includes the process of obtaining waste from production, getting rid of them by applicable methods, or recycling of the useable parts of the debris of human consumption. The entirety of this is proper waste management.
Liquid, solid and gaseous waste are the states in which wastes exist, and other types of waste as will be further explained in this text are subdivisions of this states of matter. Waste can be classified based on the means by which they are obtained i.e. the human activity that produces them.
Forms of waste include: Medical waste, food waste, farm waste, household waste, recyclable waste, retail waste, hazardous waste, business waste, packaging waste, sewage waste, sludge, consumable waste, construction and demolition waste, composite waste. All these forms of waste derive their crucial recognition from the basic states of matter (liquid, solid, and gases), and also the activities producing them.
Hazardous and radioactive wastes are the most dangerous. Radioactive waste materials have a high tendency of reacting uncontrollably and on emission pollute the environment. A waste product becomes hazardous depending on its ignitability, reactivity, corrosiveness, and toxicity. Most times, radioactive materials also possess these characteristics.
Biodegradable wastes are animal wastes that mainly originate from plants and can be further decomposed by other living organisms. Biodegradable wastes are not harmful; many edible products belong to this group. Non-biodegradable wastes cannot be further broken down by living organisms.
As already stated, the waste concept is a broad one and it is hard for a single individual to work on this concept. It involves concerted effort of individuals, or governmental bodies working to minimize its effects.
If individuals are aware that all their actions produce pollutants and that these pollutants generally have an effect on the environment, certain habits will be curbed. For example, in Nigeria where there is epileptic power supply, the citizens have resorted to purchasing gaseous-emitting low-quality generators. These products are not usually utilized by foreign producers or importers in their countries; however, since the majority of Nigerian citizens are uninformed, they fall prey to the cheap price the retailers offer for the products. So, you’ll find a situation where over three to four neighbors living in opposite apartments switch these generators on at night and the hallways become heavily polluted with smoke or emitted carbon. Such is the effect of a daily individual activity on our environment. Individuals should be made aware of their responsibilities to themselves with regard to environmental cleanliness. They should be made to understand that the governments cannot bear the burden alone; all must be involved.
Consider landfill as a waste disposal method, for example. This method, though less costly, is not practiced in areas where landmass is small; hence it is only practical in larger communities. Landfill is most commonly practiced in my own part of the world but since it is not an effective method, its disadvantage is disheartening.
Incineration, another method of waste disposal, involves the burning of organic substances contained in waste materials. This method adds pollutants to the atmosphere, and so its threat cannot be disregarded. It is usually practiced in countries like Japan with small land mass.
Gasification involves high temperature like that of the sun for disposing of waste. The procedure is usually of high space technology.
Whether landfill, incineration, or plasma gasification, waste disposal is a continuous process and the waste should be eliminated by every means possible because their presence (especially if gaseous) may pose threats to life. However, there may not be a single method most suitable for clearing all the types of waste, but clearing ought to be constantly done as it applies to each type of waste.
Finally, the efficiency with which we manage waste is the most important because if we do not take caution, we present health hazards to ourselves. Recycling should be important to us, but avoiding it completely if possible is the best method of all. This is the waste concept.
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