Waste Management and Pollution

The key component to zero waste is recycling. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.

The term zero waste was first used in the name of a company, Zero Waste Systems Inc (ZWS), which was founded by a PhD chemist, Paul Palmer in mid 1970s in Oakland, California.

Radioactive waste is a waste that contains radioactive materials. It is usually a by-product of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine. These waste should be disposed into containers lined with yellow bags and labeled radioactive waste.

Use and throw is the concept of using a thing to its utility one time and discarding it thereafter. These products are generally made for that purpose so that once used cannot be brought into further use again such as blades, surgical masks, etc.

Solid waste which gets accumulated, untreated and uncared start decomposing in the environment that is breaking down of the solid organic waste in nature by the action of microorganisms.

Waste is a matter which is discarded after primary use and is rejected because either it becomes useless or worthless of bringing into the use for the purpose it was so made. There are several types of waste depending upon their source such as domestic waste which includes household materials, industrial waste including manufacturing waste, radioactive waste, etc.

Yucca Mountain in Nevada was designated by the U.S. government as the site for the deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

The three R's of waste management are a widely recognized framework for environmental sustainability: Reduce (use less), Reuse (use again), and Recycle (process into new materials).

The producer is required initially for the availability of organic food. The consumer will consume the organic food prepared by the producer and will also make an equilibrium in the environment by being a part of the nutrient cycle. A decomposer will breakdown the dead organic from the dead bodies of producer and consumer. So, these are required in a functional ecosystem. The presence of polluter is undesirable as it would distort the environment, making it difficult for the biotic and abiotic components to keep their sustenance.

Wastes which consist of materials those are difficult to biodegrade so that destruction takes a very long time are known as inorganic wastes. Inorganic wastes come from non renewable natural resources such as minerals and petroleum, or from industrial processes. Some inorganic wastes as a whole cannot be explained by nature, while others can only be described in a very long time.

Examples of inorganic wastes- chemical solvents, paints, sandpaper, paper products, industrial by-products, metals, and radioactive wastes, sand, salt, Iron, Calcium and other mineral materials like  Arsenic.

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling can prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, thereby reducing: energy usage, air pollution (from incineration), and water pollution.

Wastes which consist of materials that are non-biodegradable so their destruction takes a very long time are known as inorganic wastes. Inorganic waste comes from non-renewable natural resources such as minerals and petroleum, or from industrial processes. They are only slightly affected by the action of organisms. They include waste materials such as sand, salt, Iron, Calcium, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, etc.

Construction waste is defined as debris generated from the construction, renovation, and demolition of buildings and infrastructure.

Processing of solid waste is a process that involves energy recovery from the wastes. In this nonrecyclable waste is converted into usable heat, electricity or fuel through various processes such as combustion, gasification, etc. Thus it is a process of treating solid waste which can be further put into use in any form or manner.

Waste management is the process of disposing of waste in a manner that does not harm the environment unnecessarily. It involves collection that is picking up waste material from the source, segregation which involves separating of products which can be recycled from those which are toxic to reduce waste and lastly composting which involves the dumping of waste so that it can be degraded in the environment.