Tag: waste management - impact of waste accumulation

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.

Human impact on the environment or anthropogenic impact on the environment includes changes to biophysical environments and ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans, including global warming, environmental degradation (such as ocean acidification), mass extinction and biodiversity loss, ecological crisis, and ecological collapse.

Acid rain reacts with carbonate-based materials like limestone and marble, which are common in historical monuments such as the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

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.

Bio-accumulation means the accumulation or enrichment of the contaminants or chemical substances into an organism that occurs by the process of absorption which occurs at a faster rate than that of excretion.

Accumulated waste which is left untreated and uncared is harmful to the environment as it starts degrading in the open atmosphere by the action of microorganisms, some of the waste is eaten by stray animals which causes a problem in their functions as it consists of harmful elements such as acids, polythene, etc. The foul smell generating out of accumulated waste cause breathing problem in humans and air pollution. This waste dissolves in water bodies and form part of land making soil unusable and infertile and water harmful for drinking.

The amount of oxygen required by bacteria to break down the organic matter present in a certain volume of a sample of water is called Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). The amount of BOD in the water is the measure of the amount of organic material in the water.

Lead is a toxicant that has multiple effects on the body. It gets stored in teeth and bones and accumulates there making them hollow and weak. It is released in the blood leading to a high concentration of lead which causes deformity in children during pregnancy. It affects the brain and kidney functioning.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has launched India’s largest waste-to-energy plant at Narela-Bawana. Venkaiah Naidu, Union minister for urban development, inaugurated the project at the Civic Centre. The project will use 2,000 metric tonnes of waste every day to generate 24 megawatts of energy.