Solid Waste Management

Solid waste consists of the discarded portion of the households, dead animals, trade, commercial, agriculture and industrial waste and other large waste like debris from construction site, furniture etc. Solid wastes are generally categorized as domestic, industrial and hazardous or biomedical waste. 

With the rapid industrialization and population growth, the status of our environment is degrading day by day. As the limits of urbanization are extending to far flying areas in India, the problem of Solid waste management is causing a great concern to our environment. The increasing amount of solid waste generated in most of the cities is being recognized as a major health problem. In most of the cases, the toxic and hazardous waste is mixed with domestic solid waste   and is disposed off in unsafe dumps without treatment. The hazardous waste may pose a serious threat to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed. 

In Punjab, growth of population, industrialization and urbanisation  has resulted in generation of large volumes of solid waste.  Most of the solid waste is  presently  disposed of on land and remains uncovered resulting in environmental pollution of surrounding area. Increased accumulation of solid wastes are  creating economic and environmental problems in the state, due to decreased availability of land for disposal. According to the experts, apart from degrading aesthetic beauty, hazardous waste can contaminate surface and ground water sources and can cause even cancer, liver failure, mental retardation and a number of other diseases. Chronic exposures can lead to bio accumulation where these wastes, once ingested can't  be excreted.

While municipal and industrial solid waste has attracted the attention of the authorities, yet there is lack of concern for some special management of biomedical waste generated primarily from hospitals and other health care centers in the state. So there is a urgent need to treat all wastes as resource material for recycling. Some for conversion to fertilizers or as source of energy and rest for land reclamation.