A material that has already done its work or fulfilled its mission, is discarded in the form of waste. Therefore, a residue becomes unusable and without economic value for most people. These waste can be eliminated, destined for landfills or their burial, or recycled to be used again.
In this ecology article, we speak specifically of a type of waste: solid waste. Keep reading and discover What are solid waste and how they are classified to eliminate them correctly.
What are solid waste and examples
Waste can be liquid, gaseous or solid. Under the denomination of solid waste only the residues that are in solid state are groupedleaving out those found in a liquid and gaseous state. The term is used Urban solid waste to refer to those that occur specifically within the urban nuclei and their areas of influence. These waste is usually produced in private homes (houses, apartments, etc.), offices or stores.
Solid waste examples They are a used paper, a plastic or glass bottle or a cardboard container. On the other hand, waste such as a vehicle’s oil or the smoke of a fireplace are not classified within solid waste.
How solid waste is classified
Solid waste can be classified into two large groups, Hazardous and non -hazardous solid waste. The dangerous, as the name implies, group those waste that can be a danger to the citizen or for the environment, due to its corrosive, explosive or toxic properties. While non -hazardous waste does not pose a danger to the citizen or for the environment. These, in turn, can be subdivided into:
- Ordinary: These waste is generated during daily routine in homes, schools, offices or hospitals.
- Biodegradable: These waste is characterized by being able to disintegrate or degrade quickly, becoming another type of organic matter. Examples of this type of waste are remains of food, fruits and vegetables. You can learn more about how long the waste takes to degrade here.
- INERTS: These waste is characterized because they do not easily break down in nature, but take a long time to break down. Among these waste we find cardboard or some kinds of paper.
- Recyclable: These waste can undergo processes that allow them to be used again. Among these we find glass, fabrics, some kinds of plastics or papers.
In addition to this classification, solid waste can also be grouped into organic and inorganic:
- Organic: In this classification, biodegradable waste would be grouped.
- Non -organic or inorganic: They are residues that due to their chemical characteristics suffer a very slow natural disintegration. Many of these waste are recyclable by complex methods such as cans, some plastics, glass or gums. In other cases its recycling or transformation is not possible, it is the case of batteries, which are dangerous and pollutants.
The Urban solid waste management It is carried out in several stages: a first stage prior to the collection (including separation and storage), the collection itself, transport from the collection point and, finally, its elimination or transformation.
Where solid waste is thrown and recycled
Once collected, the destinations of solid waste to discard them They can be:
Disposal in the landfill
The sanitary landfill is a method of removal of solid waste that consists of depositing them on the ground, in a scattered and compacted way. This is done above all with hazardous waste.
Incineration
A waste incinerator is a system to treat garbage consisting in burning these waste at high temperatures, which reduces its volume by up to 90% and its weight by 75%. The disadvantage of this system is that ashes, inert waste and gases that can be toxic to people are generated.
Separation and use
This system classifies solid waste in the place where they occur to subsequently recover them. To recover them, processes, techniques and operations apply that manage to return to these materials the possibility of reusing them in their original or some similar function.
Consequences of poor solid waste management
The Bad management of solid waste can have consequencesthat we can really consider, such as:
- Health risks: in the form of diseases, both directly and indirectly. Many of these effects are being investigated.
- Harmful effects to the environment: such as the aesthetic deterioration of cities and natural landscapes, which can be considered a form of transformation of nature by man.
- Water pollution: as leachate or spills to rivers and streams. This leads to eutrophication, with its terrible consequences.
- Soil pollution: such as the abandonment of land or spills on the ground.
- Air pollution: Smoke and gase emissions leads to the reduction of air quality we breathe.
Finally, we recommend seeing this Video on solid wastewhich you can also find on our YouTube channel.
If you want to read more articles similar to What are solid waste and how they are classifiedwe recommend that you enter our recycling and waste management category.
