Solid Waste Management Program
Introduction:
With the increase in population, commercial activities and developed industry, waste is also growing/ going beyond the control and leading to environmental pollution. Solid waste, if not disposed off properly, can be very harmful to residents. Waste management is a collective responsibility that can be managed by the community itself. Therefore, to keep our homes, villages and ultimately to keep the country clean and green / pollution-free, there is a need to put in extra efforts so that the waste is disposed of and recycled in a manner that we can get maximum benefits out of it
Solid waste comprises the unwanted/ useless solid materials generated from a combination of residential, industrial and commercial activities in a given area. It may be categorized according to its origin (domestic, industrial, commercial, institutional, etc); or according to its contents (organic material, glass, metal, plastic, paper, etc); or according to hazard potential (toxic, non-toxic, flammable, infectious, etc). Management of solid waste reduces adverse impacts on the environment, human health, economic development and leads to improved quality of life. A number of processes are involved in effectively managing waste for a municipality. These include sorting of recyclables/ non-recyclables, collection, monitoring, transportation, processing and disposal into landfill or recycling.
Types of Solid Waste
Sorting of Recyclables. It is the process of taking useful discarded items for a specific next use. These discarded items are then processed to extract or recover materials to convert them to energy in the form of useable heat, electricity or fuel. Recycling is the process of converting waste products into new products to prevent energy usage and consumption of fresh raw materials. Recycling is the third component of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle waste hierarchy. The idea behind recycling is to reduce energy usage, reduce volume of landfills, reduce air and water pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preserve natural resources for future use
Composting. Composting is an easy and natural biodegradation process that takes organic waste (remains of plants and garden/kitchen waste) and turns into nutrient-rich food for plants. Composting is normally used for organic farming and occurs by allowing organic materials to sit in one place for months until microbes decompose it. Composting is one of the best methods of waste disposal as it can turn unsafe organic products into safe compost.
What Compostable Material is Made of?
Green and Brown wastes mixed with paper waste etc are decomposed into excellent organic fertilizer.
(1) How to do Composting?
(a) Mix 50% Greens & 50% Browns in compost pit.
(b) Mix these twice a week.
(c) Compost pit has to be in a place with adequate sunlight and air.
(2) What Should Go in Compost Pit
Items to be disposed into the compost pit are as under:•
(a) Browns (Which Contains Carbon). Papers/cardboards, tissue papers, eggshells, leftover tea incl bags, wool, vacuum bag contents, cotton threads, straws, hay, and dry leaves, etc.
(b) Greens (Which Contains Nitrogen). Vegetable peelings, fruits waste, green leaves, plant trimmings, fresh grass, garden pruning, and old flowers, etc.
(3)Things Never to be put in the compost pit.
Things NEVER to be put in the compost pit are as under:-
Cooked vegetables, meat, dairy products, diseased plants, pets litter, baby pampers, coal ash, weeds gone to seeds and tetra packs, etc.
4. Guidelines for Landfill items
(a) Items Which Cannot be Recycled. Waste items like wrappers of biscuits/ chips, diapers, and food wastes cannot be recycled so they will be disposed of in the Poly Carts
. 
