Solid waste is the unwanted or useless solid materials generated from combined residential, industrial and commercial activities in a given area. Management of solid waste reduces or eliminates adverse impacts on the environment and human health and supports economic development and improved quality of life. 

Solid wastes are grouped or classified in several different ways:

• Household waste is generally classified as municipal waste
• Industrial waste as hazardous waste

• Biomedical waste or hospital waste as infectious waste

   

An integrated waste management strategy includes three main components:

1. Source reduction:

Source reduction is one of the fundamental ways to reduce waste. This can be done by using less material when making a product, reuse of products on site, designing products or packaging to reduce their quantity.

1. Recycling:

Recycling is reusing some components of the waste that may have some economic value. Recycling has readily visible benefits such as conservation of resources reduction in energy used during manufacture and reducing pollution levels.

1. Disposal:

Disposal of solid waste is done most commonly through a sanitary landfill or through incineration. A modern sanitary landfill is a depression in an impermeable soil layer that is lined with an impermeable membrane.

Solid Waste Management Using Composting:

Composting is the natural process of decomposition of organic waste that yields manure or compost, which is very rich in nutrients. Composting is a biological process in which micro-organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria, convert degradable organic waste into humus like substance. This finished product, which looks like soil, is high in carbon and nitrogen and is an excellent medium for growing plants.

The process of composting ensures the waste that is produced in the kitchens is not carelessly thrown and left to rot. It recycles the nutrients and returns them to the soil as nutrients. Apart from being clean, cheap, and safe, composting can significantly reduce the amount of disposable garbage. The organic fertilizer can be used instead of chemical fertilizers and is better specially when used for vegetables. It increases the soil’s ability to hold water and makes the soil easier to cultivate. It helps the soil retain more of the plant nutrients. 

Benefits of composting:

• Compost allows the soil to retain more plant nutrients over a longer period.
• It supplies part of the 16 essential elements needed by the plants.
• It helps reduce the adverse effects of excessive alkalinity, acidity, or the excessive use of chemical fertilizer.
• It makes soil easier to cultivate.
• It helps keep the soil cool in summer and warm in winter.
• It aids in preventing soil erosion by keeping the soil covered.
• It helps in controlling the growth of weeds in the garden.