Waste managment
2700 crore Rs Mumbai municipality annual waste management budget for processing 1.6 lakh metric ton waste (1.6 crore kg) waste. Where is this money going ... Most of money is spent for dumping waste in to landfill site ,there are two process involved
Tipping and tripping and no processing of waste.
Govt will provide dumping yards or landfill sites , the contractor responsible for tipping has to dump the waste over there . There is tipping fee charge which varies from 200/500/800 rs per tonn this money is spent just to dump the waste without processing.Tripping fee is Trip charge which varies from 500/1000/2000 rs per tonn .
In fact there is no processing involved in waste management system across India.
Waste management processing involves Reduce /Reuse/Recycle
Reuse - Use without breaking down
Recycle- Use after breaking down and re manufacture.
20% of waste is biodegradable ,If we inoculate right bacteria for compost the following results are possible
- we have 1.6 lakh ton biodegradable waste , produce 90 lakh ton of compost per year which is 2700 crore worth and can convert 45 lakh acre barren land in to fertile area and produce 90 lakh ton additional food grains.
- 50 kg of garbage will produce 40 kg manure and 2m3 of biogas which is 1kg(1.96L) of LPG , so 1 ton of garbage can produce biogas equivalent to 2 LPG cylinder (calculation is given below). 1m3 of biogas equivalent to 500gms of LPG.
- 1 kg of kitchen waste will yeild 0.04 to 0.o8 m3 of biogas(depends on several factors) , 1 tonn will yeild 40m3-80m3 of biogas which is equivalent to 20 to 40kg of LPG which is approximately 2 cylinders of LPG weighing 14.2kg having 25L of LPG.
- 14000 BTU gas stoves consume around 0.5 liters of LPG gas per hour so with 1 kg of garbage produce 0.04m3 which is equivalent to 2kg or 3L LPG which can run for 6 hours.
- For one kg of waste per day a digestor volume of 100 L is recommended , if we generate 10kg of waste per day then digestor volume should be 1000L .
- Methane content in Biogas detemine its calorific value .
Biogas is generated at atmospheric pressure safer than LPG
Heating value of Propane per cubic meter is 2.5 times greater than Biogas.
Burning plastics will produce dioxins which can
persist for 15 years in human body.
Preliminary process involves segregation of waste in to wet and dry which should be done at home , wet waste .
๐ฃ๐ฃHere is a list of common organic wastes that we find at home and school. They are listed as either browns or greens. Remember, green materials have more nitrogen than brown materials.
Browns:
Dried leaves, twigs, hedge clippings, tree branches and any other woody parts of a plant are high in carbon. Green leaves are considered to have a higher amount of nitrogen; however, you can consider a tree branch with green leaves as mostly brown.
Dry straw and hay are considered browns,Sawdust, wood chips (clean wood). Clean wood means that it has not been painted, glued, covered in plastic, etc.
Shredded paper, newspaper, cardboard
Non-recyclable paper goods refers to paper or cardboard that cannot be put in the regular recycling bin. These include paper towels, napkins, and disposable paper plates and cups that are not coated with plastic. All of these materials can be composted even if lightly soiled with food and should be cut or torn into smaller pieces so they will compost quickly. Similarly, cardboard soiled with food, such as pizza boxes and ice cream cardboard tubs, can be composted. Cardboard ice cream tubs are usually covered in wax. While that makes them hard to recycle, microbes can eat the wax so they can be composted. All wax covered cardboard can be composted.
Old mulch and potting soil, and even compost can be added to the pile. The potting soil will not decompose much, but it will add decomposers.
Also, fabrics made of 100% cotton, linen or wool can be composted. They must be cut into small pieces otherwise they will not compost at the same speed as the other materials.
Greens
Material with higher nitrogen content is consider as greens. All the plant parts that are green are high in nitrogen, so that helps us remember. Grass clippings, garden plants, indoor plants, cut flowers and even weeds are consider green. We have to be careful to not include weeds seeds, as they might not be destroyed in a backyard composting system.
All food scraps are compostable, if we can eat it, so can the microbes. However, for a backyard setting, these are the food scraps recommended: fruit and vegetable trimmings and peels, coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, breads, donuts and other bakery goods, rice and other grains, pasta and cereals, and egg shells. Eggshells are not really that high in Nitrogen, but they were listed with the food wastes so it is easier for us to remember.
Cow, pig, horse, llama, alpaca, bison and chicken manure are also ok. All manure is rich in nitrogen, but it is only recommended that you use manure from farm animals as they rarely carry diseases that affect us. For the same reason, only pet waste from pets that eat only plants is recommended.
๐ฃ๐ฃThere are some organic and compostable wastes that are not recommended for backyard or other types of small-scale composting, such as school or community garden projects. These materials should only be composted by people with lots of experience and large piles or facilities.
We will go through each of these waste materials and give the reasons why they may cause trouble:
Diseased plants or leaves - Piles often do not get hot enough to destroy all plant diseases.
Insect-infested plants - Piles often do not get hot enough to destroy all eggs, larvae and adult insects.
Weeds that spread by root or runner - Some weeds will not decay during the composting process. Therefore, they could survive and spread.
Any animal products or parts (meat, fish, poultry) – Piles are not large enough to heat up quickly and filter potential odors. Animal products can also attract pests.
Bones and shells - Slow to compost, especially in smaller piles. Can cause odors and attract pests as do animal products.
Dairy products - Piles are not large enough to heat up quickly and filter potential odors. Dairy products can also attract pests. However, limited amounts of milk and melted ice cream can be used to add moisture to piles. The microbes in the pile like the sugars in these liquids and will use them up quickly. Piles should be on the drier side before adding liquids.
Cooking oils, fat or grease – Too heavy, can clump the materials in the pile and reduce air flow, thus causing odors and attracting pests
Compostable plastics – These products are disposable
forks, spoons, straws and containers made of special plastics derived from
plants. They look like regular plastic, but they will compost. However, they
must be exposed to the composting heat and moisture levels in order to break
down quickly. Therefore, it is not recommended to put them inside a backyard or
small composting bin. In an enclosed bin, compostable plastics can take more
than a year to compost.
Content of vacuum cleaner bags - Not all bags and/or contents are biodegradable. This is especially true with bags from vacuum cleaners used in homes with installed synthetic carpet.
๐ฃWhat’s that Smell?
If the pile starts to smell like rotten eggs, this indicates that the material is decomposing anaerobically (without oxygen). When this happens, hydrogen sulfide, the chemical that causes the rotten eggs odor, is released. This usually happens because the pile is too wet and air can’t go through it, which allows anaerobic microorganisms to take over the pile.
This is easy to fix, although it might take a couple days for it to be completely fixed. The first thing to do is turn the pile to make sure that air gets through it. Another thing we can do is add woodchips or materials of a larger size to increase porosity or air space. We can also add absorbent browns such as shredded paper or cardboard to soak up the moisture. And last, stop adding water until the pile dries enough
๐ฃ๐ฃAssembling a Composting Pile
This is the basic way to assemble a composting pile. First, create a bottom layer, three to six inches thick, of brown materials. This will help absorb excess moisture from your green materials. Then, place your green materials on top and alternate with layers of brown. By alternating layers, you will ensure that you have enough brown material to absorb excess moisture and help you achieve an optimum carbon to nitrogen ratio. (This is a good opportunity to ask the students to tell you the optimum C:N ratio).
Preliminary process involves segregation of waste in to wet and dry which should be done at home , wet waste .
๐ฃ๐ฃHere is a list of common organic wastes that we find at home and school. They are listed as either browns or greens. Remember, green materials have more nitrogen than brown materials.
Browns:
Dried leaves, twigs, hedge clippings, tree branches and any other woody parts of a plant are high in carbon. Green leaves are considered to have a higher amount of nitrogen; however, you can consider a tree branch with green leaves as mostly brown.
Dry straw and hay are considered browns,Sawdust, wood chips (clean wood). Clean wood means that it has not been painted, glued, covered in plastic, etc.
Shredded paper, newspaper, cardboard
Non-recyclable paper goods refers to paper or cardboard that cannot be put in the regular recycling bin. These include paper towels, napkins, and disposable paper plates and cups that are not coated with plastic. All of these materials can be composted even if lightly soiled with food and should be cut or torn into smaller pieces so they will compost quickly. Similarly, cardboard soiled with food, such as pizza boxes and ice cream cardboard tubs, can be composted. Cardboard ice cream tubs are usually covered in wax. While that makes them hard to recycle, microbes can eat the wax so they can be composted. All wax covered cardboard can be composted.
Old mulch and potting soil, and even compost can be added to the pile. The potting soil will not decompose much, but it will add decomposers.
Also, fabrics made of 100% cotton, linen or wool can be composted. They must be cut into small pieces otherwise they will not compost at the same speed as the other materials.
Greens
Material with higher nitrogen content is consider as greens. All the plant parts that are green are high in nitrogen, so that helps us remember. Grass clippings, garden plants, indoor plants, cut flowers and even weeds are consider green. We have to be careful to not include weeds seeds, as they might not be destroyed in a backyard composting system.
All food scraps are compostable, if we can eat it, so can the microbes. However, for a backyard setting, these are the food scraps recommended: fruit and vegetable trimmings and peels, coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, breads, donuts and other bakery goods, rice and other grains, pasta and cereals, and egg shells. Eggshells are not really that high in Nitrogen, but they were listed with the food wastes so it is easier for us to remember.
Cow, pig, horse, llama, alpaca, bison and chicken manure are also ok. All manure is rich in nitrogen, but it is only recommended that you use manure from farm animals as they rarely carry diseases that affect us. For the same reason, only pet waste from pets that eat only plants is recommended.
๐ฃ๐ฃThere are some organic and compostable wastes that are not recommended for backyard or other types of small-scale composting, such as school or community garden projects. These materials should only be composted by people with lots of experience and large piles or facilities.
We will go through each of these waste materials and give the reasons why they may cause trouble:
Diseased plants or leaves - Piles often do not get hot enough to destroy all plant diseases.
Insect-infested plants - Piles often do not get hot enough to destroy all eggs, larvae and adult insects.
Weeds that spread by root or runner - Some weeds will not decay during the composting process. Therefore, they could survive and spread.
Any animal products or parts (meat, fish, poultry) – Piles are not large enough to heat up quickly and filter potential odors. Animal products can also attract pests.
Bones and shells - Slow to compost, especially in smaller piles. Can cause odors and attract pests as do animal products.
Dairy products - Piles are not large enough to heat up quickly and filter potential odors. Dairy products can also attract pests. However, limited amounts of milk and melted ice cream can be used to add moisture to piles. The microbes in the pile like the sugars in these liquids and will use them up quickly. Piles should be on the drier side before adding liquids.
Cooking oils, fat or grease – Too heavy, can clump the materials in the pile and reduce air flow, thus causing odors and attracting pests
Content of vacuum cleaner bags - Not all bags and/or contents are biodegradable. This is especially true with bags from vacuum cleaners used in homes with installed synthetic carpet.
๐ฃWhat’s that Smell?
If the pile starts to smell like rotten eggs, this indicates that the material is decomposing anaerobically (without oxygen). When this happens, hydrogen sulfide, the chemical that causes the rotten eggs odor, is released. This usually happens because the pile is too wet and air can’t go through it, which allows anaerobic microorganisms to take over the pile.
This is easy to fix, although it might take a couple days for it to be completely fixed. The first thing to do is turn the pile to make sure that air gets through it. Another thing we can do is add woodchips or materials of a larger size to increase porosity or air space. We can also add absorbent browns such as shredded paper or cardboard to soak up the moisture. And last, stop adding water until the pile dries enough
๐ฃ๐ฃAssembling a Composting Pile
This is the basic way to assemble a composting pile. First, create a bottom layer, three to six inches thick, of brown materials. This will help absorb excess moisture from your green materials. Then, place your green materials on top and alternate with layers of brown. By alternating layers, you will ensure that you have enough brown material to absorb excess moisture and help you achieve an optimum carbon to nitrogen ratio. (This is a good opportunity to ask the students to tell you the optimum C:N ratio).
Decomposition of organic materials
in your compost pile is greatly increased when you create the proper balance
between the carbonaceous materials (called BROWN
because they are dry) and the nitrogen-rich materials (called GREEN because they are more
fresh and moist).
In compost lingo, this balance is
referred to as the Carbon-Nitrogen ratio, and shown
as C:N.
For best performance, the compost
pile, or more to the point the composting microorganisms,
require the correct proportion of Carbon for energy and Nitrogen for protein
production.
๐ฃWe heart soils!
What are some of the functions of soil that make it so important for life on Earth?
1) Soils provide nutrients and a place for plants to grow and most of our food comes directly or indirectly from plants
2) Soils provide the habitat for soil organisms--mostly microscopic creatures that account for most of the life on Earth. Soils are so full of life that the soil itself seems to be alive.
3) The microorganisms in soils help process and recycle nutrients, including carbon, so that living things can use them over and over again. The dead plants and animals are recycled into nutrients.
4) Soils can filter and purify the water we drink and use every day. Microorganisms can use some of the chemicals present in our waters as food by breaking them down (biodegradation).
5) Soils modify the atmosphere by emitting and absorbing dust and many gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor.
6) Our houses, buildings, cities are built on top of soil and made of materials that came directly or indirectly from soil.
