BIOLOGICAL WASTES

DEFINITION-
At the university of Connecticut, biological waste is defined as infectious
waste, pathological waste ,chemotherapy waste and the receptacles and
supplies generated during its handling or storage. This definition is in
accordance with the definition of biological waste as defined by the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). It is further
defined as waste that, because of its quantity,character,or composition,
has been determined to require special handling.

CATEGORIES-
Biological wastes are classified into two groups:-

1) Natural biological wastes

2) Manmade biological wastes

NATURAL BIOLOGICAL WASTE:
Natural biological waste
Natural biological wastes comprises of inorganic wastes such
as manures, biogas etc…

MAN-MADE BIOLOGICAL WASTE:

Biological waste is any waste that is living or was once living

that was used in research. This includes waste equipment and
materials such as pipettes, needles, and glassware that is used in
biological research.
or
Biological waste is any material that contains or has been
contaminated by a bio hazardous agent. Biological waste
includes, but is not limited to; Petri dishes, surgical wraps,
culture tubes, syringes, needles, blood vials, absorbent material,
personal protective equipment and pipette tips.
 MAN-MADE WASTE TYPES

CHEMICAL WASTE:

Biological waste must be managed separately from chemical

waste. The most common example where chemical waste is
mistaken for biological waste is agarose gel contaminated with
ethidium bromide or heavy metals (i.e. arsenic, chromium). This
type of material should always be managed as chemical waste.
When both chemical and biological waste types exist, the
biological agent(s) should be treated first.

LIQUID WASTE:

Liquid biological waste should be collected in containers for

autoclaving or chemical disinfection. Autoclaved or chemically
disinfected liquid wastes can be disposed via the laboratory sink.
Do not pour melted agarose down the drain. Allow it to cool and
solidify, then dispose of it as solid waste in bio hazardous waste
bags.
SOLID WASTE:

Solid biological waste, including solidified agarose gels, should be

collected in appropriate bio hazardous waste autoclave bags.
Once the waste has been autoclaved or chemically disinfected, the
autoclave bags should be taped or tied shut and placed inside of
the cardboard box provided by REM.
 NATURAL BIOLOGICAL WASTE
Natural biological wastes can be categorised into various
types. The most important can be categorised as follows:-

MANURES-
Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture.
Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic
matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped
by bacteria in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on
the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food
web.

TYPES-
There are three main classes of manures used
in soil management:
Animal manures

Most animal manure is feces. Common forms of animal manure

include farmyard manure (FYM) or farm slurry (liquid manure).
FYM also contains plant material (often straw), which has been
used as bedding for animals and has absorbed the faeces
and urine. Agricultural manure in liquid form, known as slurry, is
produced by more intensive livestock rearing systems where
concrete or slats are used, instead of straw bedding. Manure from
different animals may have different qualities and require different
application rates, such as manure from farm animals such
as horses, cattle, pigs or sheep, chicken and turkey manures, 
Rabbit manures etc.
human sewage and guano from seabirds and bats.[2]. For instance,
sheep manure is high in nitrogen and potash, and pig manure is
relatively low in both. Horse manure also contains lots of weed
seeds, as horses do not digest seeds the way that cattle do.
Chicken manure, even when well-rotted, is very concentrated and
should be used sparingly.
Animal manures may also include other animal products, such
as wool shoddy (and other hair), feathers, blood and bone.

Compost
Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic materials –
usually of plant origin, but often including some animal dung or
bedding.
Plant manures
Green manures are crops grown for the express purpose
of ploughing them in, thus increasing fertility through the
incorporation of nutrients and organic matter into the
soil. Leguminous plants such as clover are often used for this, as
they fix nitrogen using Rhizobia bacteria in specialized nodes in the
root structure.
Uses of manure

Animal dung has been used for centuries as a fertilizer for farming,

as it improves the soil structure (aggregation), so that it holds more
nutrients and water, and becomes more fertile. Animal manure
also encourages soil microbial activity which promotes the soil's
trace mineral supply, improving plant nutrition. It also contains
some nitrogen and other nutrients itself which assist the growth of
plants.
Manures with a particularly unpleasant odour (such as human
sewage or slurry from intensive pig farming) is usually knifed
(injected) directly into the soil to reduce release of the odour.
Manure from pigs and cattle is usually spread on fields using
a manure spreader. Due to the relatively lower level of proteins in
vegetable matter, herbivore manure has a milder smell than the
dung of carnivores or omnivores – for example, elephant dung is
practically odourless. However, herbivore slurry which has
undergone anaerobic fermentation may develop more unpleasant
odours, and this can be a problem in some agricultural regions.
Poultry droppings are harmful to plants when fresh but after a
period of composting are valuable fertilizers.
Manure is also commercially composted and bagged and sold
retail as a soil amendment. Sometimes even human sewage
sludge is used, as is the case for Dillo Dirt, a product which has
been sold by the city of Austin, Texas municipal wastewater
department since 1989.
Fertilizers and Pesticides
Fertilizers are compounds that are added to plants to
promote growth.

TYPES-
There are two types of fertilizers –

1) ORGANIC

2) INORGANIC

Organic fertilizers are carbon based and are composed of

organic matter like leaves, cow dung and parts of plants.
Inorganic fertilizers contain simple inorganic chemicals.
Some of the common nutrients present in fertilizers are
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NKP). They also
contain secondary plant nutrients such as calcium,
sulphur and magnesium. Some special fertilizers contain
trace elements or micronutrients for the nutrition of plants
like boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc, copper and
molybdenum. While fertilizers help in plant growth,
pesticides work as a safeguard against pests. Basically, a
pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances
designed for preventing, destroying, repelling or lessening
the damage of a pest. Pesticides may be made of a
chemical substance or a biological agent such as a virus,
bacteria, pest repelling weeds and pest eating insects,
fish, birds and mammals. In this section, pesticides refer
only to those pesticides that include chemical substances
such as phosphamidon, lindane, chlorpyrifos, heptachlor
and malathion. Many pesticides are known to be
poisonous to humans.

Availability of Fertilizers and

Pesticides
Urea is a nitrogenous fertilizer that has a very high
demand among Indian agriculturalists. In fact, of the 64
large-scale fertilizer units in the country, 39 are involved
in producing urea. The Department of Fertilizers has been
given the main responsibility of ensuring the allocation
and supply linkages for the transport and distribution of
urea. The requirement of urea for each State and Union
Territory is calculated before each crop season in a
meeting with the governments of the States or Union
Territories.

India has two crop seasons - Kharif and Rabi. The Kharif
season lasts from around 1st April to 30th September.
Crops such as rice and cotton are grown in this season.
The Rabi season extends from 1st October to 31st March.
Wheat is the chief Rabi crop grown in India. After every
State and Union Territory prepares an estimate of the
amount of fertilizers and pesticides they need, the
requirement is assessed before a coordinated plan for
supply is prepared and implemented.

All requirements are first met by allocations from

indigenous production of fertilizers and pesticides. If there
is any shortfall, it is bridged by allocations from imported
urea.

According to the Fertilizers Movement Control Order, no

person can export or dispatch urea without the permission
of the Government. Therefore, the Department of
Fertilizers arranges the dispatch of urea to State and
Union Territories from manufacturers through a monthly
dispatch plan. This is done within the Essential
Commodities Act (ECA) allocation in such a manner that
the urea demand is satisfied. Here is some information on
availability, sales and stocks of fertilizers in different
States/UTs for the Kharif and Rabi seasons.

All requirements are first met by allocations from

indigenous production of fertilizers and pesticides. If there
is any shortfall, it is bridged by allocations from imported
urea.

According to the Fertilizers Movement Control

Order(External website that opens in a new window), no
person can export or dispatch urea without the permission
of the Government. Therefore, the Department of
Fertilizers arranges the dispatch of urea to State and
Union Territories from manufacturers through a monthly
dispatch plan. This is done within the Essential
Commodities Act (ECA)- External website that opens in a
new window allocation in such a manner that the urea
demand is satisfied. Here is some information
on availability, sales and stocks of fertilizers(External
website that opens in a new window) in different
States/UTs for the Kharif and Rabi seasons
BIOGAS
Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological
breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas
originates from biogenic material and is a type of biofuel.
Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion or fermentation of
biodegradable materials such
asbiomass, manure, sewage, municipal waste, green waste, plant
material and energy crops.[1]This type of biogas comprises
primarily methane and carbon dioxide. Other types of gas
generated by use of biomass is wood gas, which is created
by gasification of wood or other biomass. This type of gas consist
primarily of nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, with trace

amounts of methane.
The gases methane, hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be
combusted or oxidized with oxygen. Air contains 21% oxygen. This
energy release allows biogas to be used as a fuel. Biogas can be
used as a low-cost fuel in any country for any heating purpose,
such as cooking. It can also be used in modern waste
management facilities where it can be used to run any type of heat
engine, to generate either mechanical or electrical power. Biogas
can be compressed, much like natural gas, and used to
power motor vehicles and in the UK for example is estimated to
have the potential to replace around 17% of vehicle fuel.[2] Biogas
is a renewable fuel, so it qualifies for renewable energy
subsidies in some parts of the world.
BIOLOGICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste management is:
the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and
monitoring of waste materials.[1] The term usually relates to
materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken
to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics.
Waste management is also carried out to recover resources from
it. Waste management can
involve solid,liquid, gaseous or radioactive substances, with
different methods and fields of expertise for each.
Waste management practices differ for developed and developing
nations, for urban and rural areas, and
for residential and industrial producers. Management for non-
hazardous residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas
is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, while
management for non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste
is usually the responsibility of the generator.

Increase in biological waste till 2006

BIOLOGICAL WASTE DISPOSAL AND
PICKUP PROCEDURE-

CORRECT:

INCORRECT:
 METHODS TO DISPOSE BIOLOGICAL WASTE:-

Integrated waste management

Integrated waste management using LCA life cycle analysis
attempts to offer the most benign options for waste management.
For mixed MSW Municipal Solid Waste a number of broad studies
have indicated that waste adminimisation, then source separation
and collection followed by reuse and recycling of the non-organic
fraction and energy and compost/fertilizer production of the
organic waste fraction via anaerobic digestion to be the favoured
path. Non-metallic waste resources are not destroyed as with
incineration, and can be reused/ recycled in a future resource
depleted society.
Plasma gasification
Plasma is a highly ionized or electrically charged gas. An example
in nature is lightning, capable of producing temperatures
exceeding 12,600 °F (6,980 °C). A gasifier vessel utilizes
proprietary plasma torches operating at +10,000 °F (5,540 °C) (the
surface temperature of the Sun) in order to create a gasification
zone of up to 3,000 °F (1,650 °C) to convert solid or liquid wastes
into a syngas. When municipal solid waste is subjected to this
intense heat within the vessel, the waste’s molecular bonds break
down into elemental components. The process results in elemental
destruction of waste and hazardous materials
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S.
generated 250 million tons of waste in 2008 alone, and this
number continues to rise. About 54% of this trash
(135,000,000 short tons (122,000,000 t)) ends up in landfills and is
consuming land at a rate of nearly 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) per
year. In fact, landfilling is currently the number one method of
waste disposal in the US. Some states no longer have capacity at
permitted landfills and export their waste to other states.
Landfill

Landfill operation in Hawaii.

Disposing of waste in a landfill involves burying the waste, and this
remains a common practice in most countries. Landfills were often
established in abandoned or unused quarries, mining voids or
borrow pits. A properly designed and well-managed landfill can be
a hygienic and relatively inexpensive method of disposing of waste
materials. Older, poorly designed or poorly managed landfills can
create a number of adverse environmental impacts such as wind-
blown litter, attraction of vermin, and generation of liquid leachate.
Another common byproduct of landfills is gas (mostly composed
of methane and carbon dioxide), which is produced as organic
waste breaks down anaerobically. This gas can create odour
problems, kill surface vegetation, and is a greenhouse gas.

A landfill compaction vehicle in action.

Design characteristics of a modern landfill include methods
to contain leachate such as clay or plastic lining material.
Deposited waste is normally compacted to increase its
density and stability, and covered to prevent
attracting vermin (such as mice or rats). Many landfills also
have landfill gas extraction systems installed to extract
the landfill gas. Gas is pumped out of the landfill using
perforated pipes and flared off or burnt in a gas engine to
generate electricity.
Supercritical water decomposition (hydrothermal
monophasic oxidation)
The organic fraction of waste can be decomposed by high
temperature and pressure supercritical water decomposition. It is
also called (SWDHMO).
Incineration

Spittelau incineration plant inVienna.

Incineration is a disposal method that involves combustion of
waste material. Incineration and other high temperature waste
treatment systems are sometimes described as "thermal
treatment". Incinerators convert waste materials
into heat, gas, steam and ash.
Incineration is carried out both on a small scale by individuals and
on a large scale by industry. It is used to dispose of solid, liquid
and gaseous waste. It is recognized as a practical method of
disposing of certain hazardous waste materials (such as
biological medical waste). Incineration is a controversial method of
waste disposal, due to issues such as emission of
gaseous pollutants.
Incineration is common in countries such as Japan where land is
more scarce, as these facilities generally do not require as much
area as landfills. Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste
(EfW) are broad terms for facilities that burn waste in a furnace or
boiler to generate heat, steam and/or electricity. Combustion in an
incinerator is not always perfect and there have been concerns
about micro-pollutants in gaseous emissions from incinerator
stacks. Particular concern has focused on some very persistent
organics such as dioxins, furans, PAHs,... which may be created
within the incinerator and afterwards in the incinerator plume which
may have serious environmental consequences in the area
immediately around the incinerator. On the other hand this method
or the more benign anaerobic digestion produces heat that can be
used as energy.
Recycling

Steel scrap, sorted and baled for recycling.

The popular meaning of ‘recycling’ in most developed countries
refers to the widespread collection and reuse of everyday waste
materials such as empty beverage containers. These are collected
and sorted into common types so that the raw materials from
which the items are made can be reprocessed into new products.
Material for recycling may be collected separately from general
waste using dedicated bins and collection vehicles, or sorted
directly from mixed waste streams.
The most common consumer products recycled
include aluminum beverage cans, steel food and aerosol
cans, HDPE and PET bottles, glass bottles and
jars, paperboard cartons, newspapers, magazines, and corrugated
fiberboard boxes.
PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS (see resin identification code) are also
recyclable, although these are not commonly collected. These
items are usually composed of a single type of material, making
them relatively easy to recycle into new products. The recycling of
complex products (such as computers and electronic equipment)
is more difficult, due to the additional dismantling and separation
required.
Sustainability
The management of waste is a key component in a business'
ability to maintaining ISO14001 accreditations. Companies are
encouraged to improve their environmental efficiencies each year.
One way to do this is by improving a company’s waste
management with a new recycling service. (such as recycling:
glass, food waste, paper and cardboard, plastic bottles etc.)
Biological reprocessing

An active compost heap.
Waste materials that are organic in nature, such as plant material,
food scraps, and paper products, can be recycled using biological
composting and digestion processes to decompose the organic
matter. The resulting organic material is then recycled
as mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping purposes. In
addition, waste gas from the process (such as methane) can be
captured and used for generating electricity and heat
(CHP/cogeneration) maximising efficiencies. The intention of
biological processing in waste management is to control and
accelerate the natural process of decomposition of organic matter.
There are a large variety of composting and digestion methods
and technologies varying in complexity from simple home compost
heaps, to small town scale batch digesters, industrial-scale
enclosed-vessel digestion of mixed domestic waste
(see Mechanical biological treatment). Methods of biological
decomposition are differentiated as
being aerobic or anaerobic methods, though hybrids of the two
methods also exist.
Anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of MSW Municipal Solid
Waste has been found to be in a number of LCA analysis
studies to be more environmentally effective, than landfill,
incineration or pyrolisis. The resulting biogas (methane) though
must be used for cogeneration (electricity and heat preferably on
or close to the site of production) and can be used with a little
upgrading in gas combustion engines or turbines. With further
upgrading to synthetic natural gas it can be injected into the
natural gas network or further refined to hydrogen for use in
stationary cogeneration fuel cells. Its use in fuel cells eliminates
the pollution from products of combustion (SOx, NOx, pariculates,
dioxin, furans, PAHs...).
An example of waste management through composting is the
Green Bin Program in Toronto, Canada, where household organic
waste (such as kitchen scraps and plant cuttings) are collected in
a dedicated container and then composted.

Energy recovery

Anaerobic digestion component of Lübeck mechanical biological

treatment plant in Germany, 2007
The energy content of waste products can be harnessed directly
by using them as a direct combustion fuel, or indirectly by
processing them into another type of fuel. Recycling through
thermal treatment ranges from using waste as a fuel source for
cooking or heating, to anaerobic digestion and the use of the gas
fuel (see above), to fuel for boilers to generate steam and
electricity in a turbine. Pyrolysis and gasification are two related
forms of thermal treatment where waste materials are heated to
high temperatures with limited oxygen availability. The process
usually occurs in a sealed vessel under high pressure. Pyrolysis of
solid waste converts the material into solid, liquid and gas
products. The liquid and gas can be burnt to produce energy or
refined into other chemical products (chemical refinery). The solid
residue (char) can be further refined into products such
as activated carbon. Gasification and advanced Plasma arc
gasification are used to convert organic materials directly into a
synthetic gas (syngas) composed of carbon
monoxide and hydrogen. The gas is then burnt to produce
electricity and steam. An alternative to pyrolisis is high
temperature and pressure supercritical water decomposition
(hydrothermal monophasic oxidation).
Biological hazard

The international symbol for biological hazard.

Biological hazards, also known as biohazards, refer

to biological substances that pose a threat to the health of living
organisms, primarily that of humans. This can include medical
waste or samples of a microorganism, virus or toxin (from a
biological source) that can impact human health. It can also
include substances harmful to animals. The term and its
associated symbol is generally used as a warning, so that those
potentially exposed to the substances will know to take
precautions.

In Unicode, the biohazard sign is U+2623 (☣).

Bio hazardous agents are classified for transportation by UN
number:
(Based on earlier edits)

 UN 2814 (Infectious substance to Humans)

 UN 2900 (Infectious substance to Animals)
 UN 3291 (Medical Waste)
(From http://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/DR9630-001.htm)

 Category A, UN 2814- Infectious substances affecting

humans and animals: An infectious substance in a form capable
of causing permanent disability or life-threatening or fatal
disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals when exposure
to it occurs.
 Category B, UN 2900- Infectious substances affecting
animals only: An infectious substance that is not in a form
generally capable of causing permanent disability of life-
 threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans and
animals when exposure to it occurs.
 Category B, UN 3373- Biological substance transported for
diagnostic or investigative purposes.
 Regulated Medical Waste, UN 3291- Waste or reusable
material derived from medical treatment of an animal or human,
or from biomedical research, which includes the production and
testing of biological products.

(Immediate disposal of used needles into a sharp container is a

standard procedure).
BIOLOGICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
CONCEPT
There are a number of concepts about waste management which
vary in their usage between countries or regions. Some of the
most general, widely used concepts include:

Diagram of the waste hierarchy.

 Waste hierarchy - The waste hierarchy refers to the "3

Rs" reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste
management strategies according to their desirability in terms
of waste minimization. The waste hierarchy remains the
cornerstone of most waste minimization strategies. The aim of
the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits
from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste.
 Extended producer responsibility - Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) is a strategy designed to promote the
integration of all costs associated with products throughout their
life cycle (including end-of-life disposal costs) into the market
price of the product. Extended producer responsibility is meant
to impose accountability over the entire lifecycle of products and
packaging introduced to the market. This means that firms
which manufacture, import and/or sell products are required to
be responsible for the products after their useful life as well as
during manufacture.
 Polluter pays principle - the Polluter Pays Principle is a
principle where the polluting party pays for the impact caused to
the environment. With respect to waste management, this
generally refers to the requirement for a waste generator to pay
for appropriate disposal of the waste.
Technologies used for biological waste
management:-
Traditionally the biological waste management industry has been
slow to adopt new technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency
Identification) tags, GPS and integrated software packages which
enable better quality data to be collected without the use of
estimation or manual data entry.

 Technologies like RFID tags are now being used to collect

data on presentation rates for curb-side pick-ups which is useful
when examining the usage of recycling bins or similar.
 Benefits of GPS tracking is particularly evident when
considering the efficiency of ad hoc pick-ups (like skip bins or
dumpsters) where the collection is done on a consumer request
basis.
 Integrated software packages are useful in aggregating this
data for use in optimisation of operations for waste collection
operations.
 Rear vision cameras are commonly used for OH&S reasons
and video recording devices are becoming more widely used,
particularly concerning residential services and contaminations
of the waste stream.
Education and awareness
Education and awareness in the area of waste and waste
management is increasingly important from a global perspective
of resource management. The Talloires Declaration is a
declaration for sustainability concerned about the unprecedented
scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and
the depletion of natural resources. Local, regional, and
global air pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes;
destruction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of
the ozone layer and emission of "greenhouse" gases threaten the
survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the
integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations,
and the heritage of future generations. Several universities have
implemented the Talloires Declaration by
establishing environmental management and waste management
programs, e.g. the waste management
university project. University and vocational education are
promoted by various organizations, e.g. WAMITAB and Chartered
Institution of Wastes Management. Many supermarkets encourage
customers to use their reverse vending machines to deposit used
purchased containers and receive a refund from the recycling fees.
 PROJECT
ON
BIOLOGICAL WASTE

BY-RASHMITA ROUT

B-TECH (2 /4)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

C-1,1210709149
 PREFACE
Biological waste is a term used to describe organic waste that is
putrescible - liable to decay or spoil. This can include food
waste; some agricultural wastes and some sludges.There are
two main sources of bio waste – municipal sources and industrial
sources. Municipal bios waste-Approximately two-thirds of the
waste produced by homes and businesses comprises ‘organic’ or
natural materials. These materials will break down over time
(‘biodegrade’) by natural processes. This waste stream is termed
Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW). BMW comprises paper and
cardboard, food waste, textiles and wood. When landfilled, these
materials degrade and generate leachate and landfill gas. BMW
requires recycling or bio treatment in order to avoid these
problems and to avoid dependence on landfill as a disposal
option.
Industrial biowaste-Industrial processes including wastewater
treatment, food/drink preparation, agriculture, forestry and
pharma-chem industry are examples of processes that may
produce large volumes of putrescible waste streams. These
materials are often highly putrescible and may be very liquid in
form. Therefore bio treatment is required to ensure that
environmental protection can be assured.
Various figures,flow diagrams and illustrations have been
incorporated for easy grasp.the purpose of this project is to
make everyone environtmentally conscious so that each one of us
contributes to keep the environment healthy.
 CONTENTS

1. BIOLOGICAL WASTE
 DEFINITION
 CATEGORIES

2. MANMADE WASTE
 CHEMICAL WASTE
 LIQUID WASTE
 SOLID WASTE

3.NATURAL WASTE
 MANURES
 FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES
 BIOGAS

4.BIOLOGICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

5.BIOLOGICAL WASTE DISPOSAL AND PICKUP

6.METHODS TO DISPOSE BIOLOGICAL WASTE

7.BIOLOGICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT CONCEPT

8.TECHNOLOGIES USED FOR BIOLOGICAL WASTE

MANAGEMENT.

9.EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

10. CONCLUSION
 CONCLUSION

The global waste industry is flooded with reports giving shocking

figures on the amount of food that is wasted every year. Recent
WRAP reports have stated that the UK throws away one third of
the food it buys1, while Scotland throws away 570,000 tonnes of
food and drink per year2. A 2004 study produced by the University
of Arizona (UA) in Tucson stated that the USA was wasting 40%-
50% of its food. When one considers the number of developing
countries that have a shortage of food, and the rise of climate
change, which is being exacerbated by the irresponsible disposal
of food waste, these figures put us to shame.

In an ideal world we would only purchase and produce the amount

of food we need, and there would be no reason to find new and
more effective ways to dispose of it. But in practice, developed
world societies have become used to the throwaway culture, and
food is a cheap and disposable resource. The problem will not go
away so we need to find the best way to manage it.

The main methods we have of disposing of our food waste –

landfill, biodegradation or composting and, the latest technology,
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) – all have their pros and cons. Europe is
struggling to control its food waste, and until a Biowaste Directive
is implemented, the situation must just be managed in the best
way each local authority can offer. This usually involves a mix of
two or more of these methods, but is determined by the financial
restrictions the municipality has to work to, rather than by what has
been deemed to be best for each country overall.

Hence several measures have been taken to prevent biological

wastes and to decrease biological hazards.