Solid Waste Management

Solid waste management, or SWM, is a useful
instrument for analyzing effective environmental

management and good governance through
administrators. Since all waste has a direct
connection to people, plants, and animals, proper
management reduces negative effects on human
health and the environment and aids in resource
conservation. However, the environment and
sustainability have suffered greatly as a result of
ineffective and unsustainable SWM practices, which
have been exacerbated by unchecked urbanization,
budgetary constraints, and a lack of research. In
addition to the inadequate transportation and storage
systems, the main methods of disposal are open
burning, uncontrolled dumping, and landfills. Solid
waste emissions lead to pollution and the release of
leachate, a toxic liquor that reduces the environment
and human health, among other things. Today's solid
waste management requires technology and
proactivity. (Lokhandwala et al., 2024)
Waste is only considered waste if it is never examined
again! The production of solid waste has been rising
daily as global lifestyle changes and upgrades take
hold. The environment, economy, and community
health are all declining due to the increased rate of
waste generation. These three factors are thought to
be the main pillars of sustainability, and achieving the
sustainable development goals (SDGs) would be
challenging without concentrating on managing solid
waste. The achievement of the SDGs can be secured
if the circular economy concept is integrated with
efforts to manage solid waste. By emphasizing the
10Rs—refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair,
refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, and
recover—the circular economy seeks to minimize
resource consumption. The management of solid
waste through the application of the circular economy
concept is the main topic of this chapter. (Salunke et
al., 2024)
As a result of their irreversible harm to human health
and the environment, micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs)
have garnered increased attention in recent years due
to their presence in water, soil, and the air. MNPs
have been discovered in fresh water, the air we
breathe, and a variety of marine animals and plants in
recent studies. The primary cause of plastic's
detection in various human organs and its correlation
with diseases like cancer, metabolic disorders,
neurological conditions, etc. is improper disposal of
plastic waste. Still, there are issues with both the
quantification and the identification of these particles.
Furthermore, it is still unclear how exactly plastic
particles behave when they enter the bodies of people
and other animals. Therefore, we begin this chapter
by defining MNPs. (De Freitas et al., 2024)
The global pollutants known as microplastics (MPs) or
nanoplastics (NPs) are becoming more prevalent and
are attracting a lot of attention because they may
pose a threat to the ecosystem due to their
persistence and accumulation. Mechanical abrasion,
photochemical oxidation, and biological degradation
are the processes that turn larger plastic waste into
microplastics (microplastics, 1-4 mm) and
nanoplastics (nanoplastics, 1-1000 nm). Because of
their unique physiochemical nanoscale
characteristics, NPs might be riskier and more
dangerous than MPs. On the other hand, not much
has been written about the fate of NPs in the
environment, their effects on ecosystems, and
potential dangers. This chapter offers a
comprehensive overview of the current state of NP
research through an extensive bibliometric analysis.
We conducted a thorough search of the Web of
Science Core Collection scientific database, covering
the period from 2004 to 2022. The results showed
that the number of papers on NPs has significantly
increased since 2014. This chapter provides a critical
assessment of the current state of affairs,
emphasizing risk management techniques,
environmental behavior, and the fate of nanoplastics
in the environment and the ensuing ecological toxicity.
The entire ecosystem—which includes the ocean,
groundwater, freshwater, soil, and air—is the focus of
more research. To fully comprehend the sources,
additional efforts have been made to investigate the
aging and aggregation of NPs in environmentally
relevant settings. Lastly, NP research's present
difficulties and potential directions are explored.
(Gulati et al., 2024)
To ensure that future generations have access to
clean air, water, and soil, bioremediation can assist in
reducing and eliminating the pollution that humans
produce. This is summed up in our policy briefing on
food security: pollution harms our health and the
environment, affecting wildlife and the sustainability of
our planet. The process of biologically degrading
organic wastes under controlled conditions—usually
to a state of innocuousness or concentration levels
that stay within specific concentration limits set forth
by the controlling authority—is known as
bioremediation. Ex situ and in situ bioremediation are
both feasible, depending on a variety of variables
including the kind and amount of contaminants, the
site's features, cost, and/or other factors. Ex situ
therefore typically costs more than in situ because
excavation includes extra costs, ex situ is typically
more expensive than in situ. The most practical and
affordable method of cleaning up a contaminated site
is using biological processes. While bioremediation is
not a novel technique, our comprehension of its
underlying mechanisms is expanding, allowing us to
apply it more skillfully. Bioremediation has both
technical and financial benefits, but it can occasionally
take longer to finish than conventional methods. It
typically uses fewer resources and less energy than
conventional technologies and doesn't produce waste
products that can be hazardous. (Kundu et al., 2024)

Solid Waste Management

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Solid waste management, or SWM, is a useful

instrument for analyzing effective environmental

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