Join Swachch Brarat Mission

Disregarding the opposition he had faced for having supported the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Mission, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor launched a cleanliness drive in his constituency here on Saturday.

Inaugurating the cleanliness drive at Vizhinjam coast, a part of his Thiruvananthapuram constituency, Tharoor reiterated his earlier stand that Swacch Bharat Mission is the dream of Gandhiji.

Ten days back, Tharoor was removed as party spokesman after Congress state leadership sought action against him.

“As a Congress worker, I would not leave the swacch of the country to any other party. Swachh Bharat is not the monopoly of anyone. It is the dream of Gandhiji. I would implement the cleanliness drive in my constituency. Whatever be the politics, let the country is virtuous. Every Indian should strive to clean his country. Nobody is going to ask about the politics of a person who engages himself in a cleanliness drive,” said Tharoor.

Tharoor spent around one hour in the sanitation drive, which was participated by Congress leaders and local people in Vizhinjam mandalam. He went around picking garbage from public places in the company of local party workers and his aides.

Later he tweeted, ” a clean India requires on label. Why cede Gandhiji’s sanitation drive to any party. A national cause,” he said.

Congress state leadership had been critical of Tharoor acknowledging Modi’s invitation to join Swachch Bharat mission.

Reacting to Saturday’s cleanliness drive, party spokesman Ajay Tharayil said the it was meant to get media attention.

Credit: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/shashi-tharoor-launches-swachh-bharat-mission-in-his-constituency/

Consumer Attitudes and Behavior

Consumer Attitudes and Behavior

 The E-SCOPE survey asked householders about their attitudes to product life spans. This revealed that the U.K. population is divides, almost evenly, on whether or not appliances last long enough: 45% responded that they do not, whereas 50% stated that they do (the remaining 5% expressed no opinion). People’s opinions appeared to be reflected by their behavior. Those who were satisfied with product life spans were significantly more likely to purchase premium range appliances and attempt to get products repaired.

  Asked how long appliances should last, householders revealed expectations that appeared realistic but not quite fulfilled. The average age of discarded appliances was just below the age considered “reasonable”. One focus group participant hinted at an apparently innate desire for improvement. “I don’t think they ever last as long as you’d like” (Cooper and Mayers 2000 p. 13). A small proportion of householders had markedly higher expectation: for example, more than 10% thought that cookers (i.e., ranges), refrigerators and freezers, hi-fis and stereos, telephones, and home and garden tools should last at least 20 years. Nor does any market research in the public domain include such data, although the importance of durability is sometimes implied in questions about quality and reliability.

  Concerning acquisition, the E-SCOPE questionnaire asked householders to identify the disadvantages of purchasing longer-lasting appliances. The results revealed that more respondents were deterred by a fear that more respondents were deterred by a fear that such items would become “out of date” (30%) than by price (23%). Men were significantly more concerned about advancing technology than women, who were more price-conscious. The focus groups explored different interpretations of “out of date”. One participant said that a reconditioned case would be acceptable but working parts should be new, whereas another considered reconditioned inner parts acceptable as long as the case was new!

  Many consumers evidently want better information at the point of sale about the intended life spans of products. Some 73% considered information on the expected life spans of appliances to be “very important,” whereas 54% were dissatisfied with those currently available. New research suggests that few consumer durables are labeled with their intended life spans, although eco-labels and other quality labels provide signals, as may the length of guarantees, advertising claims, price, brand reputation, and industry standards (Christer and  Cooper 2004).

  Recent research concluded that repair work has declined in the U>K>, in part because labor cost are high, while manufacturing has increasingly relocated to countries with low costs (Cooper 2005). The E-SCOPE survey found that one-third of discarded appliances were still functional and of those that were broken, a third were classified as “in need of repair” as distinct from “broken beyond repair.” The responses are based on subjective judgments, but suggest that trading up is common and people often replace broken appliances that they consider reparable. This conclusion is reinforced by another research study, which assessed the condition of bulky items discarded at civic amenity sites (local authority facilities for bulky household waste) and concluded that 77% of upholstered furniture and 60% of domestic appliances could theoretically be refurbished and reduced (Anderson 1999).

  The increasing cost of repair relative to replacement exerts an important influence upon user behavior. In the E-SCOPE survey almost four in ten respondents (38%) reported that they rarely or never had appliances repaired, and over two-thirds (68%) cited cost as a factor that discouraged them. A study in Finland showed that from 1981 to 1994 the price of new televisions increased by 20%, whereas the cost of repair work rose by over 150%; the figures for washing machines were 40% and 165%, respectively (Consumers International 1998, p. 20). Recent research concluded that repair work has declined in the United Kingdom because labor costs are high, whereas manufacturing is increasingly relocated to countries with low costs (Cooper 2004). This relocation also leads to the loss of workers skilled enough to be employed in repair workshops. The regulatory climate is a further factor that may have dissuaded consumers from undertaking repair work. The ECLG (1988) criticized a lack of information on the durability of goods accessible to consumers and a lack of transparency in the after-sales service market, which led to inadequate price competition. Its report also argued that consumers were often victims of legal uncertainty concerning unsuccessful repair work.

  Finally, the E-SCOPE survey found that most householders, when replacing functional appliances, want to see them utilized rather than disposed of as waste. Consequently many appliances have more than one owner during their life spans. Almost one-quarter of all discarded appliances (24%) were donated or sold and the reuse of computers (67%), hi-fi and stereo (44%), and video equipment, microwave ovens, and toys (around 35% in each case) was particularly high. Focus group participants were asked about their view of second-hand appliances, which account for approximately 5% of the total stock. Attitudes were generally negative, although some people expressed a willingness to purchase them if they offered good value and were sold with adequate guarantees.

  The E-SCOPE project was followed by a study of consumers’ attitudes and behavior relating to product life spans for other types of consumer durables, footwear, and upholstered chairs as well as kitchen appliances (Evans and Cooper 2003). This research, based on survey of 711 householders in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 2000 and a series of in-depth interviews in 2002, explored consumers’ intentions and behavior during successive phases in the consumption cycle (acquisition, use, discard) for each of the three types of products.

  The study concluded that most people do not adopt a consistent approach toward product life spans. In each of the three phases some behaved in such a way as to encourage a long life span, such as making durability a priority at acquisition, taking good care of the product during use, or ensuring reuse if it still functioned when discarded. Only  a very few people, however, exhibited such behavior in all three phases. Moreover, the research found that most people did not have the intention of behaving in such a way that products have long life spans. Even among those that did, their actual behavior during the use phase was often not consistent with their intentions. Footwear, for example, was infrequently cleaned.

Garbage and Waste Management India

Morning to evening, from the time I wake to the time I sleep, toxic waste is all I breathe, toxic waste is all I see! When will this end, when will our culture allow us to change our habits, or are we all in this bunny rabbit race of consumption and disposal. Keep your house clean and dirty that of your neighbors; shame, shame so called educated people travel abroad and change, but here in our country all we do is litter and complain! That’s your trash, I saw you throw it out of your car window, I saw you empty it out in the street, but the other day I met you at a social gathering, talking between your friends, I herd you mention how the country is going to the dogs, how the so called uneducated are spoiling it for you all! Paradox! Mr. Mr. to get your act in order, time to stop paying lip service, time to visit a doctor, because the problem is not with every one else, the problem is with you, the problem is with your thought process, the problem is your sense of entitlement. Lets shed our skin and show our color, saffron, white and green , lets take this as a challenge and prove the cynics wrong , Indian will be cleaned if we all work along!

www.ecowise.net.in

Most Fuel Efficient Car Engine

Despite shifting into higher gear within the consumer's green conscience, hybrid vehicles are still tethered to the gas pump via a fuel-thirsty 100-year-old invention: the internal combustion engine.

However, researchers at Michigan State University have built a prototype gasoline engine that requires no transmission, crankshaft, pistons, valves, fuel compression, cooling systems or fluids. Their so-called Wave Disk Generator could greatly improve the efficiency of gas-electric hybrid automobiles and potentially decrease auto emissions up to 90 percent when compared with conventional combustion engines.

The engine has a rotor that's equipped with wave-like channels that trap and mix oxygen and fuel as the rotor spins. These central inlets are blocked off, building pressure within the chamber, causing a shock wave that ignites the compressed air and fuel to transmit energy.

The Wave Disk Generator uses 60 percent of its fuel for propulsion; standard car engines use just 15 percent. As a result, the generator is 3.5 times more fuel efficient than typical combustion engines.

Researchers estimate the new model could shave almost 1,000 pounds off a car's weight currently taken up by conventional engine systems.

Last week, the prototype was presented to the energy division of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is backing the Michigan State University Engine Research Laboratory with $2.5 million in funding.

Michigan State's team of engineers hope to have a car-sized 25-kilowatt version of the prototype ready by the end of the year.

Waste Management Services India

Hydrogen to Energy

Success for Korean Plasma Gasification Fuel Cell Demo


27 October 2011

The fuel cell system supplied by Canadian fuel cell company, Ballard Power Systems to Korean plasma gasification firm GS Platech for a waste to energy demonstration facility is now operating successfully to provide power to the local South Korean electricity grid.

GS Platech's pilot plant in Cheongsong is South Korea's first commercial plasma gasification and vitrification system which utilises the GSplatech's proprietary non-transferred plasma torch (200 kW X 2) and plasma cyclonic gasifier technology.

The facility is capable of producing sufficient high purity hydrogen to generate 50 kW power through the Ballard fuel cell stacks - supplied by Dantherm Power, Ballard's backup power systems company.

"This is the first ever demonstration of a waste to energy system incorporating both of these technologies," claims Jesper Themsen, managing director and CEO of Dantherm Power.

GS Platech says that it intends to further promote this solution to new customers worldwide and, to this end, recently hosted tours of the demonstration site in conjunction with the International Solid Waste Association World Congress 2011.

Attendees were shown the potential for this waste to energy system to address two key environmental issues in tandem: environmentally responsible waste treatment; and clean power production.

The project was undertaken as a national research project of the Korean Ministry of Knowledge and Economy with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment, under the framework of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

Paper Shredding & Waste Paper Disposal Services

When you use Eco Wise paper shredding services, not only do you enjoy the Peace of Mind knowing all of your documents have been destroyed in front of your eyes but you have also done your part in helping the environment.

Recycling Paper:
• Saves energy
• Creates jobs
• Prevents emissions of many greenhouse gasses and water pollutants
• Reduces the need for landfills and incinerators
• Supplies valuable raw materials to industry
• Stimulate the growth of greener technologies!!!


Quick Facts:
• Recycling 1 ton of paper saves:
17 mature trees
7,000 gallons of water
3 cubic yards of landfill space
2 barrels of oil
4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity - enough energy to power the average American home for 5 months
• Recycling causes 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution
• Recycling 1 ton of print or copy paper saves 2 tons of wood

Recurring: Scheduled paper shredding services Customers receive Secure Containers Free of Charge. Place the containers where ever your staff finds it most convenient to discard confidential, sensitive information. Leave the staples, paper clips, even binder clips in the paper - our machine will shred everything!
On your scheduled pick up day, one of our uniformed staff members will come to your office - collect all of the materials from your containers and shred everything on-site, and recycle the shredded materials.
One Time PURGE: No job is too large or small Eco Wise is your answer - cleaning out the garage, old tax documents, a warehouse, you name it. Eco Wise will bring one of our shredding machine to your location where we will shred everything onsite. Let our powerful shredding machines free up valuable space and get rid of unwanted documentation.
• Contact Us for a free Quote! - Feel free to Call us directly (0120) 4212110 or send us a e-mail to receive a quote in writing.
• When you choose Eco Wise you join a larger movement to save the environment. After we complete the On-Site shredding process, we work with qualified paper mills to securely recycle your shredded paper. Visit our Green Facts to find out more about what you can do for the environment by choosing Eco Wise.
• Have special shredding needs? Ask us about our Product Destruction Services - we gladly shred materials that might not be so easy to destroy

Medical Waste Collection & Disposal

Improper dumping of medical waste rampant

Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, which is said to be the main hospital of the city, lags behind as far as proper disposal of hazardous medical waste is concerned.
Burning of the medical waste openly, poses a problem for the patients at LLR and its associated units. The authorities refused to comment on the issue and straightaway denied that the hazardous medical waste is burnt openly. But the fact remains that the medical waste is burnt openly at the hospital.

Not only this, bio-medical waste generated at LLR and its associated hospitals is buried and gets exposed to stray dogs.
The authorities cited lack of funds as the reason for failing to subscribe to the common bio-medical waste treatment facility.

Only about 40 per cent of the establishments at LLR have equipment to mutilate needles and syringes. The remaining establishments throw untreated used needles and syringes into municipal garbage bins or even on the open ground at LLR.
These needles cause injuries to animals. Scavengers who come to clean the bins are often injured. Rag-pickers pick the needles for repackaging and resale illegally.
A class-IV employee said that four to five cases of used needles pricking the staff members occurred in past few months.

Most of the hazardous medical waste of LLR, Bal Rog Hospital, and Upper India Suger Exchange Jaccha-Baccha Hospital is thrown in the open ground.
Whereas, the waste of Morari Lal Chest Hospital, JK Cancer Hospital, Cardiology and Sankramak Rog Hospital is disposed at the Medical Pollution Control Committee (MPCC) in Panki.

According to the doctors of LLR, this mismanagement is due to the leniency of class IV employees, who throw the waste in open. Whereas the class IV employees passed the buck on the authorities. They say that the officials ask them to do so in order to misuse the diesel funds.
LLR Hospital has an insinuator which can dispose nearly 100 kg of medical waste per day. The insinuator runs for three hours daily and dispose 40 kg waste per hour. Even then, if the waste is burnt in the open it is due to the laxity of the class IV employees, said Dr CS Singh, chief medical superintendent.

How Landfills Works

HOW LANDFILLS WORK

­You­ have just finished your meal at a fast food restaurant and you throw your uneaten food, food wrappers, drink cup, utensils and napkins into the trash can. You don't think about that waste again. On trash pickup day in your neighborhood, you push your can out to the curb, and workers dump the contents into a big truck and haul it away. You don't have to think about that waste again, either. But maybe you have wondered, as you watch the trash truck pull away, just where that garbage ends up.

Americans generate trash at an astonishing rate of 4.6 pounds (2.1 kilograms) per day per person, which translates to 251 million tons (228 million metric tons) per year [source: EPA]. This is almost twice as much trash per person as most other major countries. What happens to this trash? Some gets recycled or recovered and some is burned, but the majority is buried in landfills. In this article, we will examine how a landfill is made, what happens to the trash in landfills, what problems are associated with a landfill and how these problems are solved.

Operations

  During landfill operations the waste collection vehicles are weighed at a weighbridge on arrival and their load is inspected for wastes that do not accord with the landfill’s waste acceptance criteria. Afterward, the waste collection vehicles use the existing road network on their way to the tipping face or working front where they unload their load. After loads are deposited, compactors or dozers are used to spread and compact the waste on the working face. Before leaving the landfill boundaries, the waste collection vehicles pass through the wheel cleaning facility. If necessary, they return to the weighbridge in order to be weighed without their load. Through the weighing process, the daily incoming waste tonnage can be calculated and listed in databases. In addition to trucks, some landfills may be equipped to handle railroad containers. The use of 'rail-haul' permits landfills to be located at more remote sites, without the problems associated with many truck trips.

  Typically, in the working face, the compacted waste is covered with soil daily. Alternative waste-cover materials are several sprayed-on foam products and temporary blankets. Blankets can be lifted into place with tracked excavators and then removed the following day prior to waste placement. Chipped wood and chemically 'fixed' bio-solids may also be used as an alternate daily cover. The space that is occupied daily by the compacted waste and the cover material is called a daily cell. Waste compaction is critical to extending the life of the landfill. Factors such as waste compressibility, waste layer thickness and the number of passes of the compactor over the waste affect the waste densities.

Impacts

  A large number of adverse impacts may occur from landfill operations. These impacts can vary: fatal accidents (e.g., scavengers buried under waste piles); infrastructure damage (e.g., damage to access roads by heavy vehicles); pollution of the local environment (such as contamination of groundwater and/or aquifers by leakage and residual soil contamination during landfill usage, as well as after landfill closure); offgassing of methane generated by decaying organic wastes (methane is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide, and can itself be a danger to inhabitants of an area); harbouring of disease vectors such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills, which are common in developing countries; injuries to wildlife; and simple nuisance problems (e.g., dust, odour, vermin, or noise pollution).

Professional Document Distruction

Professional Shredding/Document Destruction services Noida

Eco Wise Waste Management now offers professional document destruction services in the NCR region. We provide on premises document destruction where all documents will be destructed in front of you and then removed from your premises and taken for recycling.

                                 

Types of Incinerators

Types of Incinerators

Three standards and two less common types of incinerators are used in North America. Each can be operated, with some modifications, to produce energy.

The mass-burn incinerator is the most common type and is similar to a coal-fired steam boiler. A schematic cross section of massburn incinerators  is shown in Figure 9.1, and an aerial view of an actual incinerators is that the waste requires minimal processing. Mixed garbage, from which only the largest items such as appliances and logs are removed, is brought to the plant and placed in a large waste storage pit. An overhead crane mixes the refuse to provide a relatively uniform fuel and then loads it into hoppers which carry the waste into grates in the furnace. Fans in the furnace floor and walls provide air for the oxidation ( i.e., combustion ) process. The waste is burned at an optimal temperature of about 1100 and remains on the grate for 45 to 70 minutes to ensure complete combustion. The gases that form are heated by supplemental fuel injection for an additional second or two to ensure complete destruction of resistant chemicals. The hot gasses are then cooled by water in boiler tubes that generates steam for electricity, heating, or other purposes. Then the gases are sent to pollution control device, which may include ammonia injection for NO ( nitrogen oxides ) control, a dry scrubber for SO₂ and acid gas control, carbon injection to remove mercury and dioxin, and a baghouse to remove particulate matter.

The ash that accumulates at the bottom of the furnace is removed through a water-quenched conveyor and emptied into a storage area from which it is periodically removed and transported to a landfill. Some plants remove and recycle the larger pieces of iron and other metals that have not burned. Fly ash is collected from a dry scrubber and baghouse and taken to a landfill. Mass-burn incinerators can have capacities of 90 to 2,700 tonnes of garbage per day. A case history of a mass-burn incinerator is presented in chapter 11.

A modular incinerator is similar to mass-burn incinerator but typically has a smaller capacity, in the range of 14 to 365 tonnes of waste per day. It is modular in design and can be built in units at the factory and then shipped to the facility site.

A refuse-derived fuel (RDF)incinerator burns garbage that has been processed before being burned. Although processing is required, the prepared fuel will be consistence and will meet specifications for energy content, moisture, and ash content. A significant advantage is that recyclable materials such as iron, aluminum, and glass can be removed during the processing. The RDF can be produced in shredded or fluff form, or it can be compacted into a denser fuel such as pellets or cubes. Densified RDF is more costly to produce, but it has the advantage of being easier to transport and store. This fuel works more effectively in specially designed boilers, but it can also be used in coal-fired boilers. RDF has an energy value comparable to that of coal and can be used either alone in mixed with coal. Because of the higher energy content and more uniform nature of the fuel, RDF incinerators are smaller and can be more effectively controlled than mass-burn units of similar capacity. By the end of 1992, RDF facilities accounted for about 20% of the waste-to-energy plants in the United States.

The fluidized-bed incinerator is a relatively new technology in North America for garbage, although it has been used to burn sludges. This incinerator injects refuse-derived fuel into loose, moving bed of limestone and sand, which is suspended above the furnace floor, like a fluid, by an upward flow of air. The “fluidized” bed of sand and limestone helps to distribute the heat evenly throughout the burn, resulting in more complete combustion efficiency, results in lower emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, and dioxins than occurs from the other types of incinerators.

Because fluidized-bed incinerators require preprocessing of waste, they fit well with materials recycling. These incinerators, being much smaller than mass-burn incinerators, may be more appropriate for smaller communities.

Rotary kiln furnaces  similar to those used in cement industry can be used for incinerating wastes. The kilns are large, gently sloped cylinders lined with refractory (heat-resistance) materials that rotate slowly while they are heated to very high temperatures. A supplementary fuel such as oil or gas is generally used. The kiln system is very flexible and can be handle a wide variety of waste types and sizes. Kilns 2.5 or 3.0 meters in diameter are common and can handle large waste pieces, including drums. The kilns are slightly inclined so that waste moves down the slope. The length of the kiln and the amount of incline control the time of exposure of the waste to high temperatures, and these features can be designed to provide the required destruction level. Some kilns are designed to maintain a layer of melted glasslike slag on the inside of the drum; this prospects the lining, or refractory, of the furnace from the high temperatures and prolongs its life; it also produces a more leach-resistant vitrified ash residue and helps to capture fine combustion particles. Gas scrubber and dust removal systems are easily attached.

In all incinerators, the hot gases produced by incineration must be cooled to stop chemical reactions and to protect the downstream pollution-control equipment. Cooling is usually done by quenching the hot gases with large volumes of water. The water and condensate are sent to a wastewater treatment plant, which forms a necessary part of a modern incinerator.

Burning Waste

Burning Waste has been practised around the world for decades. Burning waste can be carried out for various reasons such as, generating energy, and reducing the waste pile. The follwoing article talks about Inceneration, a method of burning waste.  

The Burning Waste

Fire has always held a fascination for humans, and it has been one of our most useful tools. Fire has provided warmth, cooked food, cleared forests lands, offered protection against marauding animals, and much more. Although garbage has probably been burned ever since humans discovered fire, it has been incinerated in a systematic manner for only about a century. Perhaps surprisingly, given its long history and obvious benefits, waste incineration is a topic that is both controversial and emotional. In this chapter we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of incineration and how it can contribute to an integrated waste management program.

               Under proper conditions, incineration provides a number of benefits:

·         It greatly reduces the volume of waste that must go to disposal in landfills—a vitally important objective. In conventional municipal incinerators, the volume reduction ranges from 80% to 95%, with a mean of about 90%.

·         It can be used in conjuction with landfill mining to reclaim closed landfills and greatly extend the operating lifetimes of existing landfills.

·         The ash produced is relatively homogeneous and thus more suitable than raw waste for treatment such as solidification in concrete.

·         A relatively large proportion of the organic compounds, including putrescible and hazardous wastes, is destroyed: thus, there is a net reduction in the quantity of toxics.

·         Energy can be generated as a useful by product, which preserves nonrenewable fuels like natural gas, oil, and coal.

Fewer air pollutants are produced by burning waste than by burning coal or oil.

The use of incineration has been increasing in the United States since about the mid=1980s, and currently the country burns about 16% of its municipal wastes (EPA, 1994). This figure is significantly lower in Canada—about 4%—but it can be much higher overseas. For Example, Japan, which faced its waste disposal crisis in the 1950s, 20 years before the crisis reached North America, incinerates approximately 34% of its municipal garbage (Hershkowitz & Salerni, 1997). Most Japanese incinerators generate electricity. In Sweden, the government regards waste as a resource, not something to be squandered by landfilling; approximately 41% of its waste is incinerated  in 21 waste-to-energy incinerators, with almost all the energy being delivered to district heating systems ( Rylander, 1994 ). This energy corresponds to 4.5 terawatt-hours ( tera means 10 raised to the power 12 ), or 15% of the total district heating requirements in Sweden. There are more than 400 waste incinerators in the world.

The main drawback to incineration is that the process releases contaminants into the air, violating the principle of protecting health porate rigorous emission controls. There is considerable opposition by the public to the use of waste incinerators, at least partly because oider incinerators certainly caused air pollution. Modern waste-to-energy plants have largely overcome this deficiency by including improved combustion processes, better pollution control technology, and the production of a useful product, energy.

Opponents of incineration argue that contaminants are spread into the atmosphere where they cannot be controlled, instead of being contained in a landfill. Another disadvantage of an incinerator is that it is more costly to construct than a landfill; furthermore, all of the capital cost is incurred up front, whereas landfill capital costs are spread over the operating lifetime. Incinerator technology is far more sophisticated than that of a landfill, requiring more careful control and trained operators.

Design criteria for incinerators should ensure that:

·         Air will be supplied in the quantities needed for proper combustion.

·         Gases will be tempered and cooled to prevent damage to the refractories ( heat-resistant incinerator liner ) and to allow the gases to be treated.

·         Particulates and noxious substances will be removed from the flue gases.

·         Waste will be fed into the furnace and ash removed without allowing combustion products to escape.

·         A water treatment plant will be incorporated to process the water used in cooling the ash residues and flue gases.

·         The amount of maintenance and downtime for repairs will be minimized.

Waste management system india

The waste management system in India is fairly unorganized. Following is a series of artiles that will explain the waste management system in India staring with residental waste collection, industrial waste collection and commercial waste collection. We will then go into describing the economics behind the waste management system in India. Keep visiting to for further updates on waste management systems in Indi.

Residential Waste Collection Noida

Process:

Residential waste collection in Noida is mostly done by the unorganized sector, using manual rickshaws. On an average one individual collects waste from about 300 houses and then loads this waste onto his rickshaw. The waste from house holds comprises of the following materials:

1.       Recyclables

a.       Plastic

b.      Paper

c.       Cardboard

d.      Iron scrap

e.      Used copper wiring

f.        Batteries

g.       Raddie

h.      PET Watter bottles (Mineral Waster bottles)

i.         E- waste (Broken Cell Phones, Keyboards, Monitors)

j.        Human hair

k.       Poly bags

2.       Organic Waste:

a.       Food scrap

b.      Mud

3.       Inert Waste

a.       Clay pots

b.      Construction debris

c.       Complex plastics ( Uncle Chips Bags, Gutka bags)

d.      Cigarette buds

All this waste is collected in a mixed form from the house holds. The waste collector then takes this waste to a segregation site, or an open ground where he proceeds to remove the recyclables from the waste.  After sorting through the waste, the collector packs them in different sacks and reloads them onto his rickshaw. The organic waste and the inert waste are left behind as the waste collector has no use of this, and does not get any monetary benefit from it. After the collection and segregation process is complete, the collector paddles his rickshaw to his godown, where he proceeds to sell the waste to the godown owner or scrap dealer.

The process of collection, transportation, segregation and then transportation back to the godown takes about five – six hours in total, depending on the quantity of waste that the collector has to segregate. 

Next Article: The Economics of  residental waste management in India

Waste To Energy Project Jindal (Okhla)

The Waste to energy project, being promoted by Jindal in Okhla—owned by the Jindal family that is close to the ruling Congress party—will, when fully operational, burn 4,000 tonnes a day of waste derived fuel (RDF) made from municipal waste, to produce 20 megawatts of electricity.

Like many dirty industries rapidly coming up across the Indian landscape, Jindal’s Waste to energy project may have gone unremarked, except that it is located in the Okhla area of South Delhi, reckoned as among the most affluent of India’s 604 districts and populated by people acutely aware of their rights.

Environmentalists say the plant has violated zoning regulations, the Delhi Master Plan, rulings by the Supreme Court and rules laid down by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a statutory body.

Even before Delhi State Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit laid the foundation stone for the plant in July 2010, residents of Okhla, which has a population of 1.5 million people, had filed public interest litigation in the Delhi High Court protesting several gross violations.

In published guidelines, titled "Management of Municipal SolidWaste," the CPCB has specifically cautioned local bodies "Not to adopt expensive technologies of power generation, fuel pelletisation, incineration etc. until they are proven under Indian conditions by the Government of India (GoI) or expert agencies nominated by the GoI."

After visiting the plant on Apr. 1, in response to mass rallies and protests by Okhla residents, MoEF minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to Dikshit pointing out two grave violations: the failure of the state government to hold adequate public consultations and Jindal Ecopolis’ failure to seek mandatory clearance from the CPCB.

Regularisation of illegality is a peculiar Indian characteristic. First you make the law and then break the law," Ramesh said, venting frustration while addressing a management conference in the capital last week.


In May, Ramesh’s ministry granted environmental clearances to such controversial projects as a 12-billion-dollar steel plant and port being built by the South Korean Pohang Steel Company in eastern Orissa state, and a nuclear power park in Jaitapur in western Maharashtra state under construction in a 15-billion-dollar deal with the French state-owned Areva.

Ramesh had earlier observed that Jindal’s WtE plant would be hard to stop or relocate because it was close to completion. But, under pressure from the Okhla community, he ordered a technical review by the CPCB and made the grant of an "operating license" conditional on the outcome.

"It became painfully clear that Jindal Ecopolis does not have technology clearance from CPCB, no valid environment impact assessment, and has never bothered to engage the community in public consultations as mandated by law," Trivedi told IPS.

"From the project costing it was clear that Jindal has no viable plans to remove toxic pollutants and plans to discharge effluents into the already polluted Yamuna River," he added. "The fact that the Asian Development Bank has dropped it from its Asia Pacific Carbon Fund speaks volumes for how green the project is."

Different Composting Methods

There are many different composting methods via which organic material can be converted to compost. The type of composting method that you decide you use will depend upon the quantom of waste that you generate and the ammount of land that you have avaliable. A list of different composting methods is listed below for your understanding:

Home Composting

   Home Composting programs take two distinct forms. The first employs home composters, usually plastic bins or barrels with a capacity of about 200 liters. These are supplied to homeowners, often on a subsidized basis, and should be accompanied by instructions on what and how to carry out home composting.  Additional support can be provided by telephone hot lines and by volunteer programs in which experienced home composters provide assistance and advice to beginners. Although home composting programs are feasible only in suburban areas, they are very effective because waste is diverted at source and no pickup or treatment by the municipal system is required.

Learn How To Construct a Compost Bin!

Learn How To convert kitchen waste to compost!

 Central Composting Facilities

Even with a successful composting program, a central composting facility can make a valuable contribution to waste reduction. The central facility can service apartment buildings, business and neighborhoods where home composters are not feasible; in addition, it can treat leaves in the fall and Christmas trees in winter. Incentives should be developed to ensure that landscaping firms, significant generators of yard wastes, drop off their wastes at the central facility.

      An important part of planning a central composting facility is obtaining regulatory permits, including communicating with local groups that may be affected by the facility. A relatively large parcel of land is required, and this is often located at the municipal landfill; land is available, garbage/recycle trucks come there anyways, infrastructure such as weigh scales and woods shredder is available, and the final compost can be used for landfill cover if no other markets are available.

      The processing of organic materials prior to composting includes shredding to break bags, reduce size of materials such as Christmas trees and large wood pieces, and ensure a relatively uniform material; and sorting to remove contaminants such as plastic bags.

      Composting facilities, though a relatively low technology, still require careful planning and resources. Generally, three basic systems are used; the windrow, static pile, and in-vessel methods ( Tchobanoglous et al., 1993 ).The windrow and static pile  methods are the most popular license they require minimal capital investment and the decomposition process occurs aerobically ( in the presence of oxygen ). In aerobic composting ( versus anaerobic composting, in the absence of oxygen ) far less odor is generated, and temperatures reach higher levels, generally in the 40  to 60 C range, which not only kill most pathogens but also destroy weed seeds.

 Windrow  Composting.        This is one of the oldest and simplest methods of composting. A typical windrow system consists of long rows of organic material, about 1.8 to 2.1 meters high and 4 to 5 meters wide at the base. Actual dimensions vary and depend largely on the equipment available to place and manipulate the piles.

To ensure aerobic conditions and maintain temperatures, the windrow are turned at regular intervals, usually once or twice a week. A moisture content of 50% to 60% must be maintained. Although bulldozers and front-end loaders can be used, specialized turning machines have been developed that are more efficient and can add water at the same time. Proper aeration is important because it prevents anaerobic conditions, which lead to odor. A temperature of at least 55  should be maintained for a minimum of two weeks to ensure destruction of pathogens. The composting period lasts about four or five weeks; the compost is usually cured for an additional two to eight weeks to ensure that it is completely stabilized.

 Aerated static pile composting.        This method can be used to compost a wide variety of organic materials, including yard wastes and separated municipal waste. The materials are laid out in long piles similar to windrows. A layer of screened compost is often placed on top of the pile to control odor and provide insulation. A network of perforated piping is either placed at the bottom of the pile or embedded in the flooring below the pile. Air is introduced by blowers into each pile through the pipe network so that aerobic decomposition occurs. Airflow rates are controlled to maintain the temperature  at the desired level. In modern facilities, all or most of the system is enclosed to allow better processing and odor control. Although the method needs more complex equipment than windrow composting, it does not require turning the material, it minimizes odors, and it provides better control of the process.

 In-vessel composting.           In this method, the materials to be composted are enclosed in a container or vessel.  Vessels of various shapes are used, but they are generally of two basic types: plug flow or dynamic. In the former, the materials move through the vessel without agitation; in the later, the materials are agitated or mixed during the composting. Air and water are added to the vessels in a well-controlled manner. Typical in-vessel composting systems are shown schematically in Figure 5.6, and an actual system is shown in Figure 5.7. Detention (processing) times in in-vessel composters are about 1 to 2 weeks, followed by a 4- to 12-week curing period. In-vessel composters are gaining popularity because they offer good process and odor control, shorter composting time, and lower labor costs, and they can deal with food wastes. In particular, they can be set up in cities to service facilities such as hospitals or large office complexes.

The Composting Process

The following article explains in detail the composting process. It explains the bilogical and chemical changes that take place during the composting process.

In the composting process, microorganisms, break down complex organic molecules (proteins, amino acid, lipids carbohydrates, and cellulose) into simpler ones ( mostly cellulose and lignin ). The microorganisms require an aqueous or moist environment and oxygen. The exothermic reaction in the composting process is depicted below:

                Complex molecules + O₂ + microorganisms

→compost + new cells + dead cells + heat +CO₂ + H₂O + NO₃ + SO₄

In the process of composting living organisms, which make up about 5% to 10% of the organic material, releases the energy and nutrients stored in the tissues of the plant and animal residues in the starting compost material. There are several different kinds of organisms, and each has a specific substrate on which it works. An entire food chain develops during the compost process:

·         Microorganisms such as bacteria, antinomycetes  ( slime molds ), fungi, and algae break down the bulk of organic material. Their population, commonly referred to as the “microbial biomass,” is most crucial to the process.

·         Protozoa, nematodes, and some other small organisms such as mold mites (Acari ) and springtails ( Collembola ) feed on the microorganisms.

·         Beetles and other insects feed on the mold mites, springtails, and other small organisms.

·         Larger organisms such as earthworms, flatworms, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs, and sowbugs feed on the decaying plant materials. They speed up the compost process by mixing the materials and reducing the size of particles.

    The carbon/ nitrogen (C/ N) ratio is the most important measure of nutrient balance in the compost. Microorganisms use carbon as a source of energy, and both carbon and nitrogen are used for building cell structures. The C/N ratio declines as the composting process proceeds. More carbon is required than nitrogen; a typical final C/N value is approximately 22:1 (MOE, 1991 ).

    The C/N value determines how the finished compost affects the soils to which it is applied. If C/N is greater than 25:1, the microorganisms in the compost will complete with the crops for available nitrogen. At compost levels below 20:1, the energy source, carbon, is less than needed for conversion of nitrogen into proteins. In this case, the compost microorganisms remove excess nitrogen as ammonia, denying it to plants and thus inhibiting plant growth. The C/N ratio in compost can be controlled by adding either highly nitrogenous materials like grass clippings and green vegetation, or highly carbonaceous materials like hay and dry leaves.

Eco Wise Waste Management   

What is Composting

What is composting

The following article explains the process of composting, provides you a brief history of composting and explains why composting is an important aspect of waste management.

Composting is a specialized part of recycling in which organic wastes are biologically decomposed under controlled conditions to convert them into a product that can be applied to the land beneficially and without adverse environmental impact. The composting process should destroy pathogens, weed seeds, insect eggs, and other unwanted organisms. Adding compost can lighten heavy soils, improve the texture of light solid, and increase water  retention capacity, Composting is a natural process that has been used in an organized fashion to deal with garbage since at least the early 1900s (Journal of Waste Recycling. 1991).

      Composting is a important component of a modern integrated waste system for one very simple reason: in North America we generate a considerable amount  of yard waste and other organic wastes that are really compostable. Studies have shown that a significant fraction of municipal solid waste consists of yard waste, ranging from 5% to 20% by weight, with a typical value of 18%. Thus, composting can make a significant contribution to waste diversion. Furthermore , composting is a relatively low-technology and low-cost process that can be readily established by most communities.

       Generally, only materials of biological origin—such as leaves, paper, wood, and non-meat food scraps—are suitable for composting. Synthetic organic materials, particularly plastics and rubber, are seldom compostable.

Also read about

1) Converting Kitchen Waste to Compost:

2) How to Construct a compost bin: 

Plastic waste recycling

The following article talks about plastic waste recycling, plastic waste recycling methods and the advantages of plastic waste recycling. 

Plastic waste recycling

There are many uses of plastic waste, once the waste has been disgarded. one way is to recycle plastic waste is to use it in the construction of roads.  Process of Road laying using polymer- aggregate – Bitumen mix. The plastic waste (bags, cups, Thermocole) made out of PE, PP, & PS are separated, cleaned if needed and shredded to small pieces (passing through 4.35mm sieve) The aggregate (granite) is heated to 170oC in the Mini hot Mix Plant and the shredded plastic waste is added, it gets softened and coated over the aggregate. Immediately the hot Bitumen (160oC) is added and mixed well. As the polymer and the bitumen are is the molten state (liquid state) they get mixed and the blend is formed at surface of the aggregate. The mixture is transferred to the road and the road is laid. This technique is extended to Central Mixing Plant too.

MOEF (cpcb.nic.in)