5 Different Types of Waste Disposal Systems Explained One of the world's most pressing problems is waste disposal.Every country on earth seems to have difficulty dealing with their municipal solid waste. At an individual level, this problem affects people everywhere, for everyone contributes their share of waste that ends up in landfills, incinerators, waste-to-energy plants or the recycling bin. Each homeowner has several options in disposing of waste. They range from simply throwing waste in the garbage to recycling to turning that waste into energy. The following 5 waste disposal systems are available to just about anyone given the right tools and space. 1. Simply Throwing Garbage away As common as throwing garbage away is, it is also highly problematic when it is taken as a whole. The U.S. commonly throws away 250 million tons or more of garbage annually, consuming more than 3,500 acres of land in the process. There is something very passive about throwing garbage away: put it in the basket and watch the truck haul it away. It is the 'don't ask, don't tell' solution to waste disposal. 2. Garbage Disposal Installation Having a home garbage disposal reduces landfill waste by pulverizing food waste and washing it down the drain. The food waste does not become liquid, but it is altered enough not to ruin sewer pipes. A garbage disposal is a step in the right direction, but it solves less than half of the problem. Plenty of waste gets thrown away even with a disposal. Not only that, but the material that can be put down a garbage disposal would be better used in a compost pile. 3. Composting Taking all of your organic food scraps, including coffee grounds and eggshells (excluding meat, bones, skin and lard) and throwing it in layers on a compost pile eventually breaks it down and becomes nutrient-rich fertilizer. You must keep the amounts in proportion and add grass clippings and other yard debris as well, but when done right you are helping to complete the cycle of life. This is one of the best ways to dispose of (food) waste. 4. Recycling Instead of simply throwing everything away in trash, get in the habit of recycling what can be reused or remade. Metal, paper products, certain plastics, motor oil, electronics, appliances, mattresses, wood, rubber, glass and other things can all be recycled. In some cases you have to pay to have it hauled away. Other things people will gladly remove from your recycling pile on the street. If everything that could be recycled was recycled across the board, the aggregate trash amount would be drastically reduced every year. 5. Incineration While this method is mainly used at the industrial level, residential incinerators are available to dispose of waste. There is the danger of releasing toxins from certain materials, though, so be sure you know the potential hazards. Rather than throwing everything away to go to the landfill, take the time to consider other waste disposal methods. In doing so, you'll cut down on the amount of trash you make, and with composting you may end up with something usable because of it. Source: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/5-different-types-of-waste-disposal-systemsexplained#ixzz1CRfIe5uM State of Waste Management in South East Asia I INTRODUCTION Human activities generate waste. In recent years the volume of waste has been increasing at an alarming rate, posing a formidable challenge to governments. A 1999 World Bank report predicted that the total volume of municipal solid waste alone that is generated in Asia and the Pacific will more than double by year 2025, greatly surpassing capacities of existing waste treatment facilities. The complexities and enormity of the challenges become evident when we consider other waste types to be managed. These include industrial solid waste, municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, storm water and hazardous waste. This paper provides snapshots, or quick but comprehensive pictures, of what is happening in terms of waste generation, treatment, disposal and management within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). We will also look at current approaches at sustainable integrated waste management. Urban population in ASEAN countries, except in Singapore, is expected to increase between 5.1 percent to 7.2 percent within this decade (Table 1). The volume of waste generated by human activities is expected to continue to increase accordingly. Table 1: Urban Population Trends in Selected Countries of South East Asia 1980-2020 Country Urban population as a percentage Percentage change in of total population urban population territory 2010 2020 +6.4 +7.9 +6.2 0.0 +8.0 +7.7 Total Population 1980 1990 2000 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 1990 1990 2000 2010 (million) Malaysia 15 34.6 43.0 51.2 58.4 64.8 +11.6 +18.2 +7.2 Myanmar 42 24.0 24.8 28.4 35.4 43.3 +0.8 +3.6 +7.1 Philippines 62 37.4 42.7 48.9 55.7 62.5 +5.3 +6.2 +6.8 Singapore 3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.00 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Thailand 55 17.1 22.2 28.9 36.7 44.7 +5.1 +6.7 +7.8 Vietnam 67 19.2 19.9 22.3 27.4 35.1 +0.7 +2.4 +5.1 Source: Compiled from United Nations (1993), World Urbanization Prospects: 1992 Revision, United Nations, New York. At the same time issues of rapid urbanization continue to challenge ASEAN cities. There is a widening gap between society¶s rapidly changing demands for more urban services and the capacity of cities to meet these demands. This has led to significant environmental and health issues associated with wastes, such as water and soil seas from wastewater. Often. coupled with a lack of clear definition and delineation of the different waste types.contamination from solid and liquid wastes. as an initial attempt at sub-regional analysis. lakes. our discussion will focus on the following waste sub-sectors: y y y y y y Municipal solid waste Industrial solid waste Hazardous/toxic waste Municipal wastewater Industrial wastewater Storm water . and pollution of rivers. Be that as it may. which will be presented in the subsequent discussions. In the succeeding sections the waste-generating sectors are classified into six subsectors. makes an assessment of current waste management practices in most ASEAN countries difficult. This fragmented approach to waste management. different government agencies are mandated to manage different waste sectors. which will be discussed according to their specific natures. In some countries the solid wastes management system also handles human wastes such as night-soil. Municipal Solid Waste Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) can be defined using Chapter 21. Among the data needed are: the sources of wastes." MSW is thus seen as primarily coming from households but also includes wastes from offices. metals. street sweepings and construction debris.I TYPES OF WASTES ± Sources & Composition The most fundamental step in waste management is quantifying and qualifying the different types of waste being generated. tires) and household hazardous wastes Paper. batteries. wood. Residential Stores. glass. schools. with some hazardous household wastes such as electric light bulbs. government . shopping complexes/shops. hotels. their composition and characteristics. markets. hotels. special wastes (bulky items. glass. data collection and management should be an on-going exercise for monitoring purposes and to enable future and long-term planning and decision-making. plastics. and from municipal services such as street cleaning and maintenance of recreational areas. plastics. septic tank sludge and sludge from sewage treatment plants. wood. paper. special wastes. consumer electronics. Rio de Janeiro. plastics. Such information forms the basis for the development of appropriate waste management strategies. In fact. batteries. cardboard. June 14. It is important to have a system for the collection and analysis of basic information about wastes. metal and glass. discarded medicines and automotive parts. cardboard. ashes. and types of solid waste generated. hazardous wastes Paper. Table 2 highlights the main sources of MSW. textiles. oil. A. the quantities of waste generated. cardboard. If these wastes manifest hazardous characteristics they should be treated as hazardous wastes. the seasonal variations and future trends of generation. food wastes.3 of Agenda 21 (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. rags. office buildings Institutional Schools. Commercial restaurants. paper. institutions. ashes from incinerators. plastic. metals. The major types of MSW are food wastes. food wastes. 1992 Chapter 21 "Environmentally Sound Management of Solid Wastes and Sewage-related Issues") "Solid wastes«include all domestic refuse and non-hazardous wastes such as commercial and institutional wastes. the waste generators. Table 2: Sources and Types of Municipal Solid Waste Sources Typical waste generators Single and multifamily dwellings Types of solid waste Food wastes. 035.50 kg/capita/day (in urban areas) and 0. Vietnam generates about 49. landscape and tree trimmings.1 million tons or 38.452.61 kg/capita/day). prisons Municipal services Street cleaning. beaches.415 tons of waste in the same year. metals.23 kg/capita/day). Malaysia (population of 22 million) generated an estimated 5.172. 0. parks. This is about 0.e. Singapore¶s per capita waste generation is much bigger because it has a population of only 4.68 kg per capita/day in 2001.000 tons of solid waste.50 tons per year.000 tons per year (about 0. beaches.475. waste generation is an average of 36. hazardous wastes Street sweepings. and other recreational areas Among the ASEAN countries there is a marked range of waste generation per capita. special wastes. general wastes from parks.center. hospitals.30 kg/capita/day (in rural areas).75 kg per capita per day. i. recreational areas glass.134. The quantity of waste produced by Thailand in 2001 was 14. . an increase of about 470 tons per day compared to year 2000. However.700. In Lao PDR average urban waste production is 0. landscaping. This was comparable to Singapore¶s 5. Figure 1 gives the rates of waste generation for these ASEAN countries in 2001.640 tons per day (about 0. In the Philippines. Phnom Penh. Jakarta.57 percent textile.86 percent plastic. 15 percent paper. 30 percent plastic. Brunei with a population of 340. 0.86 percent others). generates 2. 1.02 percent organic. 2.Figure 1: Waste Generation in Selected ASEAN Countries (2001) Among the cities there are distinct variations in the proportions of waste constituents.04 percent metal. . 14 percent metals. 39. For instance. Indonesia.526 tons per year. 1. consisting mostly of 47.92 percent organics.14 percent wood/trimmings.9 percent plastic. with about 10 to 24 percent made up of paper and cardboard waste. cans and other metals. 0. this type of waste has been included in the municipal solid waste category by the authorities concerned.29 percent batteries. 0. 25 percent glass. 7. 5 percent glass and 7 percent others.75 percent glass. While it had not been the original intention to include construction and demolition waste in this sector.77 liters waste per capita per day broken down as follows: 73. Vietnam¶s urban waste typically consists of 30 percent organics.18 percent paper.963 m3 in 1998 (1. 10.800 (2002 estimate) generates waste at a rate of 392 tons a day (1. Cambodia.55 percent rubber/imitation leather. 0.15kg/capita/day) comprising of 33 percent paper.98 percent wood. and 1. 25 percent food waste. 10.44 percent mixed in organics. The highly urbanized cities are shown to generate a high percentage of organic and mixed inorganic waste ± between 70 to 80 percent.23 liters/capita/day). Mandalay City in Myanmar generates 10. with a population of one million had a waste volume of 450. Figure 2 presents the general composition of typical MSW of selected cities in SEA. 16 percent plastic. as with most other ASEAN countries.Figure 2: Approximate Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in Selected Cities of ASEAN Member Countries 2001 Bangkok's MSW composition in 2001 was organic waste 44-48 percent. Moisture content was about 50-60 percent showing little difference between the dry and wet seasons. Table 3: Types and Quantities of Solid Waste Generated Per Year in Singapore. 13-17 percent mixed plastics. and 2-3 percent metal and others. considers construction and demolition waste as part of total municipal solid waste. 4-6 percent inorganic wastes including glass. 2001 . wood and textiles. A detailed breakdown of the types and quantities of solid waste generated in Singapore is given below in Table 3. 11-12 percent paper. Singapore. Note that paper and cardboard and metal wastes together constitute almost 50 percent of the total volume of solid waste. paper. products which are off-specification and a variety of materials not officially specified as or are known to be hazardous/toxic. wood waste. rubber. Industrial Solid Waste Industrial solid waste . it has been included as part of municipal solid waste. activities. there is an absence of a systematic database on industrial solid waste and the exact rates of industrial waste generation are not known. straw. The lack of information on industrial solid waste is lamentable because it can actually include a wide range of materials that may have different levels of impact on the environment. treatment and disposal. cloth. B. stones. In some countries waste collected is taken to a common processing center for separation. All types of solid waste are mixed together and not sorted at home or at other sources. So there is no differentiation during collection by public or private contractors. metal and plastic scraps. As a result. housekeeping wastes. scrap materials 5 percent. commercial and/or industrial wastes. there is generally no system to identify and classify MSW into domestic. food wastes. In most ASEAN countries. scrap materials such as glass and ceramics. i. solid waste is generated by both domestic as well as non-domestic. resins. wood wastes 5 percent. In many ASEAN countries.the non-toxic or non-hazardous waste generated by various industries is normally not identified as different from municipal solid waste coming from domestic and commercial activities.e. The types of industrial solid waste would include packaging materials. . commercial and industry.(bigger image) In Singapore. which comprises packing paper 10 percent. plastics. Yangon City in Myanmar generates about 500 tons industrial solid waste a year. 07 percent others).37 percent mixed inorganic. cement.straw 30 percent. 0. Refer to Figure 3).2 kg per US Dollar industrial production compared with approximately 2. processing and disposal systems for this type of wastes. It is surmised that as the ASEAN countries develop. even within the same country can be very wide.07 percent paper and 0. Singapore uses only licensed contractors. wood industry and chemical plants.602 million tons in 2005 and 2010 respectively. 0. asbestos cement. also in Myanmar.09 tons of wastes from light industries (56.49 percent wood. and marble factories.365 million tons in 2001.485 and 2. which are controlled and regulated by the Department of Industrial Works. This would pose serious challenges to those ASEAN countries that do not have adequate collection. 1997. there is likely to be substantial increase in industrial solid waste generation. 0.792. In Bangkok. 4. glass 5 percent and others 40 percent from industries which include leather. who are licensed by the local authorities. It is estimated that Singapore has an industrial waste intensity of approximately 0.20 percent cloth/leather.37 percent plastic/rubber. that the generation of industrial solid waste in Bangkok and its vicinity was estimated at about 2. It is reported in the Draft Final Report of the Study on the Master Plan for Bangkok and its vicinity in the Kingdom of Thailand. glass. since mid-1990s.43 percent food. . 38. The generation ratio of municipal waste to industrial solid waste is 1:3 for PR China.3 kg per US Dollar industrial production for People¶s Republic of China and 1 kg per US Dollar for Japan (ESCAP. industrial solid waste is collected and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner in licensed waste treatment facilities. 2001. generates 4. Mandalay City. ceramic ware. and likely to be lower for Singapore. brick. with projected increase to 2. Thus the variations from city to city. 1:8 for Japan. In Malaysia non-scheduled wastes from industry are normally collected by either private or public contractors. cloth 5 percent. The high . Different ways of classifying and defining hazardous wastes have led to some difficulties in forming a uniform database for hazardous waste in the region.Figure 3: Waste Intensity of Industrial Production in Singapore Compared to PR China and Japan of Industrial Solid Waste in Member Countries C. most hazardous wastes are recognized as coming from industrial. as well as from hospital and health-care facilities. Hazardous Waste As members of ASEAN continue to develop. agricultural and manufacturing processes. Nevertheless. it is expected that there will be increasing use of toxic chemicals and generation of hazardous wastes. Industrial hazardous waste consisted of 66 percent heavy metal sludge. 4.1 percent Oil. UNEP 1994.000 377 115 28 460 882 Updated figures for Singapore are: 230. 11 percent putrescible organic wastes.000 tons of hazardous/toxic waste were generated in 2001. gas stations (9 percent). 6. wood treatment.3 percent were from the metal industry. 13 percent waste oils and 6 percent others. pulp & paper. and Nelson 1997. textiles and energy production industries.Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) study. Table 4: Estimated Annual Production of Hazardous Waste in Selected Countries.95 percent from the chemical.67 percent from the gas industry. .3 percent reactive organic wastes.750 530 135 1. metals. and 4. 8.393 tons of hazardous wastes were generated in 2000 as reported in the Environmental Management Board (EMB) . In the Philippines.2 percent alkaline wastes.4 percent other wastes. 5. Malaysia reported the generation of about 344.0 percent biohazardous waste. 9.0 percent oily sludge (mainly from tanker cleaning). 5. 23. petrochemical.37 percent others.0 percent Plating wastes. These were broken down according to sources as follows: 1.000 12. 20.31 million tons (78 percent) from the industrial sector and 0. United Nations 1995.56 percent from the electronic industry.550 tons of hazardous wastes classified as scheduled wastes for 2000. 4. Hazardous wastes generated by community activities came from: automobile shops (48 percent).560 4. Thousand Tons 1993 Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Socialist Republic of Vietnam Thailand Source: Hernandez 1993. agriculture (9 percent).26 percent from the plastic/rubber industry.000 23. 15 percent acid-base contaminated with heavy metals.37 million tons (22 percent) from the community sector. households (21 percent). out of which 88 percent was waste chemicals. The rest were 8.89 percent from small industries and 16. a total of 278. and 11. leather. and 9. Of the total 33. petroleum. 5. 2000 400 285 72 910 2.8 percent Organic chemicals.215 2010 1. It was further reported in the Draft Report of the State of Pollution of Thailand 2001 that hazardous wastes generated in 2001 were approximately 1.volume generators are the chemical.5 percent of inorganic chemical wastes.7 percent acid wastes. This consisted mainly of 24. The estimated annual production of hazardous waste from some selected ASEAN Countries is given in Table 4.120 5.68 million tons. and toxic heavy metals from dyeing. while for developed countries it can be as high as 250 to 300 liters/person/day. organic compounds. 25 percent for bath. Municipal Wastewater The volume of municipal wastewater generated depends on the supply and demand for water.hospital & laboratory (5 percent). In developing countries. . 10 percent for kitchen and 20 percent for other uses. Vietnam.05 million m3/day in Indonesia. typical usage is 30 percent for toilet. etc.000 tons of hazardous wastes were generated in 1999.500 m3 in Brunei Darussalam to 31. In Hanoi. The main uses of water would be for toilet. and others like ports. printing and finishing processes of the textiles and photoengraving industries. A JICA study in 2000 anticipates a rise of hazardous waste generation to 38.500 tons by 2020.500 tons in 2005 and 78. Hazardous wastes in Myanmar included metabolic wastes. bath. See Figure 4 below. Based on the population of each country in 1999 and using an average of 150 litres per capita per day for developing countries. the requirement is about 160 to 200 liters/person/day. laundry. In Indonesia. D. 15 percent for laundry. 90 percent of which is in urban areas. kitchen. Eighty-nine percent came from industry and 11 percent from hospitals. cleaners and laundries (8 percent). the estimated volume of municipal wastewater in the ASEAN countries varies from 49. photo shops. about 22. It is estimated that 60 percent of the total population of developing countries have access to water supply. The relatively large difference in sludge collection per household could be attributed to the fact that several households share toilet facilities.27 0.Figure 4: Estimated Municipal Wastewater Generated by the ASEAN Countries.11 . Malaysia produces about 3. Furthermore. 1999 (bigger image) Associated with municipal wastewater generation is domestic sludge generation. In Malaysia sludge is handled separately from municipal and industrial solid wastes.2 million m3 domestic sludge each year (Regional Institute of Environmental Technology.28 Nightsoil l/d/hh l/d/person 0. where Class I refers to bigger cities and Class III to smaller cities. In Singapore sludge (500. By 2005 this is expected to rise to 4. 2000).000 m3/year) is handled as municipal solid waste.3 million m3 per year.48 0. Table 5 provides information about average quantities collected from each household in Vietnam according to each city classification. in the larger cities there are blocks of flats to be considered. Table 5: Quantities of Septic Sludge and Nightsoil Collection in Vietnam (1995) City Class I Septic tank sludge l/d/hh l/d/person 1. It is first treated with soil conditioner before being applied primarily for land reclamation. and have been largely contributed to substantial deterioration of water quality in the rivers. .11 0. Malaysia has identified 16 types of manufacturing processes that contribute to industrial wastewater discharge. followed by electric and electronic industry (11.3 percent) and raw natural rubber factories (2 percent) (Ref. including animal farms.8 percent). crude palm oil mills (5.4 percent). and the manufacturing industries. since there has been little or no treatment of the wastewater at all. In many of the ASEAN countries.61 0.7 percent).3 percent). Discharges from industries are extremely variable in quantity and characteristics. Some countries include leachates from landfills as industrial wastewater. chemical based industry (11. Industrial Wastewater The sources of industrial wastewater are mostly agro-based industries. Unfortunately there are no databases provided in most of the developing nations for identifying the main industrial wastewater sources and quantities generated. metal finishing & electroplating (5. Malaysian Department of Environment Environmental Quality Report.2 percent). 1995 E. this industrial wastewater may include domestic sewage.19 Source: Vietnam National Urban Wastewater and Sanitation Strategy Nov. textile (7.Class II 0.85 0.08 l/d/hh: litres per day per household l/d/person: litres per day per person 0. The main polluting sources are the food and beverage industry (23. paper (8.87 0.4 percent). it is fair to assume that there would be different sources of wastewater in the other ASEAN countries based on the types of industries present there. 2000).16 Class III 0. lakes and other receiving water bodies.35 0. In the absence of available specific data. This situation is affecting the availability of clean water supply whether from surface water or ground water. Malaysia has a total estimated average runoff of 566. Storm water could be collected from house roofs.000 million m3 annually (1997). there can be wide variations depending on location. Storm Water Storm water quantities are generally estimated from the precipitation-evaporation rates of each country. paved areas and roads. In most cases the pollutant load of storm water would be lower than that of other types of wastewater. In Malaysia some of the problems encountered due to storm water runoffs include: y Construction cavities and mud flows . rivers and other bodies of water. However. presenting direct health risks. From the precipitation-evaporation data of each country it will be possible to estimate the respective quantities of storm water runoffs. Malaysia. water in the drainage system may inevitably be contaminated with fecal matter from latrines and coliform septic tank effluent. Singapore has an estimated storm water runoff of 770 million cubic meters annually (1990-2000 data). and could carry solids depending on how much debris and pollutants lie in the path of the runoff. Kuala Lumpur. Mandalay in Burma experiences rainfall of from 661mm to 1024 mm annually. Poor drainage may result in flooding as well as cause stagnant pools of water both further contributing to health risks. ASEAN countries lie in the tropics and generally experience high rainfall compared with other regions in the world. However. has an average annual rainfall of about 2500 mm. Storm water drainage in most urban areas would generally consist of roadside drains leading ultimately to natural streams.F. but with a growing trend for contracting or privatization as practiced in Singapore.Current Waste Management Practices A. Collection is either door-to-door or using containers and communal bins. Singapore has a collection rate of more than 90 percent while in Bangkok. . All medium and large cities would have administrative structures for providing collection services. collection rates have been improved through a pre-collection system at villages. which deposit their MSW at transfer or temporary storage facilities. requiring motorized fleets. III WASTE PROCESSING . Municipal Solid Waste The cost for solid waste management are high and are mainly for collection and transport. which is borne by the public sector.y y y y y y y Flash flood Water pollution and ecological damage Urban slope failures Traffic disruption and accidents Surcharges and overflows from wastewater facilities Garbage and floating litter Sediments These problems are particularly prevalent in major zones of urbanized and urbanizing centers and new socio-economic growth areas. Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur the rate is more than 80 percent. collection services are not extended to the poor and informal settlements which do not pay or are inaccessible. Unfortunately. In Indonesia. Malaysia. Philippines and Indonesia. Thailand. Collection and transport are labor intensive as well as capital intensive. In Year 2001. Recycling/recovery Composting Incineration Landfilling/open dumping 1. b. d. . The collection and efficiency is improving with an average collection of 70 percent ± 80 percent of wastes generated. for instance.4 percent of solid waste in Singapore was recycled. Municipal waste management practices in the ASEAN region include the following: a. In the Philippines the percentage of recycling and reuse was 12 percent. which are considered recyclables: y y y y y y y y y y y Ferrous and non-ferrous metals Construction debris Scrap tires Paper/cardboard Plastics Textiles (including cloth and leather) Glass Wood/timber Animal bones/feathers Waste oil and grease Cinders/ashes Varying percentages of municipal solid waste are collected for recycling.Most of the cities in Thailand use non-compaction trucks for daily collection. compared to about 1 percent in Malaysia. with few cities using compaction trucks and hauling trucks. c. Of the above-listed materials. the increasing amounts of plastic waste is a big issue in most of the ASEAN countries. about 44. Recycling/recovery MSW may contain the following materials. Here waste pickers sort out the waste before the authorized collection vehicle arrives. 2. such as. At the disposal site ± where the waste pickers often live on or near the dumps. a few imported mechanical composting plants have been installed in Bangkok and Hanoi. as high as 50 percent as in Ho Chi Min City. plastics and glass High cost of compost compared to commercial fertilizers 3. in Thailand. are often collected for animal feed. the practice of recycling is so market-driven that recycling has become selective. c. The disposal of those unselected recyclables remains a problem. But these are either not working or are not operating at full capacity for a number of reasons.g.to low-income cities of ASEAN. including wastes from the restaurants. Philippines and Vietnam. At source . in Bangkok and Jakarta.g. Cooperatives have been formed to assist and improve this informal sector. such as: y y y y High operating and maintenance costs Poor maintenance and operation of facilities Incomplete separation of non-compostables. Household organic wastes. waste pickers comprise a large percentage of children below 18 years of age (51 percent in 1998). e. waste recovery and recycling activities at city the level are supported by the national ministries although many of these are family businesses. In Vietnam. b. e. While waste picking means survival for waste pickers the methods of uncontrolled waste picking can reduce the efficiency of the formal collection system and can be detrimental to health due to exposure to biological pathogens. both in the streets and in the dumpsites. However. A high percentage of operators are women. Informal waste separation or waste picking takes place in three ways: a. the volume of both the formal and informal sources of separation and recycling of most non-organic wastes (manufactured materials) is significant. However. Composting Composting is not well practiced in ASEAN. in Bangkok and Manila. However.. for instance.In the middle. there exists a long-standing practice of informal source separation and recycling of materials. Incineration . e. In most countries. in places like Phnom Penh. During collection ± when the collectors segregate recyclable materials during loading and store them inside the truck or on the sides of the vehicles. trading and reprocessing of materials. This has led to the development of enterprises for the gathering.g. e.. commercial areas or residential areas with apartments/high-rise buildings for high income earners.this is in large urban areas. However. they risk the danger of potential slides and fires.g. during sorting when garbage bags get broken and produce spillage. since industries would only be interested to use recycled materials when they cost less than the virgin materials. The practice of informal incineration or open burning is. the development of Sri Petaling was on and around a filled former tin mine.Another waste treatment method that is practiced especially in Singapore is incineration where 90 percent of non-recyclable MSW is incinerated. not only in the rural areas where waste collection is rare but also in peri-urban and urban areas. However. i.g. Indonesia and Thailand also have one municipal waste incinerator in their capital cities. In Kuala Lumpur. MSW is dumped on swamplands and low-lying areas. e. 4. thus requiring other methods like incineration to reduce the volume of waste for final disposal.. of which there are 95 currently operating and 36 more under construction. incineration has been completely banned under the new law on solid waste management (RA 9003). however. the most preferred disposal method is through the sanitary landfill. Malaysia has one existing municipal incinerator in a local township and has plans to establish another in Kuala Lumpur due to an increasing solid waste generation but reducing availability of land for open dumping and landfilling. Final disposal of waste is at landfills where 10 percent of non-recyclable MSW is deposited. Singapore has four government-owned and operated incinerators for the disposal of solid waste that is not recycled. In Thailand. which faces rising disposal costs due to exhaustion of traditional disposal sites.e. . in Bangkok. Local opposition to incineration. controversy remains over the soundness of incineration as a waste treatment technology because of greenhouse gas emissions from incinerators. for example. stricter environmental controls and greater waste quantities. open dumping is the common practice. is growing. which are eventually reclaimed for development. An exception is a large city like Singapore. still prevalent. And in the Philippines. Landfilling Landfills are generally the cheapest and most common disposal method for MSW. In the other developing countries. burning or disposing to the sea. In places like Jayapura and Irian Jaya in Indonesia. treatment and disposal system is greater. for example. municipal waste collection. while the landfills are owned and operated by the government. But in the countrysides.g. Large amounts of MSW may be also found indiscriminately dumped by the roadside. wastes are generally disposed of by open dumping. Indonesia. Table 6: Disposal Methods for Municipal Solid Waste in Selected ASEAN Countries Country Indonesia Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Disposal Methods (%) Composting Open dumping Landfilling Incineration 15 60 10 2 10 50 30 5 5 80 10 10 75 10 30 70 *(10 in 2002) *(90 in 2002) 10 65 5 5 Others 13 5 5 5 15 . The most prevalent method is open dumping. But there are well-designed and reasonably well-operated sanitary landfills. Very often there is great difficulty in acquiring appropriate landfill sites because of the ³not-in-mybackyard´ or NIMBY syndrome and an unsuitable soil profile if the site happens to be near the urban center. Wastes are deposited in governmentowned landfills. in Jakarta and Bandung. These are: lack of finance. High percentages of organics and plastics have led to breakouts of fire due to methane gas generation. the amount of MSW dumped openly is not known. treatment and disposal services have also been privatized but with Government supervision. Where there are licensed contractors or licensed waste collectors. especially in the rural areas. For instance. land acquisition problems. waste management is quite efficient because all waste collectors and recycling plants are licensed. insufficient collection and disposal fees and unqualified or non-licensed operators. groundwater contamination and gas migration. In many of the ASEAN countries collection of MSW is inadequate in varying degrees. which are managed by a private consortium. in Bangkok and Manila.The problems associated with landfills. In Malaysia. Two out of four consortia are collecting solid waste in 26 out of 145 local authorities. While data is not fully available it is observable that some MSW is thrown directly into the waterways. even with those that are clay-lined. An overview of the disposal methods applied by selected ASEAN countries for municipal solid waste is given in Table 6. e. the likelihood of a proper and adequate waste collection. There are a number of factors why countries do not have sanitary landfills. include high water table. in Singapore. or buried within or close to the premises of the industrial facility where they have been generated. The State of Pollution. treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes. e. the methods of handling. data is lacking on the quantities and characteristics of these wastes. In the case of the Philippines. However. including. E. landfilling. However. In order to save costs many industries import outdated second hand equipment despite government prohibitions and guidelines. which would comprise of open dumping. In most of the ASEAN countries. Pollution Control Department 2002 B.g. C. Hazardous Waste Many ASEAN countries are in the early stages of industrialization and many of their industries lack the capital needed to invest in waste treatment systems or to replace old equipment with modern technologies. Singapore uses off-site hazardous waste management facilities for recovery of 65 percent of the waste. there is no specific legislation requiring separate management of industrial waste from municipal solid waste. Industrial Solid Waste As mentioned earlier. such as. in those countries where there are few waste management facilities. a number of ASEAN countries have laws mandating various aspects of hazardous waste management. 9003) was recently passes (2001). Thailand B. one facility for treatment of metal finishing wastewater available on Cebu Island and an incineration plant for medical wastes is found in Laguna. In the rest of the countries in the ASEAN region there is usually co-disposal of hazardous waste with municipal solid waste in open dumps. perhaps. and incineration. Although hazardous waste incinerators have been developed in Singapore. It sends 29 percent of the waste to an integrated hazardous waste management facility for treatment and disposal and exports 3 percent to Europe. The most acceptable method of disposal for hazardous wastes is through the use of sanitary landfills as practiced in Malaysia. storage of toxic wastes in sealed containers. most of the ASEAN countries handle and treat industrial solid waste together with municipal solid waste. However. There are concerns that some hazardous waste may be disposed along with non-hazardous industrial solid wastes.A. This means that the same methods are used. Malaysia and Thailand. . which are collected and deposited in municipal landfills and open dumps. Vietnam¶s Law on Environmental Protection (1993).**(0 in 2001) **(67 in 2001) **(32 in 2001) **(1 in 2001) **(0 in 2001) Vietnam 10 70 20 Source: ENV 1997 *Communication with National Environment Agency officials **Draft Annual Report.2544 (2001). except in the Philippines where a new law (R. the industrial solid wastes are often dumped on private land. which bans import of technology that does not meet environmental standards. the companies have to pay for the services on the basis of the polluterpay-principle.000 tons annually of commercially viable waste along the Eastern Seaboard.73 million tons per year.000 tons of hazardous waste were treated in this plant. which produce 250. These consist of three secured landfills with a total capacity of 635.500 tons per year and one electronic recycle plant with a capacity of 20 tons per year. In 2000. storage and processing methods used. More than USD70 million has been invested in the facility. one chemical and solution treatment plant having a capacity of 2. The facility receives all types of hazardous wastes except hospital and radioactive wastes.000-300. Acidic and basic organic fluids are chemically treated to neutralize them.500 tons per year. Kommunekemi in Nyborg. two plants of secondary fuel and material recovery in cement kilns having a total capacity of 2. some 84.000 tons per year. stabilization and a secure landfill. . the Bukit Nanas Integrated Waste Treatment Plant has facilities for hightemperature incineration. one solvent recovery plant with a total capacity of 15.Thailand has a hazardous waste management program for its petrochemical. one used/obsolete chemical and hazardous treatment plant with a capacity of 2. it is the first integrated facility for the processing of hazardous wastes in Malaysia. physical and chemical treatment. chemical and non-ferrous industries. In Malaysia.000 tons per year. Thailand has five existing central facilities for industrial hazardous waste recovery and disposal that is licensed by the Department of Industrial Works. which should have capacity for waste residues storage of up to 20 years. A hazardous waste treatment plant managed by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand has been also established. Organic wastes are burnt in the incineration plant. The owners of Kualiti Alam hold a concession for treatment of all hazardous wastes in Peninsula Malaysia for 15 years. Modeled after the Danish hazardous waste processing plant. In addition. Malaysia The treatment facility was officially opened in November 1998. Companies are required by law to inform the authorities on the types and quantities of hazardous wastes they generate and associated collection. Box 1 Integrated Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant at Kualiti Alam. In addition. The residues from chemical treatment and other solid inorganic residues are bound with lime and cement before being disposed in a double membrane lined landfill. Futhermore. However. There are countries that have high percentage of bucket latrines and communal septic tanks. In most towns and cities.7 ± 29 tons (1994-1997) to 18. environmental management and control of wastewater from both the public and private sanitation facilities is still lacking. municipal wastewater is generally discharged without treatment into rivers and lakes. which leads to the trunk sewer. From the trunk sewer. Phuket Municipality. Tangeran and Bekasi. as well as insufficient capacity. The quantities have ranged from 9. wastewater is channeled into treatment facilities before final discharge. for example. Most households in the urban areas have flush toilets but the septic tank effluents are discharged into streets.8 tons in 1999. there is no system at all. Bogor.Indonesia has developed a centralized hazardous waste treatment facility in West Java to treat hazardous wastes from Jakarta. has no public sewage disposal system. the existing systems are in poor condition due to lack of maintenance. On the . particularly in the rural areas. Only 40% to 50% of municipal wastewater is treated. Municipal Wastewater The more developed cities have a sewer and drainage system for municipal wastewater. poor design and construction. Wastewater from homes run through lateral pipes that are connected to the main sewer. D. more often than not. In some countries. a central sewerage system is being built in Buon Thot province for the first time. Public storm water drainage systems are also used in some cities for municipal wastewater removal. In Vietnam. ditches and natural water bodies. There is a wide variation of sewage systems among the ASEAN nations. other hand. In 1993. On-site and off-site technologies for municipal wastewater treatment that are currently used in ASEAN countries in varying degrees are: On. the government awarded a 28-year national sewerage privatization concession to Indah Water Consortium to upgrade and manage 5. . which account for about 53 percent of all sewage treatment plants in Malaysia.2 million septic tanks.site Off. oxidation plants (12 percent) and mechanical plants (11 percent).400 km of sewer pipes. upkeep over 7. Other systems used are Imhoff tanks (24 percent).400 public sewage treatment plants. and desludge septic tanks regularly.site Ventilated improved pit latrine (no water) Pour flush latrine/flush toilet with septic tank Soakway/soakage pits for septic tank effluent Communal/shared facilities for squatter areas Small-bore sewer Septage cartage and treatment in multi-stage lagoons Simplified condominial (low cost) local sewers Dry weather flow interceptors Conventional trunk sewers and pumping stations Treatment of collected/intercepted wastewater by low cost means including multi-stage lagoons/aquatic plants Basic primary treatment and disposal through marine outfalls with diffusers or directly onto the land Malaysia has about 1. 99 percent of the population of Singapore is serviced by a centralized treatment system. therefore. E. control and enforcement of environmental regulations is either missing or inadequate. aerated lagoons. These sewerage systems function well and are adequately operated and maintained. This plan includes construction of a mix of stabilization ponds. Thailand has extensive treatment facilities and has a sewage plan for 2011. in Singapore. In Malaysia. there is a high incidence of untreated industrial wastewater being discharged into sewers and natural water bodies. in the Philippines only 1 percent of 1500 cities/towns has domestic and industrial wastewater treatment facilities.. On the other hand. In the countries where municipal wastewater is treated like in Singapore. although most of the countries require that industrial wastewater should be treated before discharge. Cambodia. Laos. increasing concern over groundwater being polluted with nitrates and micro-organisms in the leachate from industrial landfills or dumps. Vietnam has a wastewater treatment plant in Hanoi for tannery wastewater It is a UNDP demonstration project for training purposes. But the factory is not in operation due to lack of raw materials. sludge is used to grow plants for municipal use. which could lead to problems of infestation from intestinal parasites.g. the sludge generated from the treatment plants is used for soil conditioning prior to land reclamation. However. flush toilets are common. especially if nightsoil did not come from pre-treated wastewater. activated sludge systems and oxidation ditches. with drying beds or dewatering units for sludge treatment. Vietnam. This happens because government monitoring.In the more developed countries. Industrial Wastewater In Southeast Asia. night soil is used by farmers as fertilizers. most industries discharging . Indonesia). There is. In some other countries (e. . which allows some degree of sedimentation and initial surface oxidation activity to take place before the wastewater is finally discharged into the receiving waters. Sedimentation/settling/clarifying systems . a heavy metal like copper) or cause destruction of the pollutant (e. to required levels for further treatment or discharge Chemical treatment systems ± chemical process to either precipitate out the polluting compound (e. In many of the ASEAN countries. using coagulants/flocculants. Depending on the hydraulic retention time and the raw wastewater characteristics. Singapore has in its records a total of 2. 40 percent of which are oil interceptors.g.physical systems to enable the separation and removal of settleable solids from the water. Balancing/equalization tanks ± to homogenize variations in wastewaters over time or from different sources.g. allowing separation of oil from water. acidity or alkalinity of the wastewater.wastewater have treatment facilities for pre-treatment before discharging wastewater into the combined sewer system.438 industrial wastewater treatment plants. Including its waterworks sludge treatment plants. The common treatment systems used for industrial wastewater in ASEAN countries include: y y y y y Oil interceptors ± physical systems to capture oily discharges. this process is generally not viewed as sufficient to improve the quality of the wastewater to acceptable levels. Neutralization systems ± adjustment of pH . cyanide) so that these can be removed from the treated wastewater. the industrial wastewater is discharged into a holding tank or retention pond. with aeration (aerobic). be released into the sewer for further treatment with municipal wastewater (e. or b. Other aerobic and anaerobic systems ± a large number of technologies are available in the form of biological systems. Biological filtration systems ± uses biological growth to reduce organic pollutants in wastewater being filtered. normally complex compounds of heavy metals in wastewater. Ion exchange systems ± used for removing inorganic pollutants. Activated carbon absorption ±used for reducing fine organic contaminants. various combinations of the above-cited systems may be employed by different industries in the ASEAN countries to enable the treated wastewater to: a.y y y y y Activated sludge systems ± a biological treatment system to reduce the organic pollutants in wastewater. . Depending on the characteristics of the wastewater stream. such as color pigments and odor-causing organic pollutants. in Singapore). be discharged into waterways but in compliance with regulated water discharge standards. or in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic).g. The problem is disposal of chemical or inorganic sludge. In Singapore. sludge is not treated but simply disposed of in local landfills. local governments are looking at ways to improve the system of sludge management but are constrained by limited resources.An associated issue in wastewater management is sludge management. sludge is considered scheduled (or hazardous) waste. which has to be further treated before being approved for disposal. chemical sludge can be easily disposed of in landfills after fixation. F. storm water is discharged into the nearest water course and not into the sanitation systems that are usually designed to receive runoff generated by tropical thunderstorms. storm water is allowed to seep into the ground and also discharged into the nearest watercourse. . Storm Water In most of the ASEAN countries. In Malaysia. In the less urbanized areas. Because of a growing concern for potential environmental and health impacts from sludge. Disposal of organic sludge is usually not regulated since it can be easily disposed of in the landfills or recycled in composting. In many of the ASEAN countries. Detention/channel .Diversion .Catchment sediment .Surface storage .Screen .Contour ploughing .Polluted water suppliers .Most of the developing ASEAN countries Pollution Control .Water tanks Erosion control .Dangerous flood levels .The more developed ASEAN countries .Stabilization. Malaysia . in Malaysia. the Department of Irrigation and Drainage under the Ministry of Agriculture has resorted to the issuance of mandatory guidelines on urban storm water management for all local authorities.Removal of flow . making it difficult to design the management of storm water.Infiltration .Retardation .Evacuation aversion .Rockfill .Countries with seasonal flood potential.Flood prediction .All ASEAN countries Provision for .Detritus .Soakaways .Structural failure .g.Catching solids .Basin renewal .Vegetation .Flood warning flooding Catastrophe .Street vacuuming .Settling basins .Flood routing storage .Street sweeping .Flow control . quality and incidences are lacking in many of the ASEAN countries.Catching fines .Water flow control . In the absence of the necessary information.Avoidance of Runoff volume reduction .Emergency overflows .Retention storage .Subtraction of flow .High water levels .Flow control .Storm monitoring .Data and records of storm water quantities.Gravel surfaces .All of the countries (street vacuuming only in countries like Singapore) .Evacuation or diversion . e.Sediment removal .Refuse removal .Sandbagging .More developed ASEAN countries . retardation .Weir strengthening .Mulching . Some current practices in storm water management in ASEAN are listed in Table 7 below Table 7: Current Storm Water Management Practices Purpose Peak flow attenuation Method Reason Countries . heavy metals. IV WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES Country: Philippines y y y y y y y Integrated Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Management Policy 25 Presidential Decree 1586 The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System Presidential Decree 984 Pollution Control Law. Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 Toxic Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Management (RA 6969) The Philippine Agenda 21 Box 2 Philippines Republic Act 9003: Year 2000. scum G.Catching fines. More often than not.g. 1978: Water Quality Management Program Clean Air Act 1999 (RA 8749) Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003). Section 17. creating the necessary institutional mechanisms and incentives. mixed waste contains hazardous components. the kind of waste that lands in municipal or public dumpsites and landfills is totally mixed waste. poison. appropriating funds therefore. The Components of the Local Government Solid Waste Management Plan . They can contain toxic wastes. the toxic substances could produce air pollutants that would adversely affect the air quality of the neighborhood. Mixed waste is the result of lack of differentiation of the sources of wastes. e.Disincentive verges . Mixed Waste In the developing countries of ASEAN where infrastructure and management accountability for waste management are lacking. declaring certain acts prohibited and providing penalties. and for other purposes. Approved in January 2001 An Act providing for an Ecological Solid Waste Management Program. which can be harmful to the environment and most of all to the workers and scavengers at the landfills and the residents in the vicinity. solvents.Grass street .Summons or fines pollution . Mixed waste are breeding grounds of disease-carrying vectors like mosquitoes.. and other chemicals that could leach into the groundwater and contaminate major source of drinking water. And should a fire breakout in the landfill or dumpsite. What is especially missing is legislation for storm water management. Singapore uses the IWM approach for municipal and industrial solid waste. The Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003) was passed in 2000 and the National Commission for Solid Waste Management has been formed. Generally. Solid waste facility capacity and final disposal i. Waste characterization c. Resource requirement and funding l. Collection and transfer d. estimated solid waste generation. . The institutional framework for waste management in most ASEAN countries is unclear. IWM is practiced to some extent and only in some waste sectors. Source Reduction f. a majority of ASEAN countries suffer from lack of resources. Furthermore. Special waste k. while Malaysia uses the same approach for industrial wastewater and hazardous waste. Privatization of solid waste management projects m. Incentive programs C. There are a number of laws for waste management but in most countries these do not address waste management in its entirety. which will incorporate the concept of integrated waste management. Recycling g. notably. Education and public information j. by source. Future Plans The Philippines has proposed an Urban Environment Management Framework. City or Municipal Profile . data collection has to be improved especially in terms of quantification and characterization of wastes and their impacts on environment and health.includes. For instance. but is not limited to: a. Processing e.estimated population. waste disposal inventory b. There is a significant variation of waste types and in percentages of waste generation due to varying income levels and extent of urbanization in the different countries. map of city/municipality. Specific government agencies are mandated to manage different waste sectors but their roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. VI CONCLUSIONS There is a growing concern among the ASEAN countries on the increasing rate of waste generation as their populations grow. Composting h. technologies. of the waste sectors in the future. capacity and skills for waste management. This facility would allow and prepare the region as a whole to be better equipped for managing wastes now and in the future on a more sustainable basis.asp .jp/ietc/publications/spc/State_of_waste_Management/13. Source: http://www. participation from the private sector and the communities. which is reflected in terms of availability of formal policies. institutional and regulatory frameworks. In summary.financing. It is envisaged that a facility for regional cooperation would be able to assist in this respect.or. by enabling the exchange of ideas and resources among member nations. budget support. and information system for waste management.unep. training programs. Table 9 provides an overview of the general waste management status in the ASEAN countries. However. all member countries of ASEAN aim to be able to apply IWM in some. if not all. United Nations Environment Programme Division of Technology. Industry and Economics United Nations Environment Programme Division of Technology. cono .
Report "5 Different Types of Waste Disposal Systems Explained RRL"