THE IMPORTANCE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT AND WASTE MINIMIZATION AT WEST KUTAI REGENCY

A. SUMMARY

As the development of infrastructure grows very fast in West Kutai Regency followed by rapid growth of population, the volume of waste generated will also go up. And it keeps increasing in next coming years. The more waste we generate, the more we have to dispose of. Therefore, the handling and disposal of waste becomes an important issue. This article describes the great urgency of Waste Management especially Waste Minimization and Waste Disposal Method.

B. BACKGROUND

The disposal of garbage in the world is a problem that continues to grow with the development of industrialized nations and the growth of population. Since the beginning of time people have needed to find a way of disposing of their trash. Disposal in open pits became routine. But certain type of waste cannot simply be dumped into a hole. So the method of waste disposal is being developed. Indonesia government has released the Art No. 18 Year 2008 concerning Waste Management but as we all know that a regulation will not work without participation of all community and our willingness to keep our environment clean and rubbish-free all the time.

C. TYPE OF WASTES

Waste can be divided into many different types. The most common method of classification is by their physical, chemical and biological characteristics.

1. One important classification is by their consistency.

1. Solid wastes are waste materials that contain less than 70% water. This class includes such materials as household garbage, some industrial wastes, some mining wastes, and oilfield wastes such as drill cuttings.
2. Liquid wastes are usually wastewaters that contain less than 1% solids. Such wastes may contain high concentrations of dissolved salts and metals.
3. Sludge is a class of waste between liquid and solid. They usually contain between 3% and 25% solids, while the rest of the material is water dissolved materials.

2. There is also regulation that classifies wastes into three different categories by its impact to the environment.

1. Non-hazardous wastes are those that pose no immediate threat to human health and the environment. Household garbage (organic waste such as food and garden waste) is included into this category.
2. Hazardous wastes are of two types: those that have common hazardous properties such as ignitability or reactivity and those that contain leachable toxic components (plastic wastes, metal wastes chemical wastes and hydrocarbon).
3. Special Wastes are very specific wastes in nature. They are regulated with specific guidelines. Some examples would be radioactive wastes and medical wastes.

D. METHODS OF WASTE DISPOSAL

1. LANDFILL

Disposing of waste in a landfill involves burying waste to dispose of it. It is the most common method, the most cost affective, with collection and transportation accounting for 75 percent of the total cost. In a modern landfill, refuse is spread thin, compacted layers covered by a layer of clean earth. Pollution of surface water and groundwater is minimized by lining and contouring the fill, compacting and planting the uppermost cover layer, diverting drainage, and selecting proper soil in sites not subject to flooding or high groundwater levels. The best soil for a landfill is clay because clay is less permeable than other types of soil. Materials disposed of in a landfill can be further secured from leakage by solidifying them in materials such as cement, fly ash from power plants, asphalt, or organic polymers.

Disadvantage: landfills have been proven contaminates surface water as well as groundwater in certain areas. It can also produce odor problem and kill surface vegetation.

2. INCINERATION 

Incineration is the second largest waste disposal method in most countries. When burning waste, a large amount of energy, carbon dioxide and other potentially hazardous air pollutants is given off. Incineration plants range from large scale, mass-burn, and municipal waste incinerators to smaller clinical waste incinerators used in hospitals.

Disadvantage: Garbage burned in incinerators has poisoned air, soil, and water. Communities near incinerators have objected to them because of fears about possible emissions.

3. ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

A less common but more sustainable method of waste disposal is anaerobic digestion. In this process waste decomposes in an enclosed chamber, unlike in a landfill site. Digestion takes place in an oxygen-free environment. Bacteria thrive in this environment by using the oxygen that is chemically combined within the waste. They decompose waste by breaking down the molecules to form gaseous by-products (methane) and small quantities of solid residue. However, the usage of anaerobic digestion as a sustainable waste disposal method is forecast to increase.

Disadvantages: Methane is a strong greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming; this method requires technology because the process of waste decomposition has to be performed in an enclosed chamber.

E. MY OPINION ON WASTE MANAGEMENT SCHEME IN WEST KUTAI REGENCY

1. WASTE MANAGEMENT CONCEPT

1. REDUCE

An important method of waste management is the prevention of waste material being created.

2. REUSE

Methods of avoidance include reuse of second-hand products, repairing broken items instead of buying new, designing products to be refillable or reusable (such as cotton instead of plastic shopping bags).

3. RECYCLE

The process of extracting resources or value from waste is generally referred to as recycling, meaning to recover or reuse the material.

2. PREFERRED METHOD OF WASTE MINIMIZATION AND WASTE DISPOSAL

The most common waste and the largest amount of wastes generated are household organic wastes (food scraps, plant material and paper products) and inorganic waste (plastic, metal, hydrocarbon). Rubbish must be sorted based on their types. To make it easy when segregating rubbish, two different colors of large rubbish bins placed at certain place shall be provided to mark certain type of waste; for example green bin labeled SOFT RUBBISH for organic waste (food, paper, garden waste and red bin labeled HARD RUBBISH for inorganic waste (plastics, metals).

1. Biological reprocessing for Organic Waste

Soft rubbish could be used to produce compost. Organic waste breaks down over a few weeks into a mulch or compost which can be used as a soil fertilizer for agricultural or landscaping purposes. The method of compost production is being developed.

2. Physical reprocessing for Recyclable Inorganic Waste

Recyclable hard rubbish are collected and sorted into common types based on the raw materials from which the items are made. Material for recycling may be collected separately from general waste using dedicated bins or sorted directly from mixed waste streams. The most common consumer products recycled include aluminum beverage cans, HDPE bottles, glass bottles and jars, paperboard cartons, newspapers, magazines, and cardboard. Other types of plastic (PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS: see resin identification code) are also recyclable, although these are not as commonly collected. The government or related department will not do the reprocessing (recycling) but the recyclable rubbish collected could be given/delivered to a local collector of “worn-out article and scrap iron”.

3. Landfill

Plastics, metals and other inorganic material that couldn’t be reprocessed must be disposed into a landfill (see D.1 above). If the method no.1 and no.2 above are successfully managed, rubbish to dispose of into the landfill could be minimized.

4. Other

a. Chemical waste must be disposed into a properly-designed waste disposal area.

b. Used lubricants, fuels and grease have to be returned to the supplier for treatment or recycling. Contaminated absorbents, powersorb pillow or sorbent booms could be dumped into Hard Rubbish Landfill, but it should preferably be burnt in an incinerator

c. No radioactive wastes are produced, as for clinical wastes, it is recommended to be disposed/burned in a small incinerator.

The handling of hazardous waste such as chemical waste, hydrocarbon, and clinical waste, MUST be subjected to government regulation.

The best method of reducing waste disposals negative effect on environment is simply to prevent its generation. And, it is everyone’s responsibility.

WASTE MANAGEMENT DIAGRAM

 

The next question is: who must be responsible for the blockage to drains  which causes temporary flood to houses along main road of Barong Tongkok? I guess we all know the answer ........... :) :)