Environ Monit Assess (2010) 170:1–5 DOI 10.1007/s10661-009-1209-x
Characterisation and composition of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated in Sangamner City, District Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India Sunil Namdeo Thitame · G. M. Pondhe · D. C. Meshram
Received: 9 September 2008 / Accepted: 9 October 2009 / Published online: 5 November 2009 © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009
Abstract This paper deals with the characteristics and composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Sangamner city. The composition of solid waste was studied by segregating it into different component, i.e., kitchen waste, paper, earth and fine material, slaughter house waste, leaves, metals, etc. These components were categorised into organic waste and inorganic waste. It was observed that Sangamner city produces around 61% organic waste, and the rest is inorganic waste. The characteristics of organic solid waste, i.e., pH, electrical conductivity, moisture content, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were evaluated. The analysis of organic content of MSW indicates that it is good source of nutrients for the agriculture sector whereas inorganic material can be used for landfill.
Keywords Municipal solid waste · Composition · Characteristics
S. N. Thitame (B) · D. C. Meshram Department of Environmental Science, University of Pune, Pune, 411007 Maharashtra, India e-mail:
[email protected] G. M. Pondhe Department of Environmental Science, P.V.P. College, Pravaranagar, 413713 Maharashtra, India
Introduction Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a term often used for the solid heterogeneous by-product of different human activities in the municipal area of the city. The waste generally contains discarded material like papers, plastic, glass, metal fine earth particles, ash, sewage sludge, dead animals, etc. Even the generation of solid waste is not constant and varies from 2.75 to 4.00 kg/C per day in highincome countries but it is as low as 0.5 kg/C per day in low-income countries. However, waste generation increases continuously in proportion with population and challenging more land disposal (Indris et al. 2004). The characteristics and composition of this waste depend upon various factors such as topography of the area, different seasons, food habits, commercial status of the city, etc. Due to heterogeneity of the MSW, management of this waste including treatment and its disposal is still a forgotten area in large and densely populated cities of India. With increasing population, disposal problems become more difficult in urban areas. Simultaneously, there is greater production of waste per unit area and decreased proportion of land availability for its disposal. Many cities from Asian countries are facing serious problems in solid waste management. In India, it is observed that more than 90% of MSW is disposed off on land without taking any specific precaution, which poses a serious threat to the environment
2
(Sengupta Sanjay et al. 1998). In effect, it is reported that the chemicals from solid waste disposal site pollutes underground water, rendering it unfit for consumption (Samsudin et al. 2006; Singh et al. 1999). Similarly, dumping of solid waste results in explosion of gases (LaMar et al. 1978). The solid waste contains a high proportion of organic matter, and this attracts the flies and rodents. The high temperature and humidity favour rapid bacterial growth and decomposition of waste that causes bad smell and odour which invite different diseases as well as disturb the aesthetic beauty of the area (Sharma 2005). Therefore, the study on quality and quantity of MSW will help in deciding a better solid waste management practise for city. Sangamner is one of the densely populated and well-known town in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state in India and is geographically located on 19◦ 35 E and 74◦ 16 N. The city has an area of about 16.32 km2 and has population
Fig. 1 Showing sample collection sites in municipal area of Sangamner city
Environ Monit Assess (2010) 170:1–5
of around 61,958 as per the 2001 census. Due to heterogeneity in consumption pattern, living standards and income status, the waste products are also of heterogeneous quality and quantity. There are various developmental activities which contribute to the waste generation in the city, like construction of buildings, vegetable as well as agriculture market, slaughter house, institutional activity, hotels and restaurants, etc. The growth of the city towards high-living standards is very fast which results in increased production of waste per capita as compared to other cities. Sangamner city is generating 20 tons of solid waste per day which increases up to 25 tons at the time of festivals and celebrations. Therefore, it was essential to study the characteristics and composition of solid waste which helps in the better management of waste and reduction of environmental impacts. Hence, in the present paper, an attempt was made to evaluate the composition and characteristic of MSW from Sangamner city.
Environ Monit Assess (2010) 170:1–5 Table 1 Composition of organic and inorganic content of Sangamner City solid waste
Sr. no. Organic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
3 Component of solid waste
Composition (g/2 kg)
Composition (%)
Leaves Market waste Wooden matter Paper Kitchen waste Slaughter house waste Cloths and gunny bags Other Total
199 210 190 122 200 45 50 204 1,220
9.9 10.5 9.5 6.1 10 2.02 2.5 10.2 61%
250 120 100 20 50 40 110 780 2,000 g
12.5 6 5 1 2.5 2 5.50 39 100
Inorganic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Rock, sand, bricks, stones Plastic Metal Bones Rubber and leather Glass Other Total Grand total, organic + inorganic
Material and method To obtain the basic data on solid waste, information regarding waste generation and its quantity and disposal management is essential. Hence, in the present work, manual survey was carried out as waste generation depends upon topography, seasons, status and habits of population of the area, viz., residential, commercial, market, etc. After completion of the survey, monthly grab samples of 2-kg size were collected during 2005 and 2006 from nine selected sites in different wards/zones of the city (Fig. 1). Similarly, a composite sample was also collected from the waste disposal site of the town. The collected samples from different sites were mixed together in the laboratory and were segregated manually (Sivapalan et al. 2002) for organic (paper, leaves, market waste, wooden matter, kitchen waste, slaughter house waste, cloths, gunny bags, etc.) and inorganic (rocks, sand and bricks, plastic, metal, bones, rubber and leather, glass, etc.) content and weighted separately which is presented in Table 1. The organic content was dried, grinded and sieved through a 0.45-mm sieve for analysis of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture content (MC), organic
carbon (OC), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) with the help of standard methods given by Tondon (2005) and Trivedi and Goel (1984). The results obtained after analysis are presented in Table 2.
Result and discussion It is observed from Table 1 that the organic content is the main component of the MSW quantity which accounts for 61% of the total waste generated in the city. However, inorganic waste accounts for only 39% of total waste.
Table 2 Characteristics of organic solid waste from MSW of Sangamner City Sr. no.
Parameter
Value
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
pH EC (mhos) Moisture content (%) Organic carbon (%) Nitrogen (%) Phosphorus (%) Potassium (%)
7.1 3.8 38.5 40.2 0.73 0.93 0.35
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Environ Monit Assess (2010) 170:1–5 10.2
Leaves Market Waste
9.9
2.5
Wooden Matter
2.02 10.5
Paper Kitchen Waste Slaughter House Waste Cloths and Gunny Bags Other
10 6.1
9.5
Fig. 2 Composition of organic content in MSW of Sangamner city in percent
The organic and inorganic contents from Table 1 were plotted in a pie diagram and shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. It can be observed from Fig. 2 that a major part of the organic waste is occupied by market waste which accounts for 10.5%, followed by kitchen waste 10%, leaves 9.9%, wooden matter 9.4%, paper 6.1%, cloths and gunny bags 2.5%, slaughter house waste 2.02% and other inseparable material accounting for 10% of total waste. These products are the result of daily and weekly market held in the city, different activities from a large domestic sector from the different wards of the city, activities at hotels and restaurants spread throughout the city, sweeping of roads, cutting of trees, papers used for different purposes like packing of food materials and gift materials, etc. Figure 3 reveals the composition of inorganic waste from MSW. Inorganic waste is contributed by rocks, stones, bricks and sand which accounts for about 12.5% followed by plastic 6%, metal 5%, rubber and leather 2.5%, glass 2%, bones 1% and inseparable material 5.50%. These products are added in MSW by different activities like con-
5.5
12.5 Rock Plastic
2
Metal
2.5
Bones Rubber and Leather Glass Other
1 5
6
Fig. 3 Composition of inorganic content in MSW of Sangamner city in percent
struction and demolition, sweeping, discarded material like bucket, mug, shampoo, polybag, waste from scrap centers, hospitals, caps of the beverage bottles and steel used in construction activity, dead animals and slaughter house waste, etc. It is observed from Table 2 that moisture content of the city refuse is 38.5%. This large amount of moisture in the refuse is mainly contributed by cooked waste material from hotels, restaurants (Sharma and Gupta 2006) and household kitchen waste. The moisture is also contributed by slaughter house waste. The results are some what similar to that reported by Sivapalan et al. (2002), from the study of Kuala Lumpur city waste. The organic carbon of the dry solid waste is 40.2% which might be contributed by ash and other carbon-containing materials. Nitrogen content of the organic matter is 0.73% which shows that the vegetable matter which is the main source of nitrogen in the city waste is contributed by kitchen waste and market waste. The phosphate content is 0.93%, and potassium content is 0.35%. These values indicate that the organic matter from city waste may stand as a great potential source of nutrients for crops if used as a fertiliser through composting (Sharholy et al. 2007).
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