Waste Management is the processing, recycling or disposal of waste materials. There are different modes of waste management as indicated below.
Landfill involves the burying of waste to dispose it of. Such waste is lined with clay or plastic lining materials so that insects, rats, etc. are not attracted to it. In many landfills there is gas extraction system to take off toxic carbon dioxide or methane gas that is generated as a by product.
Incineration or thermal treatment is the combustion of waste materials at high temperature to convert the same into heat, steam, gas, and ash.
Biological treatment involves the breaking down of organic wastes such as food scraps, plant material, paper, etc. and recycling of the resulting organic output as mulch or compost fertilizer for agricultural or landscaping purposes.
Recycling involves the recovery of value or resource from the waste for reuse.
Moreover, the energy reservoir in the waste products can be harnessed by using the same as a direct combustion fuel or by converting it into another type of fuel.
The waste can be also shifted from one environmental medium to another where it might be less harmful or through chemical transformation it might be rendered less harmful or the waste might be diluted or dispersed.
