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Apr 10, 2013

Solid Waste Management and its Impacts on Public Health, Pollution and Climate Change

This article is based on Box 2 (page 52) from the report Sustainable Solid Waste Management in India. An earlier post Impacts of Improper Solid Waste Management and the Case of India published this list in the format of a picture.

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Your suggestions and additions to this list are welcome
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Well known and well documented impacts of improper solid waste management are the following -

(click on "more" for more information)

1. Pollution- a.  Air Pollution, (more)
                    b. Water Pollution and (more)
                    c. Soil Pollution and land degradation

2. Littered solid waste clogs drains, creating
                    a. stagnant water for insect breeding and
                    b. floods during rainy seasons

3. Greenhouse gases are generated from anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes in landfills, which causes
                    a. Climate Change (more pdf)

4. Insect, rodent and other disease vectors are attracted to the waste and can spread diseases such as
                    a. Cholera
                    b. Dengue fever (more)
                    c. Malaria (more)
                    d. Rabies, etc (more)

5. Some health problems linked directly to exposure to solid wastes are:
                    a. Nose & throat infections,
                    b. Lung infection,
                    c. Breathing problems,
                    d. Infection, Inflammation,
                    e. Bacterial infections,
                    f. Obstruction in airways,
                     g. Elevated mucus production,
                     h. Covert lung hemorrhage,
                     i. Chromosome break,
                     j. Anemia,
                    k. Cardiovascular risk,
                    l. Altered immunity,
                    m. Allergy, asthma and
                    n. Other infections.

Glossary

CH4 Methane
CO2
Carbon Dioxide
GOI
Government of India
INR Indian Rupee
JnNURM Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
LFG Landfill Gas
MBT
Mechanical Biological Treatment
MSW Municipal Solid Waste
NEERI National Environmental Engineering Research Institute
RDF
Refuse Derived Fuel
SLF Sanitary Landfill
SWM Solid Waste Management
USD United States Dollar
WPs Waste Pickers
WTE Waste-to-Energy
WTERT Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council