Developmental process has a monster in the making. Unregulated growth has resulted in abuse and overuse of the fast dwindling meager resources. The byproduct of useful material is the waste created during manufacture that goes unattended. As diverse are the products, so are the wastes. Factories, hospitals, domestic units, pesticides, nuclear energy—all are responsible for very specific wastes that need to be dealt with in different ways. At the same time innovative methods need to be thought of to recycle the waste and reduce the remnants in to biodegradable end products.

Disposal of solid wastes requires segregation at source and specific disposal that is disregarded in India. Ragpickers are a major tool organized in segregation of garbage. Much of the recyclable wastes are salvaged and the rest are disposed by landfilling methods. Organic wastes can be effectively used for composting if segregation is done through color-coded bags at source. A large-scale operation undertaken in New Delhi, dealing with municipal market wastes has shown it possible to generate 150 to 250 liters of methane/kg of total solid feeds (leaves stalks of radish, cauliflower, banana damaged wheat grain, pea-shells etc) and reduce pollution load by 70 to 80%. Methane can be used as energy source and the remains as land fill.

Bio-medical wastes generated during diagnosis, treatment, immunization or research activities pose a great risk of contamination through waste-handlers, scavengers and off-loading through common garbage. The notification of Bio-medical Waste (Handling and Management) Rules 1998 has prompted hospitals to segregate wastes at source in color-coded bags/containers. The sharps need to be crushed adequately, the fluid wastes have to be treated appropriately, and onsite disinfection like autoclaving or microwaving needs to be done. Incineration of soiled bandages, blood tissue, placenta, discarded medicine needs to be done judiciously as it spews out hazardous fumes and the ash could be tainted with heavy metals and other toxic residues.

The dying vulture is a clear warning to dispose waste with care, as they are the final frontiers of recycling matter. Urbanization has lead to complicated waste matter, as well as the quantity keeps increasing with affluence. Anthropogenic waste is unnatural as its durability deters degradation. Careful planning and execution will enable wastes to be disposed by recycling—the most ‘ecological’ way to manage waste.

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