5 Ways of Waste Management: A Complete Guide to Waste Handling in Indian Communities
India is grappling with a host of problems related to the regulation of waste disposal in community spaces, and particularly in residential areas. The importance of waste management in community living is gaining traction, since incorrect management not only affects the environment, but also the public health and urban cleanliness. In this blog, we will discuss housing society waste management; understanding the role of individual in waste management; making it practice by describing 5 ways of waste management. The content will also help you to create a waste management society; explain how to successfully develop clean, green sustainable communities. You will have a complete toolkit for community development through green practices – from understanding types of waste, to creating a waste management society.
Understanding Household Waste: Distinction of Types
Efficient waste management in community starts with recognising the four major waste categories. Every household generates waste; in this case, we simply want to distinguish the various meanings behind the waste categorization by breaking it into key terminologies. In this case, we have four types of housing society waste management (put in the infographics or pictures):
1. Organic Waste
Organic waste is categorized as biodegradable matter that derives from living organisms. When in landfills, organic waste decomposes in an anaerobic state (no oxygen available), producing methane, a harmful greenhouse gas that leads to the formation of climate change. Organics can be vegetable scraps (peels from fruits and vegetables, leftover food), yard waste (leaves, brush), and paper towels. The composting of organic waste from home or through community programs to regenerate this waste into high-quality fertilizer far means less dependency on chemical fertilizers, and contributes to soil health.
2. Non-organic Recyclable Waste (Solid garbage)
This category includes waste materials that can be further processed and turned back into new products. By recycling non-organic, recyclable wastes, we conserve natural resources (trees, metals, minerals), use less energy in production using virgin materials, and send less waste to landfills actually recycling them.
Examples: Paper products (newspapers, cardboard boxes), plastic products (bottles), metal products (food containers, beverage containers) and glass products (bottles, jars).
3. Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste contains harmful characteristics that can endanger people’s health and safety and the environment if it is not thrown away correctly. Failing to prepare hazardous waste properly can contaminate soil and water, threaten animals, and affect human health from inhalation or contact. Hazardous waste must be disposed of using certain practices that include collection by licensed companies or facilities that specialize in disposing of hazardous waste. Do NOT put hazardous waste in the regular trash collection.
Examples: Batteries, expired prescriptions, empty paint cans, used cleaning products, fluorescent bulbs, and electronic waste.
4. Inert Waste
Inert waste consists of waste that is both non-organic and non-hazardous. Inert waste has low levels of chemical or biological reactivity. Inert waste will usually have to be separately disposed of in landfills or recycling sites according to the type of waste and the local regulations.
Unlike recyclable or hazardous waste, inert waste typically does not require special treatment from other waste streams or disposal practices, but it is a specific type of waste that requires separate disposal due to composition or size.
Examples: Construction-related waste (bricks, concrete, tiles), ceramic products, and shards of glass (not from empty containers)
Identifying these types of waste supports 5 ways of waste management will be the first step in managing our waste disposal in community environments.
Also Read: Wastewater Treatment Plant: Importance, Process & Difference from STP
Establishing Regulations: The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (the SWM Rules) is the first of its kind in India to provide a comprehensive legal basis for all waste management (including whichever waste generators may constitute waste management in their residential societies) to conform to effective housing society waste management. The importance of waste management in community is essential to review these rules in order to ensure you are as accountable as possible for waste, and to assist you in good waste disposal behaviours in your home and residential society.
Key Responsibilities of a Residential Society
Segregation at Source: Segregation at source as stated by the SWM Rules is a fundamental principle that puts focus on separating waste into different categories at the source of generation of the waste, which will usually be the individual household. The earlier this waste is sorted, the more efficient the process becomes for the waste, which enhances everything after this initial process reflecting the role of individual’s waste management in community. Example of Segregating at Home: Households can segregate the waste in bins as:
- Green Bin (Organic waste): for any food scraps, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells, yard waste (leaves, small twigs).
- Blue Bin (Recyclable waste): paper products, plastic bottles, metal cans, glass bottles, and jars.
- Red Bin (Hazardous waste): used batteries, expired medicines, paint containers, used cleaning products (check each label on individual products).
- Black Bin (Inert waste): construction and demolition debris (bricks, concrete), ceramic materials, shattered pieces, glass materials except for bottles and jars.
Using a Colour-coded Bin System: To help enable proper segregation in the disposal cycle and collection, the SWM Rules suggests using a standardised colour-coded bin system that typically includes:
- Green bin: organic waste
- Blue bin: recyclables waste
- Red bin: hazardous waste
- Black bin: inert waste
Partnering with Authorized Waste Management Service Providers: Collaborating with licensed and authorized service providers is important for waste disposal in community. These service providers are responsible for:
– Collection: The collection of the segregated waste from designated pick-up points in the housing society
– Transportation: The transportation of the collected waste to designated processing facilities (composting units, recycling plants, dump yard, according to regulations for each type of waste).
– Disposal: The safe and legal disposal of waste (proper disposal at designated facilities, paying attention to safety regulations and reducing hazardous impact on the environment to the best of their ability).
Finding Authorized Service Providers: Residents or the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) can contact a local municipal corporation or local department of environment to obtain a list of authorized housing society waste management service providers in your area. The internet and mobile app stores can also yield a list of authorized providers and help residents connect with them.
Also Read: Zero Waste Events: How to Organise a Sustainable Society Event
The 3Rs and the 5 Ways of Waste Management
At the heart of sustainable waste management in community lies the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and also 5 ways of waste management. If residents can adopt, adapt, and advocate for these practices, they can contribute to creating and maintaining a cleaner, more sustainable local environment in both individual and community situations.
Reduce
Mindful consumerism and purchasing durable goods assists to minimize trash generation and is one of the 5 ways of waste management options.
Reuse
Community swap meets and repair drives encourage the reuse of goods, with the advantage of taking fewer resources from the planet and saving you money—particularly at a time when the marketplace is encouraging you to buy new. Taking on the personal role of individual in waste management is essential to develop reuse behaviours, the first step of “reducing” waste.
Recycle
Communities can maximize recycling opportunities through good waste site management (for example, proper segregation, and collaborating with local recycling vendors).
Compost
Composting your organic waste returns nutrients to the soil as well as reducing the load in your landfill, which is one of the 5 ways of waste management options.
Dispose
With hazardous and inert waste it is critical to follow the laws regarding handling and disposal to minimize damage to the environment. While disposal is the last of the things you want to do, it is part of responsible waste disposal in community.
By applying the 3Rs, residents can give themselves and their community an opportunity to become participants in sustaining a future. To the extent that residents can apply these methods individually and collectively, they can minimize the amount of waste disposed in landfilling, and conserve raw materials and resources, leading to a cleaner and more health supporting environment for all.
Also Read: Sewage Treatment Plant (STP): Process, Working & Installation
Planning Ahead: Collaborative Efforts
To make housing society waste management successful in the long run, active engagement is crucial.
1. Education and Awareness: Workshops, posters, clean-ups, and other initiatives are good ways to focus relevant messages on the importance of waste management in community situations.
2. Resident Committees: By creating teams or a waste management society in their community, societies can oversee and manage waste practices and embody the role of individual in waste management.
3. Cost-Effective Resolutions: Societies can negotiate better deals with waste vendors, begin to compost on site, and approach local authorities to provide improvements to their waste infrastructure. These acts show a strategic application of the 5 ways of waste management.
By working together, residents can build a more sustainable future for their society. Collective efforts will benefit the environment as well as the immediate sense of community, as residents work together towards a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable living environment for all.
| Society Accounting System |
| Visitor Management System |
| Boom Barrier |
| Apartment Management Software |
| Housing Societies |
| Parking Management System |
| CCTV Cameras in Apartments |
| EV Charging in Apartments |
| Solar Panel |
Society Management System by NoBrokerHood
NoBrokerHood’s Society Management System improves waste management in housing societies by digitising and simplifying the process. With our management software, housing societies can schedule their collections, monitor vendor performance, and communicate with residents through reminders and alerts, all in the same app. By putting these actions in the hands of residents as well as management committees, NoBrokerHood emphasises the importance of waste management in community living while better equipping residents in their role of individual in waste management.
Overall, by facilitating segregation, monitoring waste audits, and allowing for educated action, NoBrokerHood enriches waste management as public waste management in community contexts and any waste management society focused on sustainability.
FAQ’s
1. What are the 5 ways of waste management?
The four types of waste management are reduce, reuse, recycle, compose and dispose. Waste management strategies are proactive and minimize environmental impacts of waste while maximizing resource recovery.
2. What is waste management?
Waste management is the collection, transportation, processing, and disposal of waste materials in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. Waste management can include many strategies to limit the creation of waste, while maximizing recovery of resources.
3. What are the 5 ways of waste management?
The five ways of waste management include reduction, reuse, recycle, composting and disposal. The aim of waste management is to minimize waste going to the landfill and incinerator while maximizing the recovery of valuable materials.
4. What is the importance of waste management in community life?
The three points of waste management are waste reduction, waste reuse and waste recycling. These principles are the basis of sustainable waste management, and focus on the minimizing impact to the environment and conserving resources.
5. What is Waste?
Waste is any material created or discarded because it is no longer needed or useful, and that someone intends to dispose of – whether it be solid, liquid or gas, from residential or commercial or industrial or agricultural processes. Waste management looks at ways of reducing waste and its impacts on the environment.