Introduction to Solid Waste and Its Management

Solid Waste Production

Solid waste generally refers to unused solid materials generated as a result of human activities. Many of these items can be considered as waste such as domestic rubbish, sewage sludge, wastes from manufacturing activities, packaging items, discarded cars, discarded electronic devices, garden waste, old paint containers etc. Accordingly, all human daily activities can give rise to a large variety of different wastes arising from different sources (Ngoc & Schnitzer, 2009). Based on their sources, solid waste can be classified into various types which include MSW, hazardous waste, agricultural waste and industrial waste (Tchobanoglous et al., 1993). In Malaysia; the generation of MSW has significantly increased in recent years, ranging between 0.5 - 2.5kg per capita per day (or a total of 25000 - 30000 tons per day). More than 70% of the generated wastes are collected using both curbside and communal centers with a collection frequency varying from daily to every two days (Johari et al., 2014).