Solid waste has become a problem for many urban cities and an actual crisis for some. Civic agencies that pick up waste and deliver it to landfill sites may also help in the solid waste management process. Managing the solid waste is an extensive process. Since we have lived in a throwaway society for several generations since the industrial revolution, our planet has paid the price.
Waste materials that are organic in nature such as plant material, food scraps and paper products, can be recycled using biological composting and digestion processes to decompose the organic matter. The resulting organic material is then recycled as mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping purposes. In addition waste gas from the process (such as methane) can be captured and used for generating electricity. The intention of biological processing in waste management is to control and accelerate the natural process of decomposition of organic matter.
There are a large variety of composting and digestion methods and technologies varying in complexity from simple home compost heaps to industrial scale enclosed vessel digestion of mixed domestic waste. Methods of biological decomposition are differentiated as being aerobic or anaerobic methods, though hybrids of the two methods also exist. |
