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Waste disposal |
 What is the general situation with
the waste disposal?
Wastes are the substances or products, which
appear as a result of consumption and are designed either for final
disposal (for instance, throwing of domestic
garbage to landfill) or recycling
(neutralization, for instance, treatment of medical wastes
by disinfecting the matters for the final disposal on landfills, or
recycling - for example, treatment of paper trash for the use as raw
material for paper industry).Wastes are divided into two main
classes: hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. The category of
hazardous wastes includes wastes, which are distinguished by
toxicity, are easily flammable or explosive, and are features by
high reaction capability or other properties of harmful influence.
Radioactive wastes are frequently attributed to dangerous wastes
(waste legislation and other relevant issues are worked out at
present in Georgia). Non-hazardous wastes, in spite of their nature
of this kind, cause or may make undesirable impact on human health
and environment. Frequently they have negative aesthetic influence,
which may be accompanied by considerable losses (in case of lowland,
recreation site or others), in local development.The examples of
wastes are:
- Domestic waste arise from domestic economies.
They mainly consist of food products (bio-wastes), paper, glass,
plastics (frequently this is packing material), metal and other
factions.
- Municipal waste (they are frequently associated
with domestic wastes) mainly consist of large domestic things
(furniture, doors and windows, used refrigerators, other domestic
machinery), also the wastes of minor domestic service field
(packing boxes; wastes from repair, construction and trimming
materials and products, and etc.). Certain part of municipal and
domestic wastes belong to the category of hazardous wastes (e.g.
painted doors and windows, dies and paints and
others);
- Agricultural waste
arise in agricultural and
food industry sector as a result of human activities (for example,
uprooted trees, vegetation wood, fruit and vegetable skin, and
etc.)
- Industrial waste
risen in the process
or as a result of production of different products or
technologies: slurry risen as a result of melting processes, water
polluted by galvanic processes, wood processing wastes, and many
others. A great number of industrial wastes are toxic and
dangerous for human health and environment)
- Medical wastes
risen as a result of the activities of the sector.
Classification of wastes depends on legislation in infrastructure
system of the country's waste management. It should be said at the
same time that both of these fields in Georgia are in fact just in
the beginning of development: basic legislation on wastes and ideas
about the infrastructure of management system are worked out right
now. Undoubtedly, the departmental approach towards the activity of
generation/disposal having been existed earlier which was
exclusively state's prerogative, would not be effective neither
then, nor, the more so, today.There are the following basic
technologies of disposal/neutralization of domestic wastes:
- Landfills. The territory
where the final disposal of wastes occur. Landfills must meet
certain requirements, so that the pollution of groundwater, air
and neighboring territories by harmful substances would not occur.
The best examples of landfills are
regulated landfills
. Here the regulating of
not only wastes to be disposed (dumped), but of harmful substances
risen as a result of other processes occur: this means the
protection of groundwater from pollution, collection and use of
gases issued (for the purpose of energy/power generation) and
others.
- Waste Combustion Facilities
are used for
the purposes of [waste volumes] and toxic neutralization with high
temperature combustion processes. As a result of incorrect
technologies there is a possibility of rise of sustainable organic
pollutants and other hazardous pollutants in combustion waste
(belonging to dangerous wastes!) and emitted gases. Safe
technologies (incinerators) are very expensive;
- Composting is used for
the purpose of speeding up the rotting of the wastes of vegetation
origin, as a result of which just under certain conditions the
suitable compost -- soil enriching material - may be obtained.
For the purpose of recycling/disposal of dangerous (and
radioactive) wastes the special technologies are used, the
designation of which is: reduction of harmful properties and/or safe
disposal in the environment (burial with special containers and
other). Combustion of toxic wastes is very expensive and highly
risky technologies. They require a lot of financial and other
expenses.In many countries the management of toxic wastes
(collection, disposal, account, neutralization, and etc.) - is the
prerogative of a central power. And management of municipal and
domestic wastes is a business of local or regional
management.
  
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