4 Types of Waste Disposal: Methods and Approaches (2024)

What major types of waste disposal techniques can you rely on? If you are looking for reliable means of managing your waste, this piece offers just that.

According to the World Bank’s report, we produce around 2.01 metric tons of municipal solid waste globally every year. In the US alone, residents produce over 292.4 million tons, as per the EPA (the United States Environmental Protection Agency). This translates to around 4.9lbs per person daily.

With such enormous amounts of waste, proper waste management and disposal is crucial. But have you ever thought about how this process takes place? After putting your garbage bins on your pavement, what happens then?

Also, what are the best types of waste disposal methods for your waste to ensure that the environment is safe?

Today, we look at all the different waste disposal and remediation techniques to help you understand better the process of waste management.

Types of Waste

Virtually every human activity brings forth some sort of waste products. And in every activity, different type of waste is generated. Waste can be categorized as:

• Municipal waste
• Organic waste
• Medical waste
• Chemical waste
• Hazardous waste
• Radioactive waste
• Industrial waste (non-hazardous)
• Construction waste
• Mining and extraction waste
• Fossil fuel burning waste

All these types of waste pose different effects on the environment and thus must be managed well. Some are pretty destructive and require special handling.

How to Properly Dispose of Waste

In most cases, not many people know how to do proper waste disposal unless they are professionals in this field. For this reason, we’ve come up with easy and effective tips to ensure that your waste doesn’t end up contaminating the environment.

Here are your options:

1. Hire a Skip

This is among the best types of waste disposal approaches you can take. Here you’ll not only be saving the environment but also doing it in a worry-free manner. A skip company will help to manage your waste professionally.

This method of waste disposal is ideal for both households and commercial settings, helping to reduce illegal dumping. For instance, when working on projects that generate substantial amounts of waste like renovation or even spring cleanup, skip bins can really come in handy.

So, why hire a skip?

• It helps to reduce your carbon footprint
• Ensures safety at work
• It saves you time and resources
• It’s safe for you and your health
• Skip bins come in various sizes, ideal for any type or amount of waste
• Skip bin services are easily accessible

The method offers a well-managed waste management system that ensures your waste is discarded properly.

2. Contract a Waste Disposal Company

Whether it’s residential or commercial waste, hiring a professional trash removal company is an excellent idea. With a reliable garbage service provider, you can rest easy knowing that all your trash is taken care of.

A waste management company offers you various services, right from dumpster rentals, trash removal, recycling services, and more. This way, whether you are disposing of commercial, industrial, or residential waste, all your waste disposal needs are sorted.

All you need is to pick a bin size and type that fits you. The company delivers it to you, comes for it when full, and does the recycling.

Reasons why you should hire a professional waste disposal company?

• They guarantee convenience, ensuring that there’s no garbage build-up in your compound.
• It’s cost-effective
• Eliminates risks, promoting safety and health

This is an ideal alternative to hiring skip bins. The companies have professionals trained to assess your waste situation and offer the best, tailored solution.

For instance, unlike a skip bin, which you might end up not using half of it, the professionals here will advise you accordingly. They will give you a quotation and answer any queries you might have about waste management. You might even notice that a wheelie bin hire fits you better.

This way, you don’t waste resources paying for something you won’t use.

3. Use Local Authority Regular Waste Disposal Services

If you don’t want to deal with private parties for any reason, you can seek waste disposal services from your local authority. Local authorities are tasked with the collection and disposal of household wastes for their communities. Also, if requested, they can effectively handle commercial and industrial types of waste.

The general collection and disposal of household waste are common with local authorities, although they might also offer other specific services depending on the communities’ needs. So, if you are more comfortable dealing with the local authorities, it’s still a pretty viable option.

The services they offer include:

• Kerbside/curbside collection of household garbage
• Hard garbage collection
• Collection of garden organic waste
• Recycling of various items including garden organic, metals, e-waste, paper, etc.
• Commercial waste collection if requested
• Community education about waste disposal
• Providing and servicing trash bins in public places.

Generally, local authorities provide and regularly empty garbage bins for household waste. Using this method of waste disposal guarantees you that the waste is well handled, both for your safety and that of the environment.

Through recycling, combustion, or landfill methods, the municipal waste disposal services ensure that even the hazardous waste doesn’t become detrimental to the environment.

4. Composting

If you are dealing with organic waste like the garden, plants, and kitchen remains, compositing is the way to go. The process allows you to convert these wastes into a composite for your growing plants. This means that you not only get rid of your waste but also in a way that’s beneficial to you.

Unlike the other complicated types of waste disposal, composting is pretty simple. In fact, it is the natural bio-degradation of organic matter. All you need is to pile your organic waste into a specific site and let the microbes do the decomposing job for you.

While composting is somewhat slow and can take a considerable amount of space, it’s still one of the most eco-friendly types of waste disposal methods we have around. For this reason, more and more people are embracing composting for their home waste management.

You can buy composting bins online or at your local hardware shop and make your composting process stress-free. Dump your household organic waste here and wait for it to decompose. Then use the compost to grow our backyard flowers or indoor plants.

Types of Waste Disposal Bins

Depending on the type of waste, there are numerous waste disposal bins to fit each situation. Whether for home or commercial use, here are some common waste bins available for you.

1. Roll-off Containers

These are large waste containers ideal for large projects that produce a lot of waste, such as home remodeling or gutting. Roll-off waste bins are an excellent option for various types of solid waste disposal, such as brick, concrete, wood chips, etc.

They can range from 12 to 22ft long, 4.5 to 7ft tall, with all standing around 8 feet wide.

2. Mini Roll Off Waste Bins

Mini rolls are smaller waste bins, ranging from 10 to 12 feet long, 4 to 7ft high, and around 7ft wide. They are ideal for smaller projects or minimal amounts of garbage. Due to their size, they fit perfectly for home projects and household waste disposal.

Examples of waste disposal bins include:

• PetFusion Portable Outdoor Waste Can– ideal for pet waste disposal
• Simplehuman 4.5 Liter / 1.2 Trash Can – ideal for bathrooms and small spaces
• FG614400RED Slim Jim Trash Can – ideal for larger amounts of household wastes

See related: 11 Best Products to Help Climate Change to Buy Today

What are the Different Types of Waste Disposal Methods?

When it comes to disposing of waste from our households and businesses, several options are available. Here are the most common types of waste disposal techniques.

• Landfills

This is the most common waste disposal method, especially in developing countries. The process involves burying waste materials in the ground. However, before the waste gets into the ground, it’s first treated to eliminate odors and various hazards that might arise from the landfill.

While it might be the most popular, it’s certainly not the most effective or the safest. Firstly, the land for creating these landfills is becoming scarce by the day. Also, although they are treated and monitored, these sites still produce dangerous gases like methane and others, which cause contamination in the environment.

Sometimes the effects of landfills can even become fatal to plants, animals, and humans living nearby. For this reason, more regions are reconsidering landfills as a means of waste disposal.

In fact, the more developed countries have come up with more effective disposal methods, some of which are environmentally friendly.

• Reusing and Recycling

Reusing involves the use of an item, either for the same original purpose or for a different one (repurposing). Here, the item is not treated or transformed in any way but used as it was.

This process is one of the most eco-friendly waste disposal methods, as it requires no energy use thus, saving on money and resources. Reusing mainly involves buying second-hand items such as furniture, cars, clothing, etc.

On the other hand, recycling involves using an old item as the raw material for a new one. Here, the waste items are remodeled to form similar products or even new ones. It’s simply converting waste products to new products.

Recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, metal, electronics, and some kinds of glass, are crushed and reprocessed into new items. For instance, glass bottles can be reprocessed to create fiberglass. Recycled plastic bottles are also commonly used in making new kitchenware, trash bags, carpeting, new bottles, etc.

The process helps to reduce waste disposal by ensuring useful waste is made into usable items. Also, it uses less energy compared to manufacturing new products and reduces air and water pollution.

• Incineration

This simply means combustion as a way of municipal waste disposal. Here, solid waste is burned at extremely high temperatures, reducing it to ash residues, steam, and gases.

Incineration is a better solid waste disposal method as compared to landfills. It helps to reduce the initial waste amount by even up to 80%. This means that it requires an even smaller space, thus not straining the environment.

It is among the several types of waste disposal methods that are gradually replacing landfills, especially in countries like Japan and the US, where space is becoming scarce.

Also, this is among the several types of waste disposal methods that handle hazardous waste. The interaction process is the ultimate answer to the pressing question – Where does the hazardous waste go? Plasma Gasification

This is another effective method of waste disposal. The process involves the use of plasma in extremely hot temperatures to turn organic matter into synthesis gas (syngas). Plasma is usually a highly ionized gas with temperatures that can exceed 12,600 °F.

Primarily, a plasma gasification vessel uses distinctive plasma torches powered by electric arcs, at +10,000 °F, to convert the waste materials into syngas, and slag, as the byproduct. The process is widely used commercially and is known to gasify various organic wastes, including refuse from biomass, fuel, hazardous waste, solid hydrocarbons, and industrial waste.

As a result of the high temperatures, the process breaks down the molecular bonds in these wastes rendering them harmless. Also, the process acts as a source of renewable energy and offers several other benefits.

• Waste to Energy (WtE)

In this type of waste management process, waste materials are converted into energy, either heat or electricity.

Waste to energy mainly helps turn non-recyclable waste materials into electricity, heat, or fuel through multiple processes. And, since the waste can be used multiple times, Waste to Energy qualifies as a renewable energy source.

The good thing with this process is that it can reduce carbon emissions, as it offers an alternative to fossil energy sources. If largely embraced, it can ultimately reduce global warming and climate change effects.

• Special Waste Disposal

Not all types of wastes can be disposed of through normal means. Some are extremely hazardous and require extra care and caution during disposal to avoid environmental contamination.

For instance, biomedical waste is disposed of through special waste disposal methods. These include even the different types of radioactive waste disposal techniques. This helps to protect the environment against these hazardous elements.

• Waste Minimization/Avoidance

What if we can minimize the amount of waste generated from our homes and places of work? Wouldn’t that mean less strain on our waste disposal efforts?

Well, this is the easiest way to create a waste-free environment, but that still proves unachievable. We need to recycle more, reuse more, and embrace practices that ensure minimal waste generation. This way, the landfills can finally breathe easily with fewer wastes.

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