Solid waste management using indigenous microorganisms

Abstract

Goa, a tiny state on the west coast of India with an area of 3702 sq kms and a population of 13.5 lakh holds a position in UNESCO's world heritage list, as a safe, serene and pleasant tourist destination. However, the in?ux of visiting tourists is totally disproportionate to the infrastructure development required to receive these tourists. Dealing with waste has become a serious problem and scienti?c waste management is the immediate need of the hour. Unfortunately, in past years, solid waste management in Goa has consisted mainly of illegal dumping. The Municipal Councils of Panaji and Marmugao do have schemes in operation, designed to bring their garbage processing in line with the MSW Rules 2000 issued under the environment protection act 1986, but are able to process only a small portion of their organic waste. The prerequisite of effective waste management is the availability of reliable information about the quantity and the composition of MSW. This would help in gauging the physical. chemical. and thermal properties of the waste as well as in estimating its material recovery potential and its suitability for composting. Solid waste generated due to domestic and industrial activity is highly variable in composition. The type of waste generated varies with lifestyle, demographics, geographic location and season, due to which its study becomes extremely difficult but all the more essential. If Goa wants to survive on tourism, then a special solid waste management strategy is a must. In the present study an attempt has been made to characterize the physical components of MSW, and a pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of composting of source separated organic matter of municipal solid waste (MSW) using indigenous microorganisms.