Quantification, Characterization and Leachate Analysis of the Municipal Solid Waste from Erode Municipality, Tamilnadu, India

The present study deals the sources, treatment and strategies for future management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in class I city Erode, Tamilnadu, India, which includes collection, segregation, transportation, treatment and disposal. The study also analysed and reported the existing waste treatment methods, which revealed the necessity for improvement and based on that suggested a suitable technology to improve the system thereby minimizing the associated environmental damage. Ground water samples were also collected in and around the solid waste dumping yard and analysed for their physicochemical characteristics to ascertain the extent of groundwater pollution through leachate. The results revealed that concentration of most of the critical parameters (like hardness, BOD, COD, zinc, iron, etc.) exceeded the permissible limits, which requires the improvement of currently employed solid waste management system. The existing solid waste management practices such as open dumping and vermicomposting techniques are not only inefficient but also inadequate enough to manage huge amount of wastes generated daily. Hence, integrated solid waste management system comprising biomethanation, sanitary landfill, etc. is adopted.