Technological Advances for Treating Municipal Waste

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is a challenging task, which has grown immensely due to the changes in lifestyle throughout the world. In developed countries, appropriate norms and adequate administrative and financial resources clubbed with innovative technologies are some driving force, which is proving helpful in MSWM. However, an ever-changing waste composition and some techno-environmental issues still exist. On the other hand, in developing countries in the absence of these provisions, MSWM is becoming a key of socioeconomic development. Due to variations in waste composition, there is a need to adopt multiple means of waste disposal. It thus demands revisiting the available know-how and making the required corrections to suit the grossly ill-classified wastes. In this chapter, characteristic components of MSW and possibilities of their disposal through thermal and biological treatment technology are reviewed. The generation of renewable energy while treating waste makes disposal an organized and attractive option.