SOLID WASTE ENGINEERING ASSIGNMENT 1

Name: Gong Wee Jie

ID: SCM-023815

1) In my opinion, organic waste composition such as agricultural waste and food waste will
increase significantly as compared to other waste composition. It has been predicted that the
global population will increase to 9 billion in 2050. With the rise in demand for agricultural
goods and per capita consumption, more agricultural and food waste problems will arise.
Another waste composition that is predicted to increase in proportion is electronic waste. As our
technology and economy advances, we become more dependent on electronic devices such as
smartphones, computers etc., also known as e-waste. The lifespan of these devices are shorter as
they become more affordable. New materials developed from Nano-technology makes them
easier to produce but harder to recycle or reuse. Waste management for these products may be
more challenging in the future.
2) Resource recovery is the extraction of unwanted material from a waste stream for a new use.

May reduce cost of waste management, reduce amount dumped to landfill

Recovered waste has value (reused or recycled)

3) Depends on many factors, private contractors are driven by profit (can be funded by the
community or government)

The cost of waste management may increase, private contractor driven by profit.
Private companies usually offer higher productivity and efficiency if profits are enough to
sustain their operation
Environment impact operated by private contractors may not differ much, must comply
with Environment Quality Act 1974

4)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

waste generation;
waste handling and sorting, storage, and processing at the source;
collection
sorting, processing and transformation
transfer and transport
disposal

Lack of awareness or education especially in developing countries

5)

Unwilling or unable to afford the cost of waste management

Waste management regulations not enforced/ lenient
Waste management practices will change in the future; globalization and economic
development may change our attitude towards waste management practices
new methods or technology in waste management in the future for sustainability

6) E-waste Problems:

Contains heavy metals e.g. Mercury, lead that is hazardous to health and the environment.
Difficult and expensive to recycle: contains many different materials and component

E-waste Solutions:

export to places with low labor cost to separate the materials or component to be recycled
Donate usable electronic devices if not used instead of becoming waste

Reference
1) Julian Parfitt. 2009. Municipal waste composition, trends & futures. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/8_julian_parfitt.pdf.
[Accessed
16
September 2016]

2)
Forbes
Welcome.
2016.
Forbes
Welcome.
[ONLINE]
Available
at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/01/04/its-easy-enough-to-solve-the-problem-of-ewaste/#5a5c479b6904. [Accessed 19 September 2016]