WASTE AUDIT

SOCIETY

WHAT IS WASTE AUDIT?A waste audit is a formal, structured

process used to quantify the amount and types of waste being generated by an organization. Information from audits will help identify current waste practices and how they can be improved. Being waste-wise can mean:

• a more efficient and effective organization

• reduced waste management costs• Better use of limited natural

resources.

ASSUMPTION

WE WERE OF THE VIEW THAT:- 1) PLASTIC GENERATION WOULD BE

MORE AS COMPARED TO ANY OTHER TYPE OF WASTE.

2) THE PEOPLE OF THE SOCIETY ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT RECYLING AND REUSING MATERIALS.

3)THEY ALSO WOULDN’T BE PRACTICING WASTE SEGREGATION.

RATIONALE

When we look around Our surroundings, we find that poly bags and wrappers are being thrown here and there and also their usage is increasing day by day.

Sometimes we find that even the shoes which could be reused are thrown in the bins.

We even get to see that the AMC vehicles are filled with all types of waste.

PROCESS

Step:1) We selected a society where we can carry out our waste audit. We talked to the chairman of the society Mr. Verma , making him aware about our audit and ensured him that no one would be affected in any way and asked him about the waste policy of the society.

Step: 2) Then we chose an appropriate place to conduct the audit.

Step: 3) Then we chose an appropriate waste audit team consisting of Mannubhai , his wife Ushaben who helped and supported us through out the process.

Step: 4) We asked them to collect the waste earlier than usual timings.

Step: 5) We collected gunny bags , spring balance , broom, dust pan and safety equipments.

Step: 6)Then we weighed the gunny bags

using spring balance.

Step:7)Then we sorted the collected waste into different categories such as: food waste, plastic waste, biomedical waste ,paper waste, horticulture waste, etc. in different gunny bags.

Step: 8) Then we weighed the gunny bags with the sorted waste and subtracted the initial weight of the gunny bags to get the correct weight of the sorted waste.

Step:9 ) We noted down the readings.

Step:10 ) We emptied the gunny bags into the lorry .

Step:11) Then we cleaned the place using a broom.

Step:12)The waste which is being generated is being carried away by AMC.

ANALYSIS

• ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY US, There wasn’t any waste policy followed by the society.

The waste collection of the society was as usual very simple and there was no separate bins for the collection of

biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.

Our assumption regarding generation of plastic waste was proved wrong and we found that food waste was generated in greater amount. This food waste wasn’t kept separately instead was mixed with all other waste.

We even found that despite of provision of dustbins, waste was thrown outside the building creating a mess over there.

1) WASTE SEGREGATION SYSTEM:Waste is not segregated after collection because the person collecting waste has to go to several other places to collect waste.

2) COMPOSTING FACILITY:

There is no composting facility of the society.

3)PROPER RECYCLING OR/AND REUSE:

People give the reusable items to servants or just dispose them off.After disposing waste no waste is reused or recycled. Whatever waste they want to recycle or reuse they give to servants or radiwalla before disposing it.

IN KG WT

paper

silt/soil/mud

Food

wood,Glass,Metal scrap

Electronic and computer consumables

Plastics

Biomedical waste

Other specify

*No amount of waste is recycled

IDEAL QUANTITY OF WASTE GENERATED

THE WASTE GENERATED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE SOCIETY

150 grams per person per day

150 grams x 365 days = 54750 grams per person per year

54750 grams x 360(people in the society)=19710000 grams per year of all people taken together

275 grams per person per day

275 x 365 days = 100375 grams per person per year

100375 grams x 360(people in the society)= 37230000 grams per year of all people taken together

• Waste generated by the people of society per person is more as compared to the ideal quantity of waste. This shows us the negative side of society.

• There are no waste initiatives taken by the authority of society to reduce the current amount of waste generated.

• Our analysis was somewhat similar to the perceptions of aware citizens

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RECOMMENDATIONS{CHANGES SHOULD BE BROUGHTNOW}

AFTER CONDUCTING THIS WASTE AUDIT ANUNSEEN PICTURE OF SOCIETY CAME IN FRONT

OFUS.

PAPERWash, Squash and Recycle

Corrugated Cardboard

Americans are doing great at recycling corrugated boxes, but we can do even better. These are the hardest things to eliminate because there are virtually no alternatives other than buying in bulk, which may not be a viable option if your family is small.

MagazinesDid you know it's perfectly fine to recycle magazines, catalogs, and other "glossy" publications?

NewspapersDid you know the newspaper you read today can be Recycled up to seven times?

PaperboardOnce used mainly for products such as breakfast cereal boxes, paperboard is now being used for many other Kinds of packaging.

Paper plates, cups and towels USE REUSABLES!

Unsolicited Direct MailYou may think of it as "junk mail," or you may welcome the flyers, catalogs, and coupons that appear in your mailbox. Either way, it's important to recycle them.

Paper Cardboard Dairy and Juice CartonsAlso called "gable-top cartons," these are the non-plastic milk and juice cartons you see in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Buy large glass or canned juices and pour into smaller “sippers” for lunches.

Phone Books!Every year, new phone books and business directoriesarrive at your door. Are you careful to recycle your old ones?

Milk cartons If your family is large enough buy milk in one gallon recyclable plastic jugs.

ELECTRONICS

COMPUTERS (CPUS, MONITORS, PERIPHERALS, KEYBOARDS)Every day in the United States, we throw out about 130,000 computers.

TelevisionsAs you make the transition to digital television, what should you do with your old analog TV?

Consumer Electronics (VCRs, stereos, home/office phones)Is your VCR collecting dust in the closet? Is there a second life for that old stereo?

Cell phonesDid you know you can recycle your old cell phone?

CLOTHES

Take them to a local charity shop yourself. Most charities have shops in your local High Street.

Put them in a textiles bank provided by charities like Oxfam, The Salvation Army and Scope. You can find these at supermarkets or local council sites.

Try and make sure clothes are clean and dry before you donate them.

Charities and jumble sales also make door-to-door collections.

GLASS,METAL AND WOOD ITEMSBulk Metal ItemsBegin making a pile of bulky metal items such as old folding chairs, broken metal lamps, bicycles, etc. Bring these items to a local scrap yard and earn some extra cash!

Aluminum CansOn average, Americans drink one beverage from an aluminum can every day. But we recycle just over 50% of the cans we use.

Aluminum Foil and Bake wareDuring World War II, Americans saved aluminum foil and even peeled off the silver wrapping from chewing gum wrappers to contribute to the war effort.

Steel Cans and Tin Cans (soup cans, veggie cans, coffee cans, etc.)Most people call them "tin cans," but the containers your green beans come in are mostly made of steel.

PLASTIC

•Lighters and razors – USE REUSEABLES!

•Flower pots – Most nurseries will take them back and reuse them.

•If you have a lot of plastic bags in colors other than clear and white, Walmart, Shoprite and Acme all have bins for these. Using reusable cloth bags for shopping will eliminate a lot of this waste. 

Soft drink and water bottles. Containers for salad dressing, vegetable oil, and peanut butter. Oven-ready meal trays. Milk jugs. Juice bottles. Bottles for bleach, laundry detergent, some household cleansers. Motor oil bottles. Butter, oleomargarine, and yogurt tubs. Cereal box liners.

Recyclability: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs, although most allow only those containers with necks. Please remove caps.

FOOD WASTE

Check your refrigerator at least once a week. Position foods that are soon to expire at the front, to encourage family members to eat them or cook with them soon.Do you try to save money by buying foods in bulk? Be sure the items will actually be consumed. Otherwise, you may find yourself discarding products that have expired or that your family has grown tired of, which defeats the purpose.Use what you have, instead of letting it go bad and having to discard it. Serve that last handful of chips and that final gulp ofmilk while it's still good.Resist the urge to buy more than you intended. Stick with your grocery list and you'll waste less as a result.

THE AFTERLIFE OF FOODDid you know your food scraps can be used to create gas energy? Or that it can become fertilizer that replenishes the soil?

When you throw organic wastes such as food into the garbage, it ends up in a landfill, where it decomposes, emitting methane gas as it does. This gas is a source of energy, just as wind and solar power are, and it can be harnessed.

Another way to use food scraps is to turn them into compost and add it to your garden. Compost is the dark, earthy, crumbly substance that results when organic wastes are allowed to decompose. Composting is nature's way of recycling.In nature, as leaves pile up on the forest floor, they begin to decay and eventually return to the soil, where they replenish nutrients so the cycle of life can continue. You can make compost yourself, using kitchen scraps and even yard waste to enrich the soil you use for your houseplants and garden.

SEGREGATED BINSThere must be a provision of segregated bins. Different bins should be there for different types of waste.

FOOD PACKAGING

“I looked in my kitchen garbage and, since I compost, most of what I saw was food packaging. I now do my best to avoid meats on polystyrene trays wrapped in even more plastic. I shuffle three meters over and talk to the butcher. My meat is wrapped in coated paper so I don't have the polystyrene to deal with.”

SAID MRS ANITA SINGH

RESULTS

COMPOSTING NEWSPAPER

“Since old newspaper is no longer recycled locally, and I wanted to compost grass clippings, we got a 2nd yard composter this year. 

I realize that I can speed up the compost process with more brown stuff, as we have few leaves to keep the worms at their best. Newspapers, pizza boxes, paper plates, damp cardboard that is not suitable for recycle are now composted, and they disappear soon enough that I can take compost out of the bottom every 2 or 3 weeks.

I also dry some of the grass clippings a few sunny days, turning it a bit to prevent clumping and mold; then I can store it in buckets to add when the compost needs it.”

SAID MRS KARNIKA DESAI

LEARNINGS

It was not less than any awareness program for us. We even learned a few steps in which we Can contribute towards waste reduction. Even AMC’s director suggested that if only people

take initiatives at their individual level it can be a great help for them to fulfill their commitments.

This waste audit allows us to see our waste from a different perspective.  By understanding what's in our waste and how much there is, we can develop a waste management plan that is specific to our household.

“TOGETHER WE SHOULD AND WE WILL MAKE A ‘DIFFERENCE’!”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION GO TO THESE WEBSITES:-

• www.thinkgreen.com • http://www.forgood.co.za/EarthZone/Pages/EarthZone.aspx• http://www.nus.edu.sg/oes/prog/waste/ppac_combating.html

RESOURCES