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A. SOLID WASTE 

 What is solid waste?

• Solid wastes include all domestic refuse and non-hazardous wastes such as commercial and institutional wastes, street sweepings and construction debris. 
• Solid waste can also be human wastes such as night soil, ashes from incinerators, septic tank sludge and sludge from sewage treatment plants. 

• Industrial activities e.g. Pulp and paper
• Household e.g. Food leftovers, breakages
• Streets e.g. Litter
• Offices e.g. Paper

• Solid wastes pollute the environment, air, and water
• They can also cause diseases

Did you know how long it takes for different types of rubbish to breakdown?  It takes: 

• Orange and banana peels  Up to 2 years 
• Cigarette butts 1-5 years
• Wool socks       1-5 years
• Plastic-coated paper       5 years
• Plastic bags      20 and 1000 years
• Plastic film containers      20-30 years
• Nylon fabric 30-40 years
• Leather Up to 50 years
• Tins 50 years
• Aluminium cans 80-100 years
• Glass bottles 1 million years
• Plastic bottles Indefinitely

• Air pollution can be defined as a mixture and or concentration of substances introduced into the air and is detrimental to human and ecosystem health.
• Air pollution is caused by gaseous emissions into the environment.
• Air pollution can be either indoor or outdoor.

•  Pollution generated from within homes, and offices

• Combustion sources such as coal, oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products
• Building materials 
• Asbestos-containing insulation
• Wet or damp carpet
• Cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products
• Products for household cleaning and maintenance, 

•  Pollution generated from outside homes and from industries

The principal sourcing of air pollution in the SADC region are: 

• Vehicle emissions
• Manufacturing
• Mining 
• Industries, eg. Steel works, fertilizer and cement plants and pulp and paper mills
• Burning of tyres 
• Forest fires

Immediate effects:

• Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
• Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. 
• Asthma, 
•  Hypertension 
•  Pneumonia

• Some respiratory diseases
• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Reproductive (e.g., reduced fertility) 
• Damage to the immune as well as neurological system

• Deposition of toxic pollutants onto soils or surface waters affects plants and animals
• Like humans, animals may experience health problems if exposed to sufficient quantities of air toxics over time.

• Breathing contaminated air. 
• Swallowing contaminated food products, such as fish from contaminated waters; meat, milk or eggs from animals that fed on contaminated plants; and fruits and vegetables grown in contaminated soil on which air toxics have been deposited. 
• Swallowing water contaminated by toxic air pollutants. 
• Swallowing contaminated soil. Young children are especially vulnerable because they often ingest soil from their hands or from objects they place in their mouths. 
• Touching (skin contact) contaminated soil, dust or water (for example, during recreational use of contaminated water bodies). 

What are the causes/sources of water pollution?

Direct sources of water pollution:

• Effluent outfalls from factories, refineries, waste treatment plants etc. 
• Human activity such as dumping garbage and also releasing human waste into water bodies.

• Agricultural practices (use of fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) 
• Industrial and municipal wastes which can be biodegradable or non-biodegradable, solid or liquid

• Poisonous drinking water
• Unbalanced river and lake ecosystems that can no longer support full biological diversity
• Deforestation from acid rain

• Individual responsibility when dealing with waste 
• Avoiding sloppiness lazy or sloppy when they work; 
• Governments should in act and enforce industrial laws forcing companies to invest in waste management 
• Ensuring that household goods/equipment e.g. automobile, air conditioner, refrigerator are in good working condition 

• Waste minimisation i.e. composting of organic domestic waste and garden waste, reduced use of plastic bags in supermarkets, deposit and return to Swaziland Brewers and Coca-Cola
• Waste recycling i.e. recycling paper with Swaziland Paper Mills
• Scavenging at landfill sites should be phased out in the long term through job creation in the recycling sector.
• Composting of all organic waste at household level
• Adequate waste collection i.e. a step-by-step approach should be taken to increase waste collection systems in urban areas in order to ensure proper collection in these areas.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle waste