Increasing population, increased use of plastic and pressure on land results in a lot of waste generation. This waste needed to be managed well and disposed of at the earliest to get rid of. Waste is in all forms. The gaseous waste cannot be dealt with and keeps causing pollution. The liquid waste can be drained, and it also dries off or evaporates. We are left with solid waste which is more in quantity and needs to be addressed as there is no other way to get rid of it.
Solid waste includes everything from glass waste, plastic waste, electronic waste, organic and inorganic waste, textile waste, metallic waste, and much more. This waste can be toxic and hence disposed or can turn toxic after disposing of it. The solid waste, especially the electronic waste can produce dangerous radiations that are very harmful to the skin and cause terminal diseases. The plastic and glass waste can enter in the environment and harm another living being like birds or fishes (is it enters the water).
It is thus extremely crucial to deal with it. Everyone who is dealing with the waste accumulation, loading in the truck, disposing it at the dumpster needs to be well aided to deal with the waste and be safe. Several measures need to be taken when it comes to Safety in managing solid waste:
Garbage truck safety measures:
- The truck should be emptied every day. It is important to change the truck that carries the garbage. In case it is an overused garbage truck or a truck that is converted into a garbage truck, it is important to take stock of the performance of the truck.
- Some safety rules need to be followed while loading and unloading the garbage in the truck. Simple tips like always bending on knees while lifting the bins and cans. Wear seat belts whenever possible, drive the truck only on empty roads, not to accommodate passengers on the truck other than the platform designed especially for that purpose.
- Understand the capacity of the garbage truck and do not overload it. If the truck is a used garbage truck, the capacity is less and overloading the truck is harmful.
- As the truck travels throughout the city collecting garbage, the truck should be cleaned regularly to avoid spreading toxins.
Safety measures for employees:
- All the employees must wear safety gears like dust masks, safety glasses, safety boots, safety overalls, safety belts while driving, loading and unloading garbage, antimicrobial gloves and suits while performing daily tasks
- Training the employees and educating them about waste segregation methods and waste management techniques.
- Sanitize themselves after their daily shifts, by washing, cleaning and sanitizing their clothes and types of equipment used in their daily work.
- The employees should take regular checkup tests as a health measure.
Safety measures are important to make sure that in the job of managing waste, one doesn’t suffer. Following these small safety measures would make waste management safe.
Waste management department has taken a step forward of converting the waste into fuel. So all the automobile manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes, Mahindra are developing their cars which can run on garbage fuel and one step closer to eco friendly way.