Role of Technology in Solid Waste Management: A Review

Background: Waste management is an essential process for the progress of any nation. The exponential growth in the urbanization and industrialization has brought the waste management issue into prime focus. The practices adopted for waste management vary across the nations as well as regions and sectors. Solid waste management encompasses a number of activities ranging from waste collection to waste recycling and waste reuse. These activities can make use of the technology for enhancing the throughput at each level. Objective: This paper provides a review of the activities involved and technology employed at each step of the solid waste management process. Methods: A phase-wise discussion of the activities involved in solid waste management cycle is provided along with the current methods in practice for each activity. The paper further provides a technical review of technology used for improving the waste management scenario. A brief discussion of the methods for reducing waste generation and increasing reuse is also presented. Finally, the paper identifies a list of challenges related to the waste management process and provides suitable suggestions for addressing the identified challenges. Conclusion: This work shall help the researchers to gain valuable insight into the challenges involved in solid waste management practices and would guide future research regarding the employment of technology for improving the efficiency of the overall waste management process.