Solid waste management in Vellore District, Tamil Nadu

Rapid growth of population and urbanization has resulted in increasing the volume of solid waste generation in the study area in particular and in India with 68.8 million tons/day. The improper disposal of solid waste becomes a major menace to the urban area and their surroundings. The management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has become an acute problem to the society due to enhancement of economic activities and modernization. The composition of MSW is 51 % organic, 17.5 % recyclables (paper, plastic, metal and glass). The composition of MSW in the North, East, South and Western regions of the country varied between 50 and 57 % of organics, 16–19 % of recyclables, 28–31 % of inserts and 45–51 % of moisture. In Tamil Nadu, the estimated volume of solid waste is around 6404 tons/day and the per capita solid waste generation is 0.71 kg. The development along with population growth resulted in the accumulation of huge amount of solid waste including hazardous and toxic waste. The main purpose of this paper is to give a view of the solid waste management, practices and its implications on environment in Tamil Nadu. © 2016, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.