Due to rapid increase in the production and consumption processes, societies generate as well as reject solid materials regularly from various sectors - agricultural, commercial, domestic, industrial and institutional.

The considerable volume of wastes thus generated and rejected is called solid wastes. 

In other words, solid wastes are the wastes arising from human and animal activities that are normally solid and are discarded as useless or unwanted.

This inevitably places an enormous strain on natural resources and seriously undermines efficient and sustainable development.

One of the ways to salvage the situation is through efficient management of solid wastes, and this is the focus of this Course, Management of Municipal Solid Waste.

In the 10 Units that constitute this Course, we will discuss the processes involved in the management of solid wastes - from waste generation to final disposal. 

In Unit 1, we will describe solid wastes and introduce you to the classification of solid wastes and the functional elements, such as waste generation, storage, collection, transport, processing, recovery and disposal, in the management of solid wastes.

In Units 2 to 7, we will explain with the support of case studies each of these functional elements. 

In Unit 8, we will explain the treatment of solid wastes by incineration and energy recovery from the incineration process. 

Subsequently, in Unit 9, we will deal with the treatment and management of hazardous (biomedical) wastes.

Finally, in Unit 10, we will discuss the concept of integrated waste management.