Volume 4, Issue 4, April – 2019 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

Handling Solid Waste using Design Thinking Principle in

Bengaluru
Adarsh Agrawala, Gunjan Javariaa, Kaustav Kishor a, Bhaskar MGb
a
Department of Aerospace Engineering, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru
b
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru

Abstract:- The issue of waste production and  Acronyms Used

management has taken a toll on municipal corporations
around the world. This paper quotes some problems  BBMP: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Municipal
faced, especially in developing countries. The city of Corporation of Bengaluru)
Bengaluru in India has been the subject of this study  MSW: Municipal Solid Waste
where the application of design thinking for solid waste  IoT: Internet of Things
management is proposed. A step by step procedure has  SWM: Solid Waste Management
been explicated in order to tackle the production of waste  GOI: Government of India
and its mitigation with smart thinking and planning. On a  RDF: Refuse-Derived Fuel
side note, since the solid waste from major developing  USW: Urban Solid Waste
cities reach into the ocean via a network of rivers, a
method of cleaning the oceans (to reverse the damage
II. METHODOLOGY ADOPTED
already done) has also been elucidated. A conclusion is
drawn at the end, stating the future scope of this research Design thinking is a solution based approach to solving
and ways of extending it to other big and small townships problems by cognitive, strategic and practical processes.
across the globe. According to Tim Brown, it is a non-linear problem solving
method that allows an end-user empathic approach by
Keywords:- Design Thinking, Bengaluru, Solid Waste,
integrating observation phases, Creativity, prototyping,
Management.
testing, iteratively [1].
I. INTRODUCTION This paper has adopted the following stages in order to
implement design thinking procedure: Empathise, Define,
Municipal solid waste is a waste type consisting of Ideate, Prototype and Test. Only the first three stages have
everyday items (that may be solid or liquid in nature) which
been emphasised here.
are discarded or rejected on account of being spent, useless,
worthless, or in excess. Waste produced needs managed so
 Stage 1: Empathise
that it does not create problem for the public. The techniques In order to empathise, a literature survey of available
around the world have changed drastically from manual
documentation and publication was done via Internet. The
picking of waste by designated individuals to automatic stake holders and authorities involved in the waste
waste collection using high-tech machines. Solid waste can management such as BBMP was consulted. Various websites
be of many types based on which the method of its disposal
and review papers were also analysed in order to form the
is decided. Solid waste can be characterized based on
following problem statements.
character and content as organic and inorganic. Then the
waste can be homogenous or heterogeneous based on the Various loopholes in the existing system of waste
source of its generation. If the waste is generated in houses disposal and treatment were found [2]. They have been listed
and/or industries, it is categorized as heterogeneous. If the
as follows:
waste is generated by farms and mines that are located in
I.
urban or rural areas, it is said to be homogenous in nature.  Landfilling
Most of the MSW in locality of major cities and town
Special care and attention should be given while are being disposed of on common grounds and lands in an
handling hazardous wastes, which can further be improper manner. Also, in major metropolitan cities a
subcategorized into medical and chemical waste. Here common practice is to dump the waste in poorly managed
hazardous waste refers to the waste that might be harmful for dumping ground that gives rise to serious environmental
humans and environment in general. problems. In coastal regions dumping activity has led to
increase in heavy metal concentration in the coastal region.
The expanding population and demand for construction of

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Volume 4, Issue 4, April – 2019 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
buildings tends to decrease the isolated/ faraway land increasing, this process cannot cope with the status quo. Also
available as dumping grounds. In urban centres, MSWs are this process is specific to only solid organic waste.
disposed of by depositing it in low-lying areas in city
outskirts with lack of proper principles of sanitary landfilling III. THERMAL TECHNIQUES
in place.
1. Incineration
 Recycling of Organic Waste Incineration is method of destruction used to dispose
Organic matter has a tendency to decompose on its own toxic wastes from hospitals and recover energy for it. It is a
even if it is left unattended. But if left in open to decompose, process that entails controlled and complete combustion, for
it gives of foul odour and becomes breeding ground for burning solid wastes. Temperature of incineration varies
insects and rodents. These insects and rodents turn out to be from 980°C to 2000°C. The process of incineration reduces
carriers of deadly diseases creating severe health problems. volume of waste by 80-90%. But in India, incineration is not
much practiced due to following nature of waste: high
1. Aerobic composting organic content, high moisture content, high inert content,
Bacterial conversion of MSW in the presence of air and low calorific value. First incineration plant was opened in
moist conditions is called compost (humus). This compost New Delhi in India in the year 1987 but the plant was only
has very high value in agriculture and increase the yield of functional for 6 months and was later forced to shut down
the crops. Such conversion can be done either manually or by due to poor performance.
mechanical means. By using this technique, the amount of
waste can be reduced and it varies from 50-85% reduction in 2. Gasification
waste. Compost can be used as fertilizer which is odour and Gasification is a process of incineration of solid waste
pathogen free. Earlier Government of India (GOI) under deficient conditions. The main purpose of this method
encouraged the initiative for MSWM and focused its is to produce fuel gas, which would be stored and used when
implementation in urban areas. Later in 1974, GOI required. Gasification can be used in treatment of MSW after
introduced a scheme to implement it in cities with more than drying and removing the inert and small size substances.
0.3 million populations. Large-scale composting plants were About 25% of gas produced can be reused to support the
setup in cities all around India with capacity varying from gasification process; the remaining is recovered and used for
150-300 tonnes/per day. After 1980, composting is not being power generation. Again, it is found that the process in not
used for enrichment of soil properties due to its shortcomings efficient.
and it proved to be unsuccessful. It has also been found that
only 9% MSW can be treated by composting. 3. Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)
It is a technique used to produce and improve solid fuel
2. Vermicomposting or pellets from MSW. An RDF plant was commissioned in
It is a joint process using both earthworms and Hyderabad in 1999 near Golconda dumping ground with
microorganisms for decomposition and stabilisation of 1000 tonnes/day capacity. The RDF produced is used for
organic waste. These microbes initially decompose the power generation. It reduces the pressure on landfills and this
biodegradable organic matter by extra cellular enzyme process is directly capable of generating power from MSW.
activity, followed by consumption of these partially The method is a viable replacement to current apparatus of
decomposed matter. They are said to consume organic matter waste treatment but requires a high initial investment.
five-times their body weight. The cast from worm is fine,
odourless and granular and serve as bio fertilizers in  Recovery of Recyclable Materials from Open Dumping
agriculture. Some shortcomings of the method are the amount
of time consumed; only a specific class of organic waste can Many materials in MSW like paper, plastic, glass,
be treated and at top of all, it requires large area. If waste is rubber and non-ferrous metals are suitable for recovery and
not segregated properly then this process cannot be used. reuse. The total amount of recyclable objects varies from
13% to 20%. Indian rag pickers play a crucial role in SWM.
3. Anaerobic Composting (Bio Methanation) While making comparisons with other countries, 40-80%
In this process organic waste is buried in pits under plastic waste in India is recyclable whereas in other countries
partially anaerobic conditions which will are later treated by it is only 10-15%. Even though the global recovery rate is
anaerobic microorganisms that release gases like methane increasing, the total waste production is increasing at a faster
and carbon dioxide and the resulting residual matter is good rate. Also, this a labour intensive work and requires lot of
manure. This process is very slow but can become much man hours to search the dumping grounds for appropriate
faster and commercialized by implications of latest plastic waste.
technology. It generates 55-60% methane which can be used
directly. As this process is slow and due to the high amount Hence, it was found that the methodology adopted till
of waste collection in cities every day which is rapidly now has some flaws and lacunas associated with its
implementation and application.

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Volume 4, Issue 4, April – 2019 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
 Stage 2: Problem Definition (Define Stage) After accounting for samples in which more than one
parameter was beyond permissible limits, it was concluded
 Amount of Waste Produced that 31% of the groundwater samples were not up to drinking
Bengaluru is one among the largest five cities in India water standards.
with an estimated population of around 12.3 million (2017).
At present only 10% of the waste is recycled. Most of the A health survey done by environmental support group
literature reported that the waste generation rate is 0.4–0.6 team near the landfill areas of Bengaluru. It was discovered
kg/capita/day. 0.5 kg/capita/day is proposed as waste that with regard to children there is a very high incidence of
generation rate for Bengaluru city [3][4]. Bengaluru wastes respiratory disorders (like frequent cough),
have 21.27% of the recyclable materials: paper, polythene, Bronchopneumonia, Meningitis, Skin infections (fungal) and
cloth, rubber, glass and metals [5]. Presently, the city susceptibility to vector borne diseases (Dengue) and also
employs a quasi-centralized collection system widespread viral fever. In addition, developmental
(predominantly open dumping of collected waste). The extent malformations were noticed.
of waste collected ranges from 75-90% of the waste
generated. In this way there is a significant level of In the case of women, several reported constant
satisfaction among the citizens for cleanliness thus achieved, headaches, skin infections, respiratory disorders, and
albeit occasional lapses at the local level. The primary menstrual disorders. In addition, diabetes mellitus was
collection systems transfer the waste to large bins that are observed in many cases. Similarly, menstrual and skeleto-
directly transported by tippers and dumper placer trucks to muscular disorder were common. There were also several
locations outside the city. cases where Hysterectomy (uterus removal surgery) had been
performed. Besides, there were instances of Lung Cancer,
Bengaluru generates about 6200 - 6400 tonnes of solid Kidney Failure, and the rare Fatty Liver condition. Vector
waste daily, according to recent data. The BBMP is carrying borne diseases like Dengue, Chickungunya and other
out collection, street sweeping, transportation, processing and psychosomatic disorder were also observed in the inhabitants
disposal of Municipal Solid Waste from generators. BBMP of the area.
has a system of door to door collection for collecting the
MSW. The MSW collected has to be processed before The men were also found to have Skin Infection,
landfilling. BBMP has taken several steps to streamline the Respiratory Disorders, Diabetes Mellitus, Oesophagus
MSW management in the city Cancer, Kidney Failure, Cardiac Arrest, Vector borne
diseases like Dengue and other psychosomatic disorder.
 City Statistics
 Area: 800 sq. km  Transportation of Waste
 Population (estimated): 12.3 million About 670 MSW transportation vehicles including 240
 Households: 2.5 million Compactors, & 430 Tipper Lorries, Dumper placers &
 Commercial Properties: 3.5 million Mechanical Sweepers both of BBMP and contractors are
 No of Zones: 8; No of Wards: 198 used for transportation of MSW to the processing and landfill
 Estimated MSW generation from all sources for BBMP sites.
zones: 6200 tonnes/day
 Per capita waste: 350 gm/day (domestic waste) Transportation of waste has to be managed to collect
the waste from following sources:
 Households contribute to ~ 54% percent of the total
 Residential homes- Garbage trucks are scheduled to
waste; Markets & function halls contribute to 20% and
commercial establishment & institutions contribute to collect waste through door to door services
17% and others 9%  Community bins- regulating the transportation of waste
 Segregation of waste at source: 10% through bins has to be made much more frequent
 Self-delivered or Contracted/delegated service- These
 Effect of MSW waste collections are usually transported by the collector
Most of the waste is dumped in water bodies results in itself. The collector can be the producer of waste or rag
pollution of rivers and lakes leading to increased toxicity of dealers or several start-ups that are emerging rapidly to
the water. An estimated 400-600 million litres of untreated solve the city crisis
sewage are let into the lake catchment every day.
 Stage 3: Ideation
In a study regarding the check on water quality, 2209
groundwater samples were analysed, covering the entire city Four different concepts for improving the waste
area and analysed. Nitrate content is in excess, that is above management have been identified; Integrated Solid Waste
the permissible limit in 29% of the samples, iron in 10%, and Management, Integration of the informal sector, Private
total hardness in 8.5% and fluoride in 0.6% of the samples. Public Partnerships and Decentralization [6]. Some

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Volume 4, Issue 4, April – 2019 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
techniques in lines of these concepts have been elucidated
here in detail.

1. Waste sorting-
Solid waste can be segregated by using mechanical
means at the source and at the landfills. This waste can be
segregated via mechanical means by a mechanical sorter or
magnetic sorter.

A US patent no. 4,660,758 explains the design of a

separator-receptacle for holding waste products.

2. Resource Recovery
Curb side collection is the best way to combat resource
recovery. Bins can be separated for three types: one for Fig 1:- Mechanism of enzymatic breakdown
recycling, second for general waste and another for garden
material. Paper waste can be segregated into boxes or bags 5. Existing state of operation: Cleaning up of oceans
for further recycling. If the curb side collection is organized, a) A huge ocean cleaning program is in place where
resource recovery can be done easily incorporating recycling countries around the world have joined hands to clean up
techniques [5]. the solid waste from oceans.
b) They have different methodologies of working and
3. Direct waste transportation system from homes operation. Most of them are trying to catch hold of waste
For new cities and townships that are built, a network physically
of garbage collection pipelines can be established, removing c) Other proposed methodologies:
the garbage trucks entirely from the street. The terminals of i. Usage of microbes that degrade the plastic into some
these waste collection pipelines will be at the houses and the other simpler organic compound
collection centre. It will just not be limited to houses and ii. This will ensure that the leached particles that have been
offices, other public places will also be connected to the dissolved in the water are also consumed and it no longer
same. is a harm to the aquatic life in the region.
a. A suction system will be in place wherein the garbage d) Since India has the largest coastline in South East Asia, it
will be sucked in from end (the collection centre) also becomes one of the largest contributor to waste in
b. The user of the system can put the garbage at the other seas.
terminal (the source). a. The above methods can be extended to Indian
c. There will be sub terminals that will be used to clean and subcontinent for cleaning up of seas and oceans
remove the waste that gets stuck during the entire process. b. The landfills should not be set up near coastal areas, they
should be at great distance from any water body to avoid
4. The disposal plastic is one of the biggest issues in our the problems of leaching.
country right now; it clogs the sewage lines, being non-
biodegradable and stays in the environment for a long 6. Innovation for the garbage dumps (an implication of IoT):
time. a) As the garbage dump gets filled, the IoT device sends a
a. New government law should mandate the use of notification to the nearest local municipal corporation.
biodegradable plastic ha b) The time for which the garbage dump is full, an auxiliary
b. Usage of biodegradable polymers can prove to be helpful garbage collection box opens up, which can collect the
in this regard. Biodegradable polymers like Poly(3- waste meanwhile the garbage truck comes and collects the
hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) or commonly waste
known as PHBV and nylon 2-nylon 6 can be used.
c. Enzymatic biodegradation of the plastics is also a viable 7. Induction of biodegradable plastics at a very cheap rate:
option wherein the plastic is injected with a certain This will drive out the non-biodegradable plastic
culture of microorganisms to degrade it. Examples of manufacturers from the market creating space for new
such microbes are: Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 innovation and new types of plastic in a market
and Rhodococcus sp. strain RHA1

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ISSN No:-2456-2165
IV. CONCLUSION REFERENCES

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FUTURE SCOPE and Possibilities - A Case Study with respect to selected
locations, Lake 2010: Wetlands, Biodiversity and
The proposed model of design thinking can be extended Climate Change
and utilized to other places across the globe. However, the
situation on ground at different geographical arena will vary
on account of number of factors like population, economy,
education level, administration, waste management history,
infrastructure available, geographical factors, kind of waste
produced and the amount of waste produced per capita. A
rigorous analysis has to be done in order to extend the
proposed model to other regions. The methodology proposed
for the same is as follows:
1. The geographical area must be identified wherein the
solid waste management needs to be done.
2. The available resources are mapped and an inventory of
the same is prepared.
3. The history of solid waste management strategies adopted
before must be analysed and the shortcomings pertaining
to it should be documented.
4. A dry run of the design thinking principle is done on
paper and shortcomings that might come should be
analysed and tackled with.
5. Finally, the design thinking principle is applied over the
geographical area and the results are obtained and
examined in intervals of months and years.
6. Continuous improvements have to be made to keep the
model viable.

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