Sustainable Municipal Waste Management with a Zero Waste Approach

This book includes a variety of cases detailing novel municipal waste management strategies, including use of microorganisms, harnessing artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, and implementing advanced waste management techniques. Sustainable municipal waste management, coupled with a zero waste approach and circular economy principles, represents a pivotal strategy for addressing the escalating challenges posed by municipal waste pollution. Municipal waste encompasses a diverse array of materials generated from households, businesses, institutions, and public spaces, including organic waste, plastics, paper, metals, and glass. As urbanization accelerates and consumption patterns evolve, the volume of municipal waste continues to surge, exerting significant pressures on ecosystems, public health, and natural resources. Municipal waste pollution arises from improper disposal practices, inadequate waste management infrastructure, and unsustainable consumption habits. 

Sources of municipal waste in the environment include landfills, incineration facilities, illegal dumping sites, and littering, contributing to soil, water, and air pollution. The indiscriminate disposal of waste leads to a number of adverse effects and impacts, including habitat destruction, wildlife entanglement, groundwater contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, and the proliferation of disease vectors. To address these challenges, innovative approaches blended with sustainability principles are essential. With these strategies, communities can transition toward more resilient and resource-efficient waste management systems

Dr. Alok Prasad Das is presently serving as Assistant Professor in the Department of Life Sciences, at Rama Devi Women’s University, Odisha, India. He is Academician, Researcher, and Author of journal articles, several books, and book chapters. He is Editorial Member of several reputed journals. With more than 15 years of research experience, Dr. Das has been supported through various research grants from the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. His research and innovation work, done in national and international collaborations, has appeared in over 130 publications; and his contributions have been recognized by several awards. His area of expertise includes bioremediation and bioleaching of mining pollutants, bioconversion of environmental waste to value-based products, bioremediation of microplastics and microfiber pollutants, and geomicrobiology of extreme habitats.

Dr. Kosala Sirisena is currently serving as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Technology, at University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is Passionate Educator and Accomplished Researcher in microbial ecology and environmental biotechnology, with over a decade of research and teaching experience. He obtained his Ph.D. in cell and molecular biosciences from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he worked as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at several universities/institutions including Victoria University of Wellington, GNS Science, and Lincoln University in New Zealand, as well as at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Rutgers University in the United States. He has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, earning the prestigious SUSRED Award for 2024 from the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka for excellence in Ph.D. supervision.

Ms. Dipalee Bhanja is Research Scholar, with environmental biotechnology as a major research expertise. Her research is focused on various aspects of bioremediation including biomedical pollution, its effect on the environment, consequences of heavy metal pollutants’ exposure in humans, and long-term sustainable technologies for remediation of these pollutants. She has more than 8 years of experience in microbial isolation and screening techniques form extreme habitats.