Status of heavy metals distribution in municipal solid waste in Tiruchirappalli City, India.

ABSTRACT

Urbanization and rapid growth of population in India has led to drastic increase in municipal solid waste. Unscientific disposal of municipal solid waste is one of the main reasons attributed for environmental degradation. The present work concentrates on municipal solid waste management in Tiruchirappalli City which comprises of four zones namely Srirangam, Goldenrock, Araiyamangalam and Abishekapuram. This study also attempted to assess the physical composition, characteristics and the heavy metals content in municipal solid waste. It can be observed that the bio-degradable fraction of municipal solid waste is found to be 74 percent of the total solid waste generated from the city. Hence composting could be the best option for the treatment of municipal solid waste.