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Environmental Engineering and Management Journal November/December 2008, Vol.7, No.6, 717-723
http://omicron.ch.tuiasi.ro/EEMJ/
______________________________________________________________________________________________
MANAGEMENT OF WASTE IN RURAL AREAS
OF GORJ COUNTY, ROMANIA
Camelia Căpăţînă1∗, Claudia Maria Simonescu2
1University „Constantin Brâncuşi” of Tg-Jiu, Faculty of Engineering, 3 Geneva Street, 210152, Tg-Jiu, Gorj, Romania,
2University „Politehnica” of Bucharest, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, 1-7 Polizu Street, RO-011061,
Bucharest, Romania
Abstract
On the top of the ecological priority list in Romania, waste management is on the third place following the problems regarding the
surface and underground water pollution, as well as that of the atmosphere. The clean-up of the landscape represents an issue
largely discussed in Romania. The paper presents the advantages of waste management for the landscape, which includes: waste
gathering and transfer, waste selection, waste biological treatment and the storage.
Some analyses of the constituent components of the soil are presented, in order to assess the possibility to use the compost
obtained from waste household within a composting station in agricultural sector of the district of Gorj. The experimental data
demonstrated the possibility of using the compost as a fertilizer on the agricultural fields.
By applying good management and treatment practices of the household wastes, one may achieve long-tern economic objectives
such as: the improvement of public health as well as the protection of the natural resources by diminishing the soil, water and air
contamination.
Key words: compost, management, rural, waste
∗ Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed: e-mail: cam@utgjiu.ro
1. Introduction
The household and the municipal waste, as
well as waste on the outskirts of forests, orchards and
pastures or worse, in lakes or rivers, represent a real
hazard for the future of the society by influencing the
quality of the environment and its natural evolution.
The cleaning of landscape represents a
problem discussed at present in Romania, unlike the
situation of the West European landscape, where it
represents no longer an issue.
The measures and methods imposed step by
step as well as their chronological order are
materialized and exposed in a clear way in an
integrated concept of waste management.
The most important developing directions
within the waste management are presented as
follows (Apostol et al., 2006; Bold and Mărăcineanu,
2003; Jones et al., 2005; Păunescu et al., 2002):
- the valorization, separate gathering and ecological
removal in a secure way of the dangerous wastes;
- the coordination and ordering of cleaning
measures (for example: selecting the proper legal
forms for the functioning of the waste
management; finding some suitable private third
parties for taking care of operations like waste
evacuation and cleaning measures side by side
with the local community, the upholding and
coordination of commercialization measures and
safely keeping the component in the valuable
materials);
- the control of the cleaning up service (through the
elaboration of some balance sheets regarding the
quantity of the materials, as well as the
examination of the fundamental costs for an
eventual continuation or variation, or
improvement of the waste management
objectives);
- the information and counseling of the waste
generating companies in order to minimize the
waste production as well as to encourage the
valorization measures;
“Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania
Capatina and Simonescu/Environmental Engineering and Management Journal 7 (2008), 6, 717-723
718
- to conceive and issue some legal stipulations
(resolutions, norms and regulations of the district
council) considered as the most important legal
base for waste removal with the possibility of
influencing the citizen’s behavior towards a
reduction of waste production mentality (by
regulating the wastes cleaning, the obligation to
have proper waste recipients).
The concept of waste integrated management
may be useful within the authorization of some
treatment and removal waste equipments, for proving
the understanding of waste management priorities, for
prevention of waste formation before valorization and
ecological removal.
The necessity of some waste storage within a
global concept together with the due measures for the
limitation of production and valorization in a credible
manner for the population is evident.
In conformity with the fundamental norms in
the process of waste removal, one has to start from
the premise of a high level environmental protection.
The paper presents an analysis of the
household waste management on the Romanian
landscape.
2. Experimental
2.1. Gathering and waste transfer
The gathering of the domestic wastes
represents a great present day issue because their
volume increases with the increase in the population
and of its welfare; the increase of these factors
generate hazards and risk of environmental
deterioration.
The variety of the wastes composition makes
the process of aerobic and anaerobic degradation
faster and more difficult to follow, provoking in the
case of a delayed and unsanitary gathering the
pollution of the air and water.
Previous to the collection operation of the
domestic wastes – process performed by specialized
units – there is another phase that may be considered
as a ’pre-collection’ realized by the tenants or the
service personnel from the public locals, stores or
institutions.
The transfer refers to the moving of the
wastes from the first collecting vehicle to a
secondary one, bigger and more efficient.
While the systems of waste management have
a collection structure, not all the systems have the
transfer one.
2.2. Waste selection
The European policy in the environmental
field stipulates that the waste selection has to be made
in one unique fraction, as much as possible at the
source. This operation has to be followed by the
waste gathering and separate elimination, where their
nature is known. This is an important aspect both
from the ecological point of view as well as from the
sanitary and security one. The separate collection and
selection of the domestic wastes may be realized also
by the population in the process of their generation.
But to achieve this, the population has to be made
aware by the gravity of the problem linked to the
waste management and the related issues of problem
posed to the environment and population by the
wastes.
There is selection in the district of Gorj. This
selection is carried out taking into account some
aspects: dimensional; from density point of view;
optical; magnetic; manual.
2.3. Waste biological treatment
The elimination, the waste biological treatment
respectively, relies on the decomposition of the
organic substances from the wastes under the action
of the microorganisms (Ahn et al., 2004; Boullagiu et
al., 2004; Chae et al., 2004; Lissens et al., 2004;
Mahmoud et al., 2004).
The decomposition is realized by two
procedures:
- the transformation in compost through air feeding;
- the transformation in biogas through tight closing
that leads to a reduction of the initial content of
organic substances.
By the biological treatment are realized both
the valorization and the residues removal. By the
process of obliteration the wastes are converted in a
non-polluting product with a high nourishing value
for plants and a very good supplement for the soil
physical and chemical state. The waste conversion in
used compost in agriculture is known in practice from
about 7-8 decades, mostly after the populated centers
met with an important development.
Although until now there have been realized
many researches and processing procedures, the
problem of obliteration remains still actual and
continues to be studied, both independent and
together with other methods of waste valorization
(Celis-Garcia et al., 2004; Dohanyos et al., 2004;
Mahmoud et al., 2004).
Basically the compost preparation technology
has two fundamental phases:
- the mechanical preparation;
- the actual obliteration.
Table 1 presents the compost composition
from the composting station from the district of Gorj.
The samples for the determination of the
utilization possibility in agriculture of the mud were
taken from the soil surface, from 2 agro-chemically
homogeneous plots, of 1 hectare each, the sampling
depth being 0-20 cm, in 1 kg plastic bags, separately
labeled. The soil sampling was done with the help of
the Mole type agro-chemical probes.
The soil samples were passed through solution
with the help of the mineralizer by oxidation with
concentrated H2SO4 and 50% perhydrol, then the
samples are analyzed by flame atomic absorption
spectrometry by using a flame system AA
Spectrometer novA®300.
Management of waste in rural areas
719
Table 1. Average composition of compost probe from the domestic wastes prepared in the compost station or formed in the
baluster for controlled storing
The average composition of the compost%
Characteristics Composting station Storing baluster
Water 35.98 34.14
pH 7.4 7.62
Dried substances
Total organic material 45.38 41.50
Carbon 17.22 12.78
Nitrogen 0.77 1.35
Carbon/Nitrogen 18.78 9.47
Main elements
Phosphorus Pentoxide (P2O5) 0.85 0.75
Potassium (K2O) 0.78 0.64
Soda (Na2O) 0.89 0.62
Lime (CaO) 6.67 9.80
Magnesium (MgO) 0.94 1.86
Iron (Fe) 5.54 6.45
Sulphur (S) 0.75 1.09
Chlorides (Cl) 0.66 0.90
Oligoelements (substances necessary for the
microorganisms nourishment)
Magnesium (Mg) 0.0452 0.0689
Copper (Cu) 0.0669 0.0929
Zinc (Zn) 0.0803 0.1519
Boron (B) 0.0017 0.0017
Table 2. Characterization of the soil samples - first sampling point
Parameters Unit Source values Normal
Values
Limit Alert
Values
Sensitive use
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
pH at 20°C pH unit 8.32 7.93 8.11 8.00 8.20 8.08 7.30 8.15 8.5 7.46 - -
Humidity % 3.37 3.19 3.89 3.11 3.69 3.65 3.65 3.65 3.75 3.72 - -
N-total mg/kgSU 58.56 60.59 63.62 64.95 60.14 58.41 65.35 62.95 63.7 60.39 - -
NO3-N mg/kgSU 41.68 42.59 44.42 46.35 44.34 44.51 47.65 47.46 43.7 44.19 - -
NH4-N mg/kgSU 16.88 18.0 19.20 18.6 15.8 13.9 17.7 15.49 20 16.2 - -
P2O5 mg/kgSU 3.814 4.181 4.47 2.62 3.09 1.42 1.38 3.32 3.90 1.14 - -
MgO mg/kgSU 10.779 11.40 11.52 11.77 13.03 10.96 11.12 13.68 14.61 11.64 - -
CaO mg/kgSU 17.411 14.921 15.068 16.49 14.75 12.77 12.615 12.31 22.82 21.66 - -
K2O mg/kgSU 4.973 3.841 4.513 4.123 4.899 3.764 4.640 4.733 3.49 4.42 - -
Cd mg/kgSU <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 l 3
Cu mg/kgSU 17.2 20.02 16.76 16.23 14.19 16.68 18.92 17.21 15.30 18.76 20 100
Ni mg/kgSU 27.21 25.66 24.59 23.7 22.51 23.54 25.38 23.19 28.8 27.95 20 75
Pb mg/kgSU 15.06 14.12 14.95 13.41 12.33 14.54 13.38 14.15 14.17 14.77 20 50
Zn mg/kgSU 36.32 36.47 32.08 29.5 25.8 25.82 29.33 26.50 25.19 30.29 100 300
Cr mg/kgSU 32.04 33.2 37.55 37.22 31.3 37.42 31.85 31.66 30.3 34.11 30 100
Mn mg/kgSU 374.48 378.35 403.5 416 363.9 376.8 413.17 426.8 467.7 439.1 900 1500
Hg mg/kgSU <0.1 <0.1 <01 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 0.1 1
SU – dried substance
Capatina and Simonescu/Environmental Engineering and Management Journal 7 (2008), 6, 717-723
720
Table 3. Characterization of the soil samples from the second sampling point
Parameters Unit L1
01
L2
02
L3
03
L4
04
L5
05
L6
06
L7
07
L8
08
L9
09
L10
10
Normal
Values
Limits
Alert
Values
pH at 200C 8.39 8 29 8.01 8.30 8.27 7.57 7.68 8.36 7.66 8.09 - -
Humidity % 3.75 3.74 3.11 3.60 3.66 3.58 3.35 3.41 3.63 3.50 - -
N total mg/kgSU 52.43 45.47 49.1 52.92 45.18 48.06 46.54 49.89 49.76 48.67 - -
N-NO3 mg/kgSU 41.74 36.86 39.60 42.12 37.25 37.7 39.07 38,12 38.59 37.17 - -
N-NH4 mg/kg SU 10.69 8.61 9.5 10.80 7.93 10.36 7.47 11.77 11.17 11.5 - -
P2O5 mg/kgSU 3.446 2.673 3.504 3.085 2.205 1.661 1.420 1.836 1.664 1.304 - -
MgO mg/kgSU 19.838 13.519 17.82 11.41 15.308 20.5 14.925 19.05 12.062 10.7 - -
CaO mg/kgSU 30.225 21.272 19.517 19.464 18.70 21.385 25.121 28.818 17.445 23 - -
K2O mg/kgSU 3.927 4.05 3.667 3.678 3.689 3.777 4.033 3.578 4.241 4.329 - -
Cd mg/kgSU <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 1 3
Cu mg/kgSU 18.91 11.48 18.78 13.69 22.68 23.03 22.03 14.92 14.68 16.81 20 100
Ni mg/kgSU 16.41 16.20 29.37 19.07 26.87 32.13 34.5 30.94 18.41 27.02 20 75
Pb mg/kgSU 21.88 20.97 15.16 25.64 17.96 24,21 22.92 24.03 22.40 18.33 20 50
Zn mg/kgSU 49.58 45.34 43 39 46.89 43.71 46.61 43.40 39.27 31.34 48.12 100 300
Cr mg/kgSU 36.69 28.51 31.92 32.34 32.62 27.1 37.34 32.05 31.05 30.11 30 100
Mn mg/kgSU 412.72 402.69 362.53 418.96 451.12 405.82 373.54 433.16 387.53 405.78 900 1500
Hg mg/kgSU <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 0.1 1
2.4. Waste storage
Until now, both on national as well as on the
global level there is the practice of the residue
evacuation in the so-called ’garbage dumps’. They are
formed either in natural depressions or are the result
of field hosing or construction quarries. Due to the
fact that the number of the garbage dumps is getting
smaller and the distance to reach them is great, the
waste transportation expenses are considerable.
The waste storage may be (Apostol et al.,
2006; Căpăţînă et al., 2006):
- simple;
- controlled.
The storehouse represents a location for the
final elimination of the wastes through storage on the
ground or in the underground, including:
- internal spaces for the waste storage, that is
storehouses where a waste producer performs its
own waste elimination (the producing site);
- a permanent arranged surface (that is, for a
period of over a year) for the temporary storage
of the wastes, but exclusively;
- installations where the wastes are unloaded to
allow their preparation for a later transportation
for the recuperation, treatment and final
elimination somewhere else;
- the waste storage before its valorization or
treatment for a period smaller than 3 years, as a
general rule, or the storage before the elimination
for a period smaller than one year.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. The possibility of using the compost as a
fertilizer
For the first sampling point (Table 2), the
results of the samples indicate the fact that the soil
has a neutral to weak alkaline pH (7.3 - 8.5), a
relatively constant humidity (3.11 - 3.89%), and the
heavy metals content is under the alert limit.
The analytical results of the heavy metals in
the medium soil samples lead to the following
conclusions:
- cadmium and mercury are not detectable;
- nickel with concentrations of 22.5-28.8 ppm (1
mg/kg = 1 ppm) exceeds the normal values for
the soil (20 ppm), but is still under the alert limit
(75 ppm);
- total chromium with concentrations from 30 to
37.5 ppm exceeds the normal value of 30 ppm,
but is still under the alert limit (100 ppm).
The lead, zinc, copper, manganese
concentrations are under the normal limits.
In Table 3 there are presented the analytical
results for the second sampling point. The results of
the samples indicate the fact that the soil has a weak
alkaline pH (7.57-8.4), a relatively constant humidity
(3.11 -3.75%); and the heavy metals content is under
the alert limit. The heavy metals concentration is not
significantly different as compared to other areas:
- cadmium and mercury are not detectable;
- copper is present in a concentration between
11.48 and 23.03 ppm. Three of the medium
Management of waste in rural areas
721
samples have concentrations that exceed the
normal value of 20 ppm but are much below
the alert limits (100 ppm).
- nickel, with concentrations from 16.2 to 34.5
ppm, often exceeds the normal value (20
ppm), but remains under the alert limit (75
ppm);
- total chromium, with concentrations between
27.1 and 37.34 ppm, for all samples, is much
under the alert limit (100 ppm);
- the zinc and manganese concentrations are
below normal limits.
This study made in order to establish the
possibility of using the compost as a fertilizer was
followed by a study based on a questionnaire for
people attitude examination about environmental
problems especially waste problems.
3.2. Study regarding the attitude of the population
over the problematic of solid wastes in the
countryside
This questionnaire was made for the
examination of the individual’s attitude, with the
residence in the countryside, over the problem of the
environment pollution with solid wastes and the lack
of a waste management system. The study used a
sample of 21 persons that live in the countryside. The
researchers tried to understand as much as possible
the way each person conceived the problem.
In the following we will present some graphics
that reflect the answers of the persons interviewed
regarding the issue. The age of those interviewed
ranged from 18 to 58 years, the last one being the age
of the retiring persons. Regarding the occupation,
they qualify in the following categories: pupil,
housekeeper, manager, unemployed, retired person,
civil servant, worker, professor, engineer, economist,
foreman, technician, electrician etc. Regarding their
level of study qualification, the respondents range
from those with medium studies (vocational
education, high school), primary studies (7 and 8
grades) and higher studies (faculty).
Regarding the question (1): „On a scale from
1 to 10, appreciate the importance of the environment
protection for the territory arrangement in
comparison with other socio-economic sectors?” the
answer is given in Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Graphic representation for question No. 1
Question (2): „How do you appreciate the
quality of the environment in the countryside?” has
the answer graphically represented in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2. Graphic representation for question No. 2
The answers given to this question are mostly
positive, in the sense that the administrative territory
of the commune was not covered with wastes and the
condition of the environment is still favorable.
Question (3): „Which is the most serious
environment problem from the countryside?”
Through this question the research followed the
knowledge of the most serious present day problem
for the commune and if it is perceived at its real
value for the protection of the environment (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Graphic representation for question No. 3
Question (4): „How do you appreciate the
countryside people behavior confronted with the
environment problems?” is answered in Fig. 4.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
negativ indiferent interesat adec vat NS
Fig. 4. Graphic representation for question No. 4
Question (5): „How do you consider that the
countryside problems should be solved?” The
Capatina and Simonescu/Environmental Engineering and Management Journal 7 (2008), 6, 717-723
722
answers show that this particular problem of the
waste management should be confronted together by
the local communities with the local people
involvement (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5. Graphic representation for question No. 5
Question (6): „How do you appreciate the
outcome of the measures undertaken by the parties
involved in resolving the environment problems?”
Contrary to our expectations, the answers given by
the questioned reflects indifference for this problem
(Fig. 6).
Fig. 6. Graphic representation for question No. 6
Question (7): „What do you understand by
waste management?” has the answer presented in
Fig. 7.
Fig. 7. Graphic representation for question No. 7
Question: „Would you orientate yourself for
the acquisition of some ’ecologic products’, given
the conditions that they would have higher prices
than the conventional ones?” is answered in Fig. 8.
Fig. 8. Graphic representation for question No. 8
For the question (9): „If a tax would be
perceived for collecting domestic wastes within the
commune would you agree with it?” the answer is
given in Fig. 9.
Fig. 9. Graphic representation for question No. 9
Question (10): „Do you believe that
development of your children personality requires
the cultivation of an attitude regarding the
protection of the environment?” has the answer
represented in Fig. 10.
Fig. 10. Graphic representation for question No. 10
4. Conclusions
The compost improves the physicochemical
characteristics of the soils and the requirements of
using it as a fertilizer on the agricultural fields.
Because of the light alkaline pH and its
chemical features, the soil from the district of Gorj
allows the application of the compost with the
condition that it has to be in a finished state (ripped)
Management of waste in rural areas
723
and with the condition of respecting the dozes of
applied mud and calculated on the surface unity.
The measures and methods are materialized
and exposed in a clear way through an integrated
concept of waste management in the countryside:
- implementing real measures for cleaning;
- coordination and ordering of cleaning
measures;
- informing and counseling the waste producers
in order to minimize the quantity of wastes
generated as well as encouraging the
valorization measures;
- imaging and issuing of some legal stipulations,
considered as the most important legal basis for
the waste removal, with the possibility of
influencing the citizen’s behavior towards a
reduction of waste production mentality.
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