Where does all the garbage to?

The disposal of garbage has been a civic problem from ages together. Like sewage, it cannot be pumped into the drains and let it go. It is usually taken outside the village/towns and dumped on unused lands/sites, after taking paper and other useful re-cycled materials out.

Sometimes the garbage is used to fill the low-lying areas by way of spreading into various layers and pressed with the help of heavy machines. Thereafter it is covered with a thin layer of soil and left to rot, which also make the soil fertile for use for agriculture, etc.

Due to non-availability of wasteland in cities and towns,  the process of reducing the volume of garbage is done through the process of pulverization and incineration.

The pulverization is a simple mechanical process used for the treatment and recycling of solid and liquid refuse material.  A converter is a self-contained system capable of performing the functions of pasteurization of organic waste; sterilization of pathogenic or biohazard waste; grinding and pulverization of refuse into unrecognizable output; trash compaction;  dehydration. Because of the wide variety of functions available on converters, this technology has found application in diverse waste-producing industrial segments. Hospitals, clinics, municipal waste facilities, farms, slaughterhouses, supermarkets, ports, sea vessels, and airports are the primary beneficiaries of on-site waste conversion.

The most effective way of reducing the volume of garbage is the incineration. It is a waste treatment process  that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and heat. Everything is reduced to ash except the materials which is collected and may also be used again.  The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste, and may take the form of solid lumps or particulates carried by the flue gas. The flue gases must be cleaned of gaseous and particulate pollutants before they are dispersed into the atmosphere. In some cases, the heat generated by incineration can be used to generate electric power.

The latest development in the disposal of the garbage is the utilization of garbage to generate power. The burning of garbage produces heat energy which is then converted into other forms of energy like production of electricity.