Public Health Concerns About the Effect of Solid Waste on Soil Pollution

Public health is often faced with soil pollution and the serious problems caused by solid waste. Protection and restoration of soil quality are important measures to maintain ecosystem sustainability, public health, and sustainable economic growth. To understand the complexity of these issues, this chapter aims to increase the reader's understanding and awareness of soil pollution and solid waste issues to support environmental conservation efforts with specific objectives. This paper breaks down some key questions: definitions of soil pollution and solid waste, types of solid waste, sources of solid waste, factors causing solid waste, impacts of solid waste on the environment, and appropriate measures for solid waste control and management. Several factors cause solid waste, including changes in consumption patterns, urbanization and population growth, industrialization, disposable materials use, and waste management infrastructure deficiencies. Of course, if solid waste is not prevented and managed properly, it will seriously impact humans and the environment. The impacts include odour, flooding due to clogged drains and sewers, and plastic waste that disturbs aquatic biota. Additionally, organic waste in open landfills creates a good environment for breeding disease-carrying animals (vectors), such as rats, mosquitoes, and flies. It also poses a risk of contaminating water, leading to the development of water-borne diseases. Solid waste management and control can be carried out to avoid the impact caused by the existence of solid waste. Solid waste management includes controlling the amount of waste generated, collection, transportation, processing, and final disposal. These five aspects are essential and must be considered in solid waste management. Besides management, solid waste can also be controlled in several ways, including the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R) method and Waste-to-energy (WtE).