Iran Occupational Health

 Background and aims: Nowadays, the rapid growth of industries and production of various products has led to an increase in hazardous industrial solid waste. The aim of this study was to examine how to manage industrial solid waste in industrial zone of Shokuhiyeh in Qom province in 2013. Methods: This research was a descriptive, cross-sectional one. The data were gathered by first referring to industrial units and the completion of Iranian Environmental Organization Questionnaire and then analyzing the gathered data. This questionnaire included 24 items covering the quantity, quality, and management of industrial solid waste. In this study, 41 industrial units with a personnel of more than 50 were examined.

Results: The category of" chemical and metal industries" produced the highest solid waste and specific solid waste. The elements making up the produced solid waste were plastic (38%) and glass (27.5%), respectively. Among the storage methods, the temporary solid waste storage in baskets (36%) and open-doors method (32%) were the most common ones. 41% of industrial units disposed of solid waste monthly, 31.7% weekly, 24.4% daily and 2.4% in an inconsistent manner. 58% of produced solid waste was recycled, 35% was landfilled, 4.6% was burned up, and 2.4% was disposed of in an unknown manner.

 Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the collection and storage of industrial solid waste in the industrial zone of Shokuhiyeh is not done in a suitable manner. Moreover, no educational program has yet been done about the management of solid waste in most of the industries. Therefore, it seems indispensable to establish a suitable system of solid waste management in order to organize the conditions of industrial solid waste produced in this zone.