Solid wastes refer to everything that goes out in trash. Municipal solid wastes are wastes from home, offices, stores, schools, hospitals, etc that are collected and disposed by the municipally. The municipal solid wastes generally comprise paper, food wastes, plastics, glass, metals, rubber, leather etc. Burning reduces the volume of the wastes, although it is generally not burn to completion and open drugs often serve as the breeding ground for rats and flies. Sanitary landfills were adopted as the substitute for open burning dumps. In a sanitary landfills wastes are dumped in a depression or trench after compaction and covered with dirt everyday.
Landfills are also not really much of a solution since the amount of garbage generation specially in the metros has increased so much that these sites are getting filled too. Also there is danger of seepage of chemicals, etc from these landfills polluting the underground water resources.