Environmental Science

Total MSW Generation 2005

Can you match the identities?

__ Food scraps__ Paper & Paperboard__ Glass__ Yard Trimmings__ Metals

Total MSW Generation 2005

Can you match the identities?

_B_ Food scraps_C_ Paper & Paperboard_D_ Glass_A_ Yard Trimmings_E_ Metals

GARBAGE CHALLENGE

• Weigh your waste!???– Convert grams pounds

• Analyze what your trash IS and ISN’T– See colored sheet – Create a class pie chart on the tarp by sorting your

materials to the appropriate sector

• Analyze these amounts & their landfill space– See white handout

Pd. 1 Waste

Pd. 4 Waste

Pd. 5 Waste

Pd. 6 Waste

What were you thinking about while collecting your waste?

• What are THREE “take home” lessons you should take away from our waste collection and sorting?

Pd. 7 Waste

Three ways to read…

• Scanning – rapidly viewing the text in search of key terms, phrases, or information

• Skimming – reading quickly to get the main idea of the text

• Careful/close reading – read every word for comprehension

Who can find it first…• How many of the incinerators in the US create

electricity?

These facilities are located in 25 states, mainly in the Northeast. No new plants have been

built in the US since 1995, but some plants have expanded to handle additional waste

and create more energy. These 86 facilities have the capacity to produce 2,720

megawatts of power per year by processing more than 28 million tons of waste per year.

According to Municipal Solid Waste in the US: Facts and Figures, in 2011 we combusted

about 29 million tons of MSW (about 12 percent) for energy recovery. After energy is

recovered, approximately ten percent of the volume remains as ash. This ash is generally

sent to a landfill.

Skimming Strategies

1. Read the first and last paragraphs of an article first.

2. Read the first sentence of each paragraph.3. Notice the titles and headings and

subheadings.4. Look at the illustrations, graphs or other

visuals on the page.5. Read the captions of the visuals.

Who can find it first…

• Skim for the main idea of the article “Go West, Garbage Can!”

• Make a t-chart in your notebook; head the left column with THINK & the right column with SUPPORT

• Read your assigned section in the article

• After you read, state what you THINK the section was about and write the direct evidence that SUPPORTS your thoughts

Reading for evidence

How many clicks does it take…Searching efficiently

Can you answer the following question in 4 clicks or less?

Is incineration a good option for our waste?

Putting everything together…

• You have 15 minutes to provide a comprehensive overview of your assigned topic.

– Find your sites efficiently

– SCAN sites for keywords and then SKIM for main ideas

– Read CAREFULLY when you get to important information

– Use the “think, support” strategy we used to organize

your thoughts

Give one, Get one

• Make a table of 6 boxes

• Meet with 6 different people– GIVE an interesting fact about your researched

topic– GET an interesting fact about theirs and write it in

a box

Think about your topic from yesterday…

– Is it a current (or past) problem/issue we face when dealing with waste?

– Is it a possible solution to deal with waste?– Is it a technology/technique that can help us deal

with waste?

Can you find your perfect match?

• 2 mins to explore a possible connection– 1 min to tell about yourself (your topic)

• Did you make a connection?LOVE connection = – opposites attract

• If you have a waste problem, are they a solution or vice versa?

– birds of a feather flock together• Do you have something in common?

What’s your compatibility?

1. Rate your current match (scale of 1 to 5) 5 = strong connection 1 = no compatibility

2. Defend your rating…– summarize their topic and how it relates to you

3. Who was your best overall match? – Defend your reasoning.

How is waste processed on Earth?____ Recovered, Recycled or Composted____ Landfills____ Incinerated

B (28%) Recovered, Recycled or Composted

A (57%) Landfills

C (15%) Incinerated

What’s the difference between a modern landfill and a town

dump?

Waste Legislation

• 1976 - RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act):– Requires all landfills to

• have a liner,• Collect and treat leachate • vent methane gas

– Also requires producers of hazardous wastes to keep records

Biodegradable WasteDef: material that can be broken down by

decomposers (Fungus & Bacteria)

Which of the following is not biodegradable?a. Newspapersb. Plasticc. Cottond. Foode. Leather

Non-biodegradable WasteDef: Materials that cannot be degraded by living

things within a human lifetimeWhich one does not belong?a. Nylonb.Cardboardc. Plasticd.Fleecee. Polyester

Methane Gas Recovery tooMethane Gas Recovery too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7EEC3ctQro3:00

Reducing environmental impact

• Groundwater Monitoring

• Leachate collection

• Methane gas recovery

Making the best out of landfills…

How much space does our waste take up?

• Analyze your landfill space– Complete #5-6 on the white handout

• How much time until PA needs to build new landfills?– Calculations on the webquest

Where does YOUR waste go?

Covanta Waste-to-Energy Plant Plymouth Meeting, PA

Incinerators = burning trashhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJcLFzV4nb0 2:39

+ / - for Waste-to-Energy Plants

ADVANTAGES• Reduces trash volume

by 90%• Used for electricity

DISADVANTAGES• Air Pollution• Greenhouse Gases• Ash = more toxic than

garbage; must go to haz waste landfill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdD1NjDsBUc&feature=related4:16

Haz Waste defined:

• Contains toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic compounds

• Catch fire easily• Explosive or release toxic fumes• Capable of corroding metal containers

Options for Hazardous Waste

• Reduce• Reuse• Convert• Incinerate• Land Disposal• Export

What is the best answer?

Upper Dublin Hazardous Waste collection dates 2014

• Saturday, April 5, 2014 9a-1p at the Upper Dublin Township Building

• Saturday, September 6, 2014 9a-1p at the Upper Dublin Township Building

NIMBY

Exit Slip…

In your opinion, which is the better option: landfills or incinerators?

•Make a claim and provide at least THREE pieces of supporting evidence

WHAT ARE OUR OTHER OPTIONS?So what do we do?

Which is the best option?

The R’s• REDUCE - Reducing the amount of trash

created• REUSE - Use the item again without changing

its form• RECYCLE - Chemically changes the form of

trash in order to make a useful product• Re…?• Re…?

The R’s Carousel…• Each table has several items to explore

~ 6 minutes at each station

• Answer the questions (including the math problem!) in your lab notebook.

Reduce

How?• Make products last longer• Buy in bulk• Source reduction• Precycling – do I really need

this?– Is it over packaged?

Reuse

Why?• Reduces energy use and

raw materials needed

Scrap Recap

• 2 things you learned about the items

• Of the 3 R’s which is most important? Use specific examples from the carousel to support your answer.

Recycling• Primary recycling – makes the same product

– Examples

• Secondary recycling – makes a new product– Examples

Steps of Recycling1. Collect

- Single stream vs. source separation2. Send to MRF (materials recovery facility)

– Separates trash from materials that can be recycled– Recycles or burns remaining combustible waste– Problems: Expensive; Energy to separate trash; Must have

large input of garbage; Toxic pollutants

3. Cleaned, shredded/crushed/melted, in order to make new products

http://www.recyclenow.com/how_is_it_recycled/recycling_centre.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CFE5tD1CCI (2:50; cartoon explanation)

http://waste360.com/news/waste-management-philadelphia-mrf-20110412 (3:33 - 6:45)

Recycle

PROS and CONS…•Takes energy and water, but less than virgin materials

•Close the loop - Need a market to buy the recycled materials or system is useless.

Upcycling

• Taking trash items and turning them into a useful item with minimal change to its form

Why?• Creates something useful• Reduces energy use and raw

materials needed

http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/product_categories/gifts/products.htm

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/g-word-online-clips-terracycling.html

Compost– Decomposers break down waste to make soil rich

in organic matter and nutrients– Makes mulch and fertilizer– Prevents waste from being put into landfill.

Even princesses compost!

Paper or Plastic?

• 20-40% less E to manufacture plastic• 1 truckload of plastic = 7 truckloads of paper

Paper or Plastic?• A study by Canadian scientist Martin Hocking shows that

making a paper cup uses as much petroleum or natural gas as a polystyrene cup.

• Plus, the paper cup uses wood pulp. • The paper cup consumes 12 X’s as much steam, 36 X’s as

much electricity, and 2X’s as much cooling water as the plastic cup.

• Because the paper cup uses more raw materials and energy, it also costs 2.5 times more than the plastic cup.

• But the paper cup will degrade, right? Probably not. Modern landfills are designed to inhibit degradation so that toxic wastes do not seep into the surrounding soil and groundwater.

• The paper cup will still be a paper cup 20 years from now

What does Biodegradable mean?

Zero Waste…is it possible?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1n3Fb5FqyU&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLB1CE7BCBBED3DA4B

Extra Slides

Hazardous Waste Legislation

• 1980 - CRCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act):

– Gives the EPA the right to sue companies for cleanup costs

– Establishes a fund to clean up abandoned waste sites = SUPERFUND