Recycling Composting Waste Reduction€¦ · Waste Reduction 3 R’s and Composting Recovery...
Transcript of Recycling Composting Waste Reduction€¦ · Waste Reduction 3 R’s and Composting Recovery...
Waste Reduction 3 R’s and Composting
Recovery• Resource recover is the recognition that waste often still have
a function. –Once treated, transform it into new by-products.
CompostingRecycling
• By reusing these materials… – We reduce the amount of
materials discarded in the landfill or that is incinerated.
– We reduce the demand for new resources.
The Three R’s• Reduce is waste minimization or
prevention. • Reuse is to use something more than
once. • Recycle is to collect materials and
convert them into raw materials that will be used to produce new objects.
There is an order to the Three R’s!
• It is always best to reduce the amount of waste generated. • Reducing and reusing go hand-in-hand.
• Recycling is a process, and therefore has its own impacts including that the material quality is reduced by processing.
All About Recycling• Closed loop - remanufacture a product
back to the original product. • It is important to support the use of recycled
materials. • Open loop - process when a product into a
new product.
Why Doesn’t Everyone Recycle?
Creative Options• Zero Waste
• Developing products and services while eliminating the volume and toxicity of waste and materials and conserve and recover all resources.
• Upcycling • The process of converting waste into something of greater value.
Upcycling
Trashion Fashion
http://www.trashionfashion.org/events
Composting• The process of managing the natural decomposition of
organic material. –Includes food scraps and yard trimmings.
Decomposition is performed by earthworms, insects, and microorganisms.
Composting
• The result of composting is humus. –Soil that is rich in nutrients.
–Used to replenish lost nutrients in the soil to restore soil health.
–Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
Other Benefits of Composting• When organic material is
decomposed in a landfill, landfill gas is produced. –Methane!
Composting reduces greenhouse gas emissions!
• Compost has better retention, so less water loss and leaching. • Compost increases infiltration and permeability of heavy soils,
which reduces the amount of erosion and runoff that occurs. • Compost improves and stabilizes the pH of the soil.
Can be made in your kitchen or backyard!
Large Scale Composting• Some cities and towns are having
curbside compost pick-up.
In San Francisco, they determined that 1/3 of the waste could be diverted from their landfills by composting.
• Some communities have been able to reduce trash pick-up to every other week because of the reduction in trash.
Requires a lot of education!
• People need to know why they should compost and how to do it.Cities without mandated composting sometimes have companies who
will collect your waste instead.
Large Scale Composting
Composting Considerations• It can be difficult to find a location suitable for municipal
composting.
• Attracts rodents and other wildlife.
• Too much waste…what will we do with it if there isn’t enough space for it?
• If you have too much “green waste” then the compost can smell. The higher the nitrogen, the greater the smell!
• Frequent turning is required for aerobic decomposition.