Solid Waste
description
Transcript of Solid Waste
Solid Waste
Ecological Issues
Winter 2007
Mobro 4000• March 22, 1987 – 3,168 tons of garbage
refused as landfill in Islip, NY
• Transferred onto the barge Mobro 4000, headed for North Carolina
• Refused there, traveled 6,000 miles, five states, 3 countries
• Eventually incinerated in Brooklyn in July, 1987
Municipal Solid Waste
• MSW – (mostly) non-hazardous waste generated in households, commercial establishments and institutions
• Does not include industrial process wastes, agricultural wastes, mining wastes, and sewage sludge
MSW
• We throw away over 200 million tons of MSW each year
• Average of 4.5 pounds per person, per day
• http://www.epa.gov/msw/facts.htm
MSW Management
• Source Reduction/Reuse
• Recycling
• Composting
• Landfills
• Combustion-to-Energy
Source Reduction• Altering the design, manufacture, or use of
products and materials to reduce the amount and toxicity of what gets thrown away
• Grasscycling, backyard composting, transport packaging reduction
• Prevents emissions of greenhouse gases, reduces pollutants, saves energy
• Other ways????
Recycling
• Diverted 79 million tons of material away from disposal in 2005
• About 32% of our MSW is recycled, up from 6.5% in 1960!!!!
• Materials are recycled through curbside pick-up, drop-off programs, buy-back programs and deposit centers
Recycling Benefits
• Prevents emission of greenhouse gases• Saves energy and resources• Creates jobs• Conserves resources• Reduces need for new landfills and
combustors
• recycling benefits
Composting• Compost is organic material that can be
used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants.
• Created by combining organic wastes (e.g., yard trimmings, food wastes, manures) in proper ratios
• High temperatures destroy weed seeds and pathogens
Landfills
• Number of landfills is steadily decreasing – down from 8,000 in 1988 to 1,654 in 2005
• New landfills are much larger
• New landfills are called “sanitary landfills” and are different than “dumps”
Combustion/Incineration
• Burning MSW can generate energy while reducing amount of waste by up to 90%
• Scrubbers must be used to clean emissions
• Ash must still be disposed of – often contains high levels of toxic materials
Public Education
• You must take the responsibility to use and dispose of products you buy properly
• Solid Waste Disposal Act – 1965– First Federal law to require safeguards
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act -1976– Protect human health and environment
– Conserve energy and natural resources