Introduction to Solid Waste Management

Lesson 1: Goals

 Understand course expectations  Appreciate the magnitude of MSW issues  Become familiar with integrated solid waste management  Become familiar with RCRA  Understand MSW management in Florida  Define Subtitle D wastes

Pretest

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The amount of municipal solid waste generated per person per day in 2004 in the US was ________.

The amount of municipal solid waste generated per person per day in 2000 in Florida is ________.

How many aluminum cans have been thrown in the trash since 1972? ______.

The percent of aluminum cans sold in the US that was recycled is ____.

The US has 5% of the world’s population and generates ____% of the world’s solid waste.

Pretest Continued

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Waste oil disposed in the US is ____ times the volume of the Valdez oil spill.

If all the MSW were put in waste collection vehicles and they were lined up, they would reach ____ times around the earth.

If every resident, visitor, and business in Florida chose to dump their trash at the beach rather than manage it properly, by the end of the year the pile would measure ___ ft high, ____ ft wide, and span the entire length of Florida's coastline.

You are probably familiar with the term NIMBY, what does BANANA mean?

How many disposable diapers are thrown away each year?

Exercise

 Name five types of purchase you or your family made that you expect will outlive you – Example, real estate  What happens to everything else you bought?

Today’s Solid Waste

 According to EPA US produces 251 million tons/year (2006)  Biocycle tons/year reports 388 million  4.6 pounds/person/day

Florida MSW Per Capita Generation Rate

10 9 8 7 6 5 87 89 91 93 95 97 Year 99 2 4 6

24 22 20 18 16 6 4 2 0 14 12 10 8

Florida Population Growth (1830 - 2020)

Population Low Projection Medium Projection High Projection

Florida MSW Management

25 20 Landfills 15 10 5 Recycle 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Incineration 2003 2004 2005 2006 Landfill WTE

Florida Situation

   35 million tons in 2006 (8.8 pounds per person per day) 65 % landfilled, 11 % recycled, 24 % WTE, 60 Class I landfills (all lined), 13 WTE, more WTE capacity than any other state SW leg passed in June 1988 - Public Law 88-130 of Fla. Statutes.

Special Wastes - Tire Recycling

     In US 291 million disposed/yr (4.6 million tons) In US 38% recycled by wt, 80% by number 275 million stockpiled (90% reduction since 1990) In Florida 19.5 million discarded, 84% recycled Many ways to recycle – retread – playgrounds – Tire derived fuel – Ground rubber (carpet, tracks) – Civil engineering applications (roads, embankment)

Special Wastes - E-Wastes

     1.5 billion lb of e-wastes processed annually 250 million PCs obsolete in next 5 yrs Contain lead, halogenated compounds, antimony, plastics Cost to recycle a PC is $10-$60 Cost to manage e-waste will reach $10.8 billion between 2006-2015

Cell Phones

 Handset: 40% metals, 40% plastics, 20% ceramic/trace materials  Average lifespan is 9-18 months  200 million wireless subscribers in US  125 million phones discarded/yr (65,000 tons of waste)  Phones can be refurbished and reused or smelted for metals recovery  1-2% are recycled

Electronic Waste

 Electronic devices contain a variety of potentially toxic elements – Metals (lead, mercury, cadmium,…) – Organic chemicals (PCBs, brominated flame retardants)  Many devices meet the definition of hazardous waste – Color CRTS are recognized as hazardous wastes by the US EPA – Other devices which contain printed wire boards also frequently meet the criteria for hazardous waste

Lead is Primary Concern from Regulatory Perspective (TC Limit for Lead = 5 mg/L)

Cathode Ray Tube Printed Wiring Boards

Funnel 24% Pb Face 0 – 3% Pb Neck 30% Pb Frit 70% Pb

Managing Discarded Electronics

  Historically, these devices were handled in the same manner as furniture and other household items Waste managers today must consider regulatory implications and environmental concerns Flood debris in New Orleans. Note the television.

A personal computer in a scrap metal pile at a disaster debris landfill.

Solutions

 Legislated recycling mandates (advanced recovery fees, require manufacturers to take back equipment)?

 Voluntary recovery and recycling?

 Landfilling?

Special Wastes - 2004 Hurricane Season

       4 major hurricanes made landfall Estimated 44,000,000 yd 3 debris* – 70% vegetative – 30% mixed debris Waste would fill a football stadium to the brim 90 times Waste collected in 365 staging areas covering 4,000 acres Mixed waste must go to Class I landfill Vegetative – burned or chipped for fuel or mulch (or sent overseas Aluminum, other materials have been recycled *Hurricane Andrew generated 42,000,000 yd3

New Orleans – Katrina 2005

World Trade Center

World Trade Center

       16 acres, 2 towers, five smaller buildings >100 ft high, 80 ft deep pile of debris Burned at > 1200 o F for weeks 1,450,000 tons, averaged 6400 tpd, peak at 17,500 tons/day Transported 17 tons/truck to Fresh Kills Landfill – 3000-acre site Salvaged steel Glass, steel, concrete, electrical cord (12,000 miles), duct work (128 miles), 900 vehicles

Ocean Gyres

Integrated Waste Management

Reduce

Recycle

Incinerate Landfill

Waste Reduction

“Precycling” buying choices that support responsible products and packaging, makes recycling easier

Ways to Reduce

             Using durable coffee mugs. Using cloth napkins or towels. Refilling bottles. Donating old magazines or surplus equipment. Reusing boxes. Turning empty jars into containers for leftover food. Purchasing refillable pens and pencils. Participating in a paint collection and reuse program. Reusable items, avoid “throwaways” Concentrated liquids Cloth bags Reduced packaging Reduced toxicity (white out, batteries…)

Remanufacturing

 Not the same as refurbishing  Product is completely disassembled  As many components as possible are salvaged and cleaned  Enhanced parts are reassembled  Costs are less than half the price of new goods (less materials, energy, and waste)

Remanufacturing

Rebuilt to Last

 The central premise behind the remanufacturing process is this: Generally speaking, the cost of building a new widget is 70% materials and 30% labor. Why not try to wring more productivity out of the materials component, as well as the labor side?

Remanufacturing

Diesel Engines

 Caterpillar got into this business in the 1970s as a favor to client Ford Motor. Now, remanufacturing is one $1 billion and the fastest growing divisions. Caterpillar's main reman facility in Corinth, Miss., churns out hundreds of remanufactured diesel engines a month.

Remanufacturing

Single-Use Camera

  Apart from film itself, most of the parts in the disposable cameras that Kodak made famous are reusable up t o 10 times The customer drops the camera off at a photo developer, say a drug store. The drug store develops that roll of film but sends the camera “core” back to the camera manufacturer to be reused.

Remanufacturing

Xerox Copiers

 Xerox has saved “billions” over the years by remanufacturing both copy machines and toner cartridges

Recycling

 Recycling, including composting, diverted 79 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 2005 (32%), up from 34 million tons in 1990.

 By 2002, almost 9,000 curbside collection programs served roughly half of the American population.  Curbside programs, drop-off, and buy-back centers

Recycling - Advantages

 Advantages – Conserves resources for our children's future. – Prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants. – Saves energy. – Supplies valuable raw materials to industry. – Creates jobs. – Stimulates the development of greener technologies. – Reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators.

Recycling - Disadvantages

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Environmental impacts

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Not always economical

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Cannot recycle everything

Finished Compost

Waste to Energy

   Advantages – volume reduction – energy recovery Disadvantages – public distrust – difficult to operate – cost – air pollutants 33.4 million tons burned in 2005 (13.6%)

Landfilling

   Advantages – gas recovery potential – simple – low cost Disadvantages – odor, visibility – NIMBY, NOPE, NIMTOO, BANANA 133.3 million tons in 2005 (54.3%)

“Begin with the end in mind”

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5/2/2020