Transcript Solid waste and Recycling 4.PPT

Solid and Hazardous Waste
• Any solid unwanted material
• U.S. produces 11,000,000,000
tons per yr.
The Solid Waste Problem
Options for
Disposal
• Open dumps
• Ocean Dumping
• Landfills
• Exporting
• Incinerating
Open Dump
• Common in developing countries,
Illegal in developed countries.
• Drop off trash
Dump in Chimalhuacán ,
Mexico
Kids working in a dump in
Tegucigalpa , Honduras
Problems with
Open Dumps
• Disease!
• Rodent problems
• Groundwater pollution
• Organisms eat trash  sick
Sanitary
Landfills
1) Dig a giant hole
2) Line hole with plastic liner
3) Place solid waste in hole
4) Cover each day with 6” soil.
• Only NEWER ones have lining
(15%)
• Possible leakage to
groundwater if liner rips.
• Bacteria break down solid waste 
CH4.
• Vacuum out CH4 and is burned to
create electricity.
Disposal by
Incineration
• AKA “Waste-to-Energy”
• Trash is burned  heat is used to
generate electricity
• 1000 plants in world (110 in US)
Incinerator
Problems
• CO, PM, & heavy metals released
• Control devices must be installed;
scrubbers/electrostatic precipitators, $$$
• Ash produced  landfills
Ocean
Dumping
• 55,000,000 lbs of trash are dumped in
sea every yr.
• 300,000 lbs of fishing gear.
Pacific Trash
Gyre-Urban
Runoff
Resource
Conservation and
Recovery Act
• Federal law, governs disposal of
solid and hazardous wastes.
• “Cradle to grave” tracking on
hazardous materials.
Integrated Waste
Management
• Variety of methods to minimize
waste (3 R’s= Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle)
Reducing Waste
• Reduce consumption
• Reduce packaging
• Trash taxes
• Photo/biodegradable plastics
Reuse
• Refillable Bottles
• Use fabric bags for groceries
• Reuse car parts, motor oil etc.
Corona
Factory,
Mexico
5 cents
off/ bag
TJ’s: Bring
bags back 
25 $ raffle
Recycle
• Turning discarded
materials into new
ones.
• Pros: reduces
virgin resource
use, frees up
landfill space,
less
deforestation,
less habitat loss
• Cons: Expensive for cities to start,
trucks create CO2, more expensive
products. Recycling plants create CO2
 Global Warming
GIRL ALERT!
• M.A.C make-up
• Bring in 6 old
M.A.C
containers and
receive 1 free lip
gloss, lipstick,
or eye shadow!
Recycled
Materials
• Glass bottles
• Aluminum Cans (2/3 are recycled,
non-renewable resource)
• Paper
–Low grade
–Requires bleach to de-ink