Solid Waste

Waste Disposal

• Municipal solid waste—waste materials from homes, businesses and other parts of the community

• Other solid waste comes from construction debris and certain agricultural and industrial wastes.

Waste Disposal

• Three methods of handling solid waste:– Bury it– Burn it– Recycle it

Waste Disposal

• Landfills– Open dumps were used until relatively

recently. (1976)• Leachate is a polluted liquid made when rainwater

dissolves chemicals

– Sanitary landfills hold municipal solid waste, construction debris, and some types of agricultural and industrial waste

• They have plastic liners and are capped with clay to prevent rainwater from entering.

Waste Disposal• Incineration

– Burning of solid waste• Do not take up much

space• Do not pose a risk of

polluting groundwater• Waste-to-energy plants

– Use heat to produce electricity

– Release some pollution into the air

– Some waste still remains

– More expensive to build

Recycling

• Biodegradable– A substance that can

be broken down and recycled by bacteria

Recycling

• Metals– Iron and aluminum can

be melted and reused

• Glass– Melted to make new

glass containers, fiberglass, bricks, tiles and reflective paints

Recycling

• Paper– Pulp is a thick liquid

made from wood, and recycled paper can be turned into pulp, also

• Plastic– Made from resins left

over from petroleum products

– Can be heated, stretched, and molded into plastic products

Solid Waste Management

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle