WASTEChapter 19 Ecology

Who is to Blame?• But our waste problem is not the fault only of

producers. It is the fault of an econom that is wasteful from top to bottom…and all of us are involved in it

• --Wendell Berry

• Where do you think the responsibility for our waste problem lies---with manufacturers or with the consumer?

Materials Economy System

• Extraction• Production• Distribution• Consumption• Disposal

Challenges• Less resources available to grow programs• Insufficient recycling opportunities for all citizens• Insufficient capacity to handle changing needs (electronics)

Making Mountains out of Landfills

• http://www.pbs.org/america-revealed/teachers/lesson-plan/8/ 5 min

SOLID WASTE

• Any discarded solid material

• From junk mail to coffee grounds to cars

Types of Solid Waste

• Municipal Solid Waste

• Manufacturing, Mining and Agriculture

Municipal Solid Waste = 2%

Waste produced by households and businesses 38.1% paper 5.3% wood 5.5% glass 7.8% metals 6.6% Rubber, leather, textiles 10.5% Plastics 10.9 Food 12.1% Yard Waste

Manufacturing, Mining & Agriculture

• 56% of waste• Scrap metal, plastics,

paper, sludge and ash• People indirectly create

waste by purchasing products that been manufactured.

Manufacturing Waste

Waste to energy

Pig-ology

• There was no garbage collection system in 18th century New York City

• People threw it into the streets and free ranging hogs at it.

Bioremediation

• Microbes used to break down waste

• Crude oil, sewage effluent, chlorinated solvents, pesticides and gasoline are gobbled up

Incinerated Waste

Toxics in –Toxics out

Landfill

• A permanent waste-disposal facility where wastes are put in the ground and covered each day with a layer of soil, plastic or both

Leachate

• Liquid that has passed though compacted soil waste in a landfill.

• Forms when water seeps down through a landfill and contains dissolved chemicals from decomposing garbage.

Reducing Solid Waste

• Buy Less--------

• Lasting Longer

Recycling

Biodegradable

• Anything that can be broken down naturally---plant and organic material

Specially designed plates, cups and cutlery can also be biodegradable

WARNING—Degradable Plastics

• They do break apart and the organic parts can degrade however the plastic parts are only reduced to smaller pieces ---

• Harmful to organisms who think it is food

Compost

A dark, crumbly materialFrom decomposed plant &Animal matter

Hazardous Waste

Any waste that is a risk to the health of humans or other living things.

Top Household Hazardous Waste

• Air Fresheners• Ammonia, Bleach• Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo• Dishwasher detergents• Furniture polish• Toilet bowl cleaners, Laundry room products• Oven cleaners

RCRA and Superfund Acts

• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Established to regulate solid and hazardous waste disposal and to protect humans and the environment from waste contamination.

Hazardous Waste Management

Preventing Hazardous Waste by producing less

Conversion into nonhazardous substancesSludge from petroleum refineries may be converted by soil bacteria into less harmful sustanaces

• How can cleaning machinery with plastic beads rather than solvents help to reduce hazardous waste?

• The beads can be reused several times using friction to clean and are not as hazardous as the solvents when it is time to dispose of them

Land Disposal

• Deep-well injection done BELOW groundwater level

• Surface impoundment a pond with a sealed botom