Solid Solid WasteWaste

Trash FactsTrash FactsThe average person produces The average person produces about 2 kilograms of trash daily.about 2 kilograms of trash daily.Every hour, people throw away Every hour, people throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles. 2.5 million plastic bottles. Every year, people throw away Every year, people throw away enough white paper a year to enough white paper a year to build a wall 4 meters high that build a wall 4 meters high that stretches from coast to coast.stretches from coast to coast.

Municipal solid Municipal solid wastewaste: waste : waste generated from generated from residential, residential, commercial and commercial and industrial sourcesindustrial sources

What happens to What happens to solid waste?solid waste?

LandfillsLandfillsIncinerationIncinerationRecyclingRecycling

LandfillsLandfills trash is placed in a large trash is placed in a large hole in the ground that is hole in the ground that is lined with plastic or an lined with plastic or an impermeable layer of shaleimpermeable layer of shale trash is covered daily with trash is covered daily with a layer of soila layer of soil

Leachate collection at Frey Farm Landfill

Problems with Problems with LandfillsLandfills

require a lot of spacerequire a lot of space hard to find safe places for themhard to find safe places for themno one wants them in their no one wants them in their backyardbackyard landfills fill up quicklylandfills fill up quicklybiodegradable materials are biodegradable materials are unable to decomposeunable to decompose

BiodegradableBiodegradable: : capable of decomposing capable of decomposing through a natural through a natural biological processbiological process

ex. banana peelsex. banana peels

IncinerationIncineration

definitiondefinition: : burning of solid burning of solid wastewaste

The Good:The Good: burning facilities do not burning facilities do not take up a lot of spacetake up a lot of space do not pose a risk of do not pose a risk of polluting groundwaterpolluting groundwater heat produced from heat produced from burning can be used to burning can be used to generate electricitygenerate electricity

The Bad:The Bad: Even the best Even the best incinerators still release incinerators still release some pollution into the airsome pollution into the air some waste still remains some waste still remains (about 10% of original)(about 10% of original)

much more expensive much more expensive than landfillsthan landfills

New System at Frey FarmNew System at Frey Farm

Solutions to the Solutions to the Trash ProblemTrash Problem

ReduceReduceReuseReuseRecycleRecycleCompostCompost

ReduceReduce: create less : create less wastewaste

ex. Buy products ex. Buy products that contain less that contain less

packagingpackaging

ReuseReuse: find another : find another use for items instead of use for items instead of

discardingdiscarding

ex. donate used ex. donate used clothing to Goodwillclothing to Goodwill

RecyclingRecycling

DefinitionDefinition:: reclaiming reclaiming raw materials and raw materials and turning them into turning them into something newsomething new

4 Major Categories of 4 Major Categories of RecyclingRecycling

metal metal glass (easiest)glass (easiest) paperpaper plasticplastic

Recycling of PlasticRecycling of Plastic

plastic containers are plastic containers are labeled with a number labeled with a number or letters to identify the or letters to identify the type of resin from which type of resin from which they are madethey are made

Examples:Examples: PETEPETE (polyethylene terephtalete) - (polyethylene terephtalete) - soft drink bottle, some peanut butter jarssoft drink bottle, some peanut butter jarsHDPEHDPE (high density polyethylene) - (high density polyethylene) - milk and water bottles, shampoo and milk and water bottles, shampoo and laundry detergent bottleslaundry detergent bottlesPVCPVC (polyvinyl chloride) - some water, (polyvinyl chloride) - some water, cleanser and shampoo bottlescleanser and shampoo bottles

CompostingComposting: helping natural : helping natural decomposition processes decomposition processes break down many forms of break down many forms of wastewaste

ex. making a ex. making a compost pile in your compost pile in your backyard for yard or backyard for yard or food wastefood waste