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