1. Solid and Hazardous Waste

2. Solid waste : any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or gas. Municipal solid waste (MSW): produced directly by homes and workplaces Called garbage or trash Industrial solid waste: produced indirectly by industries that supply people with goods and services We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials

3. The United States produces about 1/3 of the world’s solid waste and buries more than half of it in landfills. About 98.5% is industrial solid waste. The remaining 1.5% is MSW. About 55% of U.S. MSW is dumped into landfills, 30% is recycled or composted, and 15% is burned in incinerators. Solid Waste in the United States

4. Source: http://www.epa.gov/msw/facts.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/msw/facts.htm Solid Waste in the United States

5. Integrated Waste Management

6. Integrated Waste Management: Priorities for Dealing with Solid Waste  It is always best to prevent the production of waste than to deal with it once it has been created.  1 st Priority – prevent waste generation  2 nd Priority – reuse, recycle, compost materials  Last priority – deal with the waste generated

7. Dealing with Waste Waste management: high waste approach Manages inevitable waste to reduce environmental harm Bury it, burn it, ship it off Waste and pollution prevention: low waste approach Look at waste as potential resources Waste is harmful and we shouldn’t use it in the first place

8. Waste Hierarchy

9. 1. Prevention/Reduction Key to managing our waste = not wasting as much in the first place!

10. 2. Reuse Does not require reprocessing, less energy intensive than recycling Reuse strategies: donations to charities, reusing packaging, containers

11. Refilling and reusing containers uses fewer resources and less energy, produces less waste, saves money, and creates jobs. In Denmark and Canada’s Price Edward’s Island there is a ban on all beverage containers that cannot be reused. In Finland 95% of soft drink and alcoholic beverages are refillable (Germany 75%). Case Study: Use of Refillable Containers

12. We can use reusable shopping bags, food containers, shipping pallets, rechargeable batteries, and borrowing tools. Many countries in Europe and Asia charge shoppers for plastic bags. Case Study: Use of Refillable Containers

13. 3. Recycle Saves natural resources and creates jobs Saves landfill space, incineration Prevents environmental damage from mining, logging May save energy (if recycled materials use less energy to produce)

14. Primary or closed loop recycling: materials are turned into new products of the same type. Making paper with recycled paper, or new glass bottles out of used glass bottles Secondary recycling: materials are converted into different products. Shredded tires used to resurface tracks Pop bottles can be turned into playground equipment or car seats There Are Two Types of Recycling

15. 3. Recycle Paper! Americans use 50 million tons of paper in a year (= 850 million trees) 40% of waste stream is paper. Paper is the major component of landfills Making recycled paper uses less energy than virgin paper

16. 3. Recycle Aluminum Many Al cans today are made with recycled Al Mining bauxite is very damaging to the local environment Aluminum does not degrade and aluminum is nonrenewable

17. 3. Recycle Glass does not wear out – it can be recycled indefinitely States with a bottle bill have cut litter by 35-40%

18. 3. Recycle Problems! Infrastructure for collection, storage and transport facilities Compliance, opposition Manufacturers and market for recycled products Contamination Costs