waste management think about your waste disposal from today. what items have you thrown away?

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Think about your waste disposal from today.What items have you thrown away?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/jun/05/waste-world-environment-day?picture=348339050

Slide showhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/

wastehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/

video/2010/mar/26/beijing-rubbishBejing vide0

Waste ManagementMore people more waste less space With our human population on the rise,

more waste is produced. There is less space available to dispose

of this waste!

Do Now:You stop at a fast-food restaurant on your

way home from school and buy a burger, fries, and soda. Within minutes, the food is gone, and you toss your trash into the nearest wastebasket.

Name what you have just thrown away:

That was ONE MEAL!!! Imagine the garbage that you produce in one day!

There are two types of waste produced each day by the human populationSOLID WASTECHEMICAL/HAZARDOUS WASTE

Two Types of Waste

SOLID WASTEAny discarded solid

materialCars, paper, food scraps,

computers, plastic, cardboard Amount has doubled since

1960’s Mining and manufacturing

makes up 70% of solid waste

CHEMICAL/HAZARDOUS WASTE

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

Examples: Paints, fertilizers, pesticides, varnishes, cleaners

Where does all of this waste go once we dispose of it?LANDFILLRECYCLEDINCINERATED

Where does our waste go?

LandfillArea of land or an excavation where wastes

are placed for permanent disposalMore than 50% of municipal (household &

businesses) and manufacturing waste ends up in landfills

New Jersey LandfillAverage resident produces 6.7 pounds of

trash per day (50% higher than the national average)

State has 21 landfills which extract methane to produce electricity

Active vs. Non-active Landfill

ACTIVE LANDFILL NON-ACTIVE LANDFILL

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/30218-really-big-things-americas-landfills-video.htm

2 min – how landfills work

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/30218-really-big-things-americas-landfills-video.htm

Ocean pollution

LandfillsMust contain the waste that is buried

inside and keep it from causing problems with the environment

Especially hazardous wastes!!!

Maintaining Landfills

Landfills are maintained by covering wastes each day with a layer of soil and/or plastic.

Leachate and Methane inside a landfill must NOT come into contact with the soil, air, and groundwater surrounding the landfill.

Florida Landfill (10 min)http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=i90BQQ9YAzw

http://ec.environmentalcountdown.org/_Love-Canal-Lois-Gibbs/video/438378/4315.html

Love canal video clip 10 min

Landfill ToxinsLeachate

Liquid that has passed through solid waste and has extracted, dissolved, or suspended materials

Collected, stored, treated by landfills and used as waste water

MethaneHighly flammable gas formed from

decomposers can be pumped out of landfill to generate

electricity

IncinerationIn 1999, the U.S. had 102 operational

incinerators that were capable of burning up to 94,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste per day.

Incinerators are one option for reducing the amount of solid waste in landfills. Incinerated materials do not disappear, but the weight of solid waste is reduced

Incinerated materials can be more toxic than before it was incinerated.

Special air pollution control devices help control the amount of toxins released into the air.

 However, even incinerators with these

special air pollution control devices release small amounts of poisonous gases and particles of toxic heavy metals into the air.

Incineration

Incineration Process

How long does it take to decompose?

NEWSPAPER

A. 3 daysB. 3 weeksC. 3 monthsD. 3 years

How long does it take to decompose?3 MONTHS

How long does it take to decompose?

PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE

A. 450 daysB. 450 weeksC. 450 yearsD. Never

How long does it take to decompose?450 YEARS

How long does it take to decompose?

ALUMINUM SODA CAN

A. 200-500 daysB. 200-500 weeksC. 200-500 monthsD. 200-500 years

How long does it take to decompose?

200-500 YEARS

How long does it take to decompose?

CIGARETTE BUTT

A. 10-12 daysB. 10-12 weeksC. 10-12 monthsD. 10-12 years

How long does it take to decompose?

10-12 YEARS

How long does it take to decompose?

PLASTIC BAG

A. 10-20 weeksB. 10-20 monthsC. 10-20 yearsD. Never

How long does it take to decompose?

10-20 YEARS

How long does it take to decompose?

GLASS BOTTLE

A. 500 daysB. 500 weeksC. 500 monthsD. 500 years

How long does it take to decompose?500 YEARS

How long does it take to decompose?

DIAPER

A. 75 daysB. 75 weeksC. 75 monthsD. 75 years

How long does it take to decompose?75 YEARS

How long does it take to decompose?

ORANGE PEEL

A. 6 daysB. 6 weeksC. 6 monthsD. 6 years

How long does it take to decompose?6 MONTHS

How long does it take to decompose?

STYROFOAM CUP

A. 500 weeksB. 500 monthsC. 500 yearsD. Never

How long does it take to decompose?

NEVER

Do Now What are the advantages and

disadvantages of the following:1) Landfills2) Recyling/Composting3) Incineration

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Requires that landfills be properly lined with plastic and safety precautions taken to prevent leakage leachate and methane

Requires that ALL incinerators and hazardous treatment and disposal facilities be built and operated according to standards that are designed to prevent the facilities from polluting the environment

Superfund Act (1980)Gives the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) the right to sue the owners of hazardous waste sites who illegally dump waste

EPA forces the owners to pay for the cleanup

The EPA created a fund to pay for cleaning up abandoned hazardous waste sites.

Superfund ActCleaning up improperly discarded waste is

difficult and extremely expensive.

Cleanup has been completed at only 75 of the roughly 1,200 approved or proposed Superfund sites.

Where does the garbage go?

Landfills in the U.S. :The materials we bury in landfills are not

decomposing as fast as we can fill landfills.

Even biodegradable materials, like newspapers, take several years to decompose.

What is the effect?

What’s in your garbage?1988 – 8,000 active

landfills

1999 – 2,300 active landfills

Landfills are filling to full capacity!

Biodegradable MaterialsMaterial that can be broken down by

biological processes

Examples: Plant and animal matter are biodegradableProducts made from natural materials,

including newspapers, paper bags, cotton fibers, and leather

Nonbiodegradable MaterialsMaterial that CANNOT be broken down by

biological processes

Examples: Synthetic compounds are NOT biodegradablePolyster, nylon, plastic

PlasticMade from petroleum or natural gasCannot be broken down and so accumulateConsumed by marine life and NOT digestedMake up 80% of the GREAT GARBAGE

PATCH

So, if we are running out of our land due to landfill and hazardous waste sites, and incineration causes more air pollution, then…

What are some solutions to waste disposal?

Solutions to Waste Disposal

REDUCE

REUSE

RECYCLE

Source Reduction (Reduce)Any change in the design,

manufacture, purchase or use of materials or products to reduce their amount of toxicity before they become municipal solid waste

If we produce less waste, then we use less landfills, and save energy by not needing to recycle it

Buy products with less packaging or that can be used more than once.Before 1965, bottles were designed to be

returned and refilled at bottling plants

Use a cloth reusable bag instead of a plastic disposable bag

Use a refillable water bottle instead of disposable

Redesign products to use less material and to last longer.

Paper vs. Plastic?Both consume energy when madePaper decomposes quicker but both consume

energy and therefore harm the environment!

Design materials to break down quickly

Photodegradable PlasticDesigned to become weak and brittle when left

in the sun for many weeks and decomposesBreaks down quickly

Buy products that decompose quickly

Green PlasticConsists of plant sugars with chemicalsUses 20-50% less fossil fuelDecomposes within 45 days of being used BUT

does not disappear, only breaks into smaller pieces

Properly Dispose of Household Hazardous Wastes

Dispose of paints, pesticides, motor oil, batteries, cleaners, fertilizers in a proper facility

RecycleProcess of

recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap

Reusing items

Why recycle?Consume less energy making products from

recycled products, however, if you don’t buy them at all then even more energy is saved!

Making products from recycled materials usually saves energy, water, and other resources.

For example, 95% less energy is needed to produce aluminum from recycled aluminum than from ore.

 About 70% less energy is needed to make paper

from recycled paper than from trees.

The Steps of Recycling1.Collecting and sorting discarded materials by

type2.Taking the materials to a recycling facility3. Cleaning the discarded materials so they can be

shredded or crushed4. Reusing the shredded or crushed material to

manufacture new products5. Selling the new products to consumers

If more people purchase products made from recycled materials, there would be an increase in demand for these products.

Manufacturers would then build more facilities to make recycled products and, in turn, make it easier for communities to recycle.

Recycled ProductsNewspapers recycled into:

CardboardEgg CartonsBuilding Materials

Aluminum recycled into:Soda cans

Plastic recycled into:ToysInsulationCarpetCrates

Buy Recycled Products (or don’t buy the product at all)!

CompostMixture of plants,

soil, decomposing matter (food scraps) and decomposers (worms) to make fertilizer

Converts yard waste/food scraps into soil

Yard waste often makes up more than 15% of a community’s solid waste.

Composting can be an effective way of handling biodegradable waste from businesses and homes.

If all biodegradable wastes were composted, the amount of solid waste going to landfills could be reduced.

In summary….Simply changing the materials we use could

eliminate much of the solid waste we produce.

Recycling/Reusing common household products into useable products could also help eliminate solid waste.

For example, plastic beverage containers can be recycled to make nonfood containers, insulation, carpet yarn, textiles, fiberfill, and more.

Degradable plastics can help reduce the harmful effects that plastic litter has on animals in the environment.

Problems with WasteLandfills - We’re running out of spaceIncinerators – Produce toxinsRecycling – Still consumes energy

Where should we put all of our garbage?

Can We Send Garbage Into Space?

Would interfere with satellites and other spacecrafts that orbit the Earth/Universe

Takes significant energy to launch a rocket into space

Solutions…What if we found a way to use these

materials as fuel in the future? Then it would be all gone!

Why can’t we just dump it in the ocean?Example: Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of suspended plastic and other debris that have been trapped by ocean currents.

It is estimated that 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships at sea.

SOLUTIONS?STOP before you buy!

Is it recyclable?Is it biodegradable?Can it be composted?Do you REALLY need it?

Remember…REDUCE – (most important step!)REUSERECYCLE

SOLUTIONS?Don’t LITTER!

If you see garbage, PICK IT UP!

Will THIS be our future?

E-waste

E-waste in Ghana (6:20 min)http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=pr1zQrXM_7s

Mobro BoatSailed from Islip, NY

for 5 months to find a place to dispose of 3200 tons of garbage

Returned to NY and burned the garbage which produced 430 tons of ash

MobroTraveled along

east coast to Belize, Cuba and back to New York

Through Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

Love Canal, NY Town near Niagara Falls in

which 21,000 tons (21,000,000 lbs) of toxins were found in the ground

City of Niagara Falls allowed the town to be built and a school to be built on this old dumping ground

Electrochemical company dumped their chemical waste at the site in the 1940’s

1952 – site was covered with dirt

Love Canal, NY 1978 – people began getting

sick; were many health problems (epilepsy, asthma, urinary tract infections, leukemia, miscarriages, nervous disorders, birth defects, deafness, cleft palates, mental retardation)

Government relocated 800 families; houses destroyed

Superfund Act was establishedEPA sued electrochemical

company for $129 million

http://ec.environmentalcountdown.org/_Love-Canal-Lois-Gibbs/video/438378/4315.html

Love canal video clip

Do Now Give specific examples as to how garbage affects marine

life.

How does garbage affect marine life?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLrVCI4N67M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a4S23uXIcM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w6YgEEZybU

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

What is the Patch?a swirling, 3-million-pound mass of plastic

and other trash…a “plastic soup”

Covers an area twice the size of Texas, according to researchers with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which has been tracking the

Patch for a decade.

……..And it's not going away.

Great Ocean Patch in the Pacific Ocean

Garbage in the Ocean affects ecosystems

Organisms affected by GarbagePlastic closely resembles zoo plankton, and

are eaten by jellyfish Turtles eat plastic bags, thinking they are

jelly fishSeals and other marine animals get tangled

in the garbageplastic enters the food chain

A Closer Look: Albatrossnest in the Northwest Hawaiian Islandsmistake trash for food, and feed it to their

chicks40 % of albatross chicks die from trash filling

their bellies (including cigarette lighters, toothbrushes,

syringes, toys, clothespins and every other type of plastic)

Chicks eat about 5 tons of plastic a year

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Albatross_chick_plastic.jpg

Picture of waste in albatross

What is the Solution?None!

Since this garbage is in “international waters” no specific country is held responsible

It is too expensive to haul the garbage out of the water

There is “no place” to put the garbage-which country should fill their landfills with “global garbage”?

What can YOU do?Prevention: reduce, reuse, recycle!

Reduce the amount of plastic that you use so it does not end up in the ocean or landfill

Reuse-Example: buy a resuable water bottle instead of buying disposable plastic bottles

Recycle: bring the plastic you use to the recycle center

AwarenessTell your friends, family and community about reducing,

reusing and recycling!

You are the future! You can make a difference

Do NowHow are humans affected

when marine life consumes waste?