MSW
Why is human waste so concerning?
We generate waste that no other organisms can use
What is the correct order of the three Rs from most environmentally friendly to least environmentally friendly?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
What is leachate?
What is incineration?
The process of burning waste
Give an example of a household hazardous waste
Cleaning chemicals
Batteries
Lawn fertilizers
Pesticides and herbicides
Where does most municipal solid waste (MSW) come from?
Homes/Residences
What are two benefits of reducing?
requires less energy and resources
less environmental damage due to less mining for resources
beneficial to the economy and businesses as it saves money
What is a tipping fee?
It is the cost to "tip" a dump truck into the landfill - the cost for people to dump trash in the landfill
It helps pay for the cost of the landfill
What is composting?
Creating organic-rich fertilizer/soil from allowing bacteria to break down organic waste, like food, yard, and paper waste
What does the RCRA (Cradle to Grave Act) do?
It tracks hazardous waste from when it is first used to make products all the way until the products are disposed of
Why is E-Waste so concerning?
Because it contains dangerous heavy metals, like cadmium, lead, mercury, etc, that can leach out of landfills
It also cannot be easily reused or recycled
What are two the drawbacks of reusing?
Requires more energy than reducing
Requires more resources than reducing
May include environmental and monetary costs of shipping, cleaning, and repairing the product
What 3 things should an ideal landfill site have?
Clay-rich soil
Far away from bodies of water
Far away from residences/homes
What are 2 benefits of incineration?
Can reduce the volume of solid waste by up to 90%
Can be combined with electricity generation to boil water to create steam to produce energy
What does the CERCLA (Superfund Act) do?
Put a tax on chemical companies to pay for the government clean up of hazardous waste sites
What does it mean when the USA is called a Throw-Away Society?
It means that people are conditioned to want to use and then throw away disposable products more often than they want to buy long-lasting products or repair and reuse products
What are two drawbacks of recycling?
Requires more time, energy, money, and resources than reducing or reusing
May also require additional resources associated with processing, cleaning, collecting, transporting, and producing the recycled product
Does not always work if no buyer for recyclable goods
What are 3 concerns in using landfills?
NIMBY attitude means that landfills are often placed in low-income areas because poorer people cannot fight the landfill company
Leachate could contaminate waterways
The tightly packed environment of the landfill forces bacteria to do anaerobic respiration, which releases methane (can be explosive/contributes to global warming) and slows decomposition (can take centuries for things in landfills to break down)
What is a drawback of composting?
If not done correctly, it can generate bad odors and attract scavengers
What does the Brownfields program do?
Authorizes local and state governments to clean up hazardous waste sites not covered by the Superfund Act
What is planned obsolescence?
When a product is designed so that it will need to be disposed of and replaced in a short time
Give an example of open loop recycling
One product is recycled to make a new product
Ex. Water bottles recycled to make carpets or jackets
Ex. Rubber tires recycled to make playground equipment
Describe the 4 major parts of landfill construction
Clay or plastic lining at bottom
Pipes to drain leachate and methane
Packed MSW to save space
Clay cap, soil and grass cover
What are 2 drawbacks of incineration?
Can release toxic gases or ash
Contributes to global warming
What are 2 drawbacks of the Superfund Act/Brownfields Program?
-Lacks ability to force polluters to clean up their own messes
-inadequate funding/resources to clean up all hazardous waste sites
-inadequate punishment for polluters