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Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright

Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright. Chapter 18. Municipal Solid Waste: Disposal and Recovery PPT by Clark E. Adams. Municipal Solid Waste: Disposal and Recovery. The solid-waste problem Solutions to the solid-waste problem Public policy and waste management.

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Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright

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  1. Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable FutureRichard T. Wright Chapter 18 Municipal Solid Waste: Disposal and RecoveryPPT by Clark E. Adams

  2. Municipal Solid Waste: Disposal and Recovery • The solid-waste problem • Solutions to the solid-waste problem • Public policy and waste management

  3. The Solid-Waste Problem • Disposal of municipal solid waste • Landfills • Combustion: waste to energy • Costs of municipal solid-waste disposal

  4. Disposal of Municipal Solid-Waste (MSW) • The solid-waste problem: • We generate huge amounts of MSW, and it is increasingly expensive to dispose of it in ways that are environmentally responsible and protective of human health.

  5. MSW Components

  6. The Fate of MSW

  7. Factors Contributing to Increasing Amounts of MSW • Increasing populations • Changing lifestyles • Disposable materials* • Diapers • Excessive packaging* * = two largest contributors to waste volume

  8. Old Landfill Problems • Leachate generation • Methane production • Incomplete decomposition • Settling http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/Pictures.htm

  9. Improving Landfills • Located above water table and away from airports • Contoured floor for leachate-collection system • Covered with earthen material • Groundwater monitoring wells

  10. A Modern Landfill

  11. Landfill Siting: Public Reactions • LULU (locally unwanted land use) • NIMBY (not in my backyard) • NIMTOO (not in my term of office) http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/Pictures.htm

  12. Interstate Transfer of MSW

  13. Trash to Treasure (Table 18-1) • Highest (more than 1 million tons) net importers of MSW • Pennsylvania • Virginia • Michigan

  14. Trash to Treasure (Table 18-1) • Highest (more than 1 million tons) net exporters MSW • New York • New Jersey • Maryland • Missouri

  15. Combustion: Waste to Energy (WTE)

  16. WTE Benefits • 80% MSW burned for electrical energy production • 12% recovered and recycled • 8% put into landfill

  17. WTE Benefits • Tipping fees = $15 to $100/ton • Efficient • Electricity and fuel oil savings

  18. WTE Benefits • Extends life of landfill • Reduces pollution • Concrete blocks • Resource recovery

  19. WTE Drawbacks • Cost of construction • Uninterrupted MSW stream flow • Hazardous materials • Siting • Competition with recycling efforts

  20. Costs of MSW Disposal • Tipping fees increase: $34 to $263/ton • All revenues from MSW disposal = >$14 billion a year in 2002. • Illegal dumping • Tires • Refrigerators • Car parts

  21. Solutions to the Solid-Waste Problem • Source reductions • The recycling solution • Municipal recycling • Regional recycling options

  22. Source Reduction • Less weight • Internet information transfer • Resale and donation of durable goods • Lengthening a product’s life cycle • Refusing bulk mail • Composting

  23. The Recycling Solution • Paper to paper • Newspaper = 13% MSW stream • Worth $30/ton • Ton of newspapers = 17 trees

  24. Paper Glass Plastic Metals Yard wastes Textiles Old tires Compost Refabrication Synthetic lumber Sand or gravel Insulation Strengthens recycled paper Highways The Recycling Solution Match

  25. Municipal Recycling • 75% MSW recyclable if: • Mandatory • Easy to do • Incentives • Political and industrial support

  26. State Recycling Rates

  27. MSW Recycling in the United States

  28. 8

  29. Regional Recycling Options • Materials recovery facilities (MRFs) • Mixed waste processing • Mixed waste and yard trimmings composting

  30. Public Policy and Waste Management • The regulatory perspective • Integrated waste management

  31. The Regulatory Perspective • Solid Waste Disposal Act 1965 • Resource Recovery Act 1970 and 1976 • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 • Superfund Act 1980 • Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments 1984

  32. Integrated Waste Management • Waste reduction • Safe waste disposal • Recycling and reuse • Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) trash pickup

  33. End of Chapter 18

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