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Ch. 19 - Waste. Puuu-weee!. Section 1 Objectives. Name one characteristic that makes a material biodegradable. Identify two types of solid waste. Describe how a modern landfill works Name two environmental problems caused by landfills. Where does your trash go?.
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Ch. 19 - Waste Puuu-weee!
Section 1 Objectives • Nameone characteristic that makes a material biodegradable. • Identifytwo types of solid waste. • Describehow a modern landfill works • Nametwo environmental problems caused by landfills.
Solid waste – any discarded solid material • Trash Statistics!! • US creates over 10 billion metric tons a year • The amount of trash has doubled since the 60’s • We are running out of space for landfills
The Mobro barge • Traveled from New York thru the Gulf of Mexico to Belize and back to New York • No one would let them dump their trash on their land. • Ended up burning it in New York!
A waste of history! • Hunter-gatherers’ waste • Animal and veggie waste • Will turn to compost easily • Today • Average American produces 4.4 lbs of solid waste!!!
Not all trash is Equal! • Two main types of waste • Biodegradable – it can be broken down by natural processes (natural products) • Non-biodegradable – can’t be broken down by natural processes (synthetic products = chemicals)
Bad Bottle! Plastics • Pros • Convenient • Durable • Inexpensive • Light • Safe • Can be recycled • Cons • Not biodegradable • Microorganisms can’t break them down • Fill up landfills • Last for hundreds of years • Contain chemicals
Types of Solid Waste • Municipal Solid Waste – what we throw away on a day-to-day basis • Manufacturing Waste – computers and such that are made by big industries • Mining Waste – rocks and mineral left over from mining • Agricultural Waste – crop waste and manure
Municipal Solid Waste – waste produced by households and businesses • Only 2% of all solid waste in the US • BUT!!! That is 236 million tons each year • Enough trash to fill enough garbage trucks to go around the Earth 6 times!!!
The other 98% • Scrap metal • Plastics • Sludge • Ash • Rocks • Minerals • Crop waste • manure
Landfill – a permanent waste-disposal facility where wastes are put in the ground and covered each day with a layer of soil, plastic, or both • Waste must be contained so it does not pollute the environment!
Leachate – a liquid that has passed through compacted soil waste in a landfill • Water seeps through and collects chemicals from decomposing waste • This must be treated as waste water and made clean again
Making Landfills Safe • The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act – requires that landfills be build with safeguards to reduce pollution • We are running out of landfill space!!
Just Burn It! • Incinerators - used to burn the trash • Causes lots of air pollution • Left over ashes are more toxic than the original material that was burned • Ashes still have to go to a landfill
Section 2 Objectives • Identifythree ways you can produce less waste. • Describehow you can use your consumer buying power to reduce solid waste. • Listthe steps that an item must go through to be recycled. • Listtwo benefits of composting. • Nameone advantage and one disadvantage to producing degradable plastic.
How do we reduce solid waste? • Source reduction • Buy less • Use things longer • Recycle • Compost • Change what you use • REDUCE: REUSE: RECYCLE
Source reduction – any change in design, manufacture, purchase, or use of materials or products to reduce their amount or toxicity before they become municipal solid waste • Reduce • Reuse • Recycle
Reduce – Buy Less • Buy products that • Have less packaging • Last longer • Are reusable • Use less material • Example: Buy dish towels not paper towels Buy rechargeable batteries Buy Refillable bottles not disposable
Recycling!!! – the process of reusing materials or recovering valuable materials from waste or scrap • Statistics • 95% less energy is used to make something from recycled aluminum • 70% less energy is used to make something from recycled paper
What happens to your recyclables? • 1 – collected • 2 – sorted by type • 3 – taken to a facility and cleaned • 4 – material is broken down • Glass is crushed • Paper is turned to pulp • Plastic is melted or chipped up • More people who buy recycled products the more that are made!!!
What can we make with recycling? • Newspaper = egg cartons, cardboard, building material • Telephone books, magazines, catalogs = building materials • Aluminum cans = more cans, lawn chairs, siding, cookware • Glass = new glass • Plastic bottles = insulation, carpet, toys, lumber, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u98JfQg4WAk • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plp7HYXCpZA
Compost – a dark brown, crumbly material made from decomposed plant and animal matter that is spread on gardens and fields to enrich the soil • 15 % of a communities waste • Examples: • Fruit trimmings • Veggie trimmings • Table scraps • Leaves • Grass • manure
How to Compost!! • Make a bin • Add green stuff – fruits, veggies, grass • Add brown stuff – dead stuff, leaves, cardboard • Turn your pile regularly • Wait three to six months • Put compost in your garden!!
Photodegradable Plastics • Plastics that are made so the sun breaks them down into very small pieces • Cons: the plastic is still there, it is just in smaller pieces!
Section 3 Objectives • Name two characteristics of hazardous waste. • Describehow one law that governs hazardous waste. • Describe two ways in which hazardous waste is disposed.
Hazardous Waste – any waste that is a risk to humans or other living things • Can be solid, liquid, or a gas • Contains toxic, corrosive, or explosive material
Love Canal • Niagara Falls, New York • A town was build where toxic waste had been dumped • The waste began leaking causing health problems • This incident cause people to pay more attention to waste disposal • Cost $275 million to clean up and make safe.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) • Requires producers of hazardous waste to keep detailed records • Regulates hazardous waste and treatment plants
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act • The Superfund Act • Gave the EPA the right to • Sue those who have illegally dumped • Force owners to pay for clean up • Also, made a fund to pay for abandoned sites
Hazardous Waste Prevention • Produce Less!!! • Reuse the waste already made • Treat it to make it safe
Deep-well Injection • Waste is dumped deep down in the ground where it is absorbed in a dry layer of rock • Must be below the level of groundwater
Other Disposal methods • Surface Impoundment - dumping hazardous waste into a “pond” that has a sealed bottom • Waste that is solid or concentrated are put in barrels and buried in landfills • Biological treatment – oil • Incineration – burn the waste – very expensive • Export the waste to other countries
What should you do with your hazardous waste? • Never dump it outside or down the drain!!