The Future of Solid Waste Management

Transcription

1 Recovery The Future of Solid Waste Management Resource recover is the recognition that waste often still have a function. Once treated, transform it into new by-products. Recycling By reusing these materials We reduce the amount of materials discarded in the landfill or that is incinerated. We reduce the demand for new resources. The Three R s Reduce is waste minimization or prevention. Reuse is to use something more than once. Recycle is to collect materials and convert them into raw materials that will be used to produce new objects. There is an order to the Three R s! It is always best to reduce the amount of waste generated. Reducing and reusing go hand-in-hand. Recycling is a process, and therefore has its own impacts including that the material quality is reduced by processing. All About Recycling Closed loop - remanufacture a product back to the original product. It is important to support the use of recycled materials. Open loop - process when a product into a new product.

2 Why Doesn t Everyone Recycle? Creative Options Zero Waste Developing products and services while eliminating the volume and toxicity of waste and materials and conserve and recover all resources.! Upcycling The process of converting waste into something of greater value. Upcycling Trashion Fashion April 23rd at 1 pm at Hartford City Hall

3 The process of managing the natural decomposition of organic material. Includes food scraps and yard trimmings. The result of composting is humus. Soil that is rich in nutrients. Used to replenish lost nutrients in the soil to restore soil health. Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. Decomposition is performed by earthworms, insects, and microorganisms. Other Benefits of When organic material is decomposed in a landfill, landfill gas is produced. Methane! reduces greenhouse gas emissions! Compost has better retention, so less water loss and leaching. Compost increases infiltration and permeability of heavy soils, which reduces the amount of erosion and runoff that occurs. Compost improves and stabilizes the ph of the soil. Can be made in your kitchen or backyard! Large Scale Some cities and towns are having curbside compost pick-up. In San Francisco, they determined that 1/3 of the waste could be diverted from their landfills by composting. Some communities have been able to reduce trash pick-up to every other week because of the reduction in trash. Requires a lot of education! People need to know why they should compost and how to do it. Cities without mandated composting sometimes have companies who will collect your waste instead.

4 Large Scale Considerations It can be difficult to find a location suitable for municipal composting. Frequent turning is required for aerobic decomposition. Too much waste what will we do with it if there isn t enough space for it? If you have too much green waste then the compost can smell. The higher the nitrogen, the greater the smell! Attracts rodents and other wildlife. Integrated Waste Management A comprehensive waste prevention, recycling, composting, and disposal program. - Evaluate local needs and conditions before selecting a combination of waste management activities that best fit those conditions. Integrated Waste Management Source reduction vs. waste reduction - When developing an integrated waste management plan, we can reduce our impact at the beginning with how we design our products and packaging or at the end when selecting how things will be disposed.

5 Waste Reduction In addition to composting, there are ways to motivate people to reduce the amount of waste the generate. - PAYT = Pay as you throw. - Residents pay more for creating more trash while recycling and composting is free. Source Reduction Cradle to Cradle Design Designing intelligent products, processes, and systems taking into account the entire life cycle of the product, optimizing material health, recyclability, renewable energy use, water efficiency, quality, and social responsibility. Source Reduction Many of our items do not degrade naturally because they are made from plastic and other man-made substances. - Use biopolymers to replace petroleum based products, such as plastic. - Biodegradable plastics made from corn, soybeans, etc. can replace petroleum based plastics. Natural fibers, such as cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc. can be used in garments and upholstery.