Module 2.1 Pollution Prevention

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1 CURRENT SOLID WASTE STREAM IN U.S. Module 2.1 Pollution Prevention Pollution Prevention for Solid Waste In 1960, the solid waste stream in the U.S. totaled 88.1 million tons, about 2.7 pounds per person per day. In 1999, the solid waste stream totaled 230 million tons, about 4.6 pounds per person per day. In 2009, the solid waste stream in the U.S. totaled 243 million tons, about 4.34 pounds per person per day, a slight improvement. Source: U.S.EPA, 2009, Municipal Solid Waste in the United States CURRENT SOLID WASTE STREAM IN U.S. The major components of the solid waste stream in the U.S. in 2009 (after recycling), and their percentages, are: Paper and paperboard 28.2% Yard Waste 13.7% Food Waste 14.1% Plastics 12.3% Metal 8.6% Rubber, Leather and Textiles 8.3% Wood 6.5% Glass 4.8% And other 3.5% 1

2 CURRENT SOLID WASTE STREAM IN U.S. A good website to review current information on municipal solid waste (MSW) in the U.S. is: Go there after finishing this module and review the links: Basic Information Non-Hazardous Waste Resource Conservation What You Can Do History of Solid Waste Humans have always generated various waste products including solid waste The timelines on the EPA webpage include such historical and recent milestones as: 500 B.C. First municipal dump organized in Athens 1 mile from city walls 1690 First paper recycling mill in U.S First garbage incinerator build in N.Y First recycling center in U.S. established in N.Y First major aluminum recycling plants built in Cleveland and Chicago History of Solid Waste WWII forces Americans to collect and recycle metal, rubber, paper, etc to help the war effort. Also the Army begins burying all trash leading to the idea of sanitary landfills 1940s and 50s see a shift from open burn dumps to sanitary landfills 1958 to 1976 The amount of packaging produced and disposed in the U.S. increases by 67% the first buy back center for recyclables open in Washington State buying aluminum cans, beer bottles, and newspapers. History of Solid Waste 1979 EPA prohibits open dumping and set first standards for landfills 1992 President Bush issues Executive Order to stimulate waste reduction, recycling, and procurement of recycled goods in all federal agencies 1996 The nation reaches a 25 percent recycling rate. EPA sets a new recycling goal of 35 percent EPA kicks off Resource Conservation Challenge 2

3 The Pollution Prevention Hierarchy As always, the pollution prevention hierarchy gives a rank ordered list of activities from most desirable to least: Reduce at the source Reuse whenever possible Recycle if possible, either in a production process or post-consumer Treat if appropriate Dispose as a last resort only Pollution Prevention Activities Elements of pollution prevention programs for solid waste include activities from each of these areas Important: Don t jump to recycling as the first idea. Start at the top of the hierarchy and move downward only as required. Pollution Prevention Activities Examples of activities in order of preference: Reduce the waste at the source Reuse the material whenever possible Recycle material in production or postuse Compost of organic materials such as yard and food waste Purchase products with recycled content Pollution Prevention Activities Also important to environmental management and pollution prevention are the disposal practices used for the material that is in the waste stream: Use only landfills with modern designs Consider waste-to-energy combustion facilities 3

4 Source Reduction/Reuse of Material Common examples of source reduction activities include: Buy or manufacture minimal, reusable, or returnable packaging and containers Use and maintain durable equipment and supplies Repair rather than replace products Reuse products and supplies rather than use single-use materials Source Reduction/Reuse of Material Common examples of source reduction activities include: Use two-sided printed and copied material Use supplies and materials efficiently Use material exchanges with other companies Sell items no longer needed Donate items that are no longer needed to community re-use programs Recycling Examples of commonly recycled materials: Aluminum cans Tin cans Glass Plastic Office Paper Newspaper Cardboard Magazines and catalogs Batteries Yard waste (composted or chipped for mulch) Recycling Recycling programs include: Municipal curbside pickup Sorted at a central facility Sorted at the household or neighborhood Drop off centers Buy-back programs Example: laser printer cartridges Bottle and can deposit systems 4

5 Composting Organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, garden and flower bed trimmings, vegetable and fruit peelings and trimmings, etc. are easily composted into valuable organic fertilizers This can be done on a household, neighborhood, or municipal scale Composting On a household scale: a compost pile can be used for yard and kitchen waste (excluding meat or dairy products) On a neighborhood scale: include leaves, grass clippings and other landscaping materials Although some municipal scale composting projects include household waste, many concentrate on tree trimmings and Christmas trees. Some include leaves and grass clippings. Procurement One of the biggest impediments to recycling is a lack of market for the recycled materials Some of this is due to higher cost Lower costs will come from efficiencies of scale The federal government has been the leader in purchasing of material with recycled content Pay attention to whether or not the recycled content is post-consumer. Some material labeled recycled is really production reuse. That s not bad but it may not be what you think you are buying. Both reuse and recycling are necessary. Disposal In 2009: 33.8% of solid waste was recycled or composted 11.9% was incinerated with energy recovery 54.3% was landfilled Waste-to-energy incineration Controversial due to past hazards and upsets Generates energy from waste Waste volume is reduced drastically. However ash may be hazardous. 5

6 Disposal Landfills Modern facilities are engineered so as to be environmental friendly Covered frequently Gas and liquid generation are monitored and controlled Liners are used to prevent groundwater contamination Leachate is collected and treated Groundwater under the facility is monitored Implementing P2 for Solid Waste To implement a program: Research the waste stream Purchasing records Disposal records and bills Service, repair, and maintenance logs, contracts and records Recycling records Observe using a walk-through Carry out a waste sort Tie the waste type to the generation point Think reduce/reuse before you get to recycle Implementing P2 for Solid Waste Identify opportunities Involve everyone affected (janitorial and maintenance workers for example) Stay as high on the P2 hierarchy as possible. Move down only as needed. Calculate economic payback periods Publicize success solid waste is an area everyone sees and understands Consider employee morale and community relations Implementing P2 for Solid Waste Keep good records so that successes can be documented and publicized Share the success internally and externally Often P2 programs start with solid waste and build from here so this can be a good foundation for future efforts 6

7 Cutting Edge Ideas There are many good new ideas that government and industries are exploring for solid waste reduction Increasingly, many consumer products are being designed to be returned to the producer at the end of their life. Leasing electronics rather than purchasing is an example of this idea. Pay-As-You-Throw programs charge households for the amount of waste picked up at the curb, thereby encouraging source reduction in the home and business. Municipal level composting of household waste is increasing. The Internet is a rich source of information on new ideas. 7