Bài giảng Environmental Sciences - Chapter 18 Municipal Solid Waste: Disposal and Recovery

Chapter 18Municipal Solid Waste:Disposal and RecoveryAll materials thrown away from homes and commercial establishments; note the PLASTIC!!!!!!Where does it go?55.5% => Landfill17.2% => Combustion27.3% => RecyclingSanitary Landfill Done RightMethane can be captured and used as a fuelLine with impermeable clay to prevent leachate from polluting ground H2O Cover daily with “clean fill” to reduce odor and pestsMonitor peripheral wells for contamination Why would a city want a landfill?Environmental reasons:Decreases fuel cost for transportStringent stand and yield positive resultsCurrent standards are better than old onesTrucks leak when transporting wasteMonetary reasons:Cities must pay dumping feesMake $ from the methaneJobsIncrease revenue from recycling U.S. Municipal Solid Waste Composition Rethink “waste”Nature reuses everything and so should we.Disposal (Recycle )Landfills (Recycle )Combustion: DIOXIN - Waste of EnergyCost; If it’s not “a” waste; “cost” to recycle lower; “cost” to dispose of is reduced or eliminated. Recycle or DieThe Ocean GyreTrash Vortex A mass of PLASTIC trash TWO TIMES the size of Texas!Trash gone wrong gyre from spaceTrash inside the ocean gyreTrash inside a dead baby Albatross Cleaning Up:- Ships would haul filters out in the ocean, drag it back to shore and repeat each step to clean the trash gyre. The cost would be prohibitive!The GyreImportant solutions to ocean pollution problems: Use biodegradable plastic Ban the worst type of plastics ( hard to degrade ) Clean up the trash currently in the gyreClean up your nearby beach Recycle!