Solid Waste In the US 98.5% of the solid waste comes from mining, oil production, agriculture, sewage sludge, and industry The remaining 1.5% is municipal solid waste

Dealing with Waste Waste management: high waste approach Manages inevitable waste to reduce environmental harm Bury it, burn it, ship it off Waste and pollution prevention: low waste approach Look at waste as potential resources Waste is harmful and we shouldn’t use it in the first place

Waste Hierarchy

Key Vocabulary Words Waste: Any unwanted material or substance that results from a human activity or process

Key Vocabulary Words Municipal Solid Waste: non-liquid waste that comes from homes, institutions, and small businesses Industrial Solid Waste: waste from production of consumer goods, mining, agriculture, and petroleum extraction and refining

Waste Totals We are most familiar with municipal waste, but this is only about 3% of the total solid waste. Industrial waste from mining, manufacturing, and agriculture accounts for most of the solid waste.

Key Vocabulary Words Hazardous Waste: solid or liquid waste that is toxic, chemically reactive, flammable or corrosive Wastewater: water we use in households, businesses, industries, or public facilities and drain or flush down our pipes, as well as polluted runoff from streets and storm drains

Methods of Waste Disposal  Landfills- 55%  Incinerators- 12.5%  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- 32.5%

What are the parts of waste management?  Minimize waste  Recover waste materials and try to find ways to recycle them  Dispose of waste safely and effectively

1. Prevention/Reduction Key to managing our waste = not wasting as much in the first place!

2. Reuse Does not require reprocessing, less energy intensive than recycling Reuse strategies: donations to charities, reusing packaging, containers

3. Recycle Saves natural resources and creates jobs Saves landfill space, incineration Prevents environmental damage from mining, logging May save energy (if recycled materials use less energy to produce)

3. Recycle Paper! Americans use 50 million tons of paper in a year (= 850 million trees) 40% of waste stream is paper. Paper is the major component of landfills Making recycled paper uses less energy than virgin paper

3. Recycle Aluminum Many Al cans today are made with recycled Al Mining bauxite is very damaging to the local environment Aluminum does not degrade and aluminum is nonrenewable

3. Recycle Glass does not wear out – it can be recycled indefinitely States with a bottle bill have cut litter by 35-40%

3. Recycle Problems! Infrastructure for collection, storage and transport facilities Compliance, opposition Manufacturers and market for recycled products Contamination Costs