There Is No Away In Throwing Topic 6

GARBAGE We have established that, like all organisms, human beings produce waste. So what do we do with it all? What would happen if one day your family was told that there would no longer be any garbage collection and that there was no dumps available for you to take your garbage? N.I.M.B.Y. (“Not in My Backyard”) What do you think this phrase means? Who might say it? So if the garbage can’t go in YOUR backyard, where does it go?

GARBAGE Even with a VERY thorough recycling program, landfills are a necessary part of community life. How would you like this in your back yard:

GARBAGE Where does Cochrane’s garbage go? Spy Hill Landfill Spy Hill Landfill in NW Calgary. What does a city the size of New York do? What happens when garbage doesn’t get collected?

LANDFILL CONSTRUCTION Watch this video, and find out the following:video 1.What are the bottom 3 layers of a landfill (bottom to top)? 2.What is leachate, and where does it go? 3.What is the purpose of the “fluff layer?” 4.Describe 3 ways (other than the lining) in which they ensure the area around the landfill is not affected by it. 5.How long does it take for the land to become “reclaimable?”

Cotton rags1-5 months Paper2-5 months Rope3-14 months Orange peels6 months Wool socks1 to 5 years Cigarette butts1 to 12 years Plastic coated paper milk cartons5 years Leather shoes25 to 40 years Nylon fabric30 to 40 years Tin cans50 to 100 years Aluminum cans80 to 100 years Plastic 6-pack holder rings450 years Glass bottles1 million years Plastic bottlesForever Biodegradable Substances

Secure vs. Sanitary What you saw Sanitary landfills What are the pros & cons of using secure landfills vs. sanitary?

Things to Consider The amount If the pace at which Landfills are costly to create and maintain. Who pays for them? What are some ways we can reduce the impact of landfill usage?

Why must landfills be sealed on the bottom? Why do we have to worry about garbage that goes down into the Earth? Ground water: Aquifers: (see p. 241).

GROUND WATER

Can anything go in the trash? Simply put: No. Hazardous wastes These substances

SEWAGE TREATMENT Human waste is a whole other issue. The Bonnybrook Sewage Treatment Facility in Calgary treats 376 MILLION liters of sewage water EVERY DAY!! That’s over 150,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools of sewer water every single day.

SEWAGE TREATMENT This video describes how sewage treatment takes place in Calgary. Find out the following:video 1.What happens to the solids in the first step of the process? 2.What takes place in the primary clarifiers? 3.What do they call the big tanks where waste is “eaten” by bacteria? 4.How does Calgary’s treatment rank in comparison to other Canadian cities? 5.What does the light in the last step do?

Sewage treatment takes place in 4 steps in Calgary, (see p. 240): –Primary Treatment: –Secondary Treatment: –Tertiary Treatment: –Quaternary Treatment: SEWAGE TREATMENT

BONNYBROOK SEWAGE TREATMENT FACILITY primary secondary tertiary quaternary

BIOREMEDIATION Sometimes toxins still manage to find their way into the environment. Chemical cleanup can be very costly. Bioremediation  –Example: plants absorb pollutants through their roots, often times making these pollutant to be less toxic. –Bacteria to breakdown more persistent and toxic wastes (able to survive in extreme environments). Bioreactors:

POLLUTION: A Success Story In 1985, atmospheric scientists announced that a hole had appeared in an upper layer of the stratosphere, called the ozone layer, and that this hole was growing.

The ozone layer POLLUTION: A Success Story

The culprit: Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) − man-made pollutants used in… POLLUTION: A Success Story Starting in 1987, nations from around the world began signing a treaty made here in Canada (The Montreal Protocol) to stop the manufacture of these chemicals. The ozone layer is expected to recover fully by 2050

What you have learned How landfills are constructed and how they manage solid waste. Why landfills must be kept sanitary. What materials must be kept out of landfills. How sewage is treated. How other forms of pollution can and have been dealt with.