Solid Domestic Waste 8.3

Starter Name all the different types of domestic waste you can think of… HINT. Think about possible materials Quick quiz – how long do you think it takes these objects to break down in landfill? Disposable nappy Plastic bottle Cotton T-shirt Paper bag Leather belt Banana peel Styrofoam cup Aluminium can Glass bottle Block of wood 500-600 years 1 million years 6 months 2 months 50 years 1 month 1 million years 500 years 1 million years 20 years

Garden waste – 20% Kitchen Waste – 17% General Household Sweepings – 9% Glass – 7% Wood – 5% Wood and furniture – 5% Scrap metal/white goods – 5% Soil – 3% Textiles – 3% Metal Packaging – 3% Disposable diapers – 2% Paper and Board – 1%

Solid Domestic Waste (SDW) …also called Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Applications and Skills: Evaluate SDW disposal options Compare and contrast pollution management strategies for SDW Evaluate, with reference to figure 8.3.15, pollution management strategies for SDW by considering recycling, incineration, composting, and landfill

Solid Domestic Waste (SDW) Waste is material that has no value to its producer. SDW makes up about 5% of total waste and is collected from homes and shops. It is waste we can control Question: Where do you think the other 95% comes from? Agriculture and industry

Type of SDW Examples Biodegradable Food waste, paper, green waste Recyclable Paper, glass, metals, some plastics, clothes, batteries Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) TV’s, computers, phones, fridges Hazardous Paints, chemicals, light bulbs Toxic Pesticides, herbicides Medical Needles, syringes, drugs Inert Concrete, Construction waste

The UK generates 434 million tonnes of waste annually of which 30 million tonnes is household waste… http://www.meinfo.co.uk/articles/packaging-and-environment/ - Waste Online’s estimate of the UK’s waste generation

Circular Economy focuses on sustainability Restorative Uses renewable energy Eliminate or reduce waste Use careful design

Minimizing waste Best action that we can take is to produce less waste in the first place – reduce it Reuse it instead of it becoming waste Recycle it and use repeatedly Go to page 385 and evaluate strategies for RRR in groups of 4 In Germany each household has 4 bins each for different types of waste. In India and China very little waste is food waste because it is not thrown away or it is fed to animals. In MEDCs up to 50% of waste is food waste!

Recycling Separate waste materials and process them for reuse – the economics determine whether it is commercial or not. Some materials have a high production cost so recycling is particularly worthwhile e.g. aluminium cans Recycling an aluminium can takes 5% of the energy needed to extract it from the source, bauxite. It can be recycled indefinitely with no loss to quality. Recycling one can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.

Composting Organic waste can be composted or put into anaerobic digesters. The methane produced can be used as fuel and the waste used as fertilizer or soil conditioners.

Disposal of waste Landfill Main method of disposal – waste is taken to a suitable site and buried there. Cheapest method economically speaking. Living near landfill can cause health problems Carefully selected to be away from areas of high population density, water courses and aquifers. Lined with plastic liner to prevent leachate (liquid waste) Leachate is collected in pipes. Methane is either collected to produce energy or released to the atmosphere.

Disposal of waste Incinerators Burn the waste at high temperatures up to 2000°C. Sometimes the waste is pre-sorted. Reduces waste between 80-90% The heat produced can then be used to drive a turbine and produce energy or to heat buildings. Waste-to-energy incineration. In some all waste is burned but this produces air pollution. (burning plastics / heavy metals produces dioxins).

Waste produced per capita / kg yr–1 The table below shows the different types of domestic waste and the amounts produced per capita each year in a city in a developed country. Material type Examples Waste produced per capita / kg yr–1 Organic material garden waste, food/kitchen waste, wood 188 Paper newspaper, writing paper, packaging, cardboard, milk cartons 91.2 Plastics soft drink bottles, plastic bags, plastic containers 25.1 Glass jars, bottles, plate glass 23.9 Metals steel cans, aluminium packaging and cans, copper pipes 14.4 Household hazardous paint, dry cell batteries, car batteries, fluorescent light bulbs 1.9 Miscellaneous ceramics (bricks, tiles etc.) rock, ash, soil 10.2 Total   354.7 [Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data] Calculate the proportion of paper, glass, plastics and organic material combined as a percentage of total waste. (1) Outline and evaluate strategies for the management of the domestic waste in the table above. (3)

Mark scheme (a) 100 × = 92.5 %; (accept 92.0 to93.0 %) (b)To achieve full marks the answer must include at least one evaluation comment. most of the waste generated can be recycled or composted; some of the waste could be reused e.g. jars/bottles/textiles; composting and recycling would significantly reduce the amount of domestic waste going to landfill/combustion; hazardous wastes must be treated appropriately to reduce environmental damage; the advantages of reducing landfill should be explained to householders; incentives may be necessary to encourage householders to recycle rubbish; recycling is cheaper if householders sort their own waste; recycling will not continue if there is no demand for recycled goods; manufacturers may be made responsible for the final disposal of large items e.g. cars/refrigerators; 3 max Any other reasonable point.

Checking outcomes Summarise the different ideas you have learned today – include specific information about each one. Write down some questions to ask your fellow students about the aspects that we have learned today. Think about the learning outcomes when writing your questions: Learning outcomes: You should all be able to: Identify types of solid domestic waste Most of you should be able to: Outline the types of solid domestic waste produced by yourselves and your community Outline how waste production changes across the country and has changed over time

Monitor your waste for a week and keep a waste diary… Complete this table after a week and hand in… Activity Is waste produced? Type of waste produced What happens to the waste? At Home In the community At school