Ch. 19.2: Reducing Solid Waste

A. Reduce… If we produce less waste, we will reduce the expense and difficulty of collecting and disposing of it. Mostly common sense techniques

A. Reduce… Buying Less Products with less packaging Not using unnecessary store bags

B. …Reuse… Buying products that last longer Dish towels instead of paper towels The old coke glass bottles that were returned to the store, washed, and reused.

C. …Recycle Also saves energy and resources Ex. 95% less energy is needed to produce aluminum from recycled cans than from ore. Ex. 70% less energy for paper

C. …Recycle A series of steps 1) Items must be collected and sorted 2) Transport to separate facilities 3) Cleaning 4) Breakdown and remade 5) Sold as new products

C. …Recycle Composting Yard and kitchen waste make up 15% of a community’s solid waste All biodegradable After breaking down, compost can be used as fertilizer

C. …Recycle Degradable Plastics Photodegradable plastic – made so that when it is left in the sun for many weeks, it becomes brittle and breaks into pieces.

C. …Recycle Degradable Plastics Green plastic – Made by blending plant sugars with a special chemical agent. Requires 20-50% less fossil fuels Degrades within 45 days of being thrown away (bacteria break it down)

C. …Recycle Degradable Plastics Problems – These only break down into smaller pieces, but these pieces can still remain as long as regular plastics.