WASTE

Dirty Jobs  Land Fill

Fresh Kills Landfill  Located in New York, New York  Last landfill in New York City, covering over 3,000 acres  Closing after 50 years  New era for the environment to restore the ecology and natural resources of the entire city  Area had really bad odors  Barges where lined up at all times of the day in order to dump 14,000 tons of waste a day

Objectives  Define waste  Recognize the difference between waste in the natural environment and waste created by humans  Describe Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)  Know the seven types of Municipal Solid Waste

What is waste?  Any unwanted or discarded matter  It can be a solid, liquid, or in a gaseous form  A product, material or container is not considered waste until someone throws it away  Today we will focus mainly on solid waste

Waste Facts  Americans create a third of the world’s total waste  Each person creates 44 tons of waste per year  Each person generates 90,000 pounds of waste in a lifetime  Bumper to bumper convoy of garbage trucks  Discarded office paper 12 foot high from coast to coast  Enough plastic film is produced in Texas to shrink wrap the state every year

Where does waste come from?  All living things create waste  In natural systems, trees, animals, and other organisms contribute to waste  Humans create waste as they alter natural systems through extraction, processing, and use of natural resources

Differences in wastes Natural Environment  Fallen branch  Nature processes its own waste  Balance between production & breakdown of organic wastes  Branch will decompose over the years, & return to the soil  There are environmental elements in nature to help with discomposure  The ecosystem remains in balance Human Environment  The tremendous quality & concentration of human solid waste has great demands  Collection, processing, storage, and disposal systems have to be set in place  Organic wastes created by humans (like vegetable peelings) can be processed by nature in a compost pile

Municipal Solid Waste  Is all the waste material from the activities of a city or town  There are seven categories: -Domestic Solid Waste -Commercial Solid Waste -Medical Waste -Municipal Solid Waste -Industrial Solid Waste -Construction & Demolition Solid Waste -Agriculture Solid Waste

What is Domestic Solid Waste?  Solid waste from homes and apartments  It is solid waste from the daily activities of people’s lives  Usually placed in garbage containers  Items include: garbage, rubbish, ashes, and bulky materials

What is Commercial Solid Waste?  Refuse from offices, retail stores, schools, and restaurants  Offices create mostly paper wastes  Most restaurants separately store waste cooking oil for special disposal  Some school wastes may be hazardous from laboratories

What are Medical Wastes?  Include those from human health care and veterinary medicine  Be careful in disposing of syringes, and human bodily fluids and tissues  Over three-fourths of all medical wastes are created by hospitals  Physicians Offices-6%  Dental Offices-2%  Clinics & Labs-13%  Vets-1%  Funeral homes & blood banks-1%

What is Municipal Solid Waste ?  Includes materials from cleaning streets and parks, dead animals, abandoned cars, furniture, and wastewater treatment plants

What is Industrial Solid Waste ?  Is from manufacturing  It could be large amounts of refuse, such as material that remains from smelting copper or iron  Waste raw materials such as sawmills producing sawdust  Food processing facilities produce waste food and products

What is Construction & Demolition Solid Waste? Construction  Include scraps of lumber  broken brick  pieces of electrical wire  roofing material scraps  unused concrete Demolition  Materials remaining after a building is destroyed  Some materials may be salvaged  May include such items as: -Plaster -Brick -Mortar -Glass

What is Agriculture Solid Waste?  Created in raising animals and growing crops  Most of the wastes are returned to the land to improve the fertility of the soil  The wastes vary depending on the animal  Chicken excrement is used for what?  What is cattle manure used for?  Crop residues that are left in the field decompose and improve productivity of the soil by being plowed under  Crop residues may be used as animal feed  Also includes, bulky items such as worn-out equipment, and junk tractors

Activity  Materials needed -Construction paper -Magazines -Glue -Scissors -Pen or Pencil  Get into groups of three  As a group construct a collage of Municipal Solid Waste using the categories we just talked about  Use the magazines to cut out pictures, words, or cut out letters to make words, in order to show the different types of wastes  When your group has finished, sit quietly until everyone has finished, and we will use the collages to review today’s objectives together

Review Questions  So what did we define waste to be?  What are the differences in natural waste and human waste?  What is the definition of Municipal Solid Waste?  Can anyone name to me again the seven categories of Municipal Solid Waste?