Solid Waste Management Lilian Giertz
Overview What is solid waste? How does this affect us? Current management practices Future management possibilities Discussion
What is solid waste? Solid waste – anything we throw away or discard Petruscible waste – animal and vegetable waste Municipal solid waste (MSW) – garbage
Breakdown of MSW
How does this affect us? 2.1 kg per capita per day 767 kg per capita per year Costs money Land use Lost resources
Current Procedure Waste generation Separation and collection Central storage facility (if applicable) Transport and disposal
Waste Generation Industrial, commercial, and residential Source Reduction: Composting Recycling Reuse Education and legislation
Separation
Collection Curbside collection Transport to processing facility
Transport Directly to the landfill from the source To processing plant for treatment Shipped to landfill by train or truck
Disposal by Sanitary Landfill Site selection Public views Soil conditions, topography, groundwater Local roadways, traffic patterns Cover material availability Location specifics: seismic activity, flooding, etc
Disposal by Sanitary Landfill
Monitor, collect, and treat leachate Ammonia Heavy metals Hydrocarbons Inorganic salts
Disposal by Sanitary Landfill Harness methane gas Hazardous to environment Explosive when in contact with oxygen Collect gas and purify for energy generation Not 100% efficient
Current Process Advantages Low cost Produce some energy Relatively safe with monitoring
Current Process Disadvantages Land usage Harmful leachate and gas production Wasting usable materials
Future Management Possibilities Incineration Refuse-Derived Fuel Facilities – separation of the combustible materials from noncombustible parts Gasification Partial combustion using less oxygen to create energy
Refuse-Derived Fuel Facilities
Future Methods Advantages Create energy Lower land usage Better sort materials
Future Methods Disadvantages Currently inefficient Costly More difficult process
Discussion Should new methods be used for solid waste management? Is there a way to create a more efficient management practice? Are there other things we should be doing to solve this problem?