Solid Waste & Recycling By: Shannon Reece

Solid waste – The waste materials produced in homes, businesses, schools, and other places in the community Three methods of handling solid waste are to bury it, to burn it, or to recycle it.

BURY SOLID WASTE People use to dispose of waste in open holes in the ground. The open holes were dangerous and nasty to look at. In 1976 the government banned open dumps. Now solid waste is buried in the landfill. The landfill is constructed to hold waste more safely. Once a landfill is full, it is covered with a clay cap to keep rainwater from entering to waste. All landfills have a chance to pollute the ground water.

BURNING SOLID WASTE Burning of solid waste is called incineration, burning facilities, or incinerators don’t take up as much room as landfills. Heat produced by burning the solid waste can be used to make electricity.

RECYCLING SOLID WASTE Biodegradable- A substance that can be broken down and recycled by bacteria and other decomposers. Recycling reduces the volume of solid waste. Most of the products people use are not biodegradable, like plastic container, metal cans, rubber tires, and glass jars. People have developed techniques to recycle the raw materials in these thing.

Recycling- The process of reclaiming raw materials and reusing them. Most recycling focuses on four major categories of products: metal, glass, paper, and plastic

HOW THINGS ARE RECYCLED! Metal- melted and reused Glass - melted, made from sand, soda ash, and limestone mixed together and heated. Paper - the paper is washed to remove inks and dyes then mixed with more water and chemicals to form pulp then spread out and dried to produce paper. Plastic – resin is heated, stretched, and molded into plastic products.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RECYCLING! Advantages- saves energy Disadvantages- requires energy and creates some pollution

HOW COMMUNITIES MANAGE SOLID WASTE!! Many communities now collect recyclable item and other household trash. Supermarkets recycle paper and plastic bags. Many states charge deposit fees on certain glass, metal, and plastic containers. When people recycle these container they get their deposit back.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?!?!? These are called the “three R’s – reduce, reuse, and recycle.

REDUCE CREATS LESS WASTE IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU CAN USE A CLOTH SHOPPING BAG RATHER THAN DISPOSABLE PAPER OR PLASTIC BAG

REUSE Find another use for an object rather than discarding it. Refill plastic drink bottles with drinking water or juice you mix instead of buying drinks in new bottles

RECYCLE Reclaim raw materials to create new products Make sure you recycle at home and encourage others to recycle

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