1. Waste
Chapter 19
The amount of solid waste each American produces every year has more than doubled since the 1960s.

2. Types of Solid Waste
Biodegradable: CAN be broken down by biological processes
Ex: Plant and animal matter, newspapers, paper bags, cotton fibers, leather, etc.
Nonbiodegradable: can NOT be broken down by biological processes
Ex: Polyester, plastics, and other synthetic materials

3. Municipal Solid Waste
2% (236 million tons each year) of the total solid waste is produced by households and businesses
Growing quickly

4. Waste from Manufacturing, Mining, Agriculture
Manufacturing Waste: Items like scrap metal, plastics, paper, sludge, ash
Not produced by consumers, but produced to bring consumers their goods
Mining Waste: rocks left over from excavation and processing dumped in oceans, rivers, or used to fill abandoned mines
Agriculture Waste: manure and crop wastes
Biodegradable, but more frequently full of pesticides and fertilizers which could harm animals, other plants, and groundwater

5. Solid Waste Management
Landfills help contain waste so it doesn’t pollute the environment (soil/groundwater)

6. Landfill Problems
Leachate: liquid that has passed through waste in a landfill, collecting chemicals, is dangerous in groundwater supplies
Can be prevented through monitoring, storage tanks, and treatment
Methane: decomposing organic waste can create this highly flammable gas which can seep through the ground into basements of nearby homes, causing dangerous explosions.
Can be monitored and pumped out to be used as fuel

7. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976/1984)
Requires new landfills to be built with clay and plastic liners
Must have systems to collect and treat leachate
Vent pipes are required to carry methane out of the landfill

8. Landfill Solution – Incineration?
Burning waste in incinerators reduces the solid waste by 75%, however batteries, cleansers, paints, etc. pollute the air when they are burned
Ash is buried in a landfill and is more toxic than the trash before incineration
REDUCE WASTE!!

9. Recycling Saves energy, water, and other resources STEPS:
Collect and sort by type
Clean and crush (glass)/turn to pulp (paper)/etc.
Make new products to sell to consumers
Demand drives production

10. Composting
Variety of wastes: yard waste, fruit/vegetable trimmings, table scraps, restaurant waste, food-processing plant waste, manure from animal feedlots, municipal sewage sludge, etc. are biodegradable and will decompose in a compost pile
Oxygen and moisture will speed up the process
Compost is formed that is rich in nutrients and can help plants grow
More compost=less waste/landfill space
Can be done at home!

11. Degradable Plastics
Plastics are NOT biodegradable, so some companies are making plastics that break down easier to appeal to consumers
Photodegradable Plastic: left in the sun for many weeks becomes weak/brittle and breaks into pieces
Green Plastic: sugars in plants blended with chemicals to make plastic and uses less fossil fuels to produce

12. Degradable Plastics: PROBLEMS
Break apart, but do not completely disappear(just into smaller pieces)
Still remain in landfills for many years (like regular plastics)