Waste and RecyclingWise Use of Resources

Pre-cycling• Not allowing something to be wasted• Could involve reuse or simply using

something wisely as to not allow it to become trash

Reuse, Composting and RecyclingTwo of the 3 Rs of Waste Prevention

Reuse• A form of waste reduction that keeps high

quality resources from becoming waste

Composting• Sweet-smelling, dark brown humus-like

material that is rich in organic matter and soil nutrients

Composting• Advantages• Could reduce up to 35%

of waste• Can be used as fertilizer

or landfill cover• Helps rebuild eroded soil

• Disadvantages• Excludes toxic materials• Odor (enclosed facility;

near landfill; or be careful to get only biodegradable waste and put in closed container with air circulation

• Can be expensive to set up

RecclingThe last of the 3 Rs of Waste Prevention

Recycling comes in two types• Primary• Secondary

Primary Recycling• Also called closed-loop recycling• Recycles the same product • Aluminum cans form new aluminum cans• Newspaper becomes newspaper

Secondary Recycling• Also called Open Loop Recycling• Waste is converted to new products• Jeans into carpet• Plastic into lumber

How much paper is really recycled?• 40-50% of all paper products are estimated

to be recycled

Plastics Recycled• What % of plastics do you think get

recycled? • About 5% of plastics are recycled• Why? • Low cost resin except for the drinking bottle

which is most likely type of plastic to be recycled

Post-consumer recycling• Waste that could have been put into a

landfill because it had been already used for its original purpose but was instead recycled into either the same product or a different product that its original use

Pre-consumer Recycling• Material was not used for its original

purpose. In the manufacturing process this material was excess and did not make it into the original product; therefore, the manufacturer recycled it back into its own manufacturing process

• Can you think of an example of this?

How is recycling done?• Centralized recovery areas are where

mixed urban waste is transported to this type of facility

• Recovery implies recycling• Rest of the waste is burned • There are roughly 250 of these facilities in

the US

What factors limit recycling?• The environmental cost is not included in

the purchase price• Tax breaks for manufacturers but not for

individual recyclers • Lack of market for recycled materials

Traditional waste management• Trash is presorted into recyclables and

trash• Recyclables go one route • Trash is taken to sanitary landfill

Land Disposal• 57% of waste goes to a landfill • Sanitary Landfill: garbage graveyard where

solid waste is spread out in thin layers and compacted daily with fresh layers of clay or plastic foam

Landfill Liners• Landfills need to have thick layer of

concrete separating them from the nearby material

• The concrete layer is covered over with a thick liner which is thicker than the shingles on your roof

Other ways of dealing with wasteDetoxification & Incineration

Incineration• 7-15% of US waste is incinerated • Process by which combustible waste is

burned and ash is buried

Incineration• Advantages• Reduces waste• Most things are

combustible• Cheap once set up

• Disadvantages• Fire and associated

threat of explosive substances getting into incinerator

• Separation of items• Expense of incinerator• Air pollution• Smoke

Detoxification • Some waste can be disposed of in other ways if it

was detoxified. • This can be done by toxic-degrading bacteria • Also substances can be watered down • Finally, some substances like heavy metals

cannot be dealt with in this way • Heavy metal poisoning is very difficult to manage

b/c body’s tissues pick up the metal and is not easily removed