Solid Waste Disposal & the 3R’s

Big Ideas • Problem: We live in a single use, throw-away

society that encourages the consumption• There is no “away”

– Trash often does not stay put• Trash represents waste:

– wasted resources, wasted energy, wasted land, wasted hours, wasted productivity

• The best solution is prevention: – Preventing pollution is much safer & cheaper

than trying to clean it up

Focus should be: Source Reduction• Source reduction (waste prevention) means consuming

and throwing away less• You can:

– Purchase durable, long-lasting goods– Seek products and packaging that are as free of toxins as

possible– Avoid single use items

• Saves resources• Saves money• Reduces pollution

Throw-a-way society

• Only Humans produce waste other organisms can’t use

• Until a society becomes relatively wealthy– Very little waste– 1900’s most material reused/recycled

• junk/scrap dealers

• After WWII– Cultural/Social changes– Disposable products became the norm– Planned Obsolescence

• Products designed to be replaced• Increases consumption & waste

Material Flow

Human Economy:Mostly linear

Nature:Closed loop

• Solid waste: any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or gas.– Municipal solid waste (MSW): produced directly

from homes & cities. (Mostly paper)– Industrial solid waste: produced indirectly by

industries that supply people with goods and services.

• Manufacturing• Agriculture• Mining/Drilling/Raw material extraction

• Hazardous (toxic) waste: threatens human health or the environment because it is toxic, chemically active, corrosive or flammable.

2%

98%

50%15%35%

focus on MSW, even though majority is industrial

• Waste collected by municipalities from– households, – small businesses, – institutions such as

• schools, • prisons, • municipal buildings• hospitals.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

• US leads the world in trash production– The US has 4.5% of world’s population, but produces 1/3 of the

world’s trash.– 4.5 pounds per person– 2 times as much as other industrialized nations– 5 – 10 times as much as developing countries

• Two reasons to be concerned– ¾ represents unnecessary waste of earth’s finite resources– In producing the products we use and discard, we are

creating huge amounts of • Air pollution• Water pollution• Land degradation• Solid and hazardous waste

Wasting Resources• What we throw away in our high waste economy

– Enough aluminum to rebuild country’s commercial airline fleet every 3 months

– Discarded carpet each year would cover Delaware– 27 million tons of edible food each year– Enough paper to build a wall 11 feet high across the

entire country every year• Americans spend more money on trash bags

than 90 other countries spend on everything they buy.

What Makes Up The Solid Waste Stream?

• 31% - paper• 33%- organic materials

(yard waste, food scraps, wood)

• 12%- plastic • 18%- durable goods

(appliances, tires)

80% – 90% could be recycle, or composted

Biggest single category:PaperMSW

What Makes Up The Solid Waste Stream?

Another way to look at MSW:

By Source

Biggest source: Containers & packaging

• Reduce- waste minimization or prevention – Source reduction

• Reuse- reusing something like a disposable cup more than once

• Recycle- materials are collected and converted into raw materials and then used to produce new objects

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

(Landfills)

Where does MSW go?

What we should be doing

What we actually do

Landfills

Dump versus a Landfill• Dump – an open site where waste

was dumped in a pile.– Problems: attract pests of all kinds,

create hazardous leachate, noxious smells

– Dumps are illegal in the US

• Landfill – an engineered system designed to dispose of waste in manner that protects public health and natural resources– Require extensive engineering

systems to protect groundwater, prevent pest infestations and contain dust, odor and blowing trash.

Constructing a Landfill• http://polaris.umuc.edu/cvu/envm/02-constr/const

r.html• Basics:

– Build Landfill: Dig big hole, line it, install leachate collection system

– Add trash (daily load is called a cell), cover each day with layers of dirt and clay to minimize smell and rodents

– Close Landfill: Install methane collection system, cap the landfill, install storm water runoff system and groundwater monitoring system

– Designate for other uses: Park, nature reserve, golf course.

• No buildings: ground is unstable and methane can build up in structures

Sanitary Landfill:Topsoil

Sand

Clay

Garbage

Garbage

Sand

Synthetic liner

Sand

Clay

Subsoil

When landfill is full,layers of soil and clayseal in trash

Methane storageand compressorbuilding

Electricitygeneratorbuilding

Leachatetreatment system

Methane gasrecovery

Pipe collect explosivemethane gas used as fuelto generate electricity

Compactedsolid waste

Leachatestorage tanks

Leachatemonitoringwell

Groundwater

Groundwatermonitoringwell

Leachate pipes Leachate pumped upto storage tanks forsafe disposal

Clay and plastic liningto prevent leaks; pipescollect leachate frombottom of landfill

Federal Landfill Standards set by RCRA

• Location restrictions– Away from faults, wetlands, flood plains, or other restricted areas.

• Composite liners requirements– Geomembrane (plastic) liner over 2 feet of compacted clay soil lining the bottom and

sides

• Leachate collection systems– On top of the liner (usually with sand for drainage) and removes leachate from the

landfill for treatment and disposal.

• Operating practices– Compacting and covering waste frequently with several inches of soil (daily cover)– Benefits: reduce odor, control litter, insects, and rodents and protect public health.

• Closure and post-closure care– Include covering landfills and providing long-term care and monitoring of closed

landfills.– Methane collection & monitoring– Groundwater monitoring

• Requires testing groundwater to determine whether leachate has escaped from the landfill.

Sanitary Landfill

Problems With Landfills

• Most MSW is buried in landfills that eventually are expected to leak toxic liquids into the soil and underlying aquifers

• Siting issues (“Not In My Backyard!”)• Leachate contamination

– adjacent waterways & aquifers– human toxicity

• Methane gas release greenhouse gas– From anaerobic decomposition of organic matter– Benefit: collect methane and use it for energy

• Incomplete decomposition of waste

Methane Collection System• Collects valuable methane

that results from anaerobic decomposition inside the landfill

• Safety feature and energy source!

• Methane = Natural gas

• Can be a form of Waste to Energy

Choosing a Location (“Siting”) a Landfill

• Controversial• Political

• Soils with clay• Away from water sources• Above the water table• On the outskirts of populous centers

– How far away: balance between transportation costs and proximity causing nuisance and eyesore

• NIMBY resistance• Environmental justice

Benefits of Landfills

• Can accept large amounts of trash• Most convenient method of disposal• Regulated to make safer

– Even though most expected to eventually leak• Accepts most MSW

– Including paper, plastic, metal, organic material,etc– Exception: no hazardous waste

• Including batteries, paints, solvents, pesticides, etc

Case Study: What Should We Do with Used Tires?

• We face a dilemma in deciding what to so with hundreds of millions of discarded tires.

What Should We Do with Used Tires?

• They can burn for years producing large amounts of toxic air pollutants... Very hard to put out

Tires• Are allowed in landfill if they are shredded

otherwise they are recycled.

(Landfills)

Where does MSW go?

What we should be doing

What we actually do

Incineration

Incinerators• Burning MSW can be used to generate

electricity– Burn trash create heat boil water to make

steam steam turns a turbine electricity!

– Called Waste-to-energy

• Incinerators must have:– Scrubbers

• devices that use a liquid spray to neutralize acidic gases.

• Removes SO2 , acidic gases and particulate matter

– Filters or electrostatic precipitators• progressive series of filters remove tiny particles

• Removes particulate matter

Incinerator Diagram:

• Volume of solid waste reduced by 90% after incineration

• Produces heat that can make steam to generate electricity

Incinerators

Incineration

• Site selection often controversial

– Smelly; ugly; truck traffic

• (toxic) ash disposal• siting: NIMBY• Air pollution

– Hg & Dioxins• Discourages recycling• Expensive to build

•Ash problems: • fly ash (PM)• bottom ash• Can be toxic

(Landfills)

Where does MSW go?

What we should be doing

What we actually do

Reuse/recycle

Solving the MSW Problem

• The only TRUE solution to our MSW problem is the 3 R’s (in order of preference):

– Reduce– Reuse– Recycle

• Source reduction – MOST EFFECTIVE!!!– Design & manufacture products in ways that

decrease the volume of solid waste created• Redesign packaging• Companies moving to Zero-Waste Manufacturing

– Subaru» Reuses materials, reclaims solvents & paints, recycle

materials, remaining 1% is burned for energy

– Technological development can constantly decrease the size and weight of a product

– Reduce consumption

(1) Reduce

(2) Reuse• Extends resource supplies and requires less energy

than mining raw materials & manufacturing• Increases residence time before disposal• Examples

– Refillable beverage containers– Reusable grocery bags

• Many cities have banned plastic bags• Dallas stores must charge 5¢ per bag

– Repair– Repurpose: newspaper for animal bedding– Ebay, flea markets, garage sales– Borrow books from library

(2) Reuse

• Developed Countries– Reusing products is an

important way to reduce resource use, waste, and pollution

• Developing Countries – Reusing can be hazardous

for poor who scavenge in open dumps.

– They can be exposed to toxins or infectious diseases.

(3) Recycling• Conservation of resources by

converting material into new product.

Recycling is increasing in US

Other Developed Countries:

Closed-loop•Becomes the same item•Needs no/few new inputs old carpet → new carpet

Open-loop•Becomes a different item•Needs additional inputs plastic bottle → fleece jacket

2 Categories

• Recycle these:– Glass bottles,

newspapers, steel cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, office paper

• Every ton of recycled paper saves:– 17 trees– 7000 gallons of water– 4100 kwatt-hrs of energy– 3 cubic yards of landfill

space

(3) Recycle

• Recycling Paper– US recycles 50%– Denmark recycles 97%

• Recycling Glass– US recycles 25%– Costs less than new glass– Can be used to make

glassphalt

(3) Recycle

50% of aluminum recycled in US World avg = 70% Recycled aluminum uses 90% fewer resources

(3) Recycle

Plastic Recycling• Recycling some plastics is chemically and economically difficult to

recycle. Plastics are often recycled into other forms of plastic and those plastics are often not recyclable.

Many plastics are hard to isolate from other wastes.

Recovering individual plastic resins does not yield much material.

The cost of virgin plastic resins is lower than recycled resins due to low subsidized fossil fuel costs.

There are new technologies that are making plastics biodegradable

Plastics must be sorted according to their resin identification code which indicates the type of material they were made from.

StyrofoamGrocery & bread bags

Shampoo and fast food service items

Milk bottles and butter tubs

Soft drink bottlesYogurt containers, straws, and bottle caps

Other various plastics

Characteristics of Recyclable Materials

*Easily isolated from other waste

*Available in large quantities

*Valuable – there is a market

Benefits of Recycling

Reduces globalwarming

Reduces aciddeposition

Reduces urbanair pollution

Make fuelsupplieslast longer

Reducesair pollution

Savesenergy

Reducesenergy demand

Reduceswater pollution

Recycling

Reduces solidwaste disposal

Reducesmineraldemand

Protectsspecies

Reduceshabitatdestruction

Two Ways to Recycle• Source separation

– Consumers separate their trash into different bins

– Pros: cheaper, can be less energy intensive, lower start-up costs

– Cons: not everyone does it, relies on consumers

– Concern: May waste resources if it requires two separate trucks to visit each house, better to have single truck with dual collection capabilities

• (MRF) Materials Recovery Facilities – Single Stream– Machines and workers separate trash

at a facility– Pros: can increase the amount of

recycled materials, provides high paying jobs

– Cons: expensive to build and operate, can produce air pollution, only economically feasible when scrap prices are high

– Concerns: removes responsibility and awareness from the consumer

Recycling – trying to achieve Zero-Waste

• San Francisco – goal to minimize the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill

– http://vimeo.com/channels/recologize/41177616

– http://www.sunsetscavenger.com • IBM & Recology on video library page

Nike: Reuse-A-Sneaker•Poor unsafe working conditions•Inadequate wages•Toxic solvents, adhesives, and rubber manufacturing•VOC’sImposed a Cradle to Grave Analysis• “Nike Considered”: likert scale of

sustainability at each step in the process

• Friendlier adhesives/rubber• Organic Exchange Cotton• Reuse-A-Shoe

• Nike Grind – to make playground & other athletic surfaces

Why is recycling not the whole answer to our waste problem

Composting – Recycling Nutrients

• Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic matter, such as food and yard wastes, into humus, a soil-like material

• Organic Matter:– Food scraps– Yard waste– Agricultural manure– Sewage Sludge

• Can also include – Wood– Paper (usually better to recycle, unless soiled)

Composting: Recycling Nutrients

Composting - Pros• Reduces volume in landfills

– Organic matter in landfills decompose anaerobically → produce methane

• Produces humus– Fertilizer– Enhances soil texture– Retains moisture

• Anyone can do it– Large or small scale

• Can be sold or distributed to community

Composting - Cons

• Takes time and space• Can be inconvenient

– Need to monitor• C:N ratio 30:1 for best microbial action• Add moisture

• Aerate/Agitate to add O2

• If not properly maintained – Can smell bad– Attract flies, rats, etc

City Compost Pile: Large scale Composting

Hazardous Materials & Integrated Waste Management

• Hazardous waste: is any discarded solid or liquid material that is toxic, ignitable, corrosive, or reactive enough to explode or release toxic fumes.

• The two largest classes of hazardous wastes are– toxic heavy metals (lead,

mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium).

– synthetic organic compounds or Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) (e.g. pesticides, PCBs, dioxins, DDT)

• Hazardous Wastes in the environment are harmful when absorbed in high concentrations.

Heavy metals

POPs

• Can easily leach into groundwater.

• Chemicals and toxins can be released at safe levels but may react or combine with other chemicals, from synergism, to create dangerous mixtures.

• They can be taken up by organisms via food or water or simply absorbed from the surroundings.

– Will bioaccumulate and biomagnify in the food chain

• Are Persistent

– Stay in environment a long time

Hazardous Waste in the Environment

Spraying apples with insecticide, Japan

Hazardous Waste & Health

• Heavy metals - Neurotoxins• Damage Brain & nerve function• Metal retardation• Hyperactivity, Shortened attention span, Behavior disorder• Kidney & Skeleton damage• Death

• POP – – Disrupt systems

• Endocrine– Gender benders– Thyroid disorders

• Reproductive– Birth defects– Reduced fertility

• Immune– Cancer

– Death

Hazardous Waste• Harmful to humans/ecosystems• The majority is byproduct of industrial

processes – 36 million ton/year• Households generate 1.5 million ton/year• Only 5% recycled• Expensive & difficult to treat & dispose of• No truly good way of disposal - 2 options:

– 1) source reduction: don’t create it in the 1st place– 2) Use a less toxic alternative

Hazardous Waste Sources

• Cleaning machinery• Manufacturing processes• Mining and drilling• Agriculture• Dry cleaners• Auto service stations• Households: over cleaners, batteries• Fuels, solvents, lubricants, pesticides

Fig. 22-15, p. 534

What Harmful Chemicals Are in Your Home?

• Glues and cements

• Dry-cell batteries (mercury and cadmium)

• Rust inhibitor and rust remover

• Brake and transmission fluid

General

Cleaning

• Battery acid

• Wood preservatives

• Stains, varnishes, and lacquers

Automotive

• Gasoline• Used motor oil

Paint• Latex and oil-based paints• Paint thinners, solvents, and strippers

Gardening

• Pesticides• Weed killers

• Ant and rodent killers

• Antifreeze

• Flea powders

• Disinfectants

• Septic tank cleaners• Spot removers

• Drain, toilet, and window cleaners

• Artist paints and inks

• Solvents

Household Hazardous Waste

• Common household items such as – paints, cleaners, oils, batteries and

pesticides • Look for Labels

– danger, warning, caution, toxic, corrosive, flammable or poison

• Disposal– Deliver to your local HHW

collection facility for proper disposal

– Better: Share these materials with neighbors to reduce waste

Hazardous Waste Regulations (US)

• Two major federal laws regulate the management and disposal of hazardous waste in the U.S.:– RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

• Tracks waste progress• Cradle-to-the-grave system to keep track of waste.

– CERCLA - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

• Commonly known as Superfund program.• Clean up abandoned waste sites

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

• Regulates hazardous waste from “cradle to grave”– EPA regulates the generation, transportation, treatment,

storage, and disposal of hazardous waste• Regulates disposal of solid waste in landfills – sets

standards• Regulates handling of household hazardous waste• Regulates storage of materials in underground storage

tanks (i.e. gas tanks)• Works to minimize the generation of hazardous waste

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) (Superfund Act)

• Clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites.• Most severe sites on NPL – National Priorities List

– NJ has 9,000 contaminated sites, but only 114 have final NPL status

• Cleanup is very expensive, so who pays?– If a responsible party is located and financially able, they are

required to pay for the cleanup.– If no party can be found, the government pays to clean up

the site• Superfund was funded by a tax on oil and chemical companies

until 1995, now it is funded by the general tax fund• Passed in 1980 In response to the Love Canal incident

Superfund Sites2014 – 1,332 sitesNJ – 114CA – 97PA – 95NY – 85TX – 50

Love Canal, NY - There Is No “Away”

• Between 1842-1953, Hooker Chemical sealed multiple chemical wastes into steel drums and dumped them into an old canal excavation (Love Canal).

• In 1953, the canal was filled and sold to Niagara Falls school board • In 1957, Hooker Chemical warned the school not to disturb the site

because of the toxic waste.• In 1959 an elementary school, playing fields and homes were built

disrupting the clay cap covering the wastes.• In 1976, residents complained of chemical smells and chemical

burns from the site, increased rates of illness, birth defects

Love Canal• President Jimmy Carter declared Love

Canal a federal disaster area.– The area was abandoned in 1980

• In 1983, Love Canal became the 1st superfund site– Took 20 years & 400 million to clean up

• It still is a controversy as to how much the chemicals at Love Canal injured or caused disease to the residents.– difficult to link long-term health effects– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdt6f_fAFo

• How many other Love Canals are there around the world

• Chemical time bombs• Leaking chemical

storage tanks and drums• Pesticides dumps• Piles of mining wastes

Brownfield • Abandoned industrial and commercial sites contaminated with hazardous wastes– Less contaminated than superfund sites– Factories, junkyards, older landfills, gas

stations

• Problems– Lots of sites: 450,000 in US– No uniform Federal Standards

• Clean up is managed by city/state gov• Varies widely by region

– No legal liability enforcement• Can’t compel polluter to clean up

• Success– Can revitalize/rehabilitate for public good – Parks, athletic fields, nature preserves, etc

Brownfields• Pros to remediation:

– Can be done as part of urban redevelopment projects– Allows urban areas to return to profitable uses: parks, athletic field,

preserves– Remove threat from hazardous wastes for both human and nature

• Cons:– Expensive– Older sites may be difficult to clean to new standards.– Have to dispose of contaminated material– Have to disturb soil and habitat– Could contaminate another area

• Management of the Waste we are Producing– (1) source reduction– (2) conversion to less hazardous materials– (3) long-term storage

HAZARDOUS WASTES

Disposal of Hazardous Waste• Best - reduce

– Stop production of products that contain hazardous wastes

– find substitutes / alternative substances– Recycle and/or reuse

• Better - mitigate– Convert into less hazardous substances by

incineration, biological treatment or thermal treatment

• Worst - store– Haz. Waste landfill, surface impoundments,

underground injection wells,

Conversion to Less Hazardous Substances

• Physical Methods: using charcoal or resins to separate out harmful chemicals.

• Chemical Methods: using chemical reactions that can convert hazardous chemicals to less harmful or harmless chemicals, usually by incineration.

• Biological Methods: – Bioremediation: bacteria or enzymes help destroy toxic and

hazardous waste or convert them to more benign substances.– Phytoremediation: involves using natural or genetically

engineered plants to absorb, filter and remove contaminants from polluted soil and water.

– Mycoremediation : fungi mycelium absorbs contaminants from soil

DEALING WITH HAZARDOUS WASTE

• We can produce less hazardous waste and recycle, reuse, detoxify, burn, and bury what we continue to produce.

Biological: Detoxifying Wastes-Bioremediation

Uses organisms to break down wastes

Bacteria & microbes

-Phytoremediation uses plants to remove wastes from soil

-Mycoremediation uses fungi mycelium Very good at

absorbing heavy metal

PhytostabilizationPlants such as willow trees and poplars can absorb chemicals and keep them from reaching groundwater or nearby surface water.

RhizofiltrationRoots of plants such as sunflowers with dangling roots on ponds or in green-houses can absorb pollutants such as radioactive strontium -90 and cesium-137 and various organic chemicals.

PhytodegradationPlants such as poplarscan absorb toxic organic chemicals and break them down into less harmful compounds which they store or release slowly into the air.

Inorganicmetal contaminantsOrganic contaminants

Radioactivecontaminants

Brake fernPoplar treeIndian mustardWillow treeSunflower

Oilspill

Landfill

GroundwaterSoil

PollutedleachateDecontaminated

water out

Pollutedgroundwater in

GroundwaterSoil

PhytoextractionRoots of plants such as Indian mustard and brake ferns can absorb toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, and others and store them in their leaves. Plants can then be recycled or harvested and incinerated.

Fig. 22-18, p. 538

Inexpensive

Low energy use

Easy to establish

Trade-Offs

Phytoremediation

Advantages Disadvantages

Some plants can become toxic to animals

Some toxic organic chemicals may evaporate from plant leaves

Produces little air pollution compared to incineration

Can reduce material dumped into landfills

Slow (can take several growing seasons)

Effective only at depth plant roots can reach

Conversion to Less Hazardous Substances

• Incineration: heating many types of hazardous waste to high temperatures – up to 2000 °C – in an incinerator can break them down and convert them to less harmful or harmless chemicals.

• Plasma Torch: passing electrical current through gas to generate an electric arc and very high temperatures can create plasma.– The plasma process can be carried out in a torch

which can decompose liquid or solid hazardous organic material.

Fig. 22-19, p. 538

Advantages

Trade-Offs

Plasma Arc

Small High cost

Produces no toxic ash

Can vaporize and release toxic metals and radioactive elements

Can release particulates and chlorine gas

Mobile. Easy to move to different sites

Produces CO2 and CO

Disadvantages

Long-Term Storage: Hazardous Waste

• Hazardous waste can be disposed of on or underneath the earth’s surface, but without proper design and care this can pollute the air and water.– Deep-well disposal: liquid hazardous wastes are

pumped under pressure into dry porous rock far beneath aquifers.

– Surface impoundments: excavated depressions such as ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liners are placed and liquid hazardous wastes are stored.

Fig. 22-20, p. 539

Safe method ifsites are chosencarefully

Trade-Offs

Deep Underground Wells

Advantages Disadvantages

Encourageswaste production

Existing fracturesor earthquakescan allow wastesto escape intogroundwater

Leaks fromcorrosion of wellcasing

Leaks or spills atsurface

Low cost

Easy to do

Wastes can beretrieved ifproblemsdevelop

Fig. 22-21, p. 539

Low construction costs

Can store wastes indefinitely with secure double liners

Groundwatercontaminationfrom leaking liners(or no lining)

Trade-Offs

Surface Impoundments

Advantages

Promotes wasteproduction

Disruption andleakage fromearthquakes

Overflow fromflooding

Air pollution fromvolatile organiccompounds

Wastes can be retrieved if necessary

Can be built quickly

Low operating costs

Disadvantages

Long-Term Storage of Hazardous Waste

• Long-Term Retrievable Storage: Some highly toxic materials cannot be detoxified or destroyed. Metal drums are used to stored them in areas that can be inspected and retrieved.

• Secure Landfills: Sometimes hazardous waste are put into drums and buried in carefully designed and monitored sites.

Secure Hazardous Waste Landfill• In the U.S. there are

only 21 commercial hazardous waste landfills.

Above Ground Hazardous Waste Disposal

Wastetransporter

Hazardous waste

Supportcolumn

Inspector

Elevator shaft

Fig. 21.17, p. 540

International Waste Management =Toxic colonialism

– Developed countries sometimes send their waste to developing countries• Less expensive than following laws within

the country• Controversial aspect of waste management• Environmental Justice issue

Integrated Waste ManagementLife Cycle Analysis

Life-Cycle Analysis (Cradle to Grave)• Important tool to make good decisions• Maps the materials/energy/pollution used and released

throughout the lifetime of the product– Mining raw material– Manufacturing– Shipping– Use– Disposal

• Impacts quantified– Environmental– Economic– Social

• Limitations– A lot must be estimated

Integrated Waste Management

• Holistic approach (“from all angles”)

• W. McDonough’s book Cradle to Cradle– New approach to manufacturing– Develop products for disassembly– Recycled easily: with little material put in waste stream– Ex: Volkswagen

• Cars designed to be easily taken apart for repair/recycling

– Ex: carpeting

• A method that seeks to develop as many options as possible, to reduce environmental harm and cost.

• Reduction, recycling, composting, landfills, and incineration are some ways IWM is utilized.

• Move from linear to circular material flow

Integrated Waste Management

Optimized Management of MSW Waste Stream:

Integrated Waste Management

Goal to reduce waste

E-Waste is Particularly Problematic!

E-waste• Electronic waste including televisions, cell phones, computers,

DVD players and other electronic devices– Hazardous waste!

• Contains POPS: PVCs (polyvinylchloride), PBBs (polybrominated flame retardants),

• Heavy metals: lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, etc– If disposed in landfill, these hazardous chemicals are released in air, water

and soil– E-waste must be collected so the hazardous materials can be removed and

recycled: US recycles 20% Switzerland recycles 80%– US produces half world’s e-waste

How to dispose of E-Waste

• What we are currently doing:– The Electronic Waste

Recycling Act mandates and funds a program to ensure the collection and proper disposal of e-waste

– Most of the US’s e-waste is shipped to developing countries (China, India, Pakistan) to be recycled.

– Less than 20% of e-waste is actually collected for recycling

• What we SHOULD be doing:– Manufacture products that do not

contain toxic materials– Design products that have

interchangeable parts so that broken parts can be repaired and then re-used (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDAw7vW7H0c )

– Require companies to take back products at the end of the life cycle so that the company has to consider how manage the waste in their design process.

– Charge consumers a recycling fee when they purchase the product and require the trade-in of the old product when a new one is purchased

Achieving a Low-Waste Society

• In the U.S., citizens have kept large numbers of incinerators, landfills, and hazardous waste treatment plants from being built in their local areas. (NIMBY)

• Environmental justice means that everyone is entitled to protection from environmental hazards without discrimination.– NIABY – Not In Anyone’s Backyard– NOPE – Not On Planet Earth– http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/envh10_vid_envdallas/

Global Outlook: International Action to Reduce Hazardous Waste

• An international treaty, The Stockholm Convention 2001, calls for phasing out the use of harmful persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the dirty dozen.– POPs are insoluble in water and soluble in fat.– Nearly every person on earth has detectable levels of

POPs in their blood.– The U.S has not ratified this treaty.– Dirty dozen: DDT, dioxin, PCB’s (polychlorinated

biphenyls), HCB (hexachlorobenzene)

Solutions: mimic nature1. Consume less2. Redesign manufacturing processes and products to:

use less material and energycreate less pollution and waste

3. Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, recycle, or compost “cradle to cradle”

4. Eliminate or reduce packaging material5. Charge fee-per-bag for trash collection, but free

recycle collection6. Establish cradle to grave responsibility laws

Making the Transition to a Low-Waste Society: A New Vision

• Everything is connected.• There is no “away” for the wastes we produce.• Dilution is not always the solution to pollution.• The best and cheapest way to deal with

wastes are reduction and pollution prevention.