Environmental Biology- Chapter 21

Recycling E-Waste

-70 % goes to China •Hazardous working conditions •Includes child workers - US , produces roughly 50 % of the worlds e-waste •Recycles only 14 %

Advantages of combustion

-84 U.S. facilities burn 30 million tons/year of MSW 1. A waste reduction process, not disposal 2. Ash must still be disposed of -No changes are needed in trash collection or people's behavior -combustion reduces weight of trash by 70 % and volume by 90 % -Fly ash contains toxic substances and is landfilled -Bottom ash is used as fill in construction or roadbeds or convertedt concrete blocks

Recycling Has Advantages and Disadvantages

-Advantages 1. Net economic health 2. Environmental benefits -Disadvantages 1. Costly -Single-pickup system 1. No separation needed

Communities in the U.S. have the largest share of hazardous waste dumps:

-African American, American, Latinos, and Native American -Environmental discrimination has led to environmental justice movement

Drawbacks of combustion

-Air pollution and odor -Facilities are expensive to build -Toxic ash must be disposed of in secure landfills -The facility must have a continuous supply of MSW -Combustion wastes energy and materials

Waste amount and types vary by nation

-As nations become wealthier or more urbanized, per capita waste increases - Lower-middle income countries • Types of waste also vary by region and income - Low-income nations procduce less solid waste, but a greater percentage of waste is organic matter

Siting new landfills

-Between 1988 and 2009, landfills decreased from 8,000 to 1,900 -The EPA does not think capacity is a problem -But people don't want landfills near them • It is hard to find areas to build new landfills -Any potential site is met with protests and lawsuits • LULU (locally unwanted land use); NIMBY (not in my backyard); NIMTOO (not in my term of office) • BANANA (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything)

We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes

-Collect and then detoxify 1.Physical methods 2. Chemical methods 3.Use nanomagnets 4.Bioremediation 5.Phytoremediation -Incineration -Using a plasma arc torch

E-waste: discarded electronic devices

-Computers, cell phones, game consoles, TVs -The volume is growing faster than we can deal with

Costs of disposing of MSW are increasing

-Design features of landfills -Expenses in acquiring sites and transportation -Disposal fees average $44/ton -New York City's total cost: $260/ton-$1 billion/year!

Floating plastic entangles animals

-Discarded , abandoned , lost fishing gear makes up 10 % of marine debris - "Ghost fishing" traps organisms - 70 % of endangered North Atlantic right whales have been entangled

Undesirable consequences of the siting problem:

-Drives up costs of waste disposal - Inefficient and objectionable transfer to private landfills

Production of paper versus recycled paper

-Energy use - world's fifth largest consumer -Water use -Pollution

Plastic bags are everywhere

-Hanging from trees, blowing along highways, clogging sewers, in oceans -Killing thousands of marine animals and turtles yearly -Each year, the United States uses 100 billion bags & the World: 1 trillion! -Hard to recycle and almost indestructible China has banned ultrathin bags San Francisco banned plastic bags in 2007 - Use cloth , paper or reusable plastic bags

Who pays for the cost of waste pickup ?

-Households, via taxes -Pay-as-you-throw: charges by the amount of trash a person throws away -Private collectors bill households

resource recovery

Separating and recovering materials before and after burning

Most waste ends up in:

Rivers, lakes, the ocean, and natural landscapes

How Can We Make the Transition toa More Sustainable Low-Waste Society?

Shifting to a low-waste society requires individuals and businesses to: - Reduce resource use - Reuse and recycle wastes at local, national, and global levels

Landfills change due to _____ and ______ environmental fact

biological and physical

incineration (combustion facilities):

burns waste completely but may cause air pollution

Leaching:

chemicals dissolve in and are transported by water

siting problems encourage

recycling, reduction, and combustion of MSW

4 R's

Refusing, Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling

Leachate: water containing pollutants

- Decomposing organics, metals, chemicals - Can enter groundwater aquifers

E-waste has toxic components

-It is classified as hazardous waste -Heavy metals (lead, arsenic, copper, etc.) -Can leach groundwater if landfilled, or into the air if incinerated

Composting

-Mimics nature's recycling of nutrients -Resulting organic matter can be used to: 1. Supply plant nutrients 2. Slow soil erosion 3. Retain water 4. Improve crop yield

incomplete decomposition

-Petroleum-based plastics resist decomposition - Even degradable materials (e g., newspaper) can take decades to decompose • Decomposition requires water, which produces leachate

Recycling Plastics

-Plastics: Composed of resins created from oil and natural gas -Currently only 7 % is recycled in the US Many types of plastic resins making it difficult to separate from products that contain them

Types of wastes that can be recycled

-Preconsumer, internal waste generated in manufacturing process -Postconsumer, waste generated by product use

Grassroots Action

-Prevent construction of: • Incinerators, landfills, treatment plants, polluting chemical plants -Something must be done with hazardous wastes -Apply precautionary principle

Sustainability

-Reduce outputs of solid hazardous waste -Mimic nature's chemical cycling process •Reuse and recycle -Integrated waste management - Include harmful environmental and health costs in market prices

Waste transfer occurs across state or national lines

-Resentment and opposition from citizens - 11 U.S. states import> 1 million tons/year ( # 1 is Pennsylvania ) -13 states export > 1 million tons/year (#1:New York)

Low- and middle-income nations

-Spend more resources on collection -Do not have money to invest on modern MSW disposal

The Resource and Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA-1976)

-The EPA upgraded requirements for new landfills: -Abandoned landfills can become recreational facilities, golf courses, and wildlife preserves

Local governments are usually responsible for collecting and disposing of MSW

-They own trucks and hire workers -Or contract with a private firm

Biodegradable plastic polymers (bioplastics) have been developed

-Using cornstarch, cellulose, lactic acid soybeans - Are more expensive than petroleum-based plastics but demand is increasing -They are used by organic manufacturing companies

Alternatives to the Throwaway Economy

-We increasingly substitute throwaway items for reusable ones -In general, reuse is on the rise -One solution : taxing plastic shopping bags - •Ireland, Taiwan, the Netherlands

Steps to recycling

1. collecting materials 2. converting materials to new products 3. selling and buying of products

Bottled water

1. Bottled water: the number one "new drink -Health consciousness and suspicions about the safety of tap water 2. 10 billion gallons were sold in the United States in 2013 3. Only two states with bottle laws include bottled water 4. People pay 10,000 times more than for tap water 5. Only 1 in 6 bottles is recycled - The rest ends up in litter, landfills, combustion facilities 6. Many cities and schools have banned or restricted bottled water

What Can You Do? Reuse

1. Buy beverages in refillable glass containers 2. Use reusable lunch containers 3. Store refrigerated food in reusable containers 4. Use rechargeable batteries and recycle them when their useful life is over 5. When eating out, bring your own reusable container for leftovers 6. Carry groceries and other items in a reusable basket or cloth bag 7. Buy used furniture , cars , and other items , whenever possible

Six strategies to reduce resource use, waste, and pollution:

1. Change industrial processes to eliminate harmful chemicals 2. Redesign manufacturing process to use less material and energy 3. Develop products that are easy to recycle 4. Eliminate unnecessary packaging 5. Use fee-per-bag waste collection 6. Establish cradle-to grave responsibility

Reuse, Recycling, and Composting Present Economic Opportunities

1. Freecycle network 2. Upcycling : Recycling materials into products of higher value 3. Dual-use packaging

Recycling plastic

1. Numbers and letters on the bottom of plastic bottles tell the type of plastic polymer used 2. HDPE (high-density polyethylene): code 2 -Recycled into irrigation drainage tiles, sheet plastic, recycling bins 3. PETE (polyethylene terephthalate): code 1 -Recycled into carpets, jackets, film, strapping, bottles 4. Leftover food may contaminate containers 5. Rugs, lawn furniture, clothing cannot be recycled 6. Due to limits to recycling, reducing plastic use is still the best option

Source separation

1. Pay-as-you-throw 2. Fee-per-bag

Recycling Advantages

1. Reduces energy and mineral use and air and water pollution 2. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions 3. Reduces solid waste

Need to know

1. Solid waste is a global problem describe problems associated with disposable products and escaped trash (water pollution). 2. Disposal of waste in the US identify pros and cons of how we manage waste in landfills and combustion facilities. Review of public policy on waste. 3. Solutions: recycle the 4R's - refuse, reduce, reuse recycle 4. Solutions: composting

Factors that hinder reuse and recycling:

1.Market prices do not include harmful costs 2.Economic playing field is uneven 3.Demand for recycled products fluctuates

Problems of landfills: settling

1.Waste settles as it compacts and decomposes - Buildings are never put on landfils 2. Shallow depressions or deep holes are created - Where landfils have been converted to playgrounds and golf courses 3. Monitoring the facility and using fill to restore a level surface solve the problem

Wealthy nations produce ______ more trash per person than poor countries

100 times

Burning MSW releases ______ as much energy as coal to produce electricity for 2.7 million homes

35 %

How many pounds of trash does the average American collect each day?

4.4-5.0 pounds

With incentives, the U.S. could recycle and compost _____ of its municipal solid waste

80 %

Emissions are in compliance with the

Clean Air Act

Solid waste

Any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not liquid or gas

Problems of landfills: methane

Buried wastes undergo anaerobic decomposition - Producing biogas (methane, CO2, and hydrogen)

Why Are Refusing, Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling So Important?

By refusing and reducing resource use and by reusing and recycling what we use, we: -Decrease our consumption of matter and energy resources -Reduce poliution and natural capital degradation -Save money

What is Cradle to Grave?

CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation & Liability Act -Used to clean-up abandoned sites contaminated with hazardous substances. -Includes hazardous waste and list 40 CFR 302.4.

Recycling Paper

Easy to recycle -Uses 64 % less energy -Produces 35 % less water pollution - Produces 74 % less air pollution

Environmental justice

Everyone is entitled to protection from environmental hazards

A more sustainable approach to hazardous waste:

First, produce less of it Then, reuse or recycle it Then, convert it to less-hazardous materials Finally, safely store what is left

Composting

Form of recycling that uses bacteria to decompose yard trimmings, vegetable food scraps, & biodegradable waste into materials that can increase soil fertilitv

Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Garbage or trash produced by homes and workplaces

United States produces 3.3 million tons/year

Globally, 50 million tons/year are produced

_____ ______ Has Led to Better Solid Hazardous Waste Management

Grassroots Action

Secondary recycling

Materials converted to other products: tires

Primary, closed-loop recycling

Materials recycled into new products of the same type

We Can Make the Transition to Low-Waste Societies

Key principles 1. Everything is connected 2. There is no away 3. Producers and polluters should pay for their wastes 4. We can mimic nature by reusing, recycling, composting, or exchanging MSW we produce

In less developed countries:

MSW is -open dumps, people use or sell

In more developed countries :

MSW is buried in landfills or burned in incinerators

Materials recovery facilities ( MRFs )

Machines or workers separate mixed waste to recover valuable materials sale to manufacturers as raw materials.

Industrial solid waste

Produced by mines, farms, industries

What is Cradle to Grave?

RCRA: Resource Conservation & Recovery Act -Hazardous waste is regulated by RCRA... -Point of generation (ie. "Cradle") -Transportation (ie. "to") -Final disposal (ie. "Grave").

Love Canal

is a neighborhood within Niagara Falls, New York. The neighborhood infamously known as the location of a 70-acre (28 ha) landfill that served as the epicenter of a massive environmental pollution disaster that affected the health of hundreds of resident, culminating in an extensive Superfund cleanup operation. -Originally intended as a model planned community, Love Canal served as a residential area before being purchased by Hooker Chemical Company, now, Qccidental Chemical Corporation. -After its sale, under threat of eminent domain to the local school district, Love Canal attracted national attention for the public health problem originated from the massive dumping of toxic waste on the grounds. -This event displaced numerous families, leaving them with long-standing health issues and symptoms of high white blood cell counts and leukemia. -Consequently, the federal government passed the Superfund law. -The resulting cleanup operation under the Superfund law demolished neighborhood, wrapping up in 2004 -New York State Health Department Commissioner at the time, David Axelrod, called the Love Canal incident a "national symbol of a exercise a sense of concern for future generations.

Biogas

is highly flammable - can be captured, purified, and used as fuel

Groundwater contamination

is the most serious problem

small pieces of plastic are mistaken for food and

kill the animal that eats it

Plastic can

leach or absorb chemicals =DDT, PCBs

Problems of landfills:

leachates

Wealthy nations:

less organic material (yard waste) in the MSW stream discard and recycle more paper

Decomposition:

light, water, bacteria, others

In the natural world, there is essential no waste because

the waste of one organism become nutrients or raw materials for others

Most combustion facilities are _____ _ ______ with modern emissions controls

waste -to-energy (WTE)

Recycling tires

• Until recently, used tires were abandoned in dumps, ravines, and empty lots -Trapped water bred mosquitoes -They caught fire and caused pollution • By 1991, the United States had 2 billion waste tires, and produced 242 million scrap tires/year -36 states regulated disposal of scrap tires -The EPA promoted longer tire life (retreads, etc.)