chapter 22 waste management
what are the steps to recycling?
1. collect and process the used goods 2. materials are used to manufacture new goods 3. consumers purchase new products
what are the steps of an incinerator?
1. waste is sorted and metals are removed, 2. waste is chopped into small pieces and burned in a furnace
what is a sanitary landfill?
a lined hole in the ground where solid waste is disposed of by being spread out, compacted, and covered with soil (highly engineered)
what kind of system is also installed to the landfills?
a system to recover the methane gas produced by the anaerobic decomposition of a capped landfill
what is source reduction?
a type of waste management where products are designed and manufactured in ways that decrease the volume of solid waste and the amount of hazardous materials in the solid waste that remains. it's the "reduce"
what is waste?
any unwanted material resulting from human processes or activity
where must landfills be located?
away from wetlands and earthquake faults
how are cities beginning to recycle better?
by collect yard waste separately from household trash and compost the yard waste.
how is municipal solid waste produced?
by consumers and small businesses
how did cities prevent people from dumping their garbage wherever they wanted?
by taking on the job of collecting waste at specific locations
what can be released into the atmosphere when waste is burned?
certain hazardous chemicals
what are the was of recycling/where can you dispose of recycled materials?
drop off location, curbside recycling, or a material recovery facility
what is a drawback to the dry conditions of landfills?
dry conditions slow the decomposition of waste
what does waste result from?
from an increase in packaging, production of poor-quality goods that wear out quickly, and from affluence
preconsumer waste
generated in a manufacturing process and is recycled as part of the production of consumer goods
how is reducing the amount of material entering the waste stream beneficial?
it conserves resources, minimizes pollution, and saves money
what does the gas contain and what is done with it?
it contains methane and is collected, processed, and used
how is reusing, rather than replacing, beneficial?
it extends supplies, keeps high quality matter from being reduced to low quality waste, and reduces energy use
what happens once a landfill is full?
it is closed and capped with a plastic barrier covered with soil and plants
what happens to the waste in a sanitary landfill?
it is partially decomposed by bacteria and compressed under its own weight
how is landfill gas produced?
it is produced by anaerobic bacteria that decompose the waste and produce the gas
what is composting?
it is the practice of recovering organic waste by converting it into mulch or humus
what is recovery (recycling) and how is it beneficial?
it is the process of collecting used goods and sending them to facilities that extract and reprocess raw materials that are then used to make new goods. it removes waste from the waste stream and includes both recycling and composting.
what are the benefits to recycling paper?
it saves energy, reduces air and water pollution, and saves land space
what are examples of source reduction?
manufacturers using materials more efficiently, consumers buying fewer goods, consumers buying goods with less packaging and consumers using goods longer
what is a drawback that deals with the location of landfills?
no one wants to live near them
most plastics today are ____________
nondegradable
what is the easiest waste to be recycled?
paper
what is the largest component of municipal solid waste?
paper
what are the bottoms and sides of a landfill lined with?
plastic
what has have accounted for the greatest relative increase in the waste stream?
plastic
when the price of oil is low, the price of what is also low?
plastic feedstocks
what are the two types of waste recycled?
postconsumer waste and preconsumer waste
what are the types of recycling?
primary and secondary
what can closed landfills be converted to?
public parks
what is secondary recycling?
recycling waste into a different product ex- milk jugs into fleece blankets
what is a better option than landfills/incinerators?
reducing waste
what are some things you can do to reduce and reuse?
reuse boxes and containers, use reusable cups and mugs, and buy rechargeable batteries
________ of plastics can be difficult.
separation
what is municipal waste?
solid waste comes from homes and businesses (non liquid)
what is the solid waste management hierarchy in order from most preferred to least preferred?
source reduction and reuse, recycling/composting, combustion with energy recovery, landfilling and incineration without energy recovery
what are the drawbacks to recycling paper?
takes energy and water and the process to remove ink creates hazardous waste
what is incineration or the combustion of garbage?
the burning of mixed garbage at very high temperatures
what is a waste stream?
the flow of waste as it moves from where it is produced to where it is disposed of
what are drawbacks to waste to energy incinerators?
they are expensive and need a constant supply of waste to keep running
how do most developed countries dump waste today?
they bury waste in lined landfills or burn waste in incinerators
what do many plastics contain and when they must be removed?
they contain stabilizers that must be removed before the plastic resin can be reused
what is the main drawback to landfills?
they must be maintained even after they are closed
what occurs inside of a materials recovery facility?
they sort, classify, clean, shred, and prepare the collected materials for reprocessing
how do waste to energy incinerators use waste to produce energy?
they use the heat produce by burning garbage to boil water, make steam and generate electricity
how does composting converts organic waste into mulch or humus?
through natural decomposition
why are drainage systems installed in landfills?
to collect and treat the leachate that results when substances from the trash dissolve in rainwater and move downward
what can compost be used for?
to make soil more fertile and improve soil texture
what is the purpose of waste management?
to minimize the amount of waste generated, recover waste material and recycle, and dispose of it safely
why are landfills kept dry?
to reduce the chance of leachate moving into groundwater
what is in the ash that remains after the waste is burned and what happens to it?
toxic components are in it and it must be disposed of in a hazardous waste landfill
what is hazardous waste?
toxic, chemically reactive, flammable, and corrosive waste
most landfills are like a ___________ with newspapers still legible after years.
trash capsule
what does incineration reduce?
volume
what is industrial waste?
waste from manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and petroleum refining
what is postconsumer waste?
waste generated by use of products
what is left after reducing, reusing, and recycling?
waste is left to dispose of in landfills or burn in incinerators but waste management tries to minimize this type of waste
why is soil layered in a sanitary landfill?
waste to reduce odor, reduce the number of pests, and to speed up decomposition
what is primary recycling?
when waste is recycled to produce new products of the same type ex- aluminum cans are recycled into new cans
how did people used to dump their garbage?
wherever they wanted—especially into rivers that would "carry it away"
are incinerator emissions are regulated in developed countries?
yes
is it cheaper to recycle PETE plastic than to produce it?
yes
