Global trends to combat dumping
To date, very important is the question of safe disposal of waste. Back in 1992 at the International Forum in Rio de Janeiro , this problem has been called one of the main problems of mankind. Increased interest in this issue is caused by an increase in the annual volume of waste produced in the world ( so far ), and the tangible results of their disposal in landfills or burning in the open. As a result of anaerobic (without air) decomposition of organic matter (about 25 % of waste in landfills ), and various kinds of plastic, an allocation of toxic substances - garbage gas consisting of methane (50% is considered to be the main cause of the greenhouse effect ), carbon dioxide saturated vapors , heavy metals , chloride , sulfur and other harmful substances.
As a result of the allocation of the gas there is a danger of explosion at the landfill , put harm to human health , plants, contaminated soil and water. Also, the most significant consequence is the greenhouse effect, which leads to the destruction of the ozone layer and global warming.
As of 2009 , global volumes of waste exceeded 800 billion tons annually the number of people in the world is growing at 1-2 %, and the volume of landfill - 6%. Every inhabitant of Europe emits 377 kg of waste per year , the U.S. - 500 kg [ 78 , 84].
Waste disposal - is the oldest method of waste disposal and still the most common form in most countries due to its relatively low cost (up to $ 20 . T) .
In fact, a cost of burial is not calculated by a certain standard. There is a huge variety of landfills for the disposal of waste - from illegal and uncontrolled landfills to cutting-edge platforms, equipped for the appropriate environmental and building tech...
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... its extract gas from the landfill . However , the application of these measures, the cost of burial increases ( 50-100 dollars. T) and questioned the preference for burial in a landfill compared to other methods of waste disposal. Waste disposal may be restricted mainly the introduction of legal regulation . Practical measures may include artificial overvaluation of land under the ground, for example, by introducing an additional tax on the land under the ground . Much more serious extent may be a ban on landfill for burial of certain types of waste such as raw garbage.
There are two main methods for safe disposal of waste compared : The burning and processing in different ways. Each year became more popular incineration – the thermal utilization of waste in special furnaces or in factories. Over the past 10 years, the volume of waste undergoing incineration
The public perception of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal controls a region’s acceptance of a nuclear waste site. As environmentalism becomes the center of the debate about nuclear waste unit siting, multiple suspected costs are brought the forefront. The first, and often the most influential, is the suspected cost of waste sites to the people that surround it.
Have you ever wondered what happens to your trash after you put it in the garbage can? Most people do not, after all, sanitation workers remove the garbage and it is never seen again. Martin V. Melosi called this "out-of-site, out-of-mind mentality… as long as someone removed wastes from the immediate range of the senses, the problem was solved."1 As a result, garbage disposal is a service that many take for granted. Yet, waste does not just disappear. It must be stored, buried, or burned somewhere. This disposal process has gone on for hundreds of years since populations produced huge amounts of waste. The continued use of landfills and dumps has caused the perception that there is a garbage crisis.
A garbage crisis is at hand. As a nation, we have begun to worry that the growing mounds of wastes will only continue to increase as the means of disposal become further restricted. Government agencies and public officials are urgently trying to find a solution. The waste dilemma has become the centerpiece of the politics of garbage.
To begin with, in the U.S., trash is most commonly sent to a landfill, unfortunately though, once it arrives there little sorting occurs. According to the EPA, “Nationally, food is the single most common material sent to landfills. When excess food, leftover food, and food scraps are disposed of in a landfill, they decompose and become a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas” (“Cupertino Honored”). At a landfill, trash arriving is only screened for liquids in order to avoid the creation of leachate, or water that is contaminated from dissolved chemicals in garbage. Once screened, dumped, and covered, bacteria begin to decompose the trash and, as a result, release methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The fact is that landfills are ideally supposed to be used to bury garbage that is non-decomposable, however, with the garbage collection method that is currently in place across many states, all unsorted garbage is being sent there. In addition, “...traditional trash disposal not only wastes material that can enrich soil but accelerates climate change. Organic matter decom...
In conclusion to this investigation one thing is clear and that is that recycling reeks benefits to the environment, Recycling material when compared to making material from raw material is a more efficient energy saving and more environmentally friendly way to reuse material that is usually consider as trash such as empty glass, and plastic bottles, or old newspapers. Recycling helps reduce the possible carbon emissions greatly and does reduce the human carbon footprint. But Recycling doesn’t resolve the pollution that is around the world today. Leading to new questions, questions like what about the landfills are they sustainable, and if so for how long. How long until the air becomes unbreathable? How long until Earth becomes its own furnace?
She notes that the waste volume decreased significantly even while both population and gross domestic product increased after the scheme implemented. Her example of Taiwan can demonstrate “reduction at source” is the root solution to solve the waste problem. With the purpose of settling the waste problem, the Hong Kong government seems to be seeking solutions actively. The government, however, is neglecting the key element of the problem. It is noticed that either setting up the incinerator or expanding the landfill area are only methods tackling the problem at the surface, but not the root. Although the government claims that she has “learnt from the experiences of other metropolises in the region at a similar stage of economic development,” (Green Hong Kong February 2011. 1) which are Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, it is actually misleading the general public. The above-named countries are not using incinerators as their “only” treatment, nor even a “main option” of waste management, it is observed that there are lots of policy to coordinate with. They are using, instead, “Producer Responsibility Scheme.” By a close coordination of the
1. Landfills are large locations used to dispose garbage and other forms of waste. In a recent study by HowStuffWorks.com “Today, we still dump more than 100 million tons of trash into landfills annually”.
Delving further, we realize that ‘Waste management’ essentially means “the collection, transport, recovery and disposal of waste, including the supervision of such operations and aftercare of disposal sites”. However the latest concepts are of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle of waste’ over and above waste disposal.
Do you know how many tons of garbage filling up landfills everyday? Do you know how many kilograms of daily domestic waste we generate? According to government's figures, there are 13,500 tons of waste landfilling in Hong Kong everyday, in which a third of it is food waste. Each Hong Kong citizen produces 1.36kg domestic waste everyday, which is at least 36% more than Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo. Waste disposal has been a highly controversial topic in recent years. If the trash production rate keeps on increasing, three landfills in Hong Kong will be exhausted one by one in two to six years. Landfill is the only way to dispose waste in Hong Kong. In order to tackle the municipal solid waste(MSW) problem, government decides to build an incinerator in Shek Kwu Chau, with other waste disposal method. The purpose of this project are to reduce the total amount of garbage, increase in the recovery rate of MSW and reduce the total MSW disposed of in landfills.
One of the most usually used methods for disposing E-waste is to bury it. Mining voids or borrow depths can be used in land filling. E-wastes ending up as landfills may release pollutants to the environment after some years by natural ways. Leaching some wastes such as batteries may possibly release acids and heavy metals like: mercury, nickel, and cadmium. Moreover, E-wastes landfills may pollute groundwater (Schmidt, 2002; Yang, 1993). Diffusing to the land, polluted water will mix with other water sources such as rivers and streams hence reaching animals and humans (Kasassi et al., 2008). Organic and decayed materials in landfills decompose and penetrate through the soil as landfill leachate containing high concentrations of polluting substances
Firstly, the biodegradable waste needs to be segregated from the non-biodegradable ones. The further steps discussed here is taken forward with the biodegradable waste which if dumped in landfills end up generating hazardous methane gas, obnoxious smell, breeding ground for disease causing vectors like flies; and sometimes, even underground water gets affected adversely.
Traditional methods of waste disposal have proven to be ineffective and have caused harmful effects on the environment. The most popular and inexpensive way to get rid of garbage is burial, but burying your problems does not necessarily mean getting rid of them. Landfill sites pose as severe ecological threats as these mass garbage dump yards overflow with trash and frequently contaminate our air, soil and water with hazardous wastes. About 400 million tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year1. A large-scale release of these materials can cause thousands of deaths and may poison the environment for many years. For example many industrial companies around the world cannot afford to enforce the strict pollution regulations set by many developed countries. This usually forces these types of companies to move to developing countries where pollution regulations are very lenient. These developing countries knowingly accept environmentally hazardous companies usually because they are in desperate need of employment. The harmful effects of these companies were clearly illustrated in the 1960s and 1970s when residents living near Minamata Bay, Japan, developed nervous disorders, tremors, and paralysis in a mysterious epidemic. The root was later found to be a local industry that had released mercury, a highly toxic element, into Minamata Bay. The disaster had claimed the lives of 400 people1. Since 1970 you can bet that a lot more than 400 people have died as a result of waste disposal. If the type of waste disposal were cheaper and effective we wouldn’t have to deal with waste problems, which still plague mankind today.
The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid wastes each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet. The number landfills in the United States are decreasing, but the amount and volume of waste being thrown into the new landfills is increasing (Russell 4). Because of this escalating amount of garbage, Methane which contributes to global warming is an outcome of these landfills (Russell 7). As a result, our planet is suffering because of this epidemic. The garbage being put in the landfills could be recycled, but not enough businesses, ...
America and Europe are at the top of the list for most waste generated according to Waste (4). This is very visible because there’s litter on every street in the towns and cities, as well in lakes, beaches, and rivers. The book Waste by Rob Bowden states that the amount of waste produced is increasing at a rate faster than population growth. About 1.5 million computers, in the U.K, are thrown away each year and most end up in landfills. There are 3 types of waste which are Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, and Hazardous waste. MSW includes waste from public garbage cans and local dumpsters. Industrial Waste includes massive amounts of waste water that is contaminated with chemicals. Hazardous waste is the most dangerous as it presents a danger to human health and the environment. Solutions for waste disposal take time because people need to consider their lifestyle and limit the amount of waste they generate. A good start is to recycle items such as paper, cans, plastic, and clothes. This way they don’t end up in landfills, beaches, or streets. Another solution is to join organizations that go around places to recycle, or organizations that demand the reduction in the amount of products that are being
Row, J., (2010). Pros and cons of incineration for landfill relief. Bright Hub. Retrieved: November 11, 2010, from: http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/civil/articles/89810.aspx