Understanding Solid Waste and Pollution

1. Using full sentences, define the term “solid waste”. Three sentences maximum. Provide a reference from the research link listed above to support your response. Place the details for the reference immediately below this response. (2 points)

Solid waste is any goods or products labeled as waste that can be decomposable but is thrown in trashcan. Solid waste items may contain materials we use every day such as clothes, paper, and drink bottles or anything that we don’t want to use anymore (Bergeson, 2009).

2. Identify two paragraphs from the text book that relate to solid waste in your community. In full sentences, summarize the paragraphs in your own words. In full sentences, describe how the paragraphs relate to your community. Note the page number. Six sentences maximum. (4 points)

In chapter 17, the first paragraph titled Source reduction on page 464, explains ways of managing wastes by reducing the volume of wastes. This paragraph suggests that consumers should use their purchasing power to buy products that have very little toxic ingredients, single-serve disposable packages, and participating in garage sells. On the third paragraph of Source reduction section explains that employees can simply reduce waste by using their own coffee mug rather than using the Styrofoam cup or purchasing copy-machines that can print on both sides of paper to save money and trees. The identified paragraph relates to me because my family and relatives living in the same community as me tend to buy a lot of products at places like Costco because they tend to be cheaper and they end up throwing most of it away. Also, at my workplace, all employees use Styrofoam cup around 10 times a day and they never use the same one; every time there is a new cup and all of this gets thrown away.

4. Recycling habits and behaviors. Sometimes people place “recyclable” items in the “trash”. This may result in an increase of solid waste. Explain in full sentences why individuals might place “recyclable” items in “trash” containers. Support your response with one reference from a module and one reference from the database noted above. Place the details for the reference immediately below this response. (3 points)

The reason why people sometimes place recyclable items in trash is that many individuals tend to think that the reason the item has to be placed in trashcan is because they have the money to buy more.