Policy is needed to regulate which course of action should be taken and how it should be implemented. Because of this, many plans and policies revolving around the management of solid waste have been put in place. Sometimes however, a particular policy can have its shortfalls, potentially resulting in its negative aspects outweighing the positive ones. According to the Conference Board of Canada Report, “Canadians dispose of more municipal solid waste per capita than any other country” (2013). Solid waste management in particular, involves many aspects, ranging from packaging waste, food waste, etc. (White & Franke 1999), hence, the following analysis revolves around household and commercial waste – referred to as Municipal Solid Waste (White & Franke. 1999) – in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Municipal waste is a major health and environmental concern as it contributes to numerous problems like habitat destruction, surface groundwater pollution, and other forms of air, soil, and water contamination. Waste disposal methods like incineration create toxic substances, and landfills emit methane, which contributes to global warming. According to the Zero Waste Objective Report, “The impact of climate change and the increasing awareness of the role of “waste” and “wasting” in the production of greenhouse gas emissions is a constant environmental pressure… (2009). This leads to an increasing limitation of government to prevent and control the volume and toxicity of products in the waste stream and a growing need to shift responsibility to the product manufacturer.
Further, “In 2008, nearly 13 tonnes of waste were generated by Canadian households. Of this, more than 8.5 million tonnes were disposed of in landfills or incine...
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...Metro Vancouver’s New Waste Plan. Solid Waste and Recycling. 13 (2), p 8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/docview/212419630
Toxics Action Center, 2012 (n.p.): The Problems With Waste. Toxics Action Center. Retrieved from: http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/waste
White, P. & Franke, M., 1999: Integrated solid waste management: a lifecycle inventory. Gaithersburg, Md.: Aspen.
Zero Waste Challenge (n.d., n.p.): Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Challenge. Surrey. Retrieved from: http://www.surrey.ca/city-services/8684.aspx
Zero Waste Objective Report, 2009: Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Management with a Zero Waste Objective: Study of the Solid Waste in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. Recycling Council of British Columbia. Retrieved from: http://www.rcbc.ca/files/u7/ement_for_ZeroWaste_Objective_ReportJune2009.pdf
Outer islands have dumpsters that are used for trash generated by workers. Most outer island work is occasional and involves few individuals; therefore waste generation is minimal. Dumpsters from Illeginni, Legan and Carlos are replaced at least quarterly, and more frequently if barge transportation is available. Wastes are shipped to the Kwajalein Solid Waste Management Yard for segregation, incineration, and/or landfilling as needed. Dumpsters from Gagan are transported to Roi-Namur for disposal. When special projects take place on these or other outer islands, additional dumpsters and waste receptacles are delivered and used as needed. Wastes from construction projects are removed from the islands at the conclusion of the projects or during the project as needed. No wastes are disposed on these islands with the exception of green wastes which are left to decompose naturally.
Florida International University recognizes its contribution to the accumulation of waste considering that it produces about seven million pounds of waste each year (Figueroa, 2010). Unlike other universities that still remain adamant in investing on green practices, FIU has, “governed by the State of Florida under Florida Statute 403.714 and The Florida Solid Waste Management Act of 1988” (FIU, 2011), established its own internal ‘green machine’ or solid waste and environmental protection system via the FIU Custodial Services Office. The university’s efforts in ensuring efficient solid waste management even “far exceeds the minimum standards” (FIU, 2011) required by law. What makes the solid waste management efforts of the university one-of-a kind is the establishment of a “single stream recycling program which means that all recyclable items can be placed into one bin and do not have to be sorted” (FIU, 2011). Nevertheless, despite the use of single recycle bins, proper labeling has to accompany each bin to ensure that only materials that are recyclable are placed in the bins. There are also different sized of bins which are placed stra...
Currently in Canada, the amount of waste generated by households is increasing. As Canadians continue to consume more, the amount of waste created as a result increases as well and between 2000 and 2004, household waste increased by 19% (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 8). While this is appears to be a frightening statistic for landfills across Canada, recycling is actually increasing as well, and at a faster rate. Over the same time period (2000-2004), household recycling increased by 65% in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 9). This is a positive sign as it is clear that Canada’s increase in trash is being offset by a much stronger effort with regards to recycling.
Overflowing trashcans are also common in high-traffic pedestrian areas. In 1988, only 18% of Metro Vancouver’s garbage was recycled. Fortunately, this percentage has now increased to over 58%. Nevertheless, there are still many problems, for example, limited space to dispose our garbage. High amounts of organic matter in the trash that go to landfills harm the environment, because decomposing such material releases methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more harmful than carbon dioxide , accelerating the rate of global
As a top solid waste producing country, collecting, mining, pumping, and processing resources in Canada greatly contributes to environmental issues such as species extinction, climate change and pollution. The goal of zero waste is to reduce waste and keep resources in circulation.
Village, P.K.S. 1998. Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United Satte. 1997 update. US Environmental Protection Agency Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste Division.
Heather Roger's essay Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage published in 2005 offers a compelling outlook on society’s excessive and uneconomical mass-production of goods (585). Roger argues against unnecessary production of materials. Rogers paints a vivid picture of waste, how it is collected, processed, and discarded (Roger 585). From your kitchen, to the curb, into collection trucks, and to the processing unit, where they separate, recycle, burn, compact, and deposit the garbage in our Earth (Roger 585). Roger states “… Dumps are composed of a series of earth covered cells” (Rogers 586). Landfills have used “Cells” to burry trash for decades and today’s cells are lined with a special material preventing the trash from leaking into the ground (Roger 586). A cell can be up to 100 acres across and up to hundred feet deep (586). It takes years to fill a cell and after the cell is full...
This Memo is an information report regarding the Green Bin Program curbside collection, one of Canada’s solutions to the food waste problem in landfills. Since 1998 it’s been making its way across Canada. This year Brandon has adopted the program and Winnipeg may be next. I thought it would be informative for us to know the food waste problem in Canada, what this program is, and the progress it has made so far.
To prevent that we can start recycling today, it will be like investing in the future where we are making earth's air, land and water pure. Canada’s landfills are also terminating. Most states have less than twenty years of landfill capacity and who wants to live next to a new landfill? Canadian households produce 13.4 million tonnes of that waste. This figure will be decreased in great numbers if people pay attention towards a proper recycle system and take part in it.
Waste is an extremely harmful environmental issue that effects ecosystems all across Canada. Whether it is not disposed of properly or, waste pick-up is not available, the question is - Are Canadians the answer to waste management sustainability? As Canadians we must sustain waste management by following the rules of the 3Rs, disposing waste properly, and by educating citizens about waste management. In the past few years, waste has been a deleterious issue to Earth and all existing life on it. If this situation gets out of hand, all existing life will be destroyed and future life will no longer exist. Nevertheless, by Canadians jumping in, this situation will be dealt with and go on no further than it’s current state.
As humanity develops new technology, the magnitude and severity of waste increases. When computers were developed, it widely was believed that the need for paper would be eliminated. On the contrary this was widely proven false and we are now utilizing more paper than ever. Canada is not an exception as the typical Canadian generates an average of three pounds of solid waste each day1. This alone shows what a careless species we have become- using and disposing materials without even considering the damage we are causing. With half a trillion tones of waste around the world, only 25% may be reused for a second or third time and less than 5% can be renewed limitlessly1. These facts are true only in developed countries. Since these traditional waste reduction methods have been proven inefficient, we must endorse new innovative technology to arrive at a solution.
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, ...
Throughout history, human advancement has been inherently tied to the management of waste because of its effects on the public and Environmental health. Waste management has severely altered human history in various ways just the way it will in the near and far future. The waste management industry has come a long way and with techniques as recycling and other advances, the future seems quite promising.
Solid Waste management is activities that deal with waste before and after it is produced, including its minimization, transfer, storage, separation, recovery, recycling and final disposal (quizlet.com). It deals with the control of generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that conforms to the best principles of living (Monney, I.2014). It is a solution in response to the world's stinking and escalating problem (Foray, J.J.2012)
The solid wastes are produce not only by households; it’s contributed by hospitals and corporations. Hospitals throw away bandages, use needles and latex gloves, these items hospitals throw away daily all the time because they can’t be reuse for the safety of its patients. Corporations throw away a lot of waste as well such as papers that they use whether in writing or in projects. All of these leftovers after consumptions are waste that is produced by our daily actions.