Running head: Managing Wastes And Land 1

Managing Solid Waste, Wastewater, And Land Use

Laura Boles

ENV 325: Environmental Management

Instructor Robin Glenn

07/24/2018
Managing Wastes And Land 2

Managing Solid Waste, Wastewater, And Land Use

Waste is a product of society. It needs to be managed and maintained at a sustainable

level in order for the human race to thrive. “Public support is the first requirement for success

and may be the most effective component to achieve zero waste (Chea-Yuan, Y., Shih-Piao, N.,

& Kuo-Shuh, F., 2010, Pg. 239).” The more people know about where their waste goes and how

it has an effect on them personally, the more people are likely to choose to consume less and

recycle more, which will help lower the amount of waste produced. This is important because

education is the key to changing the mindset of people and showing them what it is that they are

doing while giving them an alternative path that produces less waste can lower the amount of

harm caused to the environment and humanity. Accumulated waste even attracts and promotes

the growth of mosquitos, rats, and other disease carrying organisms (Iken Edu, 2015). Disease

can spread quickly in cities where people live in close quarters. If not disposed of properly, waste

can cause other health problems from leaking into the soil in which food grows, draining into the

water that is piped into homes for drinking and bathing, or expelling methane and other harmful

toxins into the air. It was found that people would prefer to prevent pollution over recycling or

disposal (Harrington, Deltas, & Khanna, 2014, Pg. 399). This paper outlines plans for solid waste

reduction and management, wastewater reduction and management, and land use planning and

management.

A recycling program should be established and implemented to help in the prevention of

waste. First, side-by-side waste and recycling bins should be placed across the city in convenient

locations, making it easier for the average citizen to participate without much effort (Lissner, H.,

2014, Pg. 106). Recycling bins for home use should be made available, as well as charts of what
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is recyclable, so that citizens know what to put in each bin (Rogoff & Ross, 2016, Pg. 182). Also,

A dedicated recycling facility would need to be built to sort and process recycled items (Lissner,

H., 2014, Pg. 107). This facility could be built from the waste plant that is already in existence.

Since the waste plant already receives waste, then transports it to the various disposal sites, the

addition of a wing dedicated to sorting garbage and recyclables before transport would make

sense at that location. Education will also be a key component in this endeavor, because it will

take the support of the public to make recycling an important part of the community (Chea-Yuan,

Y., Shih-Piao, N., & Kuo-Shuh, F., 2010, Pg. 239). A great way to raise awareness is to organize

recycling drives (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2016, Municipal Solid Waste). This

fosters community participation and encourages education. Participants in the recycling program

will benefit by not having to pay as much for garbage disposal.

Since the recycling program will be optional, a supplemental plan to decrease waste

production will be necessary. Therefore, a mandatory “pay as you throw” garbage plan should be

put into place. Not everything can be recycled, and there will inevitably be a handful of people

who simply will not recycle, for whatever reason. Presented here is a system in which garbage

disposal services are paid for by weight (Morlok, et al., 2017, Pg. 3). The “pay as you throw”

program will be the new mandatory waste disposal method for the public. There will be two

different prices available, one for unsorted garbage, and a lower one for garbage that has already

had recyclables removed by the consumer. Unsorted garbage will go through a sorting process,

separating recyclables from burnable waste. The recyclables will go the recycling facility for

further sorting, while the burnable waste will be sent to incineration plants to be burned.

Customers bringing in unsorted garbage will have to pay a higher price for the convenience of

not having to sort their own trash. By having to pay for their own garbage by weight, people will
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usually begin to analyze their waste production habits and look for ways to reduce their trash

flow, and in turn, their personal cost (Voronova, Piirimäe, & Virve, 2013, Pg. 668). This will

stimulate and promote the recycling program, as people look for other places to put their waste.

Waste that cannot be prevented can be managed through the use of incineration to

convert wastes into heat and power. In Sweden, there is a 49 percent recycling rate, and the rest

of the waste is burned, 25 to 30 percent becoming electricity and assisting in the replacement of

fossil fuels, and the rest transferring into heat that is piped throughout the town with a district

heating grid (Chernushenko, D., 2010). This is an example of a town that has already

successfully utilized this program to reduce emissions, manage waste, and promote recycling.

These plants reduce the volume of solid waste by up to 90%, making the remaining ash much

easier to deal with, and convert much of the methane that would be produced by a landfill into

CO2 (Akinshilo, Olofinkua, & Olamide, 2018, Pg. 25). The energy produced through the heat

and steam can help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and reduce the waste left over after human

activity. Logically, incineration plants, recycling plants, and waste disposal sites should all be

located on the same plot of land. Waste is collected, sorted, recycled, and burned, all in the same

vicinity. This would reduce fossil fuel emission from waste transportation, while making it easier

to track the lifespan of waste.

Water is becoming more expensive and rare as each day passes, and water needs to be

conserved (Mirel, D., 2008, Pg. 27). If a smaller amount of water is used, then less wastewater

will be generated, and if there is less wastewater being generated, there will be less

contamination of freshwater, and as a result, everyone would have better access to the necessary

amount of water for humans to survive. The best way to prevent excess wastewater in the first

place, is to reduce the overall use of water in general. This can be accomplished by rationing the
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amount of water each home is able to use each month. It has been found that rationing water to

households can significantly decrease the supply pressures placed upon natural resources (Del

Grande, et al., 2016, Pg. 166). A monthly limit would be set to each household according to the

number of occupants. Water use is already monitored by the utility companies, so people who

exceed their allocated limit can easily be located and heavily fined. This will cause the average

citizen to consider how much water he or she uses and potentially encourage that person to

change his or her water use habits.

A second policy to reduce the amount of wastewater created is to require the use of water

saving irrigation techniques in the agricultural industry. Agricultural runoff is the wastewater

produced through farming practices. This wastewater is particularly harmful as it contains

fertilizers and will leech and erode soil (Lagzdiņš, et al., 2013, Pg. 337). If certain techniques are

utilized, more water will be able to soak into the soil and be retained there, allowing farmers to

use less water. Farmers in compliance with the regulations proposed would receive tax breaks for

their efforts. Those who do not apply water saving techniques would be fined. Terracing is one

practice that can reduce the amount of wastewater produced during irrigation practices on areas

of land characterized by hill or mountainside slopes (WW Entertainment News, 2016). The land

on the slope is tilled in rows resembling stairs that wrap around the hill or mountain, usually with

a small buffer along the outside edges, allowing rainfall to collect in each level (de Oliveira, et

al., 2012, Pg. 352). Without terracing, rain and irrigation waters would run straight down the side

of the hill, taking layers of soil with it straight to the bottom, rather than soaking into the soil at

the top of the hill to allow higher crop yields.

Wastewater that cannot be prevented can be recycled back into clean, safe water. This is

important because more people face a lack of potable water every day. As the world runs out of
Managing Wastes And Land 6

freshwater, the key to life on earth will be lost, since nothing on this planet is able to survive

without clean water. Technology can recycle wastewater into clean, safe water that is potable

(Morgan, E. A., & Grant-Smith, D. C., 2015, Pg. 1770). However, many people would not be

thrilled the idea of drinking recycled wastewater, so the water can also be put to a number of

other uses, such as irrigation in crop lands (Kumarasamy, M.V., & Dube, V. N., 2016, Pg. 171).

This means that wastewater does not need to be dumped into surface waters without treatment.

Also, wastewater recycling plants can make sewer water as clean as bottled water (CBS This

Morning, 2015). The process involves several steps, but the end result is water that can be reused

multiple times, thus reducing initial water use strains on sources, while at the same time reducing

the amount of wastewater that is dumped into oceans and freshwater. At the plant, microfilters

remove large particles and bacteria and then the water goes through reverse osmosis, which

removes most of the leftover bacteria and chemicals that are of concern to the public, then it is

bombarded by ultraviolet radiation, leaving the water pure (CBS This Morning, 2015). This

process would significantly increase the amount of clean water available to the public and

agriculture.

Land use planning and development needs to be led by scientifically proven sustainable

practices (Cockburn, et al., 2016, Pg. 3). This would mean that any new developments would be

built in a way so as to maximize sustainability and increase greenspace. It has been shown that

converting unproductive city areas into community gardens that sell locally grown fruits and

vegetables increases property values, provides a source for locally grown foods, and fosters

community participation and engagement (Kato, Andrews, & Irvin, 2018, Pg. 335). Many cities

have vacant lots waiting to be converted into a new and productive use. Vacant lots around the

city should be converted into gardens that can help provide food to citizens.
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Building wildlife corridors will be a great way to ensure biodiversity and increase

greenspace. It has been proven that properly constructed corridors allow wildlife to move around

to different habitats to locate food, water, or mates (Adams, et al., 2017, Pg. 347). However,

extensive research on the behavioral ecology of certain species is extremely important. The key

to the success of wildlife corridors is to know where various keystone species naturally tend to

migrate around (Benz, et al., 2016, Pg. 16). If a corridor is poorly designed, it will not be much

help to any species who may try to use it. For example, if the corridor over a highway is too

narrow or not in a natural migratory path, larger species may not use it, or if the habitat does not

have enough foliage to hide in, smaller species will avoid it in fear of predators (Adams, et al.,

2017, Pg. 347-348). But if designed correctly, wildlife corridors can reconnect fragmented

habitats.

A major economic issue to face with recycling will be paying for the bins and recycling

plants. An increase in prices for goods that would end up recycled could assist in paying for the

recycling program (Rogoff & Ross, 2016, Pg. 182). This would not only help pay for the

recycling services and tools, but it would also raise awareness to the average consumer, who may

rethink their buying habits when faced with a price increase.

An economic and political issue with “pay as you throw” policies is the fact that the

public is generally going to be more wiling to pay for a different style of waste disposal, seeing it

unnecessary to sort through garbage (Voronova, Piirimäe, & Virve, 2013, Pg. 674). This

program, though effective, will find trouble gaining support initially. However, if a community

were to utilize an intense recycling program coupled with waste to energy incineration plants, a

sorting department will be crucial.

Managing Wastes And Land 8

The main economic barrier to using waste to energy plants is that incineration plants are

expensive to build. However, it was found that waste to energy recycling had the highest amount

of profit generation, as well as the lowest environmental impact (Tan, S., et al., 2014, Pg. 707).

This shows that waste to energy recycling can increase revenue while also reducing reliance on

fossil fuels and proves that waste to energy programs coupled with recycling has more positive

results than other waste management programs. Money gathered from the “pay as you throw”

program would be the most logical to use for the initial building of the incineration plants. “Pay

as you throw” can be enforced quicker than any of the other policies, so it will create a revenue

faster, which can then be put towards the building of incineration plants. Once built, the plants

will not only pay for themselves, but eventually create a profit.

A political issue facing water rationing is that not enough people support the issue of

water scarcity. In recent years, water shortages have been more realized and understood by the

public (Mirel, D., 2008, Pg. 28). However, not enough is being done to prevent a water crisis. It

seems as though most people would rather wait until they have no water left before worrying

about it.

An economic issue in the way of using better irrigation technologies is the initial cost.

Terrace systems need to be meticulously planned and built, so as to retain the most water, while

still guiding the inevitable leftover runoff to a safe location (de Oliveira, et al., 2012, Pg. 352).

This takes a large amount of people in different fields to put together, which can end up getting

expensive, despite not needing materials for the task as much as simply tools and manpower.

How much water falls and where it flows will first need to be assessed. Then the terraces must be

designed to maximize the use of the incoming water. After that, laborers must come in and till

the slopes exactly according to the plans. In the long run, terracing provides returns expected in
Managing Wastes And Land 9

50 years in 10 years, making crop yields much more profitable (de Oliveira, et al., 2012, Pg.

355). A temporary high tax increase can pay for these laborers’ salaries. Once built, the tax can

be lowered significantly, but remain as a small tax for another few years to compensate those

who will farm and maintain the terraces, until the crops begin to produce a decent profit. Then

the tax can be removed completely, and citizens will enjoy discounted produce that is locally

grown.

A political issue concerning the use of wastewater recycling is the fact that most people

do not like the idea of drinking recycled sewage water, and the commonly used term “toilet to

tap” does not do much to stifle their feelings of disgust (CBS This Morning, 2015). Although

proven to be safe and clean, recycled water just sounds gross. However, if this water is made

available for the public, more citizens will begin to turn to this alternative as water shortages

begin to affect them. Over time, new generations will have grown up with the technology, and

not be restricted by the notions of recycled water being dirty. To help pay for this, the cost of

nonrecycled freshwater should be increased, and recycled water can be sold at a discounted rate.

With a raised cost of freshwater along with a rationing of that water, people will be encouraged

to start using recycled wastewater.

A political issue to starting community gardens is that most urban redevelopment projects

focus on housing and the economy (Ghose & Pettygrove, 2014, Pg. 1094). People who live in

cities tend to think more about making money or housing issues. Sadly, gardens often are not

considered when plans to redevelop certain areas are created. If the gardens are begun, citizens

will likely volunteer to care for them, since it can help them to establish a sense of community

(Ghose & Pettygrove, 2014, Pg. 1108). Once established, produce sales will be enough to cover

continued costs of maintenance and improvement.

Managing Wastes And Land 10

A political issue with building wildlife corridors is the fact that wildlife corridors can

allow unwanted guests in new areas. It was found that along with the wildlife, invasive species

and disease were also travelling along the corridors (Ogden, 2015, Pg. 452). However, if

corridors are placed to connect areas that were once naturally connected, these things would also

naturally travel there, were it not for human interference. This means that a natural balance could

potentially be restored, if humans can live cooperatively with wildlife.

Throughout this paper, outlines for solid waste, wastewater, and land use management

have been laid out. Humans will create waste and will need to be dealt with. Through the use of

recycling, “pay as you throw” garbage plans, waste to energy incineration plants, water

rationing, water conserving irrigation techniques, wastewater recycling, community gardens, and

wildlife corridors, the impact of that waste will be drastically reduced. It all starts with education.

As each human does his or her individual part to reduce the waste that is put into the waste

stream, the stream will shrink. Once down to a trickle, waste can easily be managed through

various techniques. If everyone lived a lifestyle with less waste, the world would surely be a

happier place.
Managing Wastes And Land 11

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