Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nov. 13 (Next Monday) - Review
Nov. 13 (Next Monday) - Review
Landfills
Incineration
Source reduction
Composting
Recycling
Landfilling
Most municipal solid waste
in US is deposited in
landfills
Source of groundwater
pollution
Number of municipal
landfills is declining.
Some closed for violations,
other because full
New landfills costly and
often resisted - NIMBY
Sanitary Landfills
Reducing the Number of Landfills
Incineration
Prior to 1940,
incineration was
common in North
America and western
Europe.
Cons:
Create air pollution
Concentrates toxins in ash
More costly than landfills, as long as space
available
Composting
Harnessing natural decomposition
to transform organic material into
compost
Resource Conservation
Pollution Reduction
Crushed glass reduces energy required to
manufacture new glass by 50%.
One Sunday edition of N.Y. times consumes 62,000
trees.
Only 40% of North American paper is recycled.
Over 60% of aluminum cans recycled.
Recycling
Benefits
Saves money, raw materials, and land.
Encourages individual responsibility.
Reduces pressure on disposal systems.
Japan recycles about half of all household and
commercial wastes.
Lowers demand for raw resources.
Reduces energy consumption and air pollution.
US Recycling Rates
Recycling Concerns
Plastics are recyclable, but technology
differs from plastic to plastic.
Industry is researching new technologies.
“quick links”
“recycling”
Hazardous Wastes
Hazardous Wastes – Dangerous by-
products of industrial, business, or
household activities for which there is no
immediate use.
Including:
benzene -- causes
leukemia
1960s-1970s repeated
complaints to city
1976 -- Calspan Corporation hired as consultant
Broken chromosomes
Neurological Problems