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Waste

Waste. Created by Georgia Agricultural Curriculum Offices June 2011. What is waste?. Any unwanted or discarded matter Can be solid, liquid, or gas Created by ALL living things (trees, animals, people). Not All Waste is Created Equal.

margaret-walton
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Waste

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  1. Waste Created by Georgia Agricultural Curriculum Offices June 2011

  2. What is waste? • Any unwanted or discarded matter • Can be solid, liquid, or gas • Created by ALL living things (trees, animals, people)

  3. Not All Waste is Created Equal • Most waste produced in natural environment (ex: fallen trees) are broken down in nature because they are biodegradable • In contrast, human solid waste requires collection, processing, storage, and disposal because many types of human waste are non-biodegradable such as plastic • Most human solid waste is categorized as either municipal solid waste or hazardous waste • A third category, special waste, is also recognized by the EPA for waste such as tires, used oil, and large waste such as appliances because they require special, separate handling

  4. Example of Human Solid Waste • Fresh Kills Landfill (Staten Island) • Technically the largest mountain on the eastern coast of the United States • Opened in 1947 • Closed in 2001

  5. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) • Non-hazardous waste that is collected by a town or city • Includes waste from residential sources, commercial establishments, municipal services, institutions, industry, agriculture, and mining • Broken down into further categories based on the source of the waste

  6. Residential Waste • Materials discarded from homes and apartments • Consists of kitchen garbage, trash, and yard waste • Kitchen garbage is made up of cooked and uncooked food • Trash refers to materials like paper, plastic, and glass • Yard waste refers to leaves, grass, pruning waste, and organic garden material

  7. Commercial Solid Waste • Generated by stores, offices, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses • Generally consists of cardboard, paper, plastic, food scraps, and landscaping materials

  8. Municipal Service Waste • Materials accumulated during park maintenance, street cleaning • Municipalities accumulate paper, glass, branches, dead animals, old cars, and other miscellaneous materials • This category includes construction and demolition wastes and municipal sewage sludge

  9. Institutional Waste • Waste that is generated by schools, hospitals, and prisons • Includes garbage, rubbish, and other items • Some institutional waste requires special handling (syringes, human or animal tissues, ash from incineration, and/or radiological wastes)

  10. Industrial Waste • Wastes generated from manufacturing goods for consumers • Examples of industrial waste include plastic, metal, glass, textiles, and paper • Many manufacturing firms now participate in waste exchange programs with other manufacturers in order to reduce the demand for raw materials and to help reuse solid waste rather than send it to a landfill

  11. Agricultural Waste • Solid materials that are discarded from farms, ranches, and other agricultural operations • This includes manure, crop residues (nut shells, fruit pits, corn cobs, grain hulls), containers, dead animals, old implements, and other materials • EPA does not include runoff from feedlots, residues from soil erosion, or some agricultural chemicals under their definition of agricultural solid waste • Approximately 10% of agricultural wastes are disposed of in landfills and incinerators (most is reused)

  12. Mining Waste • On average, 60% of materials mined are waste products like rock, soil, sand, and slag • Before the 1970’s mining operations contaminated surface and ground water supplies, created safety hazards, and left behind “visual wastelands” • As a result, mining is now highly regulated by the government to minimize its effects on the environment

  13. What makes waste hazardous? • Hazardous waste is a discarded hazardous material (from any source) with a chemical or biological nature that makes it potentially dangerous to human health or the environment • With the exception of household hazardous waste, the disposal of hazardous waste is regulated by federal law • Hazardous material is NOT considered hazardous waste until it is discarded

  14. What makes a material hazardous? • May be solid, semi-solid, liquid, or gaseous • To be considered hazardous, a material must have 1 or more of the following 4 characteristics: • Toxic-substance that is potentially harmful to humans or animals • Reactive-unstable substance that can release toxic gases or explode • Corrosive-highly acidic or basic substance that can corrode • Ignitable-substance that can catch fire easily, burn rapidly, explode, or emit toxic fumes or gases into the environment

  15. Hazardous Waste Misconception • Many people believe that hazardous waste is only created by commercial, industrial, agricultural, or mining sources • However, a relatively large amount of hazardous waste is generated by residences and is called household hazardous waste which is classified as “special waste” by the EPA • Many common household waste products such as cleaning supplies, motor oil, tires, paints, appliances, garden chemicals, and hobby supplies have hazardous properties

  16. How is the US doing? • The solid waste disposal capacity is shrinking in the United States • Consumers in the US are still generating too much waste • The best option we have as a nation is to dispose of less materials

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