U.S. waste generation is rising

1. U.S. waste generation is rising • Since 1960, waste generation increased 2.8 times • Per capita waste generation increased 67% • Which category of trash has increased the most, do you think? (metal, plastic, wood, etc.)

2. Disposal methods have improved • People used to dump their garbage wherever it suited them • Open dumping and burning still occur • Most industrialized nations bury waste in lined and covered landfills or burn it in incineration facilities • In the U.S., recycling is decreasing pressure on landfills • In the U.S., recycling is decreasing pressure on landfills

3. Sanitary landfills are regulated • Sanitary landfills = waste buried in the ground or piled in large, engineered mounds to prevent contamination and health threats • U.S. landfills must meet the EPA’s national standards • Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 • Waste is partly decomposed by bacteria and compresses under its own weight to make more space • Soil layers reduce odor, reduce infestation by pests • Closed landfills must be capped and maintained

4. A typical sanitary landfill • Leachate = liquid from trash dissolved by rainwater • It is collected and treated in landfills • But it can escape if the liner is punctured To protect against environmental contamination, landfills must be located away from wetlands and earthquake-prone faults, and be 20 ft above the water table

6. Landfills have drawbacks • Waste doesn’t decay much • 40-year-old newspapers can still be read • The not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) syndrome

7. Landfills can be transformed after closure • Thousands of landfills lie abandoned • Smaller landfills were closed • In 1988, the U.S. had 8,000 landfills • Today there are less than 1,800 • Cities have converted closed landfills into public parks • .

8. Landfills can produce gas for energy • Bacteria decompose waste in a landfill’s oxygen-deficient environment • Landfill gas = a mix of gases that consists of 50% methane • Can be collected, processed, and used like natural gas • At Fresh Kills, the city sells the gas for $11 million/year • When not used commercially, landfill gas is burned off to reduce odors and greenhouse emissions

9. Buncombe County is Using its Landfill Gas: • http://buncombecounty.org/common/solidWaste/newsletter_2013_Spring.pdf

10. Incinerating trash reduces landfill pressure • Incineration = a controlled process that burns garbage at very high temperatures • Incineration can also produce energy • Incineration in specially constructed faculties can be an improvement over open-air burning of trash • But the remaining ash must be disposed of in a hazardous waste landfill • Hazardous chemicals are created and released • Scrubbers = chemically treat the gases produced in combustion • Remove hazardous parts and neutralize acidic gases

11. Reducing waste is a better option • Source reduction= preventing waste in the first place • Avoids costs of disposal and recycling • Helps conserve resources • Minimizes pollution • Can save consumers and businesses money • Most waste consists of materials used to package goods • Use minimal packaging • Use recyclable packaging • Reduce the size or weight of goods and materials

12. Reuse is a main strategy to reduce waste • Items can be used again • Use durable goods used instead of disposable ones • Donate items to resale centers (Goodwill and the Salvation Army) • Other actions include: • Rent or borrow items instead of buying them • Bring your own cup to coffee shops • Buy rechargeable batteries • Others?......Your ideas…..

13. Governments fight waste and litter • Some government address a major source of litter and waste: plastic grocery bags • Grocery bags can take centuries to decompose • They choke and entangle wildlife and cause litter • 100 billion of them are discarded each year in the U.S. • Many governments have banned nonbiodegradable bags • Companies maximize sales by producing short-lived goods • Increasing the longevity of goods also reduces waste

14. Why don’t we have a bottle bill? • http://www.bottlebill.org/ • Bottle bills work! • Require a 5-10 cent deposit on containers • Deposit is refunded when container is returned • Cuts down on litter in a BIG way; increases recycling rates

15. Composting recovers organic waste • Composting = the conversion of organic waste into mulch or humus through natural decomposition • It can be used to enrich soil • Home composting: • Householders place waste into composting piles, underground pits, or specially constructed containers • Heat from microbial action builds up and decomposition proceeds • Earthworms, bacteria, and other organisms convert waste into high-quality compost

16. Municipal composting programs • These programs divert food and yard waste from the waste stream to central composting facilities • The resulting mulch can be used for gardens and landscaping • Half of U.S. states now ban yard wastes from the municipal waste stream • Accelerating the move to composting • Municipal composting reduces landfill waste • Enriches soil and encourages soil biodiversity • Makes healthier plants and more pleasing gardens • Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers

17. Recycling has grown rapidly and can expand • The growth of recycling is “One of the best environmental success stories ….” • U.S. recycling rates vary • Depending on the product and state • Greenhouse gas emissions equal to 10 billion gallons of gas are prevented each year The U.S. recycles 24.4% of its waste stream

18. Recycling rates vary widely in the U.S.

19. Growth in recycling results from: • Municipalities’ desire to reduce waste • The public’s satisfaction in recycling • Recycling’s profitability varies with material • It is expensive to collect, sort, and process materials • But, the more material that is recycled, the lower the price • Some materials, like aluminum, are expensive to make from scratch and recycling is very desirable economically • And…. market forces do not take into account the health and environmental effects of not recycling • There are enormous energy and material savings

20. What happens when we don’t reduce, reuse, recycle all those plastic bottles?

21. Charles Moore on TED Talks • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrAShtolieg

22. What can be recycled in Buncombe County? • http://www.buncombecounty.org/Governing/Depts/SolidWaste/Solidwaste_recycling_blueBag.aspx

23. How does A-B Tech’s trash and recycling system work? • http://www.abtech.edu/news/articles/recycling-kiosk-highlights-students-skills • (Recycling kiosk hopes to expand use) • Black liners vs. clear liners in the trash cans • Mixed recycling in clear liners; trash in black liners • A-B Tech hopes to compost café waste, but efforts are stymied by Buncombe County Schools’ styrofoam trays…

24. NOT recyclable!NOT compostable!

25. Defining hazardous waste • Hazardous waste is a liquid, solid, or gas and is one of the following: • Ignitable = easily catches fire (natural gas, alcohol) • Corrosive = corrodes metals in storage tanks or equipment • Reactive= chemically unstable and readily reacts with other compounds, often explosively or by producing noxious fumes • Toxic = harms human health when inhaled, ingested, or contact human skin • Households = the largest source of unregulated hazardous waste • Paint, batteries, solvents, cleaners, pesticides, etc.

26. “E-waste” is growing • Electronic waste (“e-waste”) = waste involving electronic devices • Computers, printers, cell phones, TVs, MP3 players • Americans discard 400 million devices/year • 67% are still in working order • They are put in landfills, but should be treated as hazardous waste • Valuable trace minerals can be recovered – the 2010 Olympic medals were made from e-waste!

27. Illegal dumping of hazardous waste • Hazardous waste disposal is costly • It results in illegal and anonymous dumping • Illegal dumping creates health risks • Along with financial headaches for dealing with it • Industrial nations illegally dump in developing nations • The Basel Convention, an international treaty, should prevent dumping, but it still happens • High costs also encourage companies to invest in reducing their hazardous waste • Incineration, bacterial and plant decomposition, etc.

28. Hazardous waste and environmental justice You need to see the movie “Wasteland”: http://www.wastelandmovie.com/

29. Superfund • Experts identify sites polluted with hazardous waste, take action to protect groundwater near these sites, and clean up the pollution • In Love Canal, Niagara Falls, New York, in 1978–1980, families were evacuated after buried chemicals rose to the surface. This spurred creation of Superfund legislation

30. The Superfund process • Once a Superfund site is identified, EPA scientists note: • How close the site is to human habitation • If wastes are currently confined or likely to spread • If the site threatens drinking water supplies • Harmful sites are placed on the National Priority List • They are ranked by their level of risk to human health • Cleanup goes on a site-by-site basis as funds are available • The EPA must hold public hearings to inform area residents of its findings and to receive feedback

31. Superfund sites in WNC • http://www.epa.gov/region4/superfund/sites/npl/northcarolina/millsgapnc.html • CTS, Chemtronics, Barber Orchard, Ecusta Mill

32. Who pays for cleanup? • polluter pays principle = charge polluting parties for cleanup • However, the responsible parties often can’t be found • A trust fund was established by a federal tax on petroleum and chemical industries • The fund is bankrupt and Congress has not restored it • So taxpayers now pay all costs of cleanup • Fewer cleanups are being completed • 1,279 sites remain, and only 341 have been cleaned up • Cleanup costs $25 million and takes 12–15 years

33. We are making some improvements, though… • Each person in the US produces 4.6 lbs. of trash per day, but…. • 82 million tons of materials are recycled in the US • 53.4% of all paper products are being recycled • There is a 100% increase in total recycling in the US over the past decade • North Carolina has recently banned recyclable plastic bottles from our landfills • We also banned motor oil filters, wooden pallets, and e-waste in 2009

35. Ecological footprints • http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/ • Measure how many hectares or how many Earths are required to support a population or an individual. • Combine resources used with waste disposal • If everyone lived the lifestyle of the average American we would need 5 planets