Environmental Issues & Problems ENV 150 Quiz #2 Guillaume Mauger Today & Tomorrow: Waste Reminders: Next Thursday: Quiz #3 (11/19) Rough Draft of Research Paper Quickwrite: Come up with a thesis statement for your paper. SLRP Outline Quiz #2 • Introduction (2 paragraphs) – P1: About service-learning organization – P2: How your service-learning is related to the issue – intro must include a highlighted thesis statement • Literature review (~2 pages) – Includes background on the environmental issue, with citations. Focus on facts, not opinions. • Methodology (~1 page) – Detailed description of what you did during your servicelearning experience – If your research involved interviews, a description of how you conducted them can be included too. • Conclusion (1 paragraph) – Reiterate your thesis and fuse your service-learning with the research you’ve done. • References Paper Topics • Forests: urban, logging, soil • Invasives: Ivy, cats, etc. video • Technology “vs.” Environment http://www.storyofstuff.com/ • Food: poverty, access, population • Food: organic, free-range, permaculture • Water: pollution, salmon, estuaries Types of Waste Solid Waste Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Solid Waste Industrial Solid Waste Industrial Solid Waste Liquid Waste (discussed last week) Gaseous Waste Ignitable Corrosive Hazardous Waste = threat to human health & environment Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Solid Waste Reactive Toxic Two types: Organic compounds Solvents, pesticides, dioxins,… Heavy Metals Lead, mercury, radioactive,… Solid Waste Solid Waste: USA 4.6% of world’s population, 33% of solid waste 2.0 kg / person / day, 75% of which is either dumped or incinerated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Solid Waste Solid Waste Industrial Solid Waste 1.5 % 25% composted or recycled 16% burned in incinerators Industrial Solid Waste 98.5 % Manufacturing wastes Fertilizer & agricultural chemicals Food products or by-products Iron/steel, plastics, resins, pulp/paper Solid Waste: USA Solid Waste: USA Newspapers, books, magazines Appliances, tires, batteries Fig. 13-1, p. 283 EPA e-waste Waste in Seattle 50-80% shipped to China, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and others – cheap labor, weak env. regulations… source: Seattle Public Utilities Waste in Seattle Waste in Seattle: Commercial source: Seattle Public Utilities source: Seattle Public Utilities Thomas Masaniai empties a garbage can on the 600 block of NW 76th St. in Seattle. Waste Management Next to the transfer station in Wallingford …Where does it go? Compaction at the transfer station Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer A scale states the weight of garbage Dan Skiffington sprays down the dust generated by garbage being dumped Dan Williams calls his work area the "Museum of Trash." Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Barry Scheeler, left, and Dan Williams seal container 980377 Preparation of 980377 for shipment to a landfill near Arlington, Ore. Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Seattle Public Utilities truck carrying container 980377 is weighed in at the rail yard Train heads south for Portland, Ore. Placed on a train Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Placed on a truck at the landfill Emptied into the landfill as bulldozers spread the garbage evenly Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Arlington, Oregon, the closest town to the Waste Management landfill. An empty cell at the landfill stands prepared to accept garbage. Waste Management 1. Reduce impact of MSW Responsible disposal 2. Produce less & emphasize reuse Conscious consumption/use Energy-generating windmills line the property adjacent. Combining both: “Integrated waste management” Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Waste Management Burying solid waste (54%) • Open dumps 1. Reduce impact of MSW Responsible disposal • Sanitary landfills 2. Produce less & emphasize reuse – solid wastes spread out in thin layers – compacted – covered daily with clay or plastic foam – slow decomposition! – 8,000 in 1988 to 1,754 in 2006 Conscious consumption/use Combining both: “Integrated waste management” Topsoil Burying solid waste (54%) • Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, Maple Valley – Nearly all solid waste generated by King County residents living outside of Seattle – 920-acres – 2,500 tons of garbage/day, 1 million tons/year Sand Clay Garbage Probes to detect methane leaks When landfill is full, layers of soil and clay seal in trash Electricity Methane gas recovery well Compacted solid waste Garbage Sand Synthetic liner Sand Clay Subsoil generator building Methane storage and compressor building Leachate treatment system Pipes collect explosive methane as used as fuel to generate electricity Landfill figure Leachate pipes Leachate storage tank Leachate pumped up to storage tank for safe disposal Clay and plastic lining to prevent leaks; pipes collect leachate from bottom of landfill Groundwater Groundwater monitoring well Leachate monitoring well Electricity Burning solid waste (16%) Steam Crane Smokestack Turbine Generator • Waste-to-energy incinerators Furnace Boiler – 1,000 globally – Burning waste releases heat – Japan and some EU countries incinerate most MSW – Note: burning can also create / release toxins Wet scrubber Electrostatic precipitator Waste pit Water added Conveyor Bottom Dirty ash water Fly ash Ash for treatment, disposal in landfill, or use as landfill cover Fig. 13-6, p. 290 Waste Management Reduce 1. Redesign manufacturing: use less materials and energy 1. Reduce impact of MSW Responsible disposal 2. pollution 3. 2. Produce less & emphasize reuse Conscious consumption/use Combining both: “Integrated waste management” Redesign manufacturing: produce less waste & Make products that can be easily repaired, reused, remanufactured, or recycled 4. Eliminate unnecessary packaging 5. Use fee-per-bag waste collection 6. Establish cradle-to-grave responsibility laws 7. Restructure urban transportation systems Reuse Recycling – Denmark & Canada’s Prince Edward’s Island: ban on beverage containers that cannot be reused – Finland, 95% of beverage containers are refillable – Germany, 75% – materials converted into different products – e.g. used tires shredded, converted into road surface – e.g. newspapers transformed into cellulose insulation Recycling Food Waste Recycling Food Waste • • • • • • • • Food-soiled paper Fruit & vegetables Bread, pasta, grains • Eggshells, nutshells Coffee grounds & filters • Tea bags Meat, fish, and chicken • Dairy products (milk, butter,• cheese) • Shells and bones • • • – materials turned into new products of the same type – e.g. glass bottle turned into a new glass bottle • Secondary recycling (downcycling) – craigslist.org, freecycle.org, . . . Food scraps • Primary recycling Yard waste • • • Paper towels & napkins (kitchen only) Paper plates (uncoated only) • Food-soiled newspaper • Greasy pizza boxes • Shredded paper Paper bags (uncoated) with• food scraps Compostable bags Approved compostable tableware • Plant material Grass Leaves, branches, twigs (up to 4 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length) Plant and tree trimmings House plants (no pots) Small amounts of sod (less than 60 pounds) Holiday trees (No tinsel, ornaments, flocking; no longer than 6 feet long and 4 inches in diameter) Bundles up to 4 feet long and 2 feet in diameter, tied with natural twine Cedar Grove Recycling Food Waste Recycling Food Waste Cedar Grove Waste Hierarchy: Cedar Grove Encouraging Reuse/Recycling Challenges: 1. Price of a product does not include the harm that results from its disposal 2. Resource-extracting industries get more subsidies than recycling/reuse double standard: “recycling should pay for itself” 3. Demand for recycled goods fluctuates source: wikipedia