Waste
• The U.S. produces 11 billion tons of waste per year.
• Industrial waste– about 400 million metric tons
per year in the U.S.
• Municipal Waste- A combination of household and commercial refuse
Waste Water Treatment
Waste Stream
• The Waste Stream - flow of varied wastes that we all produce, from domestic garbage and yard wastes to industrial commercial, and construction refuse.
– Many would be valuable if they were not mixed with other forms of garbage.
Open Landfills
Ocean Dumping
• Sources– Unregulated dumping
• Ships• Coastal Communities
– 14 Billion pounds of garbage are dumped in the ocean each year
Landfills
Incineration
Recycling
Recycling
» Recycling is so rapid that half of all the aluminum cans now on grocery shelves will be made into another can within two months.
» Challenges» Americans still throw away nearly 350,000 tons of
aluminum beverage containers each year, enough to make 3,800 Boeing 747s
» Benefits» Costs less than disposal ($35/ton vs. $80/ton)» Reduces pressure on landfills» Reduces demand for raw resources.» Reduces energy consumption and air pollution.» Producing aluminum from recycling saves 95% of
the energy.
Recycling is Catching On
Composting – biological degradation or breakdown of
organic matter under oxygen rich conditions.
Remember, Reduce and Reuse, first, then Recycle
Hazardous Waste