Topic 8.3 Flashcards
What is Solid Domestic Waste?
SDW or municipal solid waste (MSW) is our trash, garbage, rubbish from residential and urban areas. It is a mixture of paper, packaging, organic materials (waste food), glass, dust, metals, plastic, textiles, paint, old batteries, e-waste etc.
What percentage of total waste does SDW make up?
5% of total waste which includes agricultural and industrial waste, it is waste that we can control.
What is the SDW production per capita per day in the USA and in the EU?
about 3.5 kg in the USA, 1.4 kg in the EU.
Why do people in LEDCs tend to produce less SDW than those in MEDCs?
- in LEDCs, one human’s waste is another human’s resource. That is why in many LEDCs there are whole industries set up to collect SDW. People travel around residential areas going through communal bins and taking out “useful” stuff.
- MEDCs are part of a “throwaway society” because they do not immediately consider the intrinsic value of waste because they think of resources as unlimited, therefore producing more waste than LEDCs.
What is a linear model?
‘take, make, dump’ - unsustainable.
We find the raw materials or the natural capital (take) and use energy to produce goods (make). Often these goods become redundant or break down and our model has been to discard and then replace them with others (dump).
What is the circular model?
'make, use, reuse, remake, recycle' - sustainable. it ams to: - be restorative of the environment - use renewable energy sources - eliminate or reduce toxic wastes - eradicate waste through careful design
In order to carry out the aims for the circular model what needs to be done?
the model relies on manufacturers and producers retaining ownership of their products, therefore, being responsible for recycling them or disposing of them when the consumer has finished using them. The producers take back products when they are no longer needed, disassemble or refurbish them and return them to the market.
Timberland shoes as an example of the circular economy.
Re-design element:
Once Timberland Tires have reached the end of their product life, they are shipped to a recycling facility and turned into crumb rubber. This crumb rubber is processed into sheet rubber for the outsoles of Timberland shoes.
Successes:
Reduces the need to extract rubber from trees and is more environmentally friendly.
Limitations:
Only used rubber is used from worn out tired which slightly reduces the quality of the sole.
Scale:
Currently the recyclable tires can only be bought from the timberland website in the US. It fits most car models
Biodegradable packaging as an example of the circular economy.
Re-design element:
Used the leftover barley and wheat from brewing process and turned them into packaging.
Successes:
- Biodegradable
- Reduces chance of choking by sea life and birds
- Reduces waste - landfill (although minimal in terms of volume)
- Reduces waste from brewing process
- Saves money (?) from buying plastic and using their own waste
Limitations:
Plastic product it replaces already breaks down within 90 days, although can still cause problems in that time span.
Scale:
Small at present but potential to grow. May influence other packaging types.
Why is it important to manage SDW?
Because we cannot throw waste away. Therefore we have to come up with ways to minimize waste.
What are the strategies to minimize waste?
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Reduce…
- Requires us to use fewer resources
- Make sure you know how to maintain your possessions so that they last longer
- Change shopping habits:
- Buy things that will last
- Look for items with less packaging
- Avoid things that are imported
- Choose products that are energy efficient
Reuse…
- Where the products that are used for something other than their original purpose or they’re returned to the manufacturer and used repeatedly.
- Returnable bottles - take the bottle back to the shop to be returned to the manufacturer
- Compost food waste
- Use old clothes as cleaning rags
- Hire DVDs - don’t buy them
- Read E books
Recycling…
Involves collecting and separating waste materials and processing them for reuse.
- Many towns and cities now have kerbside recycling which is the sorting of waste into separate containers for recycling before it leaves the home.
- In Germany for e.g. each household has four bins for this.
- In the UK there is a dicussion about charging households more if they produce more than the standard amount of waste.
- In india and china, very little food is wasted as this is not thrown away or fed to animals.
In MEDCs, up to 50% of waste is food waste.
what are the strategies for dealing with waste disposal?
If waste materials are not recycled or reused, the options are to put them in landfill sites or incinerate them, dump them into the seas or to compost organic waste.
