Unit 8.3 Solid domestic waste

Question 1

Solid Domestic Waste (SDW)

Answer 1

Is the waste produced by households as a result of daily activities.

Question 1

Types of SDW

Answer 1

• Paper: newspapers, magazines, wrapping paper, etc.
• Cardboard packaging: mostly from packaged food
• Glass: bottles, jars, etc.
• Metal: cans, foil for cooking use, etc.
• Plastics: food and other packaging and containers
• Organic waste: from kitchens and garden waste
• E-waste: used printer cartridges, batteries and electronic equipment.

Question 2

Waste Disposal Options

Answer 2

recycling, composting, landfill, and incineration

Question 3

Recycling

Answer 3

process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products.

Question 4

Recycling evaluation

Answer 4

ADVANTAGES

• Reduces the amount of waste sent to
  landfills and incinerators
• Conserves natural resources such as
  timber, water and minerals
• Prevents pollution by reducing the
  need to collect new raw materials
• Saves energy

DISADVANTAGES
- Not always cost-effective.
- Recycling unit takes up a lot of capital.
- Recycling tons of garbage will require waste to be transported, sorted, cleaned and processed in separate factories, needing energy and which may result in by-products that can pollute soil, air or water.
- Recycled plastic products may seem like a good way to help the environment, simply delaying, not preventing, eventually landfill.

Question 5

Composting

Answer 5

is the decomposition of biodegradable material. It recycles organic household waste into a humus-like soil. It returns valuable nutrients to the soil.

Question 6

Composting evaluation

Answer 6

ADVANTAGES
- Enriches soil, helping retain moisture and
suppress plant diseases and pests.
- Small-scale composting is more sustainable
- Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
- Reduces Landfill Waste

DISADVANTAGES
- Large composting plants are often unsuccessful due to contamination and operating costs.
- Initial costs may be hight
- Quality of compost depends on ingredients (not always the same quality can be offered)
- Unpleasant smell (neighbours may complain)

Question 7

Incinerating

Answer 7

Incineration is the process of burning waste material in a furnace at high temperatures

Question 8

Incinerating evaluation

Answer 8

ADVANTAGES

• takes up much less space than landfills.
• Reduces the volume of waste by 80 – 85%, very popular in countries where land is scarce
• It can be used to produce electricity (‘waste-to- energy’ plants)
• function in any type of weather

DISADVANTAGES
- incinerators are expensive to build and operate.
- environmental and health concerns with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide an dioxins being emitted by the process
- cause visual pollution due to the intrusive chimney stack.
- causes property devaluation in thesurrounding areas

Question 9

Landfill

Answer 9

Waste disposal site where solid waste is buried.

Modern landfills are often lined with layers of absorbent material and sheets of plastic to keep pollutants from leaking into the soil and groundwater; the economic status
of a country is a major determinant of whether this occurs.

Question 10

Landfill evaluation

Answer 10

ADVANTAGES
- relatively cheap method of
dealing with waste because environmental
- It is a low technology method of waste disposal that countries at any level of development can use
- Properly managed landfills can capture the methane produced

DISADVANTAGES
- Many regions in the world are already struggling to find suitable new landfill sites.
- increasing public opposition to opening new landfill sites because of environmental and health concerns
(the NIMBY principle)
- When biodegradable waste, such as food, decomposes anaerobically it releases methane, which, as a greenhouse gas, contributes to global warming.
- Chemicals and heavy metals can pollute the soil and groundwater.

Question 11

Landfill

Answer 11

waste disposal site where solid waste is buried. Modern landfills are often lined with layers of absorbent
material and sheets of plastic to keep pollutants from leaking into the soil and groundwater; the economic status of a country is a major determinant of whether this occurs.

Question 12

Pollution management Strategies

Answer 12

(Reduce)
- reduce packaging
- recycle good
- reuse clothes, containers, goods

(Regulate)
- separate waste
- legislate about waste separation
- tax disposable items
- educate on waste separation

(Restore)
- reclaim landfills
- incenerate SDW for energy
- collect plastics