Urban Waste Disposal Flashcards
What is a waste stream
The journey an item has when it’s been thrown away to where it ends up
What is the global waste trade
The legal and illegal buying and selling of waste
What is leachates and why is it bad
Leachates is the liquid created when rain water filters through waste
It leaks out and contaminates soils and rivers
What are heavy metals
Dense metals that are toxic (mercury)
Where does waste travel to (countries)
High income countries to newly emerging economies and low income countries
Why do people want E waste
They are able to melt valuable metals and sell it
Why is people working in rubbish dumps a health concern
People cutting themselves on rusty metals and toxic metals
Dumps attract rats who spread disease
What is the negative multiplier effect of a child working in a rubbish dump
1.5 year old works instead of being in school
2.The child could get infected
3.She isn’t educated and won’t be able to earn enough to pay tax
4.She will also cost money in healthcare
5.The country won’t have enough money to help poor families
5.Back to stage 1
How does lifestyle influence waste streams and components
People in urban areas produce more waste than rural areas
Rural people produce more organic waste while cities produce more manufacturing waste - glass
Diet - processed food makes waste and coke in a lot of packaging
Fruit and veg make compostable organic waste and less packaging
How can economic factors influence waste streams and components of waste
As people get richer they consume more goods
Most developing countries don’t have formal recycling systems but collect recyclables from landfill and sell them
How does attitudes affect waste streams and components of waste
Developed countries - throw things away like electronics or barely worn clothes- developing countries use it as scrap
Environmentally conscious people are more likely to recycle
What are the three main sources of waste
Personal waste - waste produced by homes
Industrial waste - waste creates in manufacturing process
Commercial waste - waste produced by businesses
