Waste

Question 1

Why is the amount of waste produced increasing?

Answer 1

Population growth
Economic development
Increasing by 7% per year

Question 2

What is MSW?

Answer 2

Municipal solid waste
Known as refuge or rubbish
Doesn’t include industrial, agricultural, medical or sewage waste
Composition varies between countries and overtime
Large increase in E waste

Question 3

What is a waste stream? (+ what effects them)

Answer 3

A flow of waste from its source to its disposal
Effected by:
- economic characteristics
- lifestyles
- attitudes

Question 4

How do economic characteristics effect waste streams and components?

Answer 4

Components and disposal vary

wealthier = consume more
so developed countries produce more waste

HICs - regulated and managed disposal, recycling
LICs - improper dumping, causes environmental issues
no regulated systems

HICs - more paper and plastic
- 31% paper, 28% organic
LICs - more organic
- 5% paper, 64% organic

Not a large link to waste streams

Question 5

How do lifestyles effect waste streams and components?

Answer 5

Urban areas have more waste than rural areas - more people
Urban areas contain more manufactured waste compared to organic in rural areas

Diet
More processed foods create more packaging waste
Vegetable diet can be composted

Facilities available effect streams - determined by authorities

Question 6

How do attitudes effect waste streams and components?

Answer 6

Many HICs have a throw away culture
Results in high levels of waste
Long and complex waste streams

Health concerns mean more food is thrown away in case it goes off

Environmental attitude effect how much is recycled or amount of waste produced

Question 7

Impacts of increasing amounts of waste

Answer 7

Treating and collecting costs are high
Pollution caused by methane released
Health problems / contamination from improper disposal
Lack of space in landfill sites, more dumping

Question 8

What is the best way to dispose of waste and how can this be done?

Answer 8

Recycling
Can be done by education, financial incentives or laws

Question 9

Sources of waste in urban areas

Answer 9

Industrial waste
Manufacturing or industrial activity - scrap metal, solvents, chemicals

Commercial waste
Made from businesses or shops - food, paper, cardboard

Personal waste
Produced in private homes - plastic, food and packaging

Question 10

methods of waste disposal

Answer 10

unregulated
recovery
recycling
submergence
trade

incineration
landfill

Question 11

unregulated

Answer 11

waste dumped on unofficial sites

• ecosystems and wildlife damaged
• rivers and water polluted
• attract vermin = disease

Question 12

recovery

Answer 12

waste repurposed into new products

+ reduces waste to landfill
+ reduced demand for natural resources

Question 13

recycling

Answer 13

waste reprocessed into new products

+ reduced demand for natural resources
+ reduced ghg emissions and energy
+ less waste overall as reused
- new infrastructure

Question 14

submergence

Answer 14

waste is dumped at sea - illegal

• toxic so damages ocean ecosystems

Question 15

trade

Answer 15

bought and sold - shipped around world (see other)

• damage to country receiving

Question 16

what is global waste trade?

Answer 16

international trade of waste between countries
for further treatment, disposal or recycling

cheaper to export then develop infrastructure

ends up in LICs
- fewer regulations

results in improper disposal
= contamination of water (for people and wildlife) and environmental issues

Question 17

positives of landfill

Answer 17

+ can be covered with vegetation, absorb released carbon by photosynthesis

+ cost effective
+ easy to manage

+ methane released can be captured and used as fuel, reduces need for fossil fuels (removal of carbon from long terms stores)

Question 18

negatives of landfill

Answer 18

• takes up a lot of space, eventually run out
• unsightly, bad smell, attracts vermin, often unwanted by neighbours
• if not properly lined, chemicals can leach and contaminate water supply
• decomposition releases methane, ghg, fast flow of carbon to atmosphere (but slower than combustion)

Question 19

positives of incineration

Answer 19

+ safe disposal of chemicals and toxic waste (no leaching)

+ can be used to produce energy, reduces need for fossil fuels, less impact on long term carbon stores

+ uses less land

+ cost effective

Question 20

negatives of incineration

Answer 20

• more expensive
• fast flow of carbon to atmosphere
• creates air pollution, carbon dioxide is a ghg
• unpopular to local residents

Question 21

outline waste in Singapore

Answer 21

• industrialisation, increased wealth ,consume more goods, increased waste
• running out of space (shift to incineration over landfill)
• now 60% of population recycle waste
• 4 incineration plants
• 3% of energy provided from incineration

Question 22

evolution of singapores approach

Answer 22

earlier - landfill, lack of space and environmental issues

1970s - move to incineration, due to massive increase in waste, provide energy

2000s - Semakau, island for landfill to increase capacity, lined to prevent leaching

current - avoid creation of waste, shift away from throw away culture, aims to reduce, reuse and recycle
uses incineration (4 plants) and landfill

Question 23

Successes in Singapore

Answer 23

Incinerators fitted with pollution control systems - limit ghg emissions up to 90%
Incineration reduces waste volume by 90%
3% cities energy provides from incineration

Question 24

Limitations in Singapore

Answer 24

Still creates pollution and ghg emissions in use and transportation
- 1.56 million tonnes ghg emissions in 2017 due to transporting waste

Still incinerating ,argue quantities
- not met zero waste zero landfill goal