Waste Management Flashcards
conduct a practical investigation of the composition of household or organisational waste
- Aim
To conduct a practical investigation into the composition of household waste over three days by separating it into five categories (metal, plastic, paper, food waste and cardboard).
Hypothesis
Household waste will primarily be composed of food waste
Materials
- 3 rubbish disposal bags
- 1 pair of tongs
- 3 face masks
- 3 pairs of gloves
- 3 bags of waste collected from the kitchen
Risk Assessment
Risk: Sharp plastic
- Can create cuts in the skin
- Handle waste carefully by using tongs
Risk: Fumes released from waste
- Can be inhaled and cause breathing problems and
respiratory issues
- Wear a mask and conduct waste audit in an open area
Risk: Pathogens, such as bacteria, in the waste from rotting organic matter
- Can be inhaled and cause sickness
- Wear gloves and a mask and wash hands with soap and water
Method
1) A face mask and gloves were worn to prevent possible spread of contaminants and pathogens.
2) Waste was collected from the kitchen bin at the end of the day.
3) The waste was separated, into the five categories of metal, plastic, paper, food waste and cardboard, using tongs.
4) The amount of waste in each category was counted three times to maintain accuracy.
5) The categorised waste was gathered in a garbage bag before safely and correctly disposing of it in the red bin.
6) The aforementioned steps were repeated nightly over a period of three days to ensure reliability.
Discussion
- Independent variable; the type of each waste produced.
- Dependent variable; the amount of each waste
- Controlled variable; the time that the waste is to be collected and the kitchen bin the waste is going to be collected from
- Validity was achieved by keeping all variables the same except for the dependent and independent variables.
- Reliability can be improved by repeating the experiment over a week to get a larger sample size, then averaging the results and identifying any possible outliers
- Accuracy can also be improved by using kitchen scales to find the mass of waste within each category to the nearest kilogram
Outline the management options for different types of solid waste
- Landfill
- Industrial and municipal waste is compacted into layers
- This waste is sent to landfill and filled into pits to decompose
Outline the management options for different types of solid waste
- Recycling
- Objects are sorted into glass, paper, cardboard and metal
- Glass is remelted and remanufactured into other products (glass that can’t be remelted is crushed and used as filler in roads)
- Paper gets pulped, de-inked and shredded into other paper items
- Cardboard is sieved and repurposed into packaging
- Metal cans are remelted and repurposed into cans
Outline the management options for different types of solid waste
- Compost
- Food trimmings and grass clippings are compacted into a pile
- Wood chips are added to break down organic material through aerated fermentation
- The finished product is used as fertiliser or manure
evaluate the sustainability of Energy used to produce and/or recycle the waste (Landfill)
- Collecting and disposing of the 53 kilograms of waste produced annually by each person requires a large amount of energy
evaluate the sustainability of Environmental impact of waste disposal
- Methane pollutes the air as biodegradable material decomposes. As rain falls onto landfill, inorganic materials dissolve and form toxic chemicals that contaminate groundwater (these chemicals also run-off into rivers and lakes).
- Toxic substances and decaying matter reduce soil fertility. Health impacts, such as respiratory illnesses, cancers and birth defects, arise from surrounding vermin
evaluate the sustainability of Space for disposal or storage of waste
- Because landfill requires large areas, sites are sustained for long periods by utilising unused open-pit mines. Providing a cheaper way to fill open pits
evaluate the sustainability of Local waste management facilities
- The Woodlawn Bioreactor (240km southwest of Sydney) is an old open-pit mine which is being used as a landfill site in which 20% of Sydney’s putrescible waste is emptied into.
- This waste is used to harvest methane gas in order to produce energy. To date, 8.5 million tonnes of waste have been safely processed.
evaluate the sustainability of Demand for reused or recycled waste
- There is increased demand to reuse and recycle the materials placed in landfill. However, as populations increase, some items won’t be able to be reused or recycled.
- Ultimately, landfill isn’t sustainable; the downsides of health impacts, loss of biodiversity and reduced water quality and soil fertility heavily outweigh the advantage of landfill sites being able to store waste for up to 20 years
