1. Solid Waste Management
and Disposal

2. Outline
 Background
 Waste Disposal Methods
– Landfills
– Incineration
 Source Reduction
 Recycling
– Pros and Cons

3. Introduction
 Lack of dumping space has become a
problem for many large metropolitan
areas
 Communities are increasingly concerned
about waste disposal costs, and
groundwater and air quality hazards.

6. Disposable Decades
 In the mid 1950’s a disposable lifestyle was
marketed as the wave of the future, and as a
way to reduce household duties.
 Consumerism began in earnest following
WWII.
 Convenience was sold to prosperous post-war
consumers. “Convenience” was quickly
changed to necessity.

7. Nature of the Problem
 Garbage = Municipal Solid Waste
 US produces 220 million metric tons of
municipal waste per year.
 US volume has more than doubled since 1960.
 MDCs have a higher standard of living, and
thus produce more waste.
 Traditional Methods (dumping and burning)
are no longer accepted.

9. Waste Disposal Methods
Landfills
 Landfilling has traditionally been the primary
method of waste disposal - cheap and
convenient.
 Modern landfills have complex impermeable
bottom layers to trap contaminants, and daily
deposits are covered by layer of dirt.
– Methane gas and leachate detection
systems.

10.  Currently, almost 80% of NA municipal
solid waste is deposited in landfills.
 New landfills are often resisted due to
public concerns over groundwater
contamination, odors, and truck traffic.
 Due to tight, anaerobic conditions,
biological decay in modern landfills is
retarded.

12. What is the largest man made structure on the planet?

13. Opened as a "temporary landfill" in 1947, The Fresh Kills Landfill
covers 2200 acres, can be seen with the naked eye from space and is
taller then the Statue of Liberty, at a height of 225 ft. It is situated on the
western shore of Staten Island and is made up of four sections which
contain fifty plus years of landfill, mostly in the form of household
waste. The waste disposed at the Fresh Kills Landfill and the
decomposition products of this waste contain numerous chemicals. The
chemicals can enter into the environment in a variety of ways: releases
into the air from barge unloading and garbage trucks unloading; the
cement crushing trucks releases chemical dust into the air; and into the
local groundwater by leaching.

15. Incineration
 Prior to 1940, incineration was common
in NA and western Europe.
 Many incinerators were eliminated
because of aesthetic concerns.
 Currently, about 16% of US municipal
solid waste is incinerated.
– Derived heat often used for electrical
generation.

16.  Incinerators drastically reduce the
amount of municipal solid waste - up to
90% by volume and 75% by weight.
 Even with modern pollution controls,
small amounts of pollutants are still
released into env.
 Cost and siting of new incinerators major
problems facing communities.

17. Source Reduction
 Most fundamental method of reducing
waste is to prevent it from being
produced.
– Since 2 liter soft drink bottle was
introduced in 1977, weight has been
reduced by 35%
– Since 1965, aluminum cans have been
reduced in weight by 35%.

18. Recycling
 Currently 23% of NA waste is recycled.
 Recycling initiatives have grown rapidly
in NA during the past several years.

19. Recycling Benefits
 Resource Conservation
 Pollution Reduction
 Example: Crushed glass reduces the
energy required to manufacture new
glass by 50%
 Example: One Sunday edition of N.Y.
times consumes 62,000 trees. Only 20%
of NA paper is recycled.

20. Recycling Concerns
 Plastics are recyclable, but technology
differs from plastic to plastic.
– Industry is researching new
technologies.
 Economics are of concern. Unless
demand for products keeps pace with
growing supply, recycling programs will
face an uncertain future.

22.  Long-term success of recycling programs is
also tied to other economic incentives such as
taxation and the development of and demand
for products manufactured from recycled
materials.
 Currently in the US, it is often still cheaper to
use virgin material than transport recycled
materials.

23. Summary
 Post WWII, increased consumption of consumer
goods became a way of life.
 Municipal solid waste is managed by:
– Landfilling Incineration
– Waste Reduction Recycling
 Waste prevention is the most fundamental waste
reduction technique
 Recycling can only be successful if markets
exist for recycled materials.

24. Maybe the best method of “disposal”
is not to produce it in the first place ...