Transcript Solid Waste

Solid Waste
Waste Disposal
• Municipal solid waste—
waste materials from
homes, businesses and
other parts of the
community
• Other solid waste comes
from construction debris
and certain agricultural
and industrial wastes.
Waste Disposal
• Three methods of handling solid waste:
– Bury it
– Burn it
– Recycle it
Waste Disposal
• Landfills
– Open dumps were used until relatively
recently. (1976)
• Leachate is a polluted liquid made when rainwater
dissolves chemicals
– Sanitary landfills hold municipal solid waste,
construction debris, and some types of
agricultural and industrial waste
• They have plastic liners and are capped with clay
to prevent rainwater from entering.
Waste Disposal
• Incineration
– Burning of solid waste
• Do not take up much
space
• Do not pose a risk of
polluting groundwater
• Waste-to-energy plants
– Use heat to produce
electricity
– Release some
pollution into the air
– Some waste still
remains
– More expensive to
build
Recycling
• Biodegradable
– A substance that can
be broken down and
recycled by bacteria
Recycling
• Metals
– Iron and aluminum can
be melted and reused
• Glass
– Melted to make new
glass containers,
fiberglass, bricks, tiles
and reflective paints
Recycling
• Paper
– Pulp is a thick liquid
made from wood, and
recycled paper can be
turned into pulp, also
• Plastic
– Made from resins left
over from petroleum
products
– Can be heated,
stretched, and molded
into plastic products
Solid Waste Management
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle