APES Unit 8

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Refers to household, commercial, and institutional waste.

Common sources of MSW

Households, businesses, and schools.

Waste stream

Encompasses all solid waste produced.

Common fates of waste

Recycling centers, landfills, and incineration.

Composition of MSW

Approximately 33% paper and two-thirds organic material.

E-waste

Discarded electronics such as computers and phones.

Key concern with e-waste

Contains hazardous materials like lead and mercury.

Importance of proper e-waste disposal

Prevents leaching of hazardous materials.

Sanitary landfills

Controlled environments for solid waste disposal.

Clay/plastic liner in landfills

Protects groundwater from pollutants.

Leachate collection system

Manages contaminated water to reduce pollution.

Methane recovery system

Collects methane produced from anaerobic decomposition.

Decomposition rates in landfills

Minimal due to low oxygen, moisture, and organic content.

Long-lasting materials in landfills

Newspaper can remain legible for 40 years; fishing line decomposes over 600 years.

Items not to include in landfills

Hazardous waste and recyclable materials.

Issues related to landfills

Groundwater contamination and greenhouse gas emissions.

NIMBY (Not In My Backyard)

Communities resist landfill placement.

Social justice issues with landfills

Often located in low-income communities or communities of color.

Waste incineration

Reduces waste volume by up to 90%.

Concerns with incineration

Releases air pollutants and produces toxic bottom ash.

Ocean dumping

Illegal dumping contributing to marine pollution.

Reduce (waste reduction practice)

Minimizes energy input needed to create new goods.

Reuse

Using a product without requiring energy for new materials.

Recycle

Processing waste into new materials, requiring energy input.

Closed-loop recycling

Original material becomes the same product again.

Open-loop recycling

Material transformed into different products.

Advantages of recycling

Reduces demand for raw materials and conserves landfill space.

Disadvantages of recycling

Costly, energy-intensive, and contamination issues.

Composting

Using organic matter such as food scraps for waste reduction.

Benefits of composting

Reduces landfill volume and produces nutrient-rich compost.

Process of composting

Decomposes organic waste under controlled aerobic conditions.

E-waste management importance

Improper management leads to environmental contamination.

Waste-to-energy systems

Incineration reduces volume and generates electricity.

Energy production process

Similar to thermal power plants using waste to produce steam.

Methane collection efficiency

Less efficient than burning trash directly.

Summary of waste reduction practices

Involves reducing, reusing, recycling, composting, and managing e-waste properly.

Most sustainable waste reduction method

Reducing waste.

Understanding waste-to-energy opportunities

Provides alternatives for reducing landfill use while generating energy.