Solid Waste Management

Group Thesis Statement: The alarming effects of consumer waste that pollutes the land, water and air will continue to rise and negatively impact numerous ecosystems on Earth if every human being doesn’t utilize the reduce, recycle, and recycle concept.

In Canada, a disparity exists among the provinces in terms of recycling efforts and initiatives. A recent study ranked the Canadian provinces in terms of recycling, and based the rankings on both access and utilization of recycling programs. The top three Canadian provinces in 2006 were Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Ontario (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 16-17). One might find it surprising that the smallest province in Canada is actually the national leader in terms of recycling. The worst province in Canada in terms

Americans have yet to face the unnerving reality of the fact that “in 2008 only 7.1% of the 30.05 million tons of plastic waste in America was recycled” (Linn). This low percentage is shocking, outrageous, and should terrify the American public, but this number can change. Recycling is not just a feel good experience; it is a way to help save energy, space, and money. However, with the enormous amount of trash being thrown out each year, landfills are increasing in size creating numerous issues. The staggering amount of waste increases greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming and building up dangerous toxins that sink underground into our soil and water, overflows into wildlife habitats and oceans, and costs a large amount of money to remove. By fining residents who incorrectly dispose of recyclable goods, implementing recycling as a requirement in educational institutions and other business and residential settings, categorizing the

The Environmental Protection Agency released the ‘Advancing Sustaining Materials Management: 2014 Fact Sheet’ in November of 2016 and Americans produce 4.4 pounds of trash every single day.

This report was contracted by Western University to reduce landfill disposal of a specific end-product on campus. As a signatory of the Council of Ontario Universities’ Formal Declaration of Commitment to Environmental Sustainability, Western University is dedicated to sustainability [1]. Through various sustainability programs, Western currently diverts approximately 50% of the total waste generated on campus from the landfill [2].

Household waste management is a growing problem in the United States and many other parts of the world. “The U.S. creates a lot of household solid waste per day per person. If there is a huge population of millions of people in a small area, household garbage can easily accumulate to 100,000 pounds per day. A few years ago, residents made a million tons of city waste per year and a billion tons of industrial solid wastes. In 2006, the U.S. residents generated half of 251 tons million tons of municipal solid waste per year and about 8 billion tons of industrial solid waste. This tremendous amount of waste includes both hazardous and nonhazardous waste. (Massawe, et.al, 2014)” A better understanding of household behavior is needed to assist

Solid wastes are any abandoned or discarded materials, thus solid wastes can be liquid, solid, semi-solid or containerized gaseous material. The solid waste contains municipal garbage, waste tires, industrial waste, agricultural refuse, toys and furniture, oil and so on. Normally, The Municipal Solid Waste contains four components, which are recycling, composting, disposal and waste to energy. The biggest issue facing Toronto in the near feature would be the solid waste issue because solid waste would cause pollution, land lacks and health problems. The way to address the waste problem would be collaborating with the government through specific method and program such as invented new technology, increase involvement of public engagement and use of geography information system and mathematic model. There are some evidences show that solid waste would be the serious problem. Toronto’s 2015 Vital Signs Report points that “After increases over three years in the amount of residential waste generated (from 799,812 tonnes in 2011 to 815,450 in 2012 and 823,743 in 2013), 2014 saw a small 2.3% decrease from 2013 (to 804,369 tonnes).”(Toronto Foundation, p158). At the meantime, it seems that Toronto issues are getting worse because it is hard to find landfill site, the rising disposal costs relate to landfill and the way that transport the waste to Michigan would cause high transportation cost.

Despite info campaigns, recycling programs, and inundation with horrifying stats - leaking landfills, islands of garbage in the ocean, vast quantities of food discarded rather than feeding the hungry - we humans are still rampant wasters. Systemic change is needed. But could the redesign of that simple household object could help us rethink the flawed concept of “throwing things away”? The power of design means a simple object can help redirect the way we think or act. I would choose to redesign the waste bin with the idea that it has the potential to effect change from an the individual household to the global

I am familiar with the Zero waste program because on Fort Hood we are planning to maximize our Net Zero Program by 2020. In this article a Ashboro, NC, zoo conducted an audit in 1990 and initial waste activities begun. The waste committee was established in 1994 and started to monitor the waste reduction implementation in the Zero Waste reduction activities. The group proposed that the waste be stream into four (4) waste category; visitor waster, animal waste,

There is room for a lot of improvement in Quebec’s waste management: currently, about half of household waste is eliminated (MDDELCC, 10) which is not economically viable. To reach its sustainability goal, the province drafted the Quebec policy for waste management 2011-2015. By the end date, it aims to reduce household waste to 700kg/person and to increase the diversion rate of paper, plastic, glass and metal scraps to 70%, and of organic waste to 60% (MDDELCC, 11). An additional benefit of these propositions is the creation of hundreds of jobs (MDDELCC, 2011). The plan, albeit optimistic, is still unclear about how to effectively implement waste recovery. In 2012, 6 years after the start of the City of Montreal’s composting initiative, only 12% of organic waste was being recovered (Bruemmer, 2014). Montreal plans on building two biomethanization plants (where compost is converted into biogas), along with two composting facilities (Bruemmer, 2014). Four proposed sites have been rejected due to public opposition while an existing one closed this summer. Situated in Montreal’s Southwest borough, the latter estimates that its yearly methane offset equals 800 000m3, “which represents about 35 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is worth nearly 500 000$ in the Quebec cap-and-trade system” (Compost Montreal,

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the importance of waste; a byproduct of consuming and/or producing food. Whether it came from the grocery store, corner store deli, or even from a favorite restaurant, it is apparent that in our current industrial food system, waste from food is not disappearing anytime soon. Furthermore, in a recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2010, out of the 430 billion tons of available food produced in the United States, approximately 133 billion tons of food were uneaten (Buzby et al, 2014). For this assignment, I documented, (approximately) weighed, and photographed the waste that accumulated at my residence

As industry has evolved, the creation and disposal of waste has become a significant issue. People generate waste simply by going through their everyday activities, and almost anything from food, clothes, and textbooks can eventually become waste. With the world rapidly moving towards urbanization and the population growing at an exponential rate, it is understandable that the amount of waste being generated daily is on the rise (Hoornweg, 2012). The shear amount of waste being generated makes it difficult to dispose of without any severe environmental consequences. Last year an estimated 1.4 billion tons of municipal solid waste was generated, an amount that

We, humans, are producing waste every day, polluting and destroying our planet. To save the world, many people believe recycling is the obvious solution. It is the process of converting certain waste into a reusable material. Therefore, the recycle motto is “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”. However, have you ever wondered why the word recycle is placed at the end? Well, it’s because it is not the only way to reduce waste and save the world from global warming. Recycling may have many advantages, but its disadvantages’ list is not a short one either. Recycling may look very simple and easy method, but when there is a need for a new unit of waste recycling, it takes up a lot of space. Not to mention the amount of money the building costs along with paying the staffs, buying new utility vehicles, upgrading the recycling unit and different types of chemical disposals. It is not only expensive but also, unhygienic, unsafe and unsightly with piles of waste materials on every location. These wastes spread infectious diseases putting human health at risk. Aside from recycling

Canadians throw out garbage in their everyday lives, but how much Canadians properly dispose of it? In 2015, roughly 2.3 million tonnes of garbage were thrown away in British Columbia alone, an average of 497 kilograms per capita. Imagine Canada's waste combined -- about 25 million tonnes. Often, household garbage ends up in landfills, but landfills are piling up and reaching maximum capacity. Unfortunately, it is becoming a struggle to find new areas to dispose of the tonnes of waste. Additionally, the problem of over capacitated landfills contributes to the environment's health and as a consequence, make approximately 25% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. Improperly discarding items, like batteries, electronics, and so forth, also contributes to the environment's health, creating the risk of water and soil contamination. It is up to Canadians and the decisions they make when it comes to recycling and protecting the environment.

Some argue that a zero-waste policy is a goal that can never be fully achieved because there is always going to be some waste. However undeniably true that might be, having that sort of goal is tremendously important because it opens the door for opportunities and change. According to the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA),