DISCUSSION
Landfill Discussion
Electronic waste, or e-waste, consists of consumer electronics that include televisions, computers, portable music players, and cell phones.
Environmental: The older-style electronics carry more weight so they contain one to two kg of the heavy metal lead as well as other toxic metals such as mercury and cadmium. Mercury and cadmium get released into the environment disrupting habitats of various species.
Human: E-waste from the United States is exported to China where adults as well as some children separate valuable metals from other materials using fire and acids in open spaces with no protective clothing and no respiratory gear. This can harm the people coming into contact with the e-waste.
Another type of material that should not be placed in a landfill is medical waste unless it has been decontaminated. It is hard to separate the medicine from the waste and some of the medicine might actually remain the waste while it is being cleaned out. This could pose a threat to humans and potentially kill them because viruses could emerge. Also, many people are allergic to some types of medicine. This is also a threat to the environment because it can get onto land and disrupt habitats and land used for crops.
Additionally, lead acid batteries should not be placed in a landfill. For humans, both lead and cadmium can be taken only be ingestion or inhalation. Mercury another harmful metal can even be absorbed through the skin. These harmful substances pose environmental consequences also. They permeate into the soil, groundwater and surface water through landfills and also release toxins into the air when they are burnt municipal waste combustors.
Methods: Recycling and the reusing of materials is a method for reducing the amount of substances that enter MSW input. Reusing the waste for another application saves resources that could be used for other things. Reusing batteries is beneficial because it takes a long time to dispose of batteries. Recycling oil to gas stations benefits the economy.
Another method for reducing the amount of these substances is the substitution of alternate energy sources that do not produce hazardous wastes such as wind, solar, hydroelectric or geothermal.
Human: E-waste from the United States is exported to China where adults as well as some children separate valuable metals from other materials using fire and acids in open spaces with no protective clothing and no respiratory gear. This can harm the people coming into contact with the e-waste.
Another type of material that should not be placed in a landfill is medical waste unless it has been decontaminated. It is hard to separate the medicine from the waste and some of the medicine might actually remain the waste while it is being cleaned out. This could pose a threat to humans and potentially kill them because viruses could emerge. Also, many people are allergic to some types of medicine. This is also a threat to the environment because it can get onto land and disrupt habitats and land used for crops.
Additionally, lead acid batteries should not be placed in a landfill. For humans, both lead and cadmium can be taken only be ingestion or inhalation. Mercury another harmful metal can even be absorbed through the skin. These harmful substances pose environmental consequences also. They permeate into the soil, groundwater and surface water through landfills and also release toxins into the air when they are burnt municipal waste combustors.
Methods: Recycling and the reusing of materials is a method for reducing the amount of substances that enter MSW input. Reusing the waste for another application saves resources that could be used for other things. Reusing batteries is beneficial because it takes a long time to dispose of batteries. Recycling oil to gas stations benefits the economy.
Another method for reducing the amount of these substances is the substitution of alternate energy sources that do not produce hazardous wastes such as wind, solar, hydroelectric or geothermal.
Recycling Discussion
Plastics: More commonly known by its trade name, Styrofoam, is particularly useful for food packaging because it minimizes temperature changes in both food and beverages. Also, it is lighter, insulates better, and is less expensive than the alternatives. This benefits the economy because trading is more feasible and it is also easier to export materials. The more plastic that is recycled the more it can be used which benefits the economy. A plastic cup requires three grams of petroleum and petroleum is limited and expensive. It would cost a lot of money to make multiple cups therefore hurting the economy.
Plastic are lighter than other alternatives. Since they are lighter, it is easier to make and transport them generating less air pollution. One cost of recycling plastics on the environment is that plastics take a while to recycle although they are easy to make. In the process of recycling plastics, separate factories need to be established. The gases from these factories actually have a negative affect on the environment.
Paper: Recycling paper benefits the environment by reducing the denudation of woodlands and exhaustion of water supplies. It could also hurt the environment because a lot of paper is consumed but most of it is not recycled so the output is more than the input.
Recycling paper hurts the economy because it uses more resources to make the recycled paper than to actually make new paper. The resources are not conserved but more are used in making recycled paper. Also, a lot of money is being put into these resources to make the recycled paper. It can benefit the economy if people used less paper and recycled more of it.
Aluminum: Recycling aluminum benefits the economy by satisfying an increasing demand. The more aluminum that is recycled the more it is available to the public so the demand remains high and so does the supply. It can hurt the economy because many resources go into recycling aluminum and it might not be worth the cost to recycle it.
Recycling aluminum benefits the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. It can also hurt the environment because a lot of energy is being put into the recycling of aluminum. This energy is released into the air and negatively affects the environment
I would choose plastics because they require no wood or bark so trees remained unharmed. Also, there are many health costs associated with recycling paper and aluminum. Although there are health costs with recycling plastics, they are less drastic than recycling paper and aluminum. Without proper disposal, the recycling of paper and aluminum could pose risk to human health.
I would persuade them by exposing the advantages to them. Recycling helps the environment because deforestation is cut down and other natural resources are conserved. Also, recycling reduces energy consumption. A large amount of energy is consumed by processing raw materials at the time of manufacture. Recycling helps to minimize this energy consumption saving more energy which is crucial for massive production.
Plastic are lighter than other alternatives. Since they are lighter, it is easier to make and transport them generating less air pollution. One cost of recycling plastics on the environment is that plastics take a while to recycle although they are easy to make. In the process of recycling plastics, separate factories need to be established. The gases from these factories actually have a negative affect on the environment.
Paper: Recycling paper benefits the environment by reducing the denudation of woodlands and exhaustion of water supplies. It could also hurt the environment because a lot of paper is consumed but most of it is not recycled so the output is more than the input.
Recycling paper hurts the economy because it uses more resources to make the recycled paper than to actually make new paper. The resources are not conserved but more are used in making recycled paper. Also, a lot of money is being put into these resources to make the recycled paper. It can benefit the economy if people used less paper and recycled more of it.
Aluminum: Recycling aluminum benefits the economy by satisfying an increasing demand. The more aluminum that is recycled the more it is available to the public so the demand remains high and so does the supply. It can hurt the economy because many resources go into recycling aluminum and it might not be worth the cost to recycle it.
Recycling aluminum benefits the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. It can also hurt the environment because a lot of energy is being put into the recycling of aluminum. This energy is released into the air and negatively affects the environment
I would choose plastics because they require no wood or bark so trees remained unharmed. Also, there are many health costs associated with recycling paper and aluminum. Although there are health costs with recycling plastics, they are less drastic than recycling paper and aluminum. Without proper disposal, the recycling of paper and aluminum could pose risk to human health.
I would persuade them by exposing the advantages to them. Recycling helps the environment because deforestation is cut down and other natural resources are conserved. Also, recycling reduces energy consumption. A large amount of energy is consumed by processing raw materials at the time of manufacture. Recycling helps to minimize this energy consumption saving more energy which is crucial for massive production.
Superfund/Brownfields Discussion
Superfund site is different from a Brownfield site because it uses different methods to accomplish its objectives. Superfund sites deal with the nation's worst hazardous sites. The sites vary widely in size and location, and in the type and severity of contamination. Brownfield sites are generally abandoned or underutilized industrial or commercial facilities, and are often made up of small parcels with multiple owners. An example of a Superfund site in the US is the Tar Creek in Ottawa County in Oklahoma. An example of a Brownfield site is Big Tex Grain in San Antonio.
Two problems associated with removing contaminated soil is the need to find a place to dispose soil and some may only be able to move in one other specific location. Another problem is exposure of the contaminants to the workers or residents.
Two problems associated by planting vegetation that would decontaminate the soil are that there is less habitat disruption because the soil is not being moved. Also, the amount of material taken to the landfill has been sharply reduced.
One societal benefit is that the cleaned up land improves property values because people are more willing to buy cleaner land. One environmental benefit is that it creates green spaces which creates habitats for plants, insects and animals.
Two problems associated with removing contaminated soil is the need to find a place to dispose soil and some may only be able to move in one other specific location. Another problem is exposure of the contaminants to the workers or residents.
Two problems associated by planting vegetation that would decontaminate the soil are that there is less habitat disruption because the soil is not being moved. Also, the amount of material taken to the landfill has been sharply reduced.
One societal benefit is that the cleaned up land improves property values because people are more willing to buy cleaner land. One environmental benefit is that it creates green spaces which creates habitats for plants, insects and animals.
BIG PICTURE
Human Impact: Human health is affected by a series of diverse diseases due to waste disposal. Some of these diseases include plague, malaria and tuberculosis. These diseases are passed between hosts. Plague is one of the most familiar diseases in human history. It is caused by an infection from a bacterium that is carried by fleas. Fleas attach to rodents such as mice and rats, giving fleas tremendous mobility. Malaria is another widespread disease that has killed millions of people over the centuries. Malaria is caused by an infection from any one of several species of protists in the genus plasmodium. Many young children die from this disease. Additionally, tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease caused by a bacterium that primarily affects the lungs. It is spread when a person coughs and expels the bacteria into the air. This diseases pose great risk to humans. Environmental Impact: Disposing of waste can cause serious problems on the environment. In many places much waste is buried in landfill sites- holes in the ground, sometimes old quarries, sometimes specially dug. Some of this waste will eventually rot and in the process it may smell or generate methane gas. This gas is explosive and contributes to the greenhouse effect. Leachate produced as waste decomposes may cause pollution. Badly-managed landfill sites may attract vermin or cause litter.
Economic Impact: Disposing of waste requires a lot of manpower. Therefore there is an availability of jobs when it comes to the disposing of waste properly. This helps the economy and increases the full employment rate. Since many regions have access to infrastructure, waste can be more readily disposed of in the proper way. This leads to greater economic stimulation. The added positive impacts of diversion come from sales of the separated recyclable materials; their processing into feedstock, sales of energy from transformation and biomass products, and the value-added in manufacturing that uses recycled feedstock.
Government Legislation:
RCRA: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is designed to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste. It ensures that waste is tracked and properly disposed of.
CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act puts a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries.
