Domestic Waste
Portfolio about the theme “Domestic Waste” in
the world
Niel Butaye & Thomas Dekeyzer
13-01-2011
D25CD
1.Inhoudstafel ............................................................................................................. 2
2. Reflections about the movie ‘The Age of Stupid’ .............................................................. 3
2.1 Niel .................................................................................................................. 3
2.2 Thomas ............................................................................................................. 3
3.Connection with the Comensius theme ............................................................................ 4
3.1 Definition .......................................................................................................... 4
3.1.1 Explanation ................................................................................................. 4
3.1.2 Problem ...................................................................................................... 4
4. Evolution................................................................................................................ 5
4.1 Past .................................................................................................................. 5
4.2 Present .............................................................................................................. 6
4.3 Future ............................................................................................................... 6
5. Current events ......................................................................................................... 7
5.1 Europe .............................................................................................................. 7
5.1.1 Methods of disposal ......................................................................................... 7
5.2 Other than Europe .............................................................................................. 12
5.2.1 Domestic waste in India .................................................................................. 12
6. Two Companies ..................................................................................................... 12
6.1 Belgian ........................................................................................................... 12
6.1.1 Imog .......................................................................................................... 12
6.2 International ..................................................................................................... 13
6.2.1 Waste Recycling Group Limited ........................................................................ 13
7.Personal opinion:..................................................................................................... 13
7. Sources ................................................................................................................ 15
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2. Reflections about the movie „The Age of Stupid‟
2.1 Niel
The movie the age of stupid is more a documentary than a movie.
During the movie you see different parts of documentaries about the earth.
They let a old man tell his story in the French Alps, a man who survived the
hurricane, an African women tells also how Shell destroyed her life and that
form her fellow village habitants.
The last part goes about a little boy whose father is killed by the American army
and now his life goal is to kill American soldiers.
2.2 Thomas
The movie is actually a documentary about our planet. Since I don‟t like
documentaries, I didn‟t like the movie very much. I like the way the movie was
made, but I don‟t like the movie on its own. The man who tells the story plays
his roll very good and is a very good actor.
There are six main stories. Among them that of a French mountain guide, an
Indian entrepreneur, a British wind-energy developer and some other story.
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3. Connection with the Comenius theme
3.1 Definition
3.1.1 Explanation
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or
disposal1, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to
materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce
their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics2. Waste management is
also carried out to recover resources from it. Waste management can involve
solid, liquid, gaseous or radioactive substances, with different methods and
fields of expertise for each.
3.1.2 Problem
The problem of Domestic Waste is drawing increasing attention of the people as
huge garbage is lying down uncollected beside the roads, streets dustbins
and on the ground which is causing threat to the environment as well as
endangering public health.
This waste is generated as consequences of household activities such as the
cleaning, cooking, repairing empty containers, packaging, huge use of plastic
carry bags. Many times these waste gets mixed with biomedical waste from
hospitals and clinics. There is no system of segregation3 of organic, inorganic
and recyclable wastes at the household level. Door-to-door collection is
rarely practiced community collection bins are poorly managed and are
usually no more than open dumps on the roadside.
The problem with domestic waste in homes is that the people don‟t recycle as
they are told. The wrong things manage to get in the wrong garbage cans.
This leads to the problem that the collection has. They have to sort out the
1 verwijdering
2 esthetiek
3 scheiding
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wrong things out of the wrong garbage cans. It takes time and people to do
this.
4. Evolution
4.1 Past
In early pre-industrial times waste was mainly composed of ash from fires,
wood, bones, bodies and vegetable waste. It was disposed of in the ground
where it would act as compost and help to improve the soil. Ancient
rubbish dumps excavated4 in archaeological digs reveal only tiny
amounts of ash, broken tools and pottery. Everything that could be was
repaired and reused, populations were smaller, and people lived in less
concentrated groups. However, the transition from nomadic5 hunter-
gatherer to farmer meant that waste could no longer be left behind, and
it soon became a growing problem.
Until the Industrial Revolution when materials became more available
than labour, reuse and recycling was commonplace6. Nearly 4000 years ago
there was a recovery and reuse system of bronze scrap in operation in Europe
and there is evidence that composting was carried out in China. Reuse and
recycling has always existed in the form of salvage, an ages-old tradition
stretching forward to the Rag-and-Bone men. Traditionally, recovered
materials have included leather, feathers and down, and textiles. Recycling
included feeding vegetable wastes to livestock and using green waste as
fertiliser. Pigs were often used as an efficient method of disposing of
municipal waste. Timber was often salvaged and reused in construction and
ship-building. Materials such as gold have always been melted down and re-
cast numerous times. Later recovery activities included scrap metal, paper
and non-ferrous metals.
4 uitgegraven
5 nomadisch
6 alledaags
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4.2 Present
Since the 1980's, household waste arisings in the UK have risen from just under
400 Kg per person to over 500 Kg per person per year. Such an increase can
be attributed to economic growth, social change, and waste collection
methods. The increase in waste has closely mirrored that of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP), while the increase in single person households and increase in
wheeled bin household waste collections have exacerbated7 the problem.
Today in the UK it is estimated that each household throws away over a tonne of
waste annually. In addition, for every tonne of products we buy, ten tonnes of
resources are used to produce them. Around 70% of our household waste has
the potential to be either recycled or composted. Despite the fact that the
majority of the general public regard recycling as worthwhile,
and that over 65% of households have access to kerbside
collection recycling schemes, only 14.5% of dustbin
contents are recycled or composted.
4.3 Future
However, as city populations increased, space for disposal
decreased, and societies had to begin developing waste
disposal systems.
There are 2 scenario‟s for the future:
•Scenario A: waste deposit at the landfill8 with „implementation 9of domestic
waste separation and recycling‟.
•Scenario B: waste removal to a landfill with „multi-treatment: household
separation, recycling and energetic recovery‟.
Three levels of waste treatment were proposed. The first level was
implementation of the recycling system, which included household waste
separation. The next step involved mechanical-biological treatment. The third
level was the construction and operation of a new waste incineration plant in
7 verergerd
8 stortplaats
9 implementatie
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Kaunas. Two sites in Kaunas city were proposed; however, more detailed
analysis, including the economic factors, will need to be done.
5. Current events
5.1 Europe
5.1.1 Methods of disposal
Integrated waste management
Integrated waste management using LCA (life cycle analysis) attempts to offer
the most benign options for waste management. For mixed MSW (Municipal
Solid Waste) a number of broad studies have indicated that waste
administration, then source separation and collection followed by reuse and
recycling of the non-organic fraction and energy and compost/fertilizer
production of the organic waste fraction via anaerobic digestion to be the
favoured path. Non-metallic waste resources are not destroyed as with
incineration, and can be reused/ recycled in a future resource depleted
society.
Landfill
Landfill operation in Hawaii.
Disposing of waste in a landfill involves burying the waste, and this remains a
common practice in most countries. Landfills were often established in
abandoned or unused quarries, mining voids or borrow pits. A properly
designed and well-managed landfill can be a hygienic and relatively
inexpensive method of disposing of waste materials. Older, poorly designed
or poorly managed landfills can create a number of adverse environmental
impacts such as wind-blown litter, attraction of vermin, and generation of
liquid leachate. Another common byproduct of landfills is gas (mostly
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composed of methane and carbon dioxide), which is produced as organic
waste breaks down anaerobically. This gas can create odour problems, kill
surface vegetation, and is a greenhouse gas.
Design characteristics of a modern landfill include methods to contain
leachate such as clay or plastic lining material. Deposited waste is normally
compacted to increase its density and stability, and covered to prevent
attracting vermin (such as mice or rats). Many landfills also have landfill gas
extraction systems installed to extract the landfill gas. Gas is pumped out of
the landfill using perforated pipes and flared off or burnt in a gas engine to
generate electricity.
Incineration
Incineration 10is a disposal method in which solid organic wastes are subjected to
combustion so as to convert them into residue and gaseous products. This
method is useful for disposal of residue of both solid waste management and
solid residue from waste water management. This process reduces the
volumes of solid waste to 20 to 30 percent of the original volume.
Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are
sometimes described as "thermal treatment". Incinerators convert waste
materials into heat, gas, steam and ash.
Incineration is carried out both on a small scale by individuals and on a large
scale by industry. It is used to dispose of solid, liquid and gaseous waste. It is
recognized as a practical method of disposing of certain hazardous waste11
materials (such as biological medical waste). Incineration is a controversial
method of waste disposal, due to issues such as emission of gaseous
pollutants12.
Incineration is common in countries such as Japan where land is more scarce, as
these facilities generally do not require as much area as landfills. Waste-to-
energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) are broad terms for facilities that
burn waste in a furnace or boiler to generate heat, steam and/or electricity.
10 verbranding
11 gevaarlijke afvalstoffen
12 verontreinigde stoffen
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Combustion in an incinerator is not always perfect and there have been
concerns about micro-pollutants in gaseous emissions from incinerator
stacks. Particular concern has focused on some very persistent organics such
as dioxins, furans, PAHs,... which may be created within the incinerator and
afterwards in the incinerator plume which may have serious environmental
consequences in the area immediately around the incinerator. On the other
hand this method or the more benign anaerobic digestion produces heat that
can be used as energy.
Recycling
Steel crushed and baled for recycling
The popular meaning of „recycling‟ in most developed countries refers to the
widespread collection and reuse of everyday waste materials such as empty
beverage containers. These are collected and sorted into common types so
that the raw materials from which the items are made can be reprocessed
into new products. Material for recycling may be collected separately from
general waste using dedicated bins and collection vehicles, or sorted directly
from mixed waste streams.
The most common consumer products recycled include aluminum such as
beverage cans, copper such as wire, steel food and aerosol cans, old steel
furnishings or equipment (Heavy melting steel I and HMS II), HDPE and PET
bottles, glass bottles and jars, paperboard cartons, newspapers, magazines
and light paper, and corrugated fiberboard boxes.
PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS (see resin identification code) are also recyclable. These
items are usually composed of a single type of material, making them
relatively easy to recycle into new products. The recycling of complex
products (such as computers and electronic equipment) is more difficult, due
to the additional dismantling and separation required.
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Sustainability
The management of waste is a key component in a business' ability to
maintaining ISO14001 accreditation. Companies are encouraged to improve
their environmental efficiencies each year. One way to do this is by improving
a company‟s waste management with a new recycling service. (such as
recycling: glass, food waste, paper and cardboard, plastic bottles etc.)
Biological reprocessing
Waste materials that are organic in nature, such as plant material, food scraps,
and paper products, can be recycled using biological composting and
digestion processes to decompose the organic matter. The resulting organic
material is then recycled as mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping
purposes. In addition, waste gas from the process (such as methane) can be
captured and used for generating electricity and heat (CHP/cogeneration)
maximising efficiencies. The intention of biological processing in waste
management is to control and accelerate the natural process of
decomposition of organic matter.
There is a large variety of composting and digestion methods and technologies
varying in complexity from simple home compost heaps, to small town scale
batch digesters, industrial-scale enclosed-vessel digestion of mixed
domestic waste (see Mechanical biological treatment). Methods of biological
decomposition are differentiated as being aerobic or anaerobic methods,
though hybrids of the two methods also exist.
Anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of MSW Municipal Solid Waste has
been found to be in a number of LCA analysis studies to be more
environmentally effective, than landfill, incineration or pyrolisis13. The
resulting biogas (methane) though must be used for cogeneration (electricity
and heat preferably on or close to the site of production) and can be used
with a little upgrading in gas combustion engines or turbines. With further
upgrading to synthetic natural gas it can be injected into the natural gas
network or further refined to hydrogen for use in stationary cogeneration fuel
cells. Its use in fuel cells eliminates the pollution from products of
combustion (SOx, NOx, pariculates, dioxin, furans, PAHs...).
13 een thermochemische omzetting van stoffen in een inerte omgeving
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An example of waste management through composting is the Green Bin Program
in Toronto, Canada, where Source Separated Organics (such as kitchen scraps
and plant cuttings) are collected in a dedicated container and then
composted.
Energy recovery
Anaerobic digestion component of Lübeck mechanical
biological treatment plant in Germany, 2007
The energy content of waste products can be harnessed directly by using them
as a direct combustion 14fuel, or indirectly by processing them into another
type of fuel. Recycling through thermal treatment ranges from using waste as
a fuel source for cooking or heating, to anaerobic digestion and the use of
the gas fuel (for cooking or heating), to fuel for boilers to generate steam and
electricity in a turbine. Pyrolysis and gasification are two related forms of
thermal treatment where waste materials are heated to high temperatures
with limited oxygen availability. The process usually occurs in a sealed vessel
under high pressure. Pyrolysis of solid waste converts the material into solid,
liquid and gas products. The liquid and gas can be burnt to produce energy
or refined into other chenmical products (chemical refinery). The solid residue
(char) can be further refined into products such as activated carbon.
Gasification and advanced Plasma arc gasification are used to convert organic
materials directly into a synthetic gas (syngas) composed of carbon monoxide
and hydrogen. The gas is then burnt to produce electricity and steam. An
alternative to pyrolisis is high temperature and pressure supercritical water
decomposition (hydrothermal monophasic oxidation).
Avoidance and reduction methods
An important method of waste management is the prevention of waste material
being created, also known as waste reduction. Methods of avoidance include
reuse of second-hand products, repairing broken items instead of buying
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new, designing products to be refillable or reusable (such as cotton instead of
plastic shopping bags), encouraging consumers to avoid using disposable
products (such as disposable cutlery), removing any food/liquid remains from
cans, packaging, ... and designing products that use less material to achieve
the same purpose (for example, lightweighting of beverage cans).
5.2 OTHER THAN EUROPE
5.2.1 Domestic waste in India
Handling domestic waste is normally a municipal corporation responsibility and
Indian cities have limited resources for proper collection, transport and
disposal. Even in Delhi. onIy. 60% of the homes are connected to sewers and
only 70% of sewage water15 is treated. There is a nonpoint pollution problem
for unsewered areas, and a point pollution problem for the waste
concentrated by sewers. Much of the treatment is totally inadequate. More
than half of the country's cities have no sewers. It is estimated that 65% of
water pollution is from domestic sources. Though domestic solid waste is
efficiently picked over by various informal sector operators.
6. Two Companies
6.1 BELGIAN
6.1.1 Imog
15 rioolwater
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Imog has a lot activities, such as recycling, empty the containerparks,
incineration, green composting, sorting of coarse dirt and wood waste.
6.2 INTERNATIONAL
6.2.1 Waste Recycling Group Limited
Waste Recycling Group Limited (WRG), a leading UK waste management and
energy recovery company, is part of FCC the international environmental
services, infrastructure and energy group.
WRG is focused on delivering integrated waste management and energy
recovery solutions to meet national, regional and local needs for local
authorities and private commercial companies. The Company operates
facilities for the reception, recycling and disposal of waste, including a
network of waste transfer and recycling centres and a regional network of
landfill sites, and also manages a wide range of recycling sites on behalf of
local authorities for use by the general public.
7.Personal opinion:
We think that domestic waste is a serious problem that we need to handle better
in the future. Not only we need to change our ways of handeling with
domestic waste but the governments need to change too. Here in Europe we
are making progress but in Asia or Africa they aren‟t. It‟s even that bad the
people in Africa use the garbage of Europe and America to make their
houses. If we don‟t change our way of handeling with garbage then it won‟t
take long untill we will feel the consequences of it.
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The main thought of all this domestic waste is that we all have to stop it from
taking over our world.
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7. Sources
http://www.legalserviceindia.com/article/l190-Domestic-Waste.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_management
http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/informationsheets/historyofwaste.ht
m
http://wmr.sagepub.com/content/24/1/27.abstract
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_management#Methods_of_disposal
http://www.ely.anglican.org/parishes/buckden/data/thumbs/wrg.jpg
http://www.vergrootdehoop.be/Images/logo%20imog.jpg
http://www.imog.be/imog/imog_home.asp
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content/uploads/2010/04/comenius_logo.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fairfax
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