Solid Waste
Ecological Issues
Winter 2007
Mobro 4000
• March 22, 1987 – 3,168 tons of garbage
refused as landfill in Islip, NY
• Transferred onto the barge Mobro 4000,
headed for North Carolina
• Refused there, traveled 6,000 miles, five
states, 3 countries
• Eventually incinerated in Brooklyn in July,
1987
Municipal Solid Waste
• MSW – (mostly) non-hazardous
waste generated in households,
commercial establishments and
institutions
• Does not include industrial process
wastes, agricultural wastes, mining
wastes, and sewage sludge
MSW
• We throw away over 200 million tons
of MSW each year
• Average of 4.5 pounds per person,
per day
• http://www.epa.gov/msw/facts.htm
MSW Management
• Source Reduction/Reuse
• Recycling
• Composting
• Landfills
• Combustion-to-Energy
Source Reduction
• Altering the design, manufacture, or use of
products and materials to reduce the amount
and toxicity of what gets thrown away
• Grasscycling, backyard composting,
transport packaging reduction
• Prevents emissions of greenhouse gases,
reduces pollutants, saves energy
• Other ways????
Recycling
• Diverted 79 million tons of material
away from disposal in 2005
• About 32% of our MSW is recycled, up
from 6.5% in 1960!!!!
• Materials are recycled through curbside
pick-up, drop-off programs, buy-back
programs and deposit centers
Recycling Benefits
• Prevents emission of greenhouse gases
• Saves energy and resources
• Creates jobs
• Conserves resources
• Reduces need for new landfills and
combustors
• recycling benefits
Composting
• Compost is organic material that can be
used as a soil amendment or as a medium
to grow plants.
• Created by combining organic wastes
(e.g., yard trimmings, food wastes,
manures) in proper ratios
• High temperatures destroy weed seeds
and pathogens
Landfills
• Number of landfills is steadily decreasing –
down from 8,000 in 1988 to 1,654 in 2005
• New landfills are much larger
• New landfills are called “sanitary landfills”
and are different than “dumps”
Combustion/Incineration
• Burning MSW can generate energy while
reducing amount of waste by up to 90%
• Scrubbers must be used to clean
emissions
• Ash must still be disposed of – often
contains high levels of toxic materials
Public Education
• You must take the responsibility to
use and dispose of products you buy
properly
• Solid Waste Disposal Act – 1965
– First Federal law to require safeguards
• Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act -1976
– Protect human health and environment
– Conserve energy and natural resources