Environmental Management Lecture 11: Waste Management

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following is considered recyclable waste?

Dog poop

Old tires

Glass products (correct)

Fruit and vegetable peels

What is organic waste primarily composed of?

Broken furniture and appliances

Metals and plastics

Surgical items and pharmaceuticals

Plant and animal sources (correct)

Which source of waste primarily originates from healthcare facilities?

Agricultural sources

Medical/clinical sources (correct)

Municipal sources

Recyclable waste

What is a common method for managing organic waste?

Composting Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT an example of recyclable materials?

Food debris Signup and view all the answers

Which type of waste includes surplus milk and cocoa pods?

Agricultural waste Signup and view all the answers

End-of-life automobiles are categorized under which type of waste?

Recyclable waste Signup and view all the answers

What does biodegradable mean in the context of waste?

Capable of being decomposed by natural processes Signup and view all the answers

What does Dr. Mustafa Tolba suggest about waste?

Waste can be a resource if used correctly. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of liquid waste?

Wash water from homes Signup and view all the answers

What type of waste includes material from industrial and agricultural operations?

Solid waste Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is associated with hazardous waste?

It can pose threats to public health. Signup and view all the answers

Jane Jacobs predicted that urban waste would be what in the future?

The gold mine of the future Signup and view all the answers

What does corrosive waste do?

Easily eats away at other materials Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is true about non-hazardous waste?

It does not threaten public health or the environment. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of waste must often be supervised by an appropriate authority during disposal?

Hazardous waste Signup and view all the answers

What is primarily responsible for the rise in waste production since the industrial revolution?

Manufacturing of various products Signup and view all the answers

What term is used to refer to waste from electronic devices?

E-waste Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant environmental effect of poorly managed waste?

Surface water contamination Signup and view all the answers

What is leachate?

Liquid formed from contaminated areas Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a source of construction waste?

Electronic devices Signup and view all the answers

What harmful substances might be found in e-waste?

Lead, mercury, and cadmium Signup and view all the answers

Which type of pollution is likely to result from bad waste management practices?

Air pollution Signup and view all the answers

What impact does soil contamination have on health?

Negatively impacts humans through food consumption Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Environmental Management - Lecture 11: Solid Waste Management

Solid waste is a resource in the wrong place at the wrong time. Proper use can make it a valuable resource.
Jane Jacobs predicted urban waste could be a future gold mine.
Poerbo (1991) highlights the importance of balancing health, environmental, and economic aspects of waste management.
Global waste generation is projected to increase substantially by 2030 and 2050. North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Europe and Central Asia show significant regional variations in waste generation. (Data shown in millions of US tons)
The transition to disposable containers started before WWII and was finalized in the 1980s, beginning with soda/beer containers, extending to razors, diapers, pens, and cigarette lighters by the 1970s.
In the past, milk, soda, and beer bottles were regularly returned and re-used.
Grocery stores used brown paper bags that could be reused creatively, such as for school book covers. Babies’ diapers were washed. Clothes were dried on lines rather than energy-intensive machines.
Fragile items were packaged with old newspapers, water was collected from fountains instead of plastic bottles, writing pens were refilled, and razor blades were replaced.

Types of Waste

Liquid Waste: Waste in non-solid forms; includes storm water, wastewater, wash water from homes, industrial cleaning liquids, and waste detergents. Some solid waste can be converted to liquid waste for disposal.
Solid Waste: Garbage and refuse, sludge from water/wastewater treatment plants and air pollution facilities, discarded materials (solid, liquid, semi-solid, or gaseous) from industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural and community activities. Hazardous or non-hazardous.

Municipal Solid Waste Source

Municipal solid waste comes from residential, commercial, institutional and industrial sources.
- Types include plastic, glass, metal, and tires

Composition of Municipal Solid Waste

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) contains varying percentages of materials:
- Paper and paperboard (27%)
- Yard trimmings (14%)
- Food waste (13%)
- Plastics (13%)
- Metals (9%)
- Rubber, leather and textiles (9%)
- Wood (6%)
- Glass (5%)

Solid Waste Characteristics

Physical and chemical composition of solid waste varies depending on the sources.
Landfill waste characteristics affect gas and leachate production and composition, factors such as degradable vs nondegradable components, moisture content, and the bio-degradable element.
Waste composition impacts both bulk gases and trace components.
Solid waste is complex multiphase mixtures whose composition analysis is not easy.
Random sampling techniques are often used for determining composition.
Waste is reduced to ~100 kg using standard coning and quartering procedures for analysis.

Waste Characteristics - Physical and Chemical

Physical characteristics include density, moisture content, size distribution of components, color voids, shape of components, particle size, optical and magnetic properties, field capacity, and compacted waste porosity.
Chemical characteristics include moisture content (water content), volatile matter, fixed carbon, fusing point of ash, calorific value (energy content), oxygen, sulphur and ash percentage.

Waste Characteristics - Biological

The primary biological characteristic of MSW's organic fraction is its biodegradability (convert to gases and inert solids).
Odors and fly breeding relate to the putrescible nature of organic materials like food waste.

Types of Waste - Hazardous

Hazardous waste includes harmful or potentially harmful materials. This includes waste that is flammable, reactive, corrosive, and/or toxic. Examples include fire extinguishers, old propane tanks, pesticides, mercury containing equipment, thermostats, lamps (fluorescent bulbs) and batteries.

Types of Waste - Organic

Organic waste comes from plants and animals. This typically includes food waste, fruit and vegetable peels, flower trimmings, and animal waste (e.g., dog poop).
Organic waste is biodegradable.
Many people compost organic waste for use in gardens.

Types of Waste - Recyclable

Recyclable waste can be reprocessed into new materials. Examples include aluminum products, plastic materials, glass, paper products, and cardboard boxes.

Sources of Waste

Municipal: Trash from households, schools, offices, markets, restaurants, and other public places (food waste, plastic bags, soda cans, plastic water bottles, broken furniture, grass clippings, packaging, broken appliances, and clothing)
Medical/Clinical: Waste from healthcare facilities—hospitals, clinics, surgical theatres, veterinary hospitals, and labs (surgical items, pharmaceuticals, blood, body parts, wound dressing, needles, and syringes)
- Different materials of waste have specific waste disposal procedures, for example, soilled anatomical and chemical liquid/cytotoxic waste.
- Different waste sources are separated to appropriate disposal procedures.
Agricultural: Waste generated by agriculture, including empty pesticide containers, old silage wrap, out-of-date medicines/wormers, used tires, surplus milk, cocoa pods, and corn husks.
End-of-life automobiles: Old and broken cars, trucks, buses and rickshaws.
Industrial: Waste created by industrial processes and production—glass, leather, textiles, food, electronics, plastics, and metals.
Construction/Demolition: Waste from road and building construction and demolition, including concrete debris, wood, earth, large boxes, and plastics from building materials
Electronic: Waste from electronic devices, also known as e-waste (TVs, computers, electronics). Contains lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants.

Effects of Waste & Poor Waste Disposal

Environmental: Surface water, soil contamination
Economic: Reduced municipal wellbeing (poor sanitation, lack of hygiene, negative impact from poor waste disposal) and decreased recycling revenue (lack of appropriate waste management systems = reduction in jobs, recycling, and composting operations)
Social/Public Health: Pollution resulting from bad waste management can cause adverse respiratory problems and other health concerns as contaminants get absorbed into the body. Leachate (liquid from contaminated areas) is harmful; it is a mixture of chemicals that can lead to contamination of surface water, ground water, or soil.

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Description

This quiz covers the key concepts from Lecture 11 of Environmental Management, focusing on solid waste management. It explores the prediction of urban waste as a valuable resource, the historical context of waste generation, and the global variations in waste production. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of balancing health, environmental, and economic factors in addressing waste issues.