Treasures of a Cell Phone1:
What are the reasons why e-waste is not recycled more? Lack of simple, small-scale and inexpensive way to do it. As well as better educating people about the environmental value of recycling.
The Importance of Resources to SocietyDefine the following:
* Renewable Resources- Air, surface water, some groundwater, plants, animals and some energy sources.
* Non-Renewable Resources- Soil, some groundwater, oil, coal, and most minerals.
What differentiates renewable and non-renewable resources? The availability in a human time framework.
2: How many tons of non-fuel minerals does the typical American use per year?10 tons per person
Materials Management:
What is it?
1: Define Materials Management: Environmental goal of sustainable obtaining and using renewable and nonrenewable resources.
2: What are 5 ways that this can be pursued?
Mineral Resources1:
When metals are concentrated in such high amounts by geologic processes, ore deposits are formed.
2: In the Earth’s crust, which element makes up the most % by composition? What is 2nd? Silicon makes 45.2%, as for the 2nd it's aluminum by 27.2%
3: How are sedimentary processes and weathering involved in mineral deposits? Sedimentary process is transported, running water and wind to help segregate them by size, shape and density.
Figuring Out How Much is Left1:
What is the difference between a mineral resource and a mineral reserve? A mineral resource is known for concentrations of elements, chemical compounds, minerals and rocks. While a mineral reserve are concentrations that are at the time of evaluation can be legally and economically extracted as a commodity that can be sold at a profit.
2: Earth’s mineral resources can be divided into which broad categories? Elements for metal production and technology, building materials, minerals for the chemical industry.
3: When the availability of a particular mineral becomes limited, there are four possible solutions:
1: Find more resources.
2: Recycle and reduce what has already been obtained
3: Reduce consumptions
4: Find a substitute
Impact of Mineral Development1:
What are some of the environmental impacts of surface mining (open-pit mines)? Large mining operations remove material in some areas and dump waste in others, that changes topography. Dust affecting air quality. Release of harmful trace elements into the environment.
2: What are some of the social impacts of large scale mining operations? The rapid influx of workers into areas unprepared for growth, as well as depending on the income of employes.
3: What can be done to minimize the environmental effects of mining? Federal, state and local regulations.
4: What are the 3 R’s of waste management? Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Materials Management and Our Waste1:
Compare “dilute and disperse” to the contemporary method of “concentrate and contain”. Dilute and disposal, factories located near rivers since of the natural resources. While concentrate and contain, simple trenches excavated in the ground or metal dumps and tanks.
2: In the next few years, how many U.S. cities will run out of landfill space? Half of the United States cities will run out of landfill spaces.
3: What is “NIMBY”? "Not in my backyard". Since we are running out of space for landfills, and finding a new landfill is very difficult to find.
4: Describe the concept of “industrial ecology” and how it will be essential in the future. It is the study of relationship among industrial systems and their links to natural resources, this could be important to the future because it will help manage our waste better.
5: What is your opinion of “pay as you throw”? I believe it is a good idea because humans need to understand the importance of waste management and recycling so by paying for your trash it will make people think twice about what really is trash and try more to recycle.
Integrated Waste Management1:
Define Integrated Waste Management (IWM): A set of management alternatives that includes reuse, source reduction, composting, landfills and incineration.
2: What is waste stream? A flow of waste material from generation to treatment to final disposition.
3: What is single-stream recycling? Paper, plastic, glass and other metals are not separated before collection: the waste is commingled in one container and separated later at recycling centers.
4: What are some creative ways that industry are encouraging recycling? Fast food places are using less packaging and providing onsite bins for recycling. Supermarkets are encouraging the recycling of plastic and paper bags by providing bins for their collection.
5: How can human waste (night soil) be re-used and recycled? What are some drawbacks? Human waste can be used for agriculture, but some of the drawbacks is that thousands of chemicals and metals flow through our modern waste stream.
Municipal Solid-Waste Management1:
Which product comprises the largest percentage of waste dumped in the United States? Is this surprising? Paper is the largest product that comprises the largest percentage of waste, this is not surprising since we have a huge lumber industry and the rates of deforestation is off the roof.
2: Define Composting: (What are the pros and cons?) Is a biochemical process in which organic materials decompose to a rich, soil-like material. One of the pros of composite is that is a an excellent waste-management option, but one of the cons is that it may produce toxics to some plants.
3: What are the pros and cons of incineration? May reduce the volume of waste by 75-95%, it can be used to supplement other fuels and generate electrical power. But it may produce air pollution as well as toxic ash.
4: What is a sanitary landfill and how is it accomplished? How is a sanitary landfill selected? What things need to be considered? Sanitary landfill is designed to concentrate and contain refuse without creating a nuisance or hazard to the public health. By reducing the layer of compacted soil at the end of each day. Covering the waste is what makes it sanitary.
5: What is environmental justice? The study of social issues in sitting waste facilities, chemical plants, and other such facilities in an emerging field.
6: What is leachate? Noxious, mineralized liquid that is capable of transporting bacterial pollutants.
7: How can pollutants enter the environment from sanitary landfills? The pollution of groundwater or surface water
8: What are the federal mandates for sanitary landfills? Landfills may not be sited on floodplains, wetlands, earthquake zones. It must have liners, operators must monitor groundwater for many specified toxic chemicals.
9: What are some actions you can take to reduce the waste you generate? By using the 3 R's : Reduce, reuse and recycle, as well as keeping track of your waste and purchasing recyclable products.
Hazardous Waste1:
Where is most of the hazardous waste generated in the U.S.? What are the sources of hazardous waste in the United States? About 70% of the hazardous waste is generated in the Mississippi River. Most of the waste is from products and e-waste.
2: Summarize (in 3-4 sentences) the story of Love Canal. In 1976, a residential area in New York that was near Niagara Falls, trees and gardens started to die, rubber disintegrated. Puddles of toxic substances began to ooze throughout the soil.
A Closer Look: “e-waste:
A Growing Environmental Problem”1: Summarize the problem with e-waste in the United States. E-waste is when we take all of our electronics and throw it away, from computers to phones. Some believe that by giving it to "recycling companies" that they will recycle it but that is not always the case. Since the United States have a lead in technology we produce the most e-waste in the world. Most of the time we just dump the waste to other countries so that they can pick up the "good" pieces and the rest is left there making it a hazard due to the toxics inside of them. With the way we are going it doesn't look so good for the U.S. in reducing e-waste.
Hazardous-Waste Legislation1:
What is the purpose of RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)? They manage the hazardous waste in the United States and assign responsibilities to those who manufacture, transport, and dispose of the waste.
2: What is the purpose of CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act)? Defines policies and procedures for the release of hazardous substance that have already produced a problem. And to clean up the most abondoned hazardous waste sites.
Hazardous-Waste Management:
Land Disposal1: Look at the chart on pg. 541- List the PROS/CONS of each of the Hazard Reduction Technologies
Parameter Compared :
Pro- Destroys hazardous characteristics
Con-Environment media most affected
Landfills and impoundments :
Pro-High for unsoluble solids
Con-Highly toxic
Injection Wells:
Pro-High for waste compatible with disposal environment
Con-Highly toxic, reactive
Incineration and other thermal destruction:
Pro-Monitoring uncertainty with respect of DRE
Con-High heavy-metal concentration
Chemical stabilizaton:
Pro-Possible building materials
Con-Some inorganic still soluble
Microbial breakdown:
Pro-Monitoring uncertainties during construction
Con-Highly toxic persistent chemicals
23.13: Ocean Dumping
1: What are some of the ways that ocean pollution has affected ocean life? Death of marine species, the reduction of dissolved oxygen necessary for marine life, and habitat change that is caused by waste-disposal practices.
2: Why are the marine waters of Europe in trouble? Due to urban and agricultural pollutants of have raised concentrations of nutrients in the seawater.
3: Why is the microlayer of the ocean considered to be so important? Since it is the base of the marine food chain that consists of planktonic life abundant in the microlayer.
Pollution Prevention1:
What are the steps of ocean pollution prevention?
Sustainable Resource Management1:
What is the R to C Ratio- What does it tell us? R is for reserve and C is the rate of consumption. It tells us the amount of reserves and consumptions that may change over time.
Can We Make Recycling a Financially Viable Industry? Answer the following:
1: What can be done about the global problem of e-waste? Could more be recycled safely? We could use the "pay-as-you-throw-away" method to charge people for their garbage making sure people will try to do their part by recycling more often and thinking about what really is trash. As well as educating people about the issue of recycling and how people can make a difference. By having an agreement we can make recycling more safe by adding more sanitary landfills.
2: What can be done to assist recycling industries to become more cost-effective?
3: What are some of the indirect benefits to society and the environment from recycling?
4: Define or criticize the contention that if we really want to do something to improve the environment through reduction of waste, we have to move beyond evaluating benefits of recycling based simply on the fact that it may cost more than dumping waste in a landfill.
5: What are the recycling efforts in your community and university, and how could improvements be made?
What are the reasons why e-waste is not recycled more? Lack of simple, small-scale and inexpensive way to do it. As well as better educating people about the environmental value of recycling.
The Importance of Resources to SocietyDefine the following:
* Renewable Resources- Air, surface water, some groundwater, plants, animals and some energy sources.
* Non-Renewable Resources- Soil, some groundwater, oil, coal, and most minerals.
What differentiates renewable and non-renewable resources? The availability in a human time framework.
2: How many tons of non-fuel minerals does the typical American use per year?10 tons per person
Materials Management:
What is it?
1: Define Materials Management: Environmental goal of sustainable obtaining and using renewable and nonrenewable resources.
2: What are 5 ways that this can be pursued?
- Eliminate subsides for extracting virgin materials such as minerals, oil and timber.
- Establishing "green buildings" incentives that encourage the use of recycled-content materials and products in new construction.
- Asses financial penalties for production that uses poor materials-management practices.
- Provides financial penalties for individual practices and products that benefit the environment by enhancing sustainability.
- Provide more incentives for people, industry, and argriculture to develop materials-management programs that eliminates or reduce waste.
Mineral Resources1:
When metals are concentrated in such high amounts by geologic processes, ore deposits are formed.
2: In the Earth’s crust, which element makes up the most % by composition? What is 2nd? Silicon makes 45.2%, as for the 2nd it's aluminum by 27.2%
3: How are sedimentary processes and weathering involved in mineral deposits? Sedimentary process is transported, running water and wind to help segregate them by size, shape and density.
Figuring Out How Much is Left1:
What is the difference between a mineral resource and a mineral reserve? A mineral resource is known for concentrations of elements, chemical compounds, minerals and rocks. While a mineral reserve are concentrations that are at the time of evaluation can be legally and economically extracted as a commodity that can be sold at a profit.
2: Earth’s mineral resources can be divided into which broad categories? Elements for metal production and technology, building materials, minerals for the chemical industry.
3: When the availability of a particular mineral becomes limited, there are four possible solutions:
1: Find more resources.
2: Recycle and reduce what has already been obtained
3: Reduce consumptions
4: Find a substitute
Impact of Mineral Development1:
What are some of the environmental impacts of surface mining (open-pit mines)? Large mining operations remove material in some areas and dump waste in others, that changes topography. Dust affecting air quality. Release of harmful trace elements into the environment.
2: What are some of the social impacts of large scale mining operations? The rapid influx of workers into areas unprepared for growth, as well as depending on the income of employes.
3: What can be done to minimize the environmental effects of mining? Federal, state and local regulations.
4: What are the 3 R’s of waste management? Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Materials Management and Our Waste1:
Compare “dilute and disperse” to the contemporary method of “concentrate and contain”. Dilute and disposal, factories located near rivers since of the natural resources. While concentrate and contain, simple trenches excavated in the ground or metal dumps and tanks.
2: In the next few years, how many U.S. cities will run out of landfill space? Half of the United States cities will run out of landfill spaces.
3: What is “NIMBY”? "Not in my backyard". Since we are running out of space for landfills, and finding a new landfill is very difficult to find.
4: Describe the concept of “industrial ecology” and how it will be essential in the future. It is the study of relationship among industrial systems and their links to natural resources, this could be important to the future because it will help manage our waste better.
5: What is your opinion of “pay as you throw”? I believe it is a good idea because humans need to understand the importance of waste management and recycling so by paying for your trash it will make people think twice about what really is trash and try more to recycle.
Integrated Waste Management1:
Define Integrated Waste Management (IWM): A set of management alternatives that includes reuse, source reduction, composting, landfills and incineration.
2: What is waste stream? A flow of waste material from generation to treatment to final disposition.
3: What is single-stream recycling? Paper, plastic, glass and other metals are not separated before collection: the waste is commingled in one container and separated later at recycling centers.
4: What are some creative ways that industry are encouraging recycling? Fast food places are using less packaging and providing onsite bins for recycling. Supermarkets are encouraging the recycling of plastic and paper bags by providing bins for their collection.
5: How can human waste (night soil) be re-used and recycled? What are some drawbacks? Human waste can be used for agriculture, but some of the drawbacks is that thousands of chemicals and metals flow through our modern waste stream.
Municipal Solid-Waste Management1:
Which product comprises the largest percentage of waste dumped in the United States? Is this surprising? Paper is the largest product that comprises the largest percentage of waste, this is not surprising since we have a huge lumber industry and the rates of deforestation is off the roof.
2: Define Composting: (What are the pros and cons?) Is a biochemical process in which organic materials decompose to a rich, soil-like material. One of the pros of composite is that is a an excellent waste-management option, but one of the cons is that it may produce toxics to some plants.
3: What are the pros and cons of incineration? May reduce the volume of waste by 75-95%, it can be used to supplement other fuels and generate electrical power. But it may produce air pollution as well as toxic ash.
4: What is a sanitary landfill and how is it accomplished? How is a sanitary landfill selected? What things need to be considered? Sanitary landfill is designed to concentrate and contain refuse without creating a nuisance or hazard to the public health. By reducing the layer of compacted soil at the end of each day. Covering the waste is what makes it sanitary.
5: What is environmental justice? The study of social issues in sitting waste facilities, chemical plants, and other such facilities in an emerging field.
6: What is leachate? Noxious, mineralized liquid that is capable of transporting bacterial pollutants.
7: How can pollutants enter the environment from sanitary landfills? The pollution of groundwater or surface water
8: What are the federal mandates for sanitary landfills? Landfills may not be sited on floodplains, wetlands, earthquake zones. It must have liners, operators must monitor groundwater for many specified toxic chemicals.
9: What are some actions you can take to reduce the waste you generate? By using the 3 R's : Reduce, reuse and recycle, as well as keeping track of your waste and purchasing recyclable products.
Hazardous Waste1:
Where is most of the hazardous waste generated in the U.S.? What are the sources of hazardous waste in the United States? About 70% of the hazardous waste is generated in the Mississippi River. Most of the waste is from products and e-waste.
2: Summarize (in 3-4 sentences) the story of Love Canal. In 1976, a residential area in New York that was near Niagara Falls, trees and gardens started to die, rubber disintegrated. Puddles of toxic substances began to ooze throughout the soil.
A Closer Look: “e-waste:
A Growing Environmental Problem”1: Summarize the problem with e-waste in the United States. E-waste is when we take all of our electronics and throw it away, from computers to phones. Some believe that by giving it to "recycling companies" that they will recycle it but that is not always the case. Since the United States have a lead in technology we produce the most e-waste in the world. Most of the time we just dump the waste to other countries so that they can pick up the "good" pieces and the rest is left there making it a hazard due to the toxics inside of them. With the way we are going it doesn't look so good for the U.S. in reducing e-waste.
Hazardous-Waste Legislation1:
What is the purpose of RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)? They manage the hazardous waste in the United States and assign responsibilities to those who manufacture, transport, and dispose of the waste.
2: What is the purpose of CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act)? Defines policies and procedures for the release of hazardous substance that have already produced a problem. And to clean up the most abondoned hazardous waste sites.
Hazardous-Waste Management:
Land Disposal1: Look at the chart on pg. 541- List the PROS/CONS of each of the Hazard Reduction Technologies
Parameter Compared :
Pro- Destroys hazardous characteristics
Con-Environment media most affected
Landfills and impoundments :
Pro-High for unsoluble solids
Con-Highly toxic
Injection Wells:
Pro-High for waste compatible with disposal environment
Con-Highly toxic, reactive
Incineration and other thermal destruction:
Pro-Monitoring uncertainty with respect of DRE
Con-High heavy-metal concentration
Chemical stabilizaton:
Pro-Possible building materials
Con-Some inorganic still soluble
Microbial breakdown:
Pro-Monitoring uncertainties during construction
Con-Highly toxic persistent chemicals
23.13: Ocean Dumping
1: What are some of the ways that ocean pollution has affected ocean life? Death of marine species, the reduction of dissolved oxygen necessary for marine life, and habitat change that is caused by waste-disposal practices.
2: Why are the marine waters of Europe in trouble? Due to urban and agricultural pollutants of have raised concentrations of nutrients in the seawater.
3: Why is the microlayer of the ocean considered to be so important? Since it is the base of the marine food chain that consists of planktonic life abundant in the microlayer.
Pollution Prevention1:
What are the steps of ocean pollution prevention?
- Purchasing the proper amount of raw materials
- Exercising better control of materials used in manufacturing processes so that less waste is produced.
- Substituting nontoxic chemicals for hazardous or toxic materials currently used.
- Improving engineering and design of manufacturing processes so that less waste is produced.
Sustainable Resource Management1:
What is the R to C Ratio- What does it tell us? R is for reserve and C is the rate of consumption. It tells us the amount of reserves and consumptions that may change over time.
Can We Make Recycling a Financially Viable Industry? Answer the following:
1: What can be done about the global problem of e-waste? Could more be recycled safely? We could use the "pay-as-you-throw-away" method to charge people for their garbage making sure people will try to do their part by recycling more often and thinking about what really is trash. As well as educating people about the issue of recycling and how people can make a difference. By having an agreement we can make recycling more safe by adding more sanitary landfills.
2: What can be done to assist recycling industries to become more cost-effective?
3: What are some of the indirect benefits to society and the environment from recycling?
4: Define or criticize the contention that if we really want to do something to improve the environment through reduction of waste, we have to move beyond evaluating benefits of recycling based simply on the fact that it may cost more than dumping waste in a landfill.
5: What are the recycling efforts in your community and university, and how could improvements be made?