...If done right, landfills can be a viable disposal option. If done wrong, they can be an environmental and economic disaster. The main problem with landfills is that they are complicated structures that are difficult to maintain. Of particular concern is the wastewater created inside landfills as leachate. In order to keep the toxic material from leaking into the local drinking water, these football stadium-sized holes require a combination of liners made from clay, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic or composite membranes. But according to the Environmental Research Foundation in Annapolis, Maryland, clay will dry and crack over time, HDPE will degrade with household chemicals, and composite liners made from clay and plastic will leak somewhere between 0.2 and 10 gallons a day after ten years. Even with complex leachate collection plumbing built into landfills, none of these solutions is 100% foolproof (collection pipes tend to clog and back up). "The EPA technicians that currently oversee landfill design and regulation have said that their own engineering standards would not last," warns Will Ferretti, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition. "They're saying that they could break down in a 30-year time frame. It's clearly a concern and we have asked the EPA to revisit their regulations in that light." To be fair, however, recycling doesn't clear every environmental hurdle either. Products remade from recycled waste such as paper and plastic go through...
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...Landfill’s facilities have been ungraded to level 3 and level 4 through this privatization. Level 3 facility’s landfill is prepared with leachate circulation system while the level 4 facility’s landfill is designed with leachate treatment facilities (World Bank, 1999b). In addition, Malaysian government is planning to use the process of incineration so that some profit can be gained from the solid waste incineration. This operation cost about MYR 600 daily and the price for the incinerator itself cost about MYR 2.5 million which consider as a high risk investment. The capability of an incinerator is 5 to 10 tons of solid waste per day (World Bank, 1999b). Malaysian federal government has suggested applying a huge incinerator as an alternative of solid waste disposal in Broga, suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. However, this suggestion is not supported by most of the citizens where environmental chemist analyzed...
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...The Landfills and Environmental Problems SCIE210 – 1303B – 10 American InterContinental University 09/22/2013 Abstract This paper will talk about what are an open dump and the problems with it. It will also talk about the early landfills and also the problem with. I will include leachate, methane, incomplete decomposition, and settling. It talks the modern landfill and the differences, and the improvement of landfills. It will also discuss the landfill I chosen and the innovation that is implemented, and what will reduce the environmental problems. Introduction: Solid waste is discarded garbage other than fluids. In the United States in 1996, almost 210 million tons o and 4.3 lb. (2kg) per person daily (up from 2.7lb./1.2kg in 1960) was collected and disposed of by municipalities. In the year, municipal trash which included 12.4 million tons of glass and around 80 million tons of paper and paperboard is by far the constituent, and therefore tonnages of food residues, yard trimming, textiles, plastics, and sludge formed of sewage treatment were produced. So the amount of increase has been slow somewhat by recycling and composition programs and improvements in packaging, the amount of solid waste continues to increase annually. What are open dumps and the problems? Open dumps are discarded loads of household trash, bags of yard excess, broken appliances, used tires and with pieces of debris, that is pipes, wood, pieces of shingles, and asbestos that can endanger...
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...MATERIALS AND METHODS Landfill Leachate Sampling and Analysis Landfill leachate was collected from Jhiri dumpsite, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India at regular intervals for the study. Presently, the corporation dumps waste generated by the city’s household at an 11 acre area in Jhiri village (23˚24’ N and 85˚15’ E). The landfill is in operation for last 15 years and it is an open one with no liners and no provision for leachate collection and storage. Leachate gets collected at the bottom of landfill in low lying areas of dumpsite. Prior landfill leachate collection for the experiments, plastic bags and other solid waste was removed from the surface layer of leachate. Landfill leachate was collected and stored in a HDPE container under cold conditions until use. Experimental Scheme The experimental scheme in this study is as mentioned: 1....
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...An Overview Of Bioreactor Landfills Anusha John#, Ajay kumar K#, Abdul Shiyas M A#, Sreenath H# Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut NIT Campus P O, PIN 673601, Kerala 1manjalyjohn@gmail.com 2ajaykumar@nitc.ac.in 3shiyas2003@yahoo.co.in 4srinad@gmail.com Abstract--- A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is one of the most common methods of solid waste management in various parts of the world. Significant environmental and economic benefits can be gained by making small changes in the way the landfills are operated. Bioreactor landfill is a promising biotechnological option for faster stabilization of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). It changes the goal of landfilling from the storage of waste to the treatment of waste. In a bioreactor landfill environment, the solid waste actively decomposes rather than being simply buried in a dry tomb. This active decomposition is possible because over half the MSW is comprised of organic material (food, paper, etc.), which will decompose fairly rapidly under the right conditions. Rather than being kept dry, the solid waste is actively moistened by injecting leachate into the landfilled solid waste to accelerate decomposition. The anaerobic conditions in a conventional landfill can be replaced with aerobic conditions by introducing air into the solid waste and thus enhancing the biological process. Studies show that a bioreactor landfill transforms and stabilizes...
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...Well it is not the pyramids of Egypt if that’s what you are thinking. According to Bluewater Recycling Association, the largest structure built by mankind is the Fresh Kills Sanitary Landfill located in Staten Island, New York. The site is 45 meters high, 45 meters deep and covers an area of 120 hectares. B. In the past, dumps took all wastes; industrial, commercial, and hazardous household materials. Landfills are now designed and regulated to hold specific materials. C. Regardless of where we live, work, or play, we generate trash. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, American’s generated 254.7 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2005 and more than half (138.3 million tons) was disposed of in landfills. I did some research and according to Bluewater Recycling this is very dangerous because gas and leachate are the two major problems landfills generate. Landfill gas is roughly 50% carbon dioxide and 50% methane. It is the methane that poses the greatest danger; the gas becomes explosive when mixed with oxygen. Without proper control, methane can leak into pipes and buildings. There has been homes that have exploded from methane leaks caused by being built near old, improperly constructed landfills. D. I will be speaking about how people dealt with landfills in the past, now and how local governments are trying to deal with them in the future. II Body A. As reported by the National Solid Waste Management Association which I will abbreviate...
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...money on transport of waste as it no longer needs to be transported to landfills * Incinerations make more space as only 10% of the original waste remains after incineration. * A decrease in landfills would mean that disease harbouring pests such as rats could be reduced * Incineration could also be used as a source of energy which would help preserve the environments and resources * A 250 ton per day incinerator can produce 6.5 megawatts of electricity per day * Gases that are produced in the landfills are removed completely * The waste that is produced in the incineration are totally free of any environmental risk * Incineration plants are extremely expensive * Dioxins are produced in the treatment which could lead to cancer * Complete waste combustion requires 850º C for at least 2 seconds which is very expensive and also produces carbon emissions. * Flue gases are produced which are toxic. This is why chimneys are required to be at least 9 metres above other structures Method 2 – Land fill * The location could be easily monitored * Waste that is going to properly designed landfills can be processed to remove all recyclable and organic material before tipping * Properly managed landfills can capture gases produced by decomposing material and could reuse it as an energy source * Landfills and the surrounding areas are heavily polluted * Landfills can cause water, air, visual and noise pollution * Toxic chemicals...
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...being in landfills, the largest one taking up 400 acres of land. Plastic and trash are being thrown away improperly into landfills and incinerators, making many disadvantages. These disadvantages are making waste disposal non-efficient as it isn’t cost effective, it’s hurting people and it’s hurting the environment. What’s preventing proper recycling is the economics. The economic incentive to recycle isn’t enough, making the value less than processing costs. This incentive runs how much we recycle correctly. Without the incentive, we are finding ways to throw things out in the cheapest ways possible which convert to landfills and incinerators (Szaky, 2016). Our motivation has...
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...our paper wrappings, paper is still everywhere and most of them are ending up in our landfills creating a staggering amount of paper waste. There was a time when paper was a rare and precious commodity. Now it fills out planet. It was initially invented as a tool for communication, but today, paper is used more for packaging. To produce paper takes twice the energy used to produce a plastic bag. (Wikipedia: Environmental Impact of Paper) Have the things listed below ever crossed your mind? If not, let us share with you these interesting paper waste facts. We are so used to seeing products in their completed form that we seldom think of how they are made and what happens after we dispose of them. • Recycling 1 ton of paper saves around 682.5 gallons of oil, 26,500 liters of water and 17 trees. (www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf) • 324 liters of water is used to make 1 kilogram of paper. (www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf) • Lessening of paper waste usage was predicted due to the electronic revolution. It didn’t happen. Demand for paper is expected to double before 2030. (http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts) • 93% of paper comes from trees. (http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts) • 50% of the waste of businesses is composed of paper. (http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts) • Paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste and 33% of municipal waste. (http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts) ...
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...Matteo Kirunna 30/09/11 English Speaking: ‘Wasting our Food’ 1) The Problem with Wasting Food • Families are wasting £680 a year on throwing away foods we can still eat • We are throwing away 8.3 million tonnes of food from our homes every year • On average £50 of food is wasted per average family every month • All of the wasted foods are dumped in landfill sites • The rotting food releases methane & Co2 into the air • Half of the food wasted could have been eaten if only we followed the out-of-date on packaging 2) Why do we throw away so much food? • We are using too much food to make meals for families, food may still remain in pans or bowls for self-serving • Not keeping fruits in fridges, so they become more soft or gone off quicker • Not freezing foods which you are not going to eat for a while • Not following the ‘use by date’ • Putting new foods in front of older foods in the fridge or cupboard • Overestimating our shopping • Throwing away leftovers which can be used for something else 3) The Benefits of ‘Not Wasting Foods’ • If everyone stopped wasting food, it would have the same Carbon Impact as taking of 1 in 4 cars off the road in the UK • It will save you money 4) What are Groceries & Food brands doing about this? • Most of the major supermarket retailers in the UK welcome the campaign and have committed to work with WRAP to identify ways they can help us, their customers...
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...amount of waste that will later need to be thrown away and also to make the resulting waste less toxic. Recycling is the recovery of useful materials, such as paper, glass, plastic, and metals, from the trash to use to make new products, reducing the amount of new raw materials needed. * Composting involves collecting organic waste, such as food scraps and yard trimmings, and storing it under conditions designed to help it break down naturally. This resulting compost can then be used as a natural fertilizer. For waste that requires disposal it is important that it is done in ways that protect human health and the environment. Landfills are engineered areas where waste is placed into the land. Landfills usually have liner systems and other safeguards to prevent polluting the groundwater. Combustion of MSW is done to reduce the amount of landfill space needed and to generate electricity Currently, in the United States, 34 percent is recovered and recycled or composted, about...
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...Landfill Gas Industries Pty Ltd is a business that specialises in offering gas extraction from landfill sites (rubbish dumps) around Australia. The extracted gas is used to generate electricity for local councils and landfill owners around the nation. LGI Pty Ltd offers a variety of services from assessment of gas and flare capability to maintenance and monitoring of electrical generators powered by the gas they extract from landfill sites. You can find out more about landfill gas as well as the business’s specific customers, services and capabilities by going to its website: www.landfillgasindustries.com.au Presume that LGI Pty Ltd has commissioned you to conduct a preliminary investigation of the environmental factors and how they will impact the business’s operation in Australia. This investigative essay will then provide LGI Pty Ltd with further research options and investment strategies in the future, once it has been presented to the board for approval. Your task is to provide an overview of the external environmental (general and specific) factors affecting LGI’s performance. Your analysis should focus on and explain in depth the particular environmental factors you feel significantly impact LGI’s operation. Task notes 1. Carry out an environmental analysis to identify what opportunities and threats LGI faces. To help limit your analysis area, you can also choose to identify a specific location for the basis of your analysis e.g. a particular council in your state’s...
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...What sources did I use to complete this paper according to the assignment instructions? The following sources were used for information to complete this assignment. "Public and Private Sector Experts to Share Waste Management Best Practice at EcoWASTE 2014." UAE Government News(2014)ProQuest. Web. 4 Feb. 2015. Pyrko, Jurek, and Sarah Darby. "Conditions of Energy Efficient Behaviour--a Comparative Study between Sweden and the UK."Energy Efficiency 4.3 (2011): 393-408. ProQuest. Web. 4 Feb. 2015. "The Swedish Recycling Revolution." Sweden.se. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2015. "Landfill Methane Outreach Program | US EPA." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2015. 5. Please provide an example of how sources have been cited correctly in the body of the essay in MLA format. These landfills account for around 18% of the total amount of methane emissions in the United States alone (Landfill Methane Outreach Program | US EPA.). 6. How does my conclusion effectively summarize my main points and restate my thesis in different words?...
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...Many cardboard items are made out of recycled material. Cardboard is one of those rare products that can be recycled over and over again. When your company recycles cardboard instead of sending it to the trash bin, you help reduce the amount of virgin materials that go into producing the cardboard that your business uses. Reduces Landfill Waste Finally, every piece of cardboard that your business recycles prevents that cardboard from taking up unnecessary space inside of a landfill. If your business recycles just one ton of cardboard a year, they can save up to 9 cubic yards of space from being occupied with that cardboard at your local landfill. If your business uses more than one ton of cardboard a year, just multiple 9 cubic yards of space by how many tons of cardboard your business uses to see the huge impact just your business has on the local landfill by recycling. It is important to recycle the cardboard that your business generates. All you have to do to start recycling cardboard is obtain some cardboard recycling bins from your local sanitation company. Give them a call today and get your business on board with recycling cardboard and having a positive impact on the...
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...The camera pans out from the crying Native American Indian you see why he’s upset there’s trash everywhere. Though we have made changes on trying to clean up cities and towns it still has a long way to go. The United States has a growing problem with resource consumption, Cities and towns are having problems with handling large capacities of waste. Hazardous waste and construction waste has grown in this dilemma also. With the methane emissions increasing as well hazardous liquids contamination seeping out of the landfills more computers means more plastic this causes your city and town landfill tax to increase to keep these problems under control. According to the U.S census bureau say there are 309,941,768 people in the us, a growth of 3.3 million people a year. With the average 4 person house hold accumulating 1 ton of waste per year, this could be a very serious problem for the ecosystem and the earth as well. The fact that pollution is on our highways, in our lakes and streams at the beaches and even even on top of Mt Everest is that litter effects both living and nonliving it has no prejudice. Litter effects use as a society in a lot of ways. Litter can be a safety hazard on the road from a survey done by green eco services(2009) twenty five thousand car accidents happen every year because of litter related conditions on the highway which in turn effects insurance companies to raise their premiums. Forty eight percent of Americas admit to littering...
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