Global warming, the growth in world population and the continual increase in quantity of waste globally are serious environment issues and as a result, the public perception towards waste and waste to energy generation cannot be over emphasised. Improving public participation will go a long way to reducing the effects of waste combustion on the environment.
1.10 Conclusion
The background study discussed the issues of greenhouse gases which are harmful to the environment and is associated with the combustion of inorganic materials. Separation of household waste from source is a tactic deployed by the UK government to ensure sustainable waste management and waste to energy generation. The problem identified in this chapter is the attitude
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However, it will focus on the first, second, third and fourth objectives mentioned above. The first objective will be reviewed by first defining waste and municipal solid waste in the UK. It will then look at waste management practices, using the hierarchy of waste, the various waste legislations, the need for energy form waste and as a renewable resource. The second objective will be achieved by reviewing the energy from waste process; incineration, Pyrolysis, gasification and anaerobic digestion. It will take an in-depth analysis into the process of incineration of energy recovery as well the effect of the process on the environment. The third objective will be achieved by looking at the current state of the UK energy market, comparing and contrasting it with Germany, whether it’s potential is realised, and if not, what can be done. Finally, the fourth objective will be attained by identifying the public perception towards waste management, the challenges affecting their participation towards waste management process. To conclude this literature, a temporary finding has been developed which is used to ascertain the direction of this study.
2.2 WHAT IS WASTE
Waste is an integral part of the economy, it is the outgrowth of business and household economic activities (DEFRA, 2011). However, this outgrowth of resource not properly managed by a country is seen as a sign of
Heather Roger claims our current garbage disposal methods are short term and etiquette. Rogers’s position is clear that we need to minimize the use of landfills and create better means to discard trash. In supporting Rogers’s environment views I think that we need to create a more economic and environmental friendly garbage disposal system. Heather Rogers and Lars Eighner both acknowledge the issue with society’s throwaway mentality. Eighner proves that we throw away perfectly working stuff, having survived off others discarded materials. Eighner argues against excessive waste we create but does not have any prospected solutions. Whereas Rogers acknowledges the obvious need to minimize our consumption of waste but argues the need
Municipal solid wastes are leftovers made by the population such as food, plastic bottles, household wares and many more. These items referred by most as “the garage” or “trash”. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2015) In the early 1900’s, incinerators were used to burn waste however by the Mid-20th century, lawmakers enacted the first government regulations in an attempt to address increasing concerns about the environmental impact of unregulated waste management practices. With the first waste management legislation being passed in 1965, brought along the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, thus bringing us into a new world of waste management.(Vault, n.d.)
Though humanity still has developed industrial systems, there have been laws and social norms put in place to protect the environment. Odum discusses fuel-powered systems in industrial areas, “they require so much energy and create so much waste heat and pollution, that they have an enormous impact on the other two environments.” In 1993, this was true since the primary use of energy was coal, oil, natural gas, all carbon emitting energy sources. However, countries like China, Germany, the United States have reduced the emission coming from these fuel-powered systems in the past 25 years. There are now other options for environmentally clean power, people are recycling their trash, using less water, and cutting back energy usage.
Waste treatment in London is not very energy-efficient or economical which is a cause for high taxes. An interesting alternative, in addition to recycling, is for household waste to be burned or converted to biogas to be used as a source of energy which can provide thousands of households with heat and electricity [13][14].
Identified wastes in the current processes using the seven wastes as a guide to what should be looked for. The question was asked, “Why did this waste occur?” and, “What can be done to prevent it?”.
These new changes to the waste management system will make Sydney a lot cleaner and also eco-friendlier. The new waste management Centre that are being set up will provide electricity from methane therefore less pollution and better air quality in Sydney – an added bonus if these positive alterations were considered and acted
In 1983/84, the average amount of household rubbish per person per year in England was 397 kilograms (Defra, 2007), in the following years, this increased and by 2006/07, this figure had grown by 28 percent to 508 kilograms. This trend has been explained by the growing affluence of the general person and their greater amount of disposable income, which is then being spent on luxury products. As a result, more and more waste is being generated each year; this essay will explore the arguments around whether this ever increasing amount of rubbish has any value.
Rubbish could be incinerated or disposed of in the landfill sites. There is no value in this and it does increase pollution, which has a negative impact on the environment. Doctor Ross Taylor, director of the Kingstone University of Sustainability Hub ensures that “the public is much more aware of environmental issues and environmental concerns” (‘Making social lives’, Audio CD 1, track 2). The scheme of recycling has been introduced in many places like schools, offices and public areas to improve the way of waste disposal and environmental quality. “Rubbish is therefore more environmentally sustainable, although reducing consumption (including rubbish) in the first place is even better environmentally” (Taylor et al. 2009, p. 135). In result there has been many households and public places provided by local councils with special containers for glass, paper, metal etc. which should at some percentage help our planet to reduce unwanted disposed waste.
According to waste legislation business' must establish 'a system that ensures waste producers or those handling waste follow the waste hierarchy (i.e. prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery, disposal)' ( Surrey County Council, 2012) This forces business' to consider waste management throughout their infrastructure.
But rubbish can potentially have value for others. As the old saying goes:“One man's junk is another man's treasure”.(Unknown). This is essential for defining how come there are businesses of rubbish. Rubbish allows them to make money by disposing it off in proper manner. These businesses turn rubbish into something of value. They make this possible by converting it into marketable products or by moving it away for dumping. (“Rubbish Society”, 2009 p.119). The growth in the recycling industry and people’s increased awareness and participation in recycling programs all over the world has also created an opening for larger organizations to operate recycling and disposal operations on an international level. The process of recycling can thus give value to rubbish and waste by producing outputs
The EPA has a ‘Waste Management Hierarchy’ and it begins with reducing and reusing what we consume in order to reduce waste.
The waste problem in our world has become atrocious. As explained in “A Dirty Dilema” by Zada Lipman, waste from factories is being dumped in rivers, lakes, and open areas with no one around it. In “The Truth About Recycling” written by Leo Hickman, it explains how waste is being checked for quality and how people are losing confidence about recycling. For my last article, "Recycling Rare-Earth-Metal Waste Using Hydrometallurgical Methods." by E. G. Polyakov and A. S. Sibilev, they explain how metals can be recycled for better use or better storage. Our environment is slowly being destroyed because of how we get rid of waste, but we are able to fix this problem.
Society today relies primarily on carbon-based fuels, whether it be coal, natural gas, oil, or gasoline. Consumption of these fuels is anticipated to grow in the future. Research is being conducted to remove or decrease carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and cars. As we saw in the video “The Story of Stuff” the toxic gases emitted from the incinerators is an enormous environmental and social problem.
We, humans, are producing waste every day, polluting and destroying our planet. To save the world, many people believe recycling is the obvious solution. It is the process of converting certain waste into a reusable material. Therefore, the recycle motto is “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”. However, have you ever wondered why the word recycle is placed at the end? Well, it’s because it is not the only way to reduce waste and save the world from global warming. Recycling may have many advantages, but its disadvantages’ list is not a short one either. Recycling may look very simple and easy method, but when there is a need for a new unit of waste recycling, it takes up a lot of space. Not to mention the amount of money the building costs along with paying the staffs, buying new utility vehicles, upgrading the recycling unit and different types of chemical disposals. It is not only expensive but also, unhygienic, unsafe and unsightly with piles of waste materials on every location. These wastes spread infectious diseases putting human health at risk. Aside from recycling
My main concern about waste disposal is toward poverty. In every society, for it to work effectively the waste disposal has to be handled properly. The lack of proper waste disposal can contribute for the underdevelopment of the community. For instance, in poorer community that does not have resources to dispose of the trash properly create a series of problems. For example, when there are a lot of trashes in a community, it will prevent investors to invest in a community, the housing market, schools and stores will decline, in consequence the houses will loose its value. This will create a ripple effect because people will start immigrating toward a better place where it is much cleaner. Families will try to move to a better place where their kids can have a better future. I ask myself who wants to live in a dirty environment? I hope nobody. That’s why I believe that the government should help the poorest communities about the ways to handle waste disposal, and better educate them about recycling.