Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

1. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

2. Ecological Footprint • measures how much land and water is needed to produce the resources we consume, and to absorb the wastes we produce.

3. Reducing Ecological footprint • As an Individual • Recycle • Buy local goods • Cleaner transport • Energy saving appliances • Conserve water • Use sustainable materials ( recycled plastic, recyeled wood etc.) • As a Nation • Renewable energy policies • Highly fuel-efficient modes of transportation • Protecting existing ecologically productive lands • Restoring degraded natural areas • Promoting organic and local food sources • Setting standards for recycled product procurement policies and fair trade

4. How much is too much? • Every year, Americans generate 10 billion tons of solid waste. • Solid Waste any discarded material that is not a liquid or gas.

6. Biodegradable vs. non- Biodegradable • Biodegradable Material Material that can be broken down by living things into simpler chemicals that can be consumed by living things. • Made from natural materials: • Paper, cotton, leather • Non- Biodegradable Materials that cannot be broken down by living things. • Plastic, polyester, nylon

7. Nature • Nature can break down anything that is naturally occurring. Thing like plastic are man- made so nature can not break it down.

8. What do we throw away? • 70 % of wastes in the U.S. come from manufacturing and mining. • 6% of the wastes are considered hazardous. • 2 % is municipal waste trash produced by households and businesses. • The rest is agricultural waste. (9%)

10. Where does your trash end up? • Landfill • Landfill a waste disposal facility where wastes are put in the ground and covered each day by a layer of dirt, plastic or both. • Recycled • Incinerated (burned)

11. Where does your trash end up? • The most important function of a landfill is to contain the waste that is buried inside and to keep the waste from causing problems with the environment. • Most importantly the waste inside a landfill must not come into contact with the soil and groundwater that surrounds the landfill.

13. Where does you trash end up? • Roosevelt Regional Landfill • Location: Washington Tons Per Day: 8,300 Remaining Life: 51.5 years Operator: Republic Services Landfill Gas:Leachate and methane gas are collected throughout the landfill by a system of pipes. The leachate — liquid formed during the decomposition process — is re-circulated through the landfill prompting rapid decomposition of waste and accelerating methane production. Current methane production supports the generation of 10 megawatts of electrical power. The landfill may eventually generate 52 megawatts of electricity; enough power for roughly 30,000 homes.

15. 2 Problems with Landfills • 1. Leachate liquid that has passed through compacted solid waste in a landfill. • Leachate may contain chemicals from paints, pesticides, cleansers, cans, batteries, and appliances. • Can flow into groundwater supplies and make water from nearby wells unsafe to drink.

16. 2 Problems with Landfills • 2. Methane a highly flammable gas • As organic waste decomposes deep in the landfill where there is no oxygen, it produces methane. • Methane gas is usually pumped out of landfills and used as fuel. • It may seep through the ground and into basements of homes, it can cause dangerous explosions.

17. Incinerators • One option for reducing the amount of solid waste sent to landfills is to burn it to ashes in incinerators. • However that material created can be very toxic.

19. Reducing Solid Waste • Source Reduction any change in design, manufacture, purchase, or use of materials or products to reduce their amount or toxicity before they become municipal solid waste. • If we produce less waste, we will reduce the expense and difficulty of collecting and disposing of it.

20. Reducing Solid Waste • Buy Less • As a consumer, you can influence manufacturers to reduce solid waste. • If you buy products that have less packaging and products that last longer or that can be used more than once, manufacturers will produce more of those products to satisfy the demand of the consumer.

21. Products that last longer • A return to products that last longer and that are designed to be easily repaired would both save resources and reduce waste disposal problems.

22. Recycling • Recycling process of reusing materials or recovering valuable materials from waste or scrap. • Making products from recycled materials usually saves energy, water, and other resources.

23. Composting • Yard waste often makes up more than 15 percent of a community’s solid waste • Yard waste is biodegradable. • The warm, moist, dark conditions inside a large pile of biodegradable material allow bacteria to grow and break down the waste rapidly • Compost a dark brown, crumbly material made from decomposed plant and animal matter that is spread on gardens and fields to enrich the soil.

24. Benefits of Composting • keeps organic wastes out of landfills • provides nutrients to the soil • increases beneficial soil organisms, such as worms and centipedes • suppresses some plant diseases • reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides • protects soil from erosion