Env. Waste Management

MSW) consists of waste products from homes, institutions and small businesses. ISW) refers to waste products from resource extraction, processing, and product manufacturing before a finished product reaches the consumer

In more developed countries such as the U.S., burning and direct dumping of MSW in to rivers and oceans has given way to more regulated approaches to waste management with fewer negative environmental impacts. However, open dumping and burning of MSW still persist in less developed nations.
Compared to more developed countries, consumption of packaged goods in less developed countries is not as pervasive, and re-use is more common.

Sanitary landfills, waste-to- energy incineration, composting, and programs to reduce waste at its source

Lined with impervious clay, and collection systems prevent liquid (called leachate) from leaking into nearby groundwater supplies. MSW is added in layers and capped with soil or other material (e.g. coal fly ash) to reduce odors and allow decomposition and settling of the material
can be capped and converted into public parks, open space, or even building sites

Methane leaking from landfills is a greenhouse gas with a warming potential that is over 1,300 times greater than CO2. Landfill liners can puncture, and leachate collection systems can fail, potentially contaminating groundwater sources. Even where there is abundant open space for landfills, public opposition to their location is often fierce. Thus, some cities must transport their garbage hundreds of miles for disposal.

Municipal solid waste can be incinerated at high temperatures to reduce the volume and weight. In this process, organic matter is consumed
volume of waste ash is only 5%-6% of the original waste volume

Incineration produces heat, solid ash, and flue gases and aerosols. use the heat to generate electricity.

Emissions of hazardous chemicals and the highly toxic nature of incinerator ash

Decayed organic matter that can be used to improve soil fertility and water holding capacity and, thereby, improve plant growth. diverts odor and methane producing organic matter from landfills

Closed-recycling of a particular material would produce a supply of identical material. eg aluminum. Open-loop recycling means that a product is recycled into a different product that is disposed of after use.

Osts associated with collection and transportation offset potential savings in production. economic feasibility of municipal recycling programs depends a lot on markets for recycled material, the cost of waste disposal, and government policy toward resource extractive industries like mining and forestry.

Wastes generated from bauxite mining, refining bauxite into alumina, smelting alumina into aluminum ingots, shaping aluminum ingots into rolls of aluminum sheeting, and manufacturing cans from that aluminum sheeting.

collected and managed by the private sector. This makes data on the specific nature and fate of these wastes difficult to acquire.

Wastes that are flammable, corrosive, volatile/explosive, or toxic

Public health and environmental threat