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93-364: Materials Recovery/ Waste Management

Course Overview

Instructor: Rajesh SethOffice: CEI Rm 3077Email: rseth@uwindsor.ca

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Course Description

Characterization and analysis of municipal solid waste systems

Waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. Materials recovery. Managing, collecting and transporting solid wastes

Waste reclamation and disposal methods

Waste management policies, regulations and facility siting issues

Textbooks

Solid Waste Engineering. Vesilind/ Worrell/ Reinhart. Brooks/Cole, 2002. ISBN 0-534-37814-5

Supplemental Texts:Integrated Solid Waste Management. G. Tchobanoglous, H. Theisen. S. Vigil. McGraw-Hill, 1993. ISBN 0-07-063237-5

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Grading Scheme

Tutorial Assignments 25%

Mid-Term Exam 30% (Week of Feb 8, 2016)

Final Exam 45% (As scheduled)

Grading Scheme

Assignment submission: Assignments are due the day of submission by

4:30 pm. Assignments submitted late will be assessed the

following penalties: 24 hours late: - 10% 48 hours late: - 25% >48 hours late: assignment not accepted /

instructor’s discretion.

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Course Content

Introduction to waste management Waste quantities and characteristics Classification of waste and waste properties Overview of hazardous and industrial wastes Policy, legislation, and regulations Waste diversion, recovery, and recycling Materials separation and recovery facilities Materials recovery theories and processes Collection and transportation Facility siting Landfill Site closure Long-term management

Today’s Introduction

Overview and History

From Medieval Europe to Today

Human history of waste production how to solve the problem?

Functional Elements of Municipal Solid Waste Management

What is needed to manage our waste?

Differs from community to community

Differs from developed to developing countries waste quantity/type

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What is a Solid Waste? Most human activities leave behind some kind of

waste USEPA regulates all this waste under the

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Canada – under CEPA Categories

Hazardous - waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment Mostly industrial sources

Non-hazardous - wastes and materials are not specifically hazardous Have opportunities for reduction, reuse, and recycling Most municipal solid waste under this category

Solid waste generation in the U.S. (1992). Units are billions of tons (U.S.) per year

Solid Waste Generation

Though MSW is a small fraction, most of the other wastes arealso generated to satisfy our materials society demands

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Materials Processing

Minerals society demands – enormous aesthetic, environmental, economic and energy problems

MSW Generation Rates - US

USEPA, 2011Figure 1. MSW Generation Rates, 1960-2010

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MSW Recycling Rates - US

USEPA, 2011

Figure 2. MSW Recycling Rates, 1960-2010

Ontario Facts

Source: Association of Municipalities of Ontario

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Ontario Facts

Canadians generate more waste per capita than anyone else in the developed world

Each person in Ontario produces 920 kg of waste per year, or 2.5 kilograms every day

That adds up to 12 million tonnes of waste in Ontario every year

Source: Association of Municipalities of Ontario

Ontario Facts

Ontario’s landfills are filling up. Since 1989, 649 of Ontario’s 730 landfills have closed

With only 81 landfills left, we must choose to recycle more or create more landfills or incinerators

Only 24 per cent of Ontario’s waste is being diverted from landfills. Almost 80 per cent of waste is disposed

35 per cent of Ontario’s garbage is shipped to the U.S.

It takes about a generation, a willing community and a lot of tax dollars to build even one new landfill

Source: Association of Municipalities of Ontario

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Ontario Facts

The total cost of managing Ontario’s waste in 2009 was over $1 billion

Of that, producers contributed $133 million for programs such as blue box, household hazardous waste and electronics stewardship programs

In 2008, municipalities spent $21 million just to manage closed landfills – because while it may seem cheap to bury waste today, you keep paying tomorrow and well into the future

Source: Association of Municipalities of Ontario

How Solid Waste Management came about?

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Industrial Revolution to Today

Settlements increased dramatically 1790 2 cities 1840 131 cities 1920 2722 cities 2007 100+ cities w/ over 3 M population

Increase waste due to increased density Rapid urban growth

Leads to CROWDING Insufficient sanitary system and non regular

waste disposal

Toronto’s garbage issues

http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/index.htm

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Development and density…

http://www.ban.org/photogallery/china_guiyu/pages/ childon_garbage_pic.html

Functional Elements of Solid Waste Management

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Functional Elements of Solid Waste Management

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Functional Elements of Solid Waste Management

1. Waste Generation2. Waste Handling and Separation3. Collection4. Separation, processing and

transformation5. Transfer and transport6. Disposal

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Integrated Waste Management System

All functional elements have been evaluated for use

All interfaces between elements have been matched for effectiveness and economy.

Community developed Integrated Waste Management system

Fun Facts

Each ton of recycled paper can save: 17 trees 380 gallons of oil Three cubic yards of landfill space 4,000 kilowatts of energy 7,000 gallons of water!

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Integrated Solid Waste Management

Background

Serious effort towards proper solid waste management only in the last three decades

Range of social, political and technical issues – illustrated by NIMBY, NIMET

Present policies emphasize waste reduction and recycling (Pollution Prevention or P2)

Unavoidable disposal heading towards Incineration (with/without energy recovery) Carefully engineered and managed landfills

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Legislation & Regulation

1899 Rivers & Harbors Act Prohibited dumping of large objects into navigable

waterways

Federal govt not involved

Municipal waste thrown into large open dumps

1965 Solid Waste Disposal Act First federal legislation

Emphasis on more efficient methods of disposal not protection of public health

Legislation & Regulation (contd.)

1970 National Environmental Policy Act Creation of USEPA

Introduction of environmental impact statements

1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) with 1984 Amendment Primarily to deal with hazardous waste

Included guidelines for non-hazardous waste

Minimal national criteria for landfills established Installation of composite liner system mandated

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Materials Flow

Materials Flow Through Society

Materials Flow

Closed system. At steady state,A (raw materials) = B (materials returned to the environment)

Large A and B – good for employment Large A and B detrimental effects on the environment Depletion of resources

Reducing A or B concomitantly reduces the other

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Reduced Materials Use & Waste Generation

Four Rs: Reduction

Reuse

Recycling

Recovery

Reduction

Can be achieved in three basic ways: Reducing the amount of material used per

product (without sacrificing the quality)

Increasing the lifetime of the product

Eliminating the need for the product

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Pollution Prevention (P2)

Waste reduction in industry called pollution prevention Cost of treating waste can sometimes be more than

process modification that will reduce/ eliminate waste

Reduction of waste at household level is called waste reduction (sometimes referred to as source reduction) Level of participation typically low Strategies found to be useful

Disposal fees based on volume/ weight Public information programs

Waste Reduction

“Shop Smart” Strategy by one municipality

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Reuse

Reuse product or part for alternate use – no reprocessing

Recycling

Process of recycling refers to material that can be segregated by owner and collected separately – for resource recovery

Egs. Paper

Steel

Aluminum

Plastic

Glass

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Obstacles to Recycling

Location of wastes – secondary materials have to shipped to the market. Transport cost can be prohibitive

Low value of material Uncertainty of supply – may deter waste

processors Administrative and institutional constraints Unwillingness to pay for recycling programs Prohibitive land use ordinances

Recovery

Process in which refuse is collected without separation

Materials separated at a central materials recovery facility (MRF)

Most items not made of single material Most recovery operations employ pickers Common method of separation is size reduction and

separation Most difficult challenge is firm market for recovered

product

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Most commonly recycled are PETE and HDPE

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Typical Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

Disposal in Landfills