Solid Waste

What is Solid Waste???

Solid Waste- waste materials produced in homes, schools and other places in a community.

How to Handle Solid Waste1. Bury it-

Pros -gets ride of the waste

-clay cap so rain water doesn’t get into landfill

Cons

-dangerous

-unsightly

-rainfall causes bad chemicals to release and cause the leachate

Leachate- polluted liquid caused by rainfall on a landfill

-leachate runoff

2. Burn it-

Pros

-The buildings don’t take up much space

-There is no risk to pollution to the ground

-The heat the burning gives off is used as electricity

Cons

-There is pollution to the air

-There is 90% remains

-The process is expensive

3. Recycle it-

Pros

-Once you recycle the materials you can reuse the materials

-There is no pollution

-Most items are biodegradable

Biodegradable- A substance that can be broken down and recycled by bacteria and other decomposers.

Cons-Some items are not biodegradable

Recycling

Metal

Examples-

• Iron

• Aluminum

• Steel

• Desks

• Scissors

• Staples

• Paper Clips

Metals such as iron and aluminum can be melted and reused. Recycling metal is less pollution and it saves money from making the metal brand new.

Recycling metal helps conserve nonrenewable resources.

Glass

Examples-

• Bottles

• Fiberglass

• Bricks

• Tiles

• Reflective paint on road signs

Glass is made from sand, soda ash, and limestone. These materials are heated and mixed together.

Glass is easier to recycle because, glass can always be melted down and reused.

Recycled pieces of glass can melt at a lower temp. so that also saves money.

PlasticExamples-

• Bottles

• Milk Jugs

• Detergent Containers

• Soda Bottles

When oil is refined for making gas and petroleum products, solid materials are left over called resins. These can be heated, stretched, and molded. These are plastic products.

The 1 and 2s on the bottles tell you how items are recyclable.

PaperExamples-

-Newspapers

-Computer Paper

-Paper Products

Did you know it takes about 17 trees to make one metric ton of paper?

Mills turn trees into a thick liquid called Pulp. The pulp is then spread out and dried-dried into paper.

Pulp can also be made from used paper. The papers must be washed to remove inks and dyes. Then the paper’s mixed with more water and other chemicals to make pulp.

Most paper products can only be recycled a few times. Recycled paper does not have the same texture, nor as strong, as wood pulp.

The new, recycled paper is darker, weaker, and rougher.

What Communities Have Done For Recycling

• Collect recyclable items

• Collect other household items

• Grocery stores recycle plastic and paper bags

What Can You Do???

You Can-• Use The Three R’s-

– Reduce

– Reuse

– Recycle

• Use cloth shopping bags instead of paper or plastic

• Find another use for something

• Refill plastic bottles

• Encourage others to recycle

• Composting

Composting-the process of helping the natural decomposition processes break down many forms of waste.

• Compost piles can be used to recycle yard trash and food

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