Introduction
According to a study issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States generates approximately 251 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) a year. Out of the 251 million tons of MSW, 34.5% was recycled and composted. That is equivalent to the average American recycling and composting 1.51 pounds of their daily 4.38 pounds of MSW [1]. Of the 34.5% of MSW that is recycled, which equates to 86 million tons, 65 million tons of MSW was recycled, and 21 million tons was composted. More than half (54%) of the United States’ remaining MSW was sent to landfills, and 29 million (12%) was combusted for energy production. When analyzing the MSW management in the United States over the past few decades, it is …show more content…
Source reduction and reuse are generally known as waste prevention, is a series of methods that reduce waste at the source. Examples would be purchasing items in bulk to reduce amount of packaging required or redesigning products to be less toxic or even compostable. Source reduction can save natural resources, conserve energy, reduce pollution, reduce toxicity, and save money for business and consumers [2].
Recycling/composting is a series of activities that include the collection of used, reused, or even unused items that would otherwise be considered waste and sent to landfills, and processing them into new raw materials. The processed raw materials would then be remanufactured into new products. The composting of food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic materials are also considered processes of recycling [2].
Treatment & Disposal is the most commonly used form in the waste management hierarchy. This involves the usage of landfills to accept MSW. As previously mentioned the US uses landfills to deposit 54% of total …show more content…
Around 65 years later, hundreds of incinerators built and operated across the Unites States. It was no until the 1960’s when the environmental impacts of the water discharges and air emissions were discovered. Shortly after, in 1970 the Clean Air Act (CAA) was enacted and held the WTE facilities to new standards. The new standards banned uncontrolled incineration of MSW and placed stringent restrictions on certain emissions. Since these new standards by the CAA required facilities to be reengineering with new technology installation, the facilities that did not purchase the technology closed
According to a study issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States generates approximately 251 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) a year. Out of the 251 million tons of MSW, 34.5% was recycled and composted. That is equivalent to the average American recycling and composting 1.51 pounds of their daily 4.38 pounds of MSW [1]. Of the 34.5% of MSW that is recycled, which equates to 86 million tons, 65 million tons of MSW was recycled, and 21 million tons was composted. More than half (54%) of the United States’ remaining MSW was sent to landfills, and 29 million (12%) was combusted for energy production. When analyzing the MSW management in the United States over the past few decades, it is …show more content…
Source reduction and reuse are generally known as waste prevention, is a series of methods that reduce waste at the source. Examples would be purchasing items in bulk to reduce amount of packaging required or redesigning products to be less toxic or even compostable. Source reduction can save natural resources, conserve energy, reduce pollution, reduce toxicity, and save money for business and consumers [2].
Recycling/composting is a series of activities that include the collection of used, reused, or even unused items that would otherwise be considered waste and sent to landfills, and processing them into new raw materials. The processed raw materials would then be remanufactured into new products. The composting of food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic materials are also considered processes of recycling [2].
Treatment & Disposal is the most commonly used form in the waste management hierarchy. This involves the usage of landfills to accept MSW. As previously mentioned the US uses landfills to deposit 54% of total …show more content…
Around 65 years later, hundreds of incinerators built and operated across the Unites States. It was no until the 1960’s when the environmental impacts of the water discharges and air emissions were discovered. Shortly after, in 1970 the Clean Air Act (CAA) was enacted and held the WTE facilities to new standards. The new standards banned uncontrolled incineration of MSW and placed stringent restrictions on certain emissions. Since these new standards by the CAA required facilities to be reengineering with new technology installation, the facilities that did not purchase the technology closed