In June 2017, Athens utilities went on a ten-day strike, leaving the city mired in rubbish rubble. The famous physicist and public figure Niels Bohr proclaimed: "Humanity will not die from the atomic bomb and endless wars, it will bury itself under the mountains of its own waste." This phrase has been over 100 years old, but its relevance is only growing every year. Separate collection of waste with further processing will help solve the problems of excess garbage around the world.
The current environmental situation in cities - everyone's contribution is important
We see the increased interest of citizens in environmental issues. After all, everyone wants to live in a clean city, walk in the parks and enjoy the view of flower beds with lots of flowers. It is impossible to solve the environmental problems of cities without the participation of residents. Many may argue that they have neither the time nor the strength to plant tree alleys and fight enterprises that pollute the environment. But there are simple things that everyone is able to do without much effort - this is a separate collection of garbage.
Why do I need separate garbage collection?
Sorting waste depending on the composition has a beneficial effect on the environment. The decomposition period of some types of plastic is 100-200 years, and aluminum cans - 500 years. Remember how many plastic bottles and cans you threw away in the past week. Now multiply the resulting number by the number of inhabitants of your city. If you live in a metropolis, then you will surely get the amount of about 1,000,000!
According to the standard scenario of waste collection and disposal, all garbage is disposed of in landfills. There it decomposes under the influence of natural causes, poisoning the earth and groundwater. But up to 80% of the waste can be recycled. Such plastic is used to make garbage bags, garden utensils, packaging, and even clothes and shoes. Old metal is used for the manufacture of automobiles, household appliances, garden and sports equipment.
In addition to improving the environmental situation, waste collection by groups solves economic issues. New garbage processing enterprises open, which provides new jobs. What could become waste turns into raw materials for enterprises. This is called the buzzword "recycling" (from the English recycle - recycle).
Difficulties in Separate Garbage Collection
The benefits of sorting waste are obvious, but there are also disadvantages. To start a garbage processing enterprise, large investments are needed. Special equipment is not cheap, and such a business will not bring profit soon. Finding employees on the sorting line is also not easy, because the work is not prestigious. Another difficulty is the lack of understanding on the part of people of the importance of separate collection of household waste.
What waste is there?
All waste is divided into 4 categories:
- Suitable for processing and recycling.
- Toxic waste requiring special disposal (this also includes medical waste).
- Non toxic organic trash.
- Waste used for burning and generating thermal energy.
Let's consider in more detail some categories of garbage.
Plastic
The decomposition period of plastic bags - 100-400 years, plastic bottles and other plastic products - 200-400 years. Some species decompose completely after 1000 years. Plastic disrupts gas exchange in the soil and in water.Plastic bags are often thrown away with leftover food, which attracts animals and birds. They swallow pieces of packages, which leads to their death. The same situation with fish. In addition, in the process of decomposition, plastic releases toxic substances, and in case of fire, toxic smoke will lead to poisoning or even death of people and animals. The solution in this case will be the collection of plastic waste with further re-melting and recycling. From recycled plastic make:
- bottles;
- containers
- carpeting;
- Construction Materials.
Out of 10 kg of waste, 8 kg of new products will be obtained. The cost of garbage, even taking into account the collection and storage of waste, is small, and it is several times cheaper than finished products.
Glass
Although the decomposition period of glass jars and bottles is impressive - 1000 years - they do little harm to the environment. In particular, animals and people can be injured on the sharp edges of broken glass. The situation with the collection of glass containers in our country is not bad. Reception centers for bottles of milk, spirits and soft drinks existed in Soviet times and are operating now. The assembled glass containers are either recycled or simply reused.
Paper
In Soviet times, both adults and children were engaged in the collection and delivery of waste paper. The schools even set standards for the amount of wastepaper delivered from class. At the waste paper collection points, people were given coupons for the purchase of books in exchange for old newspapers, paper wrappers, notebooks and cardboard brought. With regard to ecology, damage to nature is caused not by used and discarded paper, but by deforestation for the manufacture of new products. It is estimated that to save 15 trees, it is necessary to collect 1 ton of waste paper.
Cans
Such cans are made of galvanized or tin coated iron. The zinc + tin compound is toxic to many living organisms. The decomposition period is 100 years. The collection of aluminum waste, its further re-melting and reuse will improve the environment.
Disposal Methods
How do you get rid of that garbage, including the fact that you can not reuse it? The following methods are distinguished:
- burning;
- burial place;
- composting;
- briquetting.
We will analyze each of them in more detail.
Burning
Although this method is popular and cheap, it has significant drawbacks. The main one is the toxic effect on the environment of combustion products - smoke and ash. When waste incineration occurs on an industrial scale, special equipment equipped with cleaning systems is used.
Burial place
Landfill of waste is carried out at special landfills, the disposal of which requires the following requirements:
- outside residential areas and medical facilities;
- outside water protection zones;
- outside areas of mass recreation of people.
The composition of the waste also has requirements. The collection of waste for disposal does not include radioactive and toxic substances, as well as what can be reused. Buried debris, when decomposed, emits toxic fumes that poison air, earth and groundwater.
Composting
To understand the essence of this method, just remember the compost pits in the country. At the same time, organic waste is piled up where it decomposes naturally. The result is a useful fertilizer. Composting on an industrial scale is carried out in the presence of oxygen and in its absence. The output is organic fertilizer. This method makes it possible to dispose of up to 30% of waste.
Briquetting
If you watched a cartoon about the WALL-I robot, then this method of disposal is familiar to you. WALL-I, alone on an abandoned planet Earth, rammed the garbage into briquettes and stacked it on top of each other, creating garbage skyscrapers. Briquetting is a new method. Garbage is first sorted into categories, and then formed into briquettes.The fate of this briquetted garbage is completely unclear, as well as the expediency of the method. Perhaps it will be used as recyclable material. In compressed form, garbage takes up less space, it is easier to transport, which is undoubtedly good.
Disposal stages
Usually we don’t think about what happens to the garbage after it is in the garbage cans. Yes, we see garbage trucks coming and emptying them, and then what? Knowing the full recycling cycle is very important for understanding the importance of separate waste collection.
Collection and removal
Garbage collection is carried out by residents of apartment buildings or the private sector, as well as industrial facilities. If the region has sorted garbage into categories, then in the yards there are 4-5 containers for plastic, cardboard, glass, household waste, etc. Utilities or recycling companies are involved in the collection and transportation of waste.
Storage
Before the garbage goes for recycling or undergoes any sort of disposal method, it is stored at special landfills. The rules for the collection, storage and disposal of waste regulate how much garbage will be stored, how much and how much space it will take.
Transportation
To transfer waste from landfills to recycling or recycling enterprises, you need special equipment. This includes loading mechanisms and machines, garbage trucks.
Disposal
This is the last item in the waste collection chain. Disposal methods have already been discussed above. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Such methods as burning and burial remain popular in our country.
How to properly sort garbage during disposal
There are a number of waste collection rules for recycling or recycling. Here are the main ones:
- Discarded plastic, aluminum or glass containers must be cleaned of food residues and washed. It is enough to rinse under warm running water.
- There are combined types of packaging that are not recyclable. This, for example, packages from juice, milk, wine. They consist of plastic, cardboard and aluminum.
- Window containers should not be thrown into containers intended for glass containers. They have a different structure. And also in this container it is not necessary to throw electric lamps.
- Lids should be removed from plastic bottles, and tin cans are preferably wrinkled.
- Recycled paper does not include cashier's checks, egg pallets, toilet paper, or tissue paper.
- Handing over waste paper, it is desirable to remove brackets, paper clips and adhesive tape from papers.
- Not every plastic is subject to collection. Waste labeled PET1 and HDPE2 are suitable. You can take bottles from under water, soft drinks and other drinks, containers from shampoos, household detergents and cleaners. But vegetable oil bottles and plastic bags are not recyclable.
Experience in sorting garbage from different countries
In the EU countries you can see 6 containers for different groups of garbage. They are painted in different colors, and these colors are the same for all countries within the EU. European countries have long been faced with the problem of excess garbage. A small area only exacerbated the situation. In the 80s, the Netherlands completely switched to separate collection of garbage. Now there are only two landfills. In addition, in the Netherlands, residents receive benefits for housing and utilities for active participation in the collection and disposal of waste for recycling.
The experience of Japan is also noteworthy, where the issue of solid waste collection and disposal is urgent because of the limited territory. In particular, garbage is used to create bulk territories to increase the area of the state at the expense of coastal territories. The promotion of the reuse of things that could be thrown away has become a national trait of the Japanese. This is manifested in the censure of wastefulness and in the use of things as long as at least partially their beneficial properties are preserved.
In the USA, garbage is also actively sorted. This area is regulated at the legislative level, and a fine is provided for violation of the rules of separate collection. More than 500 factories across the country recycle garbage. Many enterprises try to minimize waste management by producing products in environmentally friendly packaging.
Finland over the past 15-17 years has been very successful in waste management. the country uses technology for storing garbage underground in special containers. Such a facility utilizes up to 7 m3 waste.
But not only developed countries control the amount of waste disposed of. So, in India, the state of Maharashtra banned the use of plastic bags. For violation of the law, a fine of $ 380 is provided, and for repeated violations, they can also give a prison term. Since 2017, a ban on plastic bags has also been introduced in Kenya. But the punishment for the violation there is tougher - a fine of up to $ 40 thousand or a prison term of up to 4 years.
The issue of separate collection and recycling of garbage on a national scale, of course, is solved at the state level. But every person who cares about the state of the environment can do simple things. On the one hand - sort the garbage and take it to collection points, and on the other hand - reduce the amount of waste, following the example of the Japanese to "squeeze" out of every thing to the maximum.
