Solid Waste Management Issues - Essay Example

Solid Waste Management Question a Explain the process of preparing a solid waste management plan for a moderately sized urban area of approximately 25,000 residents in any state or country you wish. Response: Preparation of a Solid Waste Management Plan The plan should contain an introduction which will contain an explanation of the purposes of the plan. A brief background of the area concerned covering aspects such as whether the area is a city, town, or state/country. The population, type of housing, and land uses of the area should also be considered. Physical conditions such as climatology, geology and drainage basins can be included in the background information (Shah 125). An overview of the existing Solid Waste Management conditions should be included in the plan. The existing conditions that affect the management of municipal wastes should be listed. A empirical forecast of future conditions based on the data collected should be conducted so as to determine which problems will have a bearing on the future. The objectives of the plan should be clearly defined. Recommendations on how to solve the problem and specific action to be taken to solve the problem should be mentioned (Shah 127). The final step is the implementation. Guidelines on how the process is to be conducted should be given. Monitoring of the plan and performance evaluation is conducted after implementation begins. There should be an evaluation process to analyze and see whether the plan was properly implemented or not. Question 1(b): What specific kinds of information would you need to collect and consider in developing the plan and explain why? Response: The information that should be collected and considered includes: The jurisdiction of the area; whether it is a city, town or state. Population size and density of the area should be calculated. Type of housing and locations have to be known. Physical conditions such as climate of the area, geology and soil type, and the drainage basins in the area should also be disclosed. The current conditions in regard to solid waste management should also be considered. This data is vital for planning the development of a proper Solid Waste Management system. The data is what is used to determine the size of the system that should be developed. Population size and density can be used for forecasting purposes. Physical conditions need to be considered so as not to build waste management systems at improper places to avoid pollution of the environment. An analysis of the current condition in regard to waste management can be used to see whether to develop a new system or just improve on the existing one (Shah 129). Reference Shah, Kanti. Basics of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.Print. Question 2: As a MSW Manager, describe what major environmental issues, laws(federal), and stakeholders concerns would you need to address at1) a landfill disposal facility and 2) a composting facility? Response: Environmental Issues to Address Landfill Disposal Facility A landfill Disposal Facility should be built in a suitable geological area that is far away from wetlands, faults or such types of areas that are restricted. Landfills require liners made from plastic sheets or geo-membrane with a reinforcement of two feet of clay on the sides and floor of the landfill. Waste in landfills should be compacted and covered frequently with several inches of soil. This helps reduce odor, prevent the escape of litter, keep away insects and rodents and safeguard public health. Also, frequent testing of ground water should be done to ensure that no waste materials have escaped from the landfill. Closed landfills need to be properly maintained and any leakage from landfills should be countered and corrective measures taken to contain the leakage. There should be enough finances to provide post closure care to the landfill. Composting Facility The composting facility should not be located in areas that are environmentally sensitive. These include area such as near parks, reserves and wetlands. The site should be accessible throughout the year.It should not be located near a 100 year flood plain or an area with a greater than 1% probability of flooding in a year. Sites near water catchment area or well fields should also be avoided. Reference Shah, Kanti. Basics of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.Print. Question 3: You are the Environmental Manager of a major printing company. What steps would you take to implement a program to reduce waste materials? Response: How to Reduce Waste Materials in a Printing Company Several measures can be adopted to reduce the waste materials produced by printing companies. One of the methods is by ensuring that proper graphic design choices are used. Making layouts that employ the correct image size for the press sheet helps reduce paper wastage at later stages where cutting and binding is done. The use of non-toxic inks that do not contain hazardous elements is also advisable. Proper planning before doing a job reduces wastage. It allows for the press operator to prepare the exact amount of ink needed for printing. The use of computerized mixing equipment can also help reduce ink wastage significantly. Recycling and reuse of paper, solvents, cylinder boxes and ink containers can also help cut down on waste that is produced. Rags and wipes used for cleaning can be washed and reused instead of being disposed off. Alternative methods of production that produce less waste materials should also be sought. Such methods include the use of electronic imaging for editing purposes. This is better than producing hardcopies and then having to redo the product several times to improve on its quality. Waterless technology saves on the volume of water used and improves on print quality. Reference Tchobanoglous George and Frank Kreith. Handbook of Solid Waste Management .2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill, 2002.Print Question 4: Why is it important to understand the composition of waste streams if you wish to reduce the amount of waste? Response: Waste Stream Characterization In order to lower the volume of waste, it is important to understand the composition of waste streams. This is mainly because waste composition data gives information that is required in order to determine which waste management methods should be used. These methods may include recycling, waste reduction, energy recovery and composting (Shah 143). An analysis of the waste ensures that the waste can be easily categorized so as to know which waste can be utilized for other purposes such as recycling and which waste ought to be disposed in the landfills. Waste streams can be categorized into two parts. These are the disposed waste stream and the diverted waste stream (Shah 143). Disposed waste stream is composed of waste that is taken to the landfills. Diverted waste stream is that which is taken for recycling, composting or disposed of through the use of other means. Wastes such as paper, plastic, metals, glass and rubber can always be recycled. This analysis also ensures that hazardous materials are disposed off safely to avoid pollution of any kind. It is clear that when the composition of waste streams is known, a lot of waste which could have been taken to the landfills can be salvaged for other purposes. This ensures that space in the landfills is saved and reduces the amount of waste disposed off significantly. Reference Shah, Kanti. Basics of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.Print. Question 5: As a manager of a composting facility, describe what measures would you take to enhance the process of composting? Response: Measures to Enhance the Process of Composting Improving aeration of the compost heap; this can be done by ventilation or turning the waste. Ventilation can be done by punching holes into the waste heap. Turning can be done manually for small heaps and mechanically for huge ones. Aeration speeds up decomposition as it promotes growth of aerobic micro organisms. The correct amount of moisture content should be maintained in order to support the metabolic activity of the micro organisms that assist in composting. An ideal moisture content of 45-65% is favorable for the process of decomposition (“Composting Process” 1). Temperature monitoring is necessary through the various stages of decomposition. Regulation of temperature can be achieved through control of aeration and turning of the compost heap. Shredding of materials; this is the chopping up of materials into small pieces. It is done so as to increase the surface area of the material and thus enhancing microbial activity and increasing aeration. This technique is applied especially for hard materials for example wood (“Composting process” 1). Reference “Composting Process and Techniques.” Composting Methods. 2007. Web. 21 Oct.2011. Question 6: As an environmental manager in a manufacturing company, you have been put in charge of long-term environmental planning. Briefly discuss guidelines you would utilize in the planning process. Response: Guidelines for Long-term Environmental Planning in a Manufacturing Company The first step is to assess the situation of the company with regard to its policies on the environment. From the assessment one can establish what the company wants to achieve from the environmental plan. The manager can then look into how the company plans to commit itself to the customers, employees and the community. Data should be collected and reviewed so as to know the current situation of the company. The data can be used for forecasting purposes. An outline of the key aspects that need to be looked into should be made. For example how the by- products of the company’s manufacturing process should be handled. A plan that will engage everyone required in overseeing the plan should be designed. Finally one can develop a program for implementation of the proposed strategy. Reference Tchobanoglous George and Frank Kreith. Handbook of Solid Waste Management .2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill, 2002.Print. Question 7: What characteristics of a sanitary landfill are important to (a)reduce any release of contamination (and why), and (b) allow profits to be made by its operation, (and why)? Response: Characteristics of a Sanitary Landfill Sanitary landfills are designed to be safe to the environment by taking a number of measures. First, a clay liner is placed in the landfill to block pollutants mainly leachate from leaking into the soil. Synthetic liners can be used though they are mostly used in municipal solid waste landfills. Liners ensure that there is complete separation between the waste and the land below it (Tchobanoglous and Kreith 464). Perforated pipes can be set horizontally at the bottom of the landfills to collect the leachate so that it can be treated before release. Methane gas that forms is collected at the top. This gas can be used to provide energy for industry or heating purposes. Once landfills are full, it is necessary to bury the trash to prevent it from getting back to the environment, keep it dry and avoid contact with air to slow down decomposition (Tchobanoglous and Kreith 465). A perimeter should be constructed around the landfill to restrict entry and exit from the landfill. Reduction of the release of contamination will greatly assist in avoiding health hazards and cases of pollution. The methane collected from the landfill can be used for commercial purposes. This is in the production of energy which can be sold to other industries and thus generate income and profit. This income is important as it can be used to cover some of the costs associated with the running of the landfill. Reference Tchobanoglous George and Frank Kreith. Handbook of Solid Waste Management .2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill, 2002.Print. Question 8: Discuss the environmental impacts of recycling program. Response: Environmental impacts of recycling program. Recycling programs are very beneficial to the environment. There are a lot of gains that are made from recycling of materials. Some of the gains include but are not limited to the following. Energy can be saved through recycling. The amount of energy saved may differ by material, but a significant amount of energy will be saved compared to producing the same material from its raw form. Up to 95% of the energy needed to produce aluminum cans can be saved through recycling. Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Green house gases are believed to be among the major causes of global warming. It is believed that global warming may bring about negative impacts on the environment such as rise in sea level associated with tsunamis. There is reduced pressure on landfills. The volume of material recycled is directly proportional to the space of landfill saved. Also it is less costly to recycle than to develop and maintain landfills. Natural resources can be saved through recycling. When recovered scrap metal is recycled, trees, minerals, metal ores and other raw materials are preserved. This eases off pressure on the environment as less of these materials will be mined. The scarcity of fossil fuels and metals makes it imperative to save these resources and use them economically. Research shows that recycling a ton of paper can save 17 trees and about 7000 gallons of water. Reference Tchobanoglous George and Frank Kreith. Handbook of Solid Waste Management .2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill, 2002.Print. Question 9: Describe barriers to recycling waste and how would you overcome them? Response: Barriers to Recycling Waste and How to Overcome Them The barriers to recycling waste include lack of finance and proper regulation schemes. Many people prefer to dump waste in landfill as they consider it to be cheap. This makes landfills attractive to industries and individuals as compared to recycling. In order to curb this trend there is a need to provide incentives and regulatory policies that will encourage people to recycle. For example, landfill disposal of some wastes such as plastics and metals can be banned. Also tax exemptions on companies that recycle say more than sixty percent of the materials they use can encourage companies to recycle (“Overcoming the Barriers” 6). Lack of facilities to process wastes for recycling is another setback. There is also fear of lack of market for recycled products (“Overcoming the Barriers” 7). Governments can sort out this issue by constructing facilities to recycle waste and seek markets for producers of recycled products. Use of ineffective systems for gathering wastes and materials for recycling is also a barrier. Leaving the work of sorting out garbage to the public discourages many from engaging in the recycling process. Many people find it to be time consuming to sort out their garbage and will opt to dump it whole. Therefore it should be the work of local authorities to conduct such activities or make it easier for people to do it on their own. The companies that engage in garbage collection should be taught how to sort out waste in the best manner. This will ensure that a large amount of waste is available for recycling (“Overcoming the Barriers” 8). The lack of awareness and commitment from the public and businesses is another factor. People may not be aware of the items that can be recycled. They may also not understand how the process of recycling works. Others may have the perception that recycling is not good. This problem can be tackled be educating people on the benefits of recycling so that they contribute positively to the process. Reference “Overcoming the Barriers.” Policies to Create a Real Recycling Society.2009. Web. 21 Oct.2011. Works Cited Shah, Kanti. Basics of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.Print. Tchobanoglous George and Frank Kreith. Handbook of Solid Waste Management .2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill, 2002.Print. “Composting Process and Techniques.” Composting Methods. 2007. Web. 21 Oct.2011. “Overcoming the Barriers.” Policies to Create a Real Recycling Society.2009. Web. 21 Oct.2011. Read More