Municiple Solid Wastes
MSW = Pollution or Resource?
Pollution is the contamination of air, water, or
soil with undesirable amounts of material or heat.
“Ecosystems dispose of wastes and replenish
nutrients by recycling all elements”
Factors Contributing to Increasing
Amounts of MSW
Factors Contributing to
Increasing Amounts of MSW
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Increasing populations
Changing lifestyles
Disposable materials*
Excessive packaging*
* = two largest contributors to waste volume
Changing
Lifestyles of
More People
MSW Components in the US
The Fate of MSW in the US
Old Landfills
• Leachate
generation
• Groundwater
Contamination
• Methane
production
• Incomplete
decomposition
• Settling
Siting: Public
Reactions
•
LULU (locally
unwanted landuse)
•
NIMBY (not in my
backyard)
•
NIMTOO (not in my
term of office)
Trash to Treasure
• Highest (more than 1 million tons) net
importers of MSW
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Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Waste to Energy: WTE
Waste to Energy: WTE
• 80% MSW burned for electrical energy
production
• 12% recovered and recycled
• 8% put into landfill
• Methane capture for electrical energy
production.
Reduction and Recycling
• 75% MSW
recyclable if:
– Mandatory
– Easy to do
– $ Benefits
Secondary Recycling
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Paper
Glass
Plastic
Metals
Yard wastes
Textiles
Old tires
Match
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Compost
Refabrication
Synthetic lumber
Sand or gravel
Insulation
Strengthens recycled
paper
• Highways
Sustainable MSW Management
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Waste reduction
Safe waste disposal
Recycling and reuse
Electrical power generation