E-Waste

                It’s something that we don’t think about or realize the harmful impacts. We rarely throw away our high-tech appliances, but what happens when we do? Electronic Waste, or e-waste, has become a huge problem across the world, but especially in the United States, over the last 30 or so years. E-waste is any electronic device that is nearing the end of its usable life. This includes many devices such as laptops, cell phones, fax machines, televisions, VCRs, and many more. There are laws in place to prevent the improper disposal of these appliances, yet many households dispose of them with their usual trash, not minding the rules. According to National Geographic, more than 80% of televisions are discarded to landfills where they have the potential to leach harmful chemicals like arsenic, mercury, and lead. It’s alarming to think that these appliances have the potential to be discarded correctly, but many people don’t want to put in the time or energy to do so. Today my goal is to inform readers of the dangers of e-waste and how they can reduce their e-waste footprint.

                The battle of e-waste began in the 1970s when most developed countries shipped their hazardous waste, including e-waste, to lesser developed countries, usually in Africa and Asia, in order to be dumped. This was met with backlash from many developing countries, causing much of this hazardous waste to be illegally dumped at sea. Then, in 2003, California became the first state to enact laws to regulate electronic waste. But sadly, only 25 states have laws governing the proper disposal of e-waste as of 2015.

                One of the main issues of e-waste comes from its impacts in landfills. A large majority of televisions, cell phones, and other electronics are sent to landfills where they can leak their precious metals. This has the potential to leach into groundwater and harm human health. Additionally, if these appliances are burned in an incinerator, their hazardous materials can be released into the atmosphere where they can cause breathing issues for humans. Additionally, e-waste in developing countries is becoming a problem because many of these countries do not have opportunities to recycle these materials in a safe manner.

                There are a surprising number of options for consumers to recycle their outdated electronics. One of the most common methods that many people probably use now is recycling older electronics to other family members. Additionally, cell phones and laptops that are still in working condition can be donated to less fortunate people or charities. Recently, many manufacturers are beginning to offer buyback programs for their old electronics. Companies like Best Buy and Staples will buyback cell phones and computers in return for a payment to the customer. These companies can use one of two options to recycle: they can refurbish components of these old electronics and reuse them in newer models, or they can recycle them properly.

Finally, there are even companies that specialize in e-waste recycling. Customers can search their local Department of Natural Resources Website to find a drop off site near them. At these drop off sites, electronics are sorted then shipped off to a special electronic recycling plant. Here, hazardous materials, like cathode tubes used in old televisions, are separated and treated very carefully to ensure their safety. This prevents them from adding harmful chemicals like lead to other glass recycling. Other electronics are crushed to small pieces, sorted like in a regular recycling plant, and shipped to their specific recycling facilities. 

                One of the most effective ways for consumers to prevent the harmful effects of e-waste is to simply buy less. In today’s world, there is a demand to have the newest and the best electronic products, so people are always buying more. If you hold on to your devices until they cannot be held onto for any longer, you are doing your part to slow the effects of e-waste. Additionally, please check with your city to see if they offer a free e-waste disposal system. Many cities offer drop off sites near you to drop off TVs, cell phones, computers, and almost anything else you can think of. Considering that there are so many electronic appliances in circulation today, e-waste will continue to become a problem in the coming years. Please make sure you are doing your part to dispose of your electronics properly and helping the world around you!

Stay Sustainable,

                Shelby

Sources:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text

http://cdrglobal.com/history-of-electronics-recycling/

http://city.milwaukee.gov/Milwaukee-Recycles/DropOff/Disposal--Recycling-Guide/Electronics

http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2013/e-waste.aspx

Waste in the Oceans

                In a study published by Science Magazine in 2015, it was determined that around 8 million metric tonnes of plastic waste enters the ocean each year. It turns out that much of this plastic is not immediately visible to the human eye.  Much of the plastic is broken down into tiny pieces called microplastics that can cause a major risk to marine life, and even humans. Trash in the oceans has become a huge issue across the world and it has many layers that make it very difficult to find a solution. Today I’m going to discuss the causes and effects of mismanaged waste, what large scale cleanup efforts are currently taking place, and how you can help stop plastics entering our precious oceans.

                First off, what is mismanaged waste? It turns out that mismanaged waste is any type of waste that is moved from its original position, a landfill or trashcan, to somewhere else by air or water. Essentially, all waste that ends up in the oceans is mismanaged waste. There are many ways that waste can enter the oceans. One way is excess litter left on beaches being washed into the water by waves or wind. This debris is often plastic bags and bottles that are left behind instead of disposed of properly. Additionally, plastics and other wastes left in the streets is often washed down storm drains by precipitation. This includes all sorts of plastics like bottles, cups and fast food containers. Finally, poorly managed landfills can allow waste to fly off the surface to other areas, like the ocean. This is usually plastic bags, but can include other items like milk jugs, ice cube trays, toothbrushes, and pretty much any other plastic that goes to a landfill.

                The most well-known effects of plastic debris in the ocean are those that effect large animals like whales and turtles. Many large marine animals mistake plastic items as food, such as plastic bags being confused as jellyfish. These animals can choke on these items and die. Some items like plastic ropes or soda can rings can get stuck around animals and they have no way of removing them. According to the website Animals Australia, more than 100,000 animals die each year due to consumption or entanglement of plastic bags alone.

                Not only do large pieces of plastic cause marine death, but disintegrated plastics can be even more harmful to the environment and the biodiversity of an area. Considering that plastic is not biodegradable and remains intact for thousands of years, the mismanaged plastic that is put in the oceans is just broken down into smaller pieces called microplastics. These pieces are less than five millimeters long, and cause lots of damage to marine life. Because these pieces are not easily spotted by humans, they cannot easily be cleaned up with traditional methods. These microplastics can easily absorb hazardous chemicals from fertilizers and hazardous waste sites. When they are mistaken for plankton, these plastics allow chemicals to accumulate in the stomachs of marine animals, causing their ultimate deaths. They die because of the lack of food in their stomachs and the high levels of toxins. Though the effects on humans are not well known, consuming these contaminated fish must be harmful as well.

                Though the effects of plastic debris in the oceans sounds inevitable, there are efforts beginning to find ways to clean up the oceans. Because of ocean current patterns, much of the floating surface debris ends up in one large area surrounding a circular ocean current. One example of this is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is an area in the northern Pacific Ocean that contains about 7 million tons of waste and is approximately twice the size of Texas. 19-year-old Boyan Slat engineered a mechanism that can help clean up this garbage patch. He hypothesized a V-shaped screen-like system (shown below) situated near the garbage patch to catch the trash that is moved by the ocean currents. This trapped trash can then be harvested and recycled nearby. In addition to ocean cleanup, there is a strong focus on beach cleanups around the world. Removing trash from beaches can greatly reduce the amount of trash that is allowed in the ocean. Large environmental companies organize cleanup efforts to prevent large scale pollution and to raise awareness about litter around the world.

                Not only are large companies responsible for plastic cleanup, you can help too! There are many ways that ordinary people can help too. First off, don’t litter! This is the simplest way to ensure that waste has a small chance of entering storm drains and nearby bodies of water. Additionally, make sure to recycle your plastic so they do not end up in landfills and cannot escape by wind or other weather tactics. The final way to attempt to get less plastic in our oceans is to decrease your consumption of plastics. Ways to do this include using cloth bags instead of plastic bags at the grocery store, buying fewer processed products that need plastic packaging, and providing your own reusable containers when buying nuts or fruits or vegetables. As you can see, mismanaged waste is a huge problem, especially as it pertains to our oceans, but there are many ways that the excess amounts of plastic can be reduced, and many of them are already underway! It is necessary to make sure that, as a worldwide population, we are working together to protect our most precious world biomes.

Stay Sustainable,

                Shelby

Sources:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/how-much-plastic-is-there-in-the-ocean/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150109-oceans-plastic-sea-trash-science-marine-debris/

http://plastinography.org/lesson1/how-does-plastic-reach-the-ocean.html

http://garbagepatch.net/greatpacificoceangarbagepatchfacts/

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/say_no_to_plastic_bags.php

http://inhabitat.com/19-year-old-student-develops-ocean-cleanup-array-that-could-remove-7250000-tons-of-plastic-from-the-worlds-oceans/

Composting

                In a technique related to recycling, composting is a form of waste management that is becoming popular in major cities. Composting is the act of recycling organic wastes so they can be converted to fertilizer or a humus soil additive. Natural composting took place thousands of years ago, when people reused most of their crop waste like straw and manure as fertilizer. In the early 20^th century, farmers and scientists noticed the organic needs of plants and crops. They realized that fish and manure were not the best form of fertilizer, but food scraps were beneficial to plants. Currently, composting is much more large scale than it was. Some cities have employed commercial composting programs that involve removing organic waste from households. Minneapolis is one of the few modern cities that takes place in this practice. At composting plants, food and garden waste is shredded and loaded into open tanks that are heated. In the 14 to 18 days that the waste sits in these tanks, the waste is sterilized, thanks to the hot temperatures. Next, the waste is placed in a large room for up to 6 weeks to mature. Once mature, the compost is screened to remove large pieces and tested to ensure the highest quality compost.

                Additionally, composting in your home is essentially the same process done in a plant, just slowed down and on a smaller scale. You can compost your food and lawn waste in a pile in the backyard to be used as an organic fertilizer for a garden. Make sure that there is enough water added to the pile to ensure that breakdown can occur. If you do not have enough space in a backyard, you can even compost indoors too! You can obtain a compost bucket from your local hardware store and fill it up with your food wastes. In addition to the basics of how to compost, lets discuss the things you can and cannot compost, though be sure to check with your local compost coordinators to see what can be composted in your town.

COMPOST

·         Fruits and vegetables

·         Eggshells

·         Coffee grounds

·         Shredded newspaper

·         Cardboard

·         Grass clippings

·         Leaves

·         Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint

·         Wood ash

DO NOT COMPOST

·         Charcoal ash

·         Dairy products

·         Grease or oils

·         Meat scraps

·         Pet wastes

Again, please check your local waste collection services as many of them may accept different items.

Each piece of food that is composted instead of thrown away prevents it from filling up a landfill. Many food wastes produce methane when they decompose in a landfill, harming the environment and the atmosphere. Composting also reduces the need for chemical fertilizers that can run off the land and contaminate nearby water bodies. It is also a money saver for homeowners because creating your own compost decreases the need to buy inorganic fertilizers for gardens. The increased focus on compostable cups and wrappers also allows these items to be removed from landfills.

                One of the downsides to composting is that commercial composting can take up a lot of space. Also, composting is not regularly enforced or advertised in most public spaces. There is no need for compostable cups if no one is educated enough to compost them. With increased focus on the importance of composting and additional access, composting could really become a widespread fad that decreases the sheer volume of trash that enters landfills every year.

                Residents of Minneapolis: It’s so easy to sign up for organic recycling collection with the city. Just sign up at this link: http://minneapolismn.gov/solid-waste/organics/WCMSP-171641 and your organics will be collected weekly with your garbage! Non-residents of Minneapolis: Check on your city’s website to see if they offer organic recycling collection. If not, urge them to! Talk to your city representatives and mayors about the benefits of composting. Then, start composting practices in your own home.

                With the increased threat of waste disposal becoming a problem in the near future, composting may provide a solution to these issues and provide us with a cleaner, greener world.

Stay Sustainable, 
      Shelby

Sources:

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/history.cfm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez3zrpuvXGw

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

 http://minneapolismn.gov/solid-waste/organics/index.htm

Recycling

To transform into some topics about reducing waste, we will focus on recycling. Recycling is one way that the amount of trash that flows into a landfill or an incinerator is can be reduced. Recycling is the act of converting waste to a new and usable material. Some form of recycling has been taking place for hundreds of years throughout the world. Since the 1700s, people have been keeping their so called “trash” and using them for other things. World War I brought about many shortages in supplies and resources. The government created the Waste Reclamation Service which included the saying, “Don’t Waste Waste, Save it”.  When the aluminum can was finally released in 1964, modern recycling really became popular because people realized the monetary value of aluminum. Later, the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” slogan that we all know was developed and became a symbol for environmental health and justice. The first modern recycling mill was built in Pennsylvania where plastic waste was sent to be broken down and transformed into other things.

                Nowadays, a multitude of items can be recycled including paper, glass, metal, textiles, and electronics. In 2014, over 89 million tons of waste was recycled in the United States. Modern recycling is a complex system that has many steps involved. First, the recycling that is picked up from your curb by a truck and transported to the plant. Then, the recycling is laid on a conveyer belt and sorted with the help of humans and machines. The specific waste is then shredded to smaller pieces, and sorted more carefully. Finally, the specific types of material are baled together and shipped to a different processing plant that is able to melt plastics and metals to transform them into other substances. The recovered paper is mixed with water and a series of chemicals to create a pulp like material. It is then cleaned with more chemicals and soap. The pulp is then rolled out with a series of rollers to remove excess water. Once the paper is dry, it can be cut, packaged, and shipped off to companies that buy the material.

                Let’s talk about what can and cannot be recycled. The following facts and figures are from the City of Minneapolis Public Works Website.

RECYCLE

·         Cartons

o   Juice Boxes

o   Soup or broth cartons

·         Metals

o   Soup cans

o   Aluminum cans

o   Pie tins

·         Paper

o   Newspaper

o   Office paper

o   Books (no hardcovers)

·         Cardboard

o   Cereal boxes

o   Packaging boxes

·         Glass

o   Colored or clear beverage containers

o   Food bottles

·         Plastic

o   Water, soda, juice bottles

o   Detergent bottles

o   Milk jugs

o   Yogurt and pudding cups

DO NOT RECYCLE

·         Egg cartons

·         Paint cans

·         Paper ice cream tubs

·         Drinking glasses

·         Plastic bags

·         Styrofoam

Be sure to check your own city’s policy for what can and cannot be recycled.

                Recycling is becoming more and more important these days because the need for land is growing rapidly. Landfills are taking up more and more space, and the less volume that is added to these areas, the lower demand for new landfills. Additionally, recycling paper stops the need to cut down as many trees to make new paper and recycling plastic makes a lower need for harvesting crude oil. As a whole, recycling is a practice that all companies and individuals can partake in that really helps make a difference without taking too much work.

Stay Sustainable,

                Shelby

Sources:

http://www.buschsystems.com/recycling-bin-news/2014/05/a-brief-timeline-of-the-history-of-recycling/

http://www.historyofplastic.com/plastic-history/history-of-plastic-recycling/

https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIVKmwzWSuc

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/solid-waste/recycling/solid-waste_recycling

Plasma Gasification

                While doing some research on waste management practices, I came across an interesting technique for managing waste called Plasma Gasification. Essentially, plasma gasification plants produce electrified gas, called syngas, by burning organic waste at extremely high temperatures. This is a very new technique and has only been around for a few decades. The first plant was built in Japan in the late 1990s and it has had so much success, and there are now other plants in China, Taiwan, Canada, and India, with other plants in the works.

                The plants work with very complicated methods of producing syngas, but I will try my best to explain! The plants gather carbon containing materials including food and garden waste, hazardous waste, medical waste, and many other wastes from chemical processes. The waste is placed in a large tank that allows air inside. The waste settles down to the bottom of the tank towards the plasma torches. The plasma torches create an electrical arc that is over 3000˚F which breaks apart the chemical bonds in the organic material and converts it into synthetic gas, or syngas. This syngas is mostly made up of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This gas can be used for multiple different uses. It can be converted to fertilizer, transportation gas, or it can even be used as a source of energy to turn turbines and produce electricity through a generator. The only byproduct of the gasification is the small portions of inorganic materials that are included and burned with the organic material. This inorganic waste is transformed into slag, which is a non-hazardous glass like substance which can be used in road construction or housing materials.

                Considering that this technology is so new, there is definitely some more research needed to ensure that there are not more disadvantages to plasma gasification. Though the disadvantages are small, there are lots of advantages:

·         Huge amounts of energy are produced that can be used for many services

·         Provides an outlet for hazardous waste

·         No methane or fly ash is produced like in incineration

·         Reduces the need for non-renewable fuel sources

·         Decreased waste in landfills

                The known disadvantages of plasma gasification are mostly focused on the high costs of building and maintaining these facilities. Frequent maintenance is also required to keep the plant running smoothly. As of now, there are no known negative environmental impacts associated with plasma gasification (which is the most important aspect for me!).

                Plasma gasification is a big step in the right direction for a new era of waste management. Even though this technique may not be perfect, more research could make this technique an important way of waste management. If you would like to learn more about plasma gasification, go to the following link: https://waste-management-world.com/a/plasma-gasification-clean-renewable-fuel-through-vaporization-of-waste  to learn all you need to know and more about the technique!

Stay Sustainable,

                Shelby

Sources:

https://waste-management-world.com/a/plasma-gasification-clean-renewable-fuel-through-vaporization-of-waste

http://www.gasification-syngas.org/technology/plasma-gasification/