Human Systems and Resource Use

1. Topic 8
Human Systems and Resource Use
8.3 Solid domestic waste
http://edroness.blogspot.mx/2013/
12/the-story-of-stuff.html
separation of solid waste

2. Solid Domestic Waste
• Note that we are referring to domestic solid
waste here, rather than industrial waste
and/or liquid waste
• The production of domestic solid waste is
dynamic – it changes with location and time

3. Types of Solid Domestic Waste
paper
1%
garden waste
25%
kitchen waste
21%
household
sweepings
11%
glass
9%
wood
6%
furniture
6%
scrap metal
6%
soil
4%
textiles
4%
packaging
4%
disposable
nappies
3%
Estimate of the proportions of solid domestic waste produced in the UK in 2010
(Davis and Nagle, Environmental Systems and Societies, Pearson, 2010)

4. Percentage Composition of Waste
Country Organics Paper Glass Metals Plastics Textiles Other
Belgium 43 28 9 4 7 9 0
Denmark 37 30 6 3 7 18 0
Germany 32 24 8 5 9 0 22
France 21 27 7 4 11 2 28
Greece 49 20 5 4 9 13 0
Ireland 42 15 6 4 11 8 14
Italy 32 27 8 4 7 3 19
Luxembourg 41 16 4 3 8 3 25
Netherlands 39 25 8 5 8 15 0
Portugal 39 20 4 2 9 5 21
Spain 44 21 7 4 11 5 8

5. Disposable Nappies (Diapers)
• One of the most problematic
types of domestic waste
• Made of resistant plastics
• Also contain faeces and urine
which may carry disease
• Approx. 3 billion kg disposed of
to landfills in the US per year
• It takes about 500 years for one
nappy to break down completely

6. Disposal Problems
• Landfill Disposal
– Biodegradation of organics in landfills
produces methane (explosive and
greenhouse gas)
– This may also biodegrade to CO2
– Leachates may contaminate rivers and
groundwater, causing eutrophication
– Punishments for not collecting animal
poo (sealing landfills causes increased
methane production
– Cause local problems of noise, smell
and vermin

7. Disposal Problems
• Incineration
– Many waste gases produced – CO2, SOx, NOx, Cl2,
dioxins
– These lead to indirect problems such as acid rain,
smog, global warming, lung diseases etc.
– Large amounts of road traffic, producing more
greenhouse gases, fuel use, noise etc.
Ukranian politician Viktor
Yushchenko before and after
dioxin poisoning

8. Management Strategies
1. Reduce
o Producers can consider expanding lifespan of goods and
reducing packaging
o Consumers can demand or use less packaging
2. Reuse
o Use of refillable bottles – e.g. garafons
o Refurbishment of used products
o Donation of used items for resale (charity shops)
3. Recover
o Recycling
o Composting
o Incineration to collect heat
4. Dispose
o Landfill

9. Management Strategies
• Recycling
– Reduces pressure on landfill sites
– Reduces mining, use of oil to produce
plastics and transportation of new goods
– Not all recycling companies are ethical
and many materials are simply exported
(in 2015, 410 000 tonnes of plastic were
collected for recycling in US alone;
approx 57% was exported to Asia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3fOLL10yxY

10. Management Strategies
• Composting
– The recycling of organic material to
produce nutrient-rich soil
– May divert approx. 30% of total
household waste from landfill
– Introduces beneficial microorganisms to
the soil
– Helps to reduce leaching of nutrients and
problems of eutrophication (increasing
amounts of sewage sludge are now being
composted worldwide)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eXRfynD-M8

11. Management Strategies
• Incineration
– Combustion of waste (organic and
inorganic)
– Produces ash, flue gases and heat
– Heat can be used to produce electricity
– Ash is sometimes used to produce paving
slabs, bricks or road fill
– Reduces the amount of waste which is
sent to landfill
– Reduces harmfulness of wastes which
might otherwise go to landfill – e.g.
hospital waste
– Produces polluting gases including CO2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhJRuiEId9Y

13. Questions
1. Describe the different types of domestic solid waste
2. Describe the dynamic nature of domestic solid waste
production in terms of location and time
3. Describe and evaluate different pollution
management strategies for domestic solid waste
disposal
4. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of
disposal to landfill
5. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of
disposal by incineration