The document discusses various approaches to managing the large amount of waste produced in the United States each year, which is approximately 220 million tons or 4 pounds per person daily. It covers issues with landfill space and pollution, and explores recycling, alternative materials, incineration, and composting as technologies being used or developed to more sustainably deal with waste. Recycling is highlighted as saving energy and resources compared to producing items from raw materials. New bioplastics and eco-friendly food containers are being made from renewable resources like corn or algae as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

1. Waste and Recycling Approaches Through Technology Bill Kuhl

2. Note : the data used in this presentation was mainly found through Internet resources, hopefully it is fairly accurate. There are people that will argue that recycling wastes more energy than it saves. My point is that there are big challenges in modern society and through technology such challenges hopefully will be more manageable problems in the future. This presentation is one in a series of presentations to create awareness of how technology is being applied to address major issues, I am not trying to push any political agenda, only an awareness of the importance of science.

5. The Garbage Produced in the United States Each Year Could Fill a Line of Garbage Trucks Stretching from the Earth to the Moon How Much Waste?

6. Electronics Waste Especially in electronics, technology changes so fast that items often are discarded while still operational just to stay compatible with current technology.

8. Monitors, particularly the older cathode ray tube monitors are one of the worst computer components to put in the landfill. Each one contains 3 to 8 pounds of lead as well as mercury, cadmium, and chromium which are hazardous to the environment. Electronics Waste

10. About 95% Less Energy is Needed to Make Aluminum from Recycled Sources than From Raw Materials Recycling

11. Recycling a Single Aluminum Can Saves Enough Energy to: Run 100 Watt Light Bulb for Almost 4 Hours Power a Television for 3 Hours Recycling

12. More Space Could be Saved in Landfills by Recycling Paper than any Other Material Recycling

13. If Each Person Re-used 1 Grocery Sack for 1 Trip. It Would Save 60,000 Trees Think of How Many Trees if Everyone used Re-useable Cloth Grocery Bags Recycling

14. Plastic Bags made from Recycled Plastic rather than Raw Material Require 2/3 Less Energy and Over 80% Less Water Recycling

15. Glass Containers Made from Recycled Glass Containers uses About ½ the Energy than Making from Raw Material. Recycling

16. Alternatives to Petroleum-based Plastics Most plastic products are based on plastic that is petroleum-based. In addition to requiring a dwindling resource that powers most transportation, this type of plastic takes a very long time to break down in landfills. There are plastics known as “bioplastics” that are made from more natural resins such as corn, wheat, potatoes or algae. For food containers, alternative eco -friendly materials have been created from raw materials such as wood fiber, starch, and limestone. Costs for the eco-friendly materials has been slightly higher but with the increasing cost for petroleum and improvements in manufacturing technology for alternative materials the cost difference should disappear.

17. Waste incinerators can reduce the volume of waste by over 80%, pollution issues must be addressed and the cost is rather high. As a benefit steam heat and electricity can be produced. Incineration

18. Composting The natural process by which microorganisms break complex organic matter into topsoil can occur more quickly through composting . There must be selection in type and ratio of waste material to maintain a good nitrogen to carbon ratio. Composting can be done on an individual basis or on a larger scale.

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