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  • Essay / Threats Related to Municipal Solid Waste

    Sometimes called trash or litter, municipal solid waste consists of everyday items that are used and then discarded, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing , bottles, food scraps, newspapers, household appliances. , paint and batteries, which come from our homes, schools, hospitals and businesses. Compared to current levels of municipal solid waste, before the 1850s, this production was very low. “In the pre-industrial era, people did not have access to convenient and efficient ways to transport goods from one place to another. Therefore, their access to food and goods only from local sources was limited, eliminating the need for common packaging.” Waste management was carried out by or on behalf of individual owners by removing waste from the building and disposing of it on the grounds, either uncovered or buried, with food waste often fed to animals, particularly pigs, and deposited in open bodies. water, such as ponds, bogs, lakes, rivers and the ocean. In some areas, overpopulation has become a chronic problem. Wells became polluted and deaths from epidemics increased rapidly as dumped trash overflowed into alleys and streets, pigs roamed freely, slaughterhouses spewed foul fumes, and rats and cockroaches infested most homes, including those of white people. House.Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the Original EssayAn open landfill is defined as a solid waste disposal site in which solid waste is disposed of in a manner which do not protect the environment, are susceptible to open burning and are exposed to the elements, vectors and scavengers. Open dumps pose certain environmental problems. Open dumpsites provide a breeding ground for dangerous contaminants like rats, which can spread diseases like tetanus and rabies, and mosquitoes that carry the virus, for example St. Louis encephalitis. Drinking water is threatened by open dumpsites, as well as the earth's surface with safety hazards from sharp objects or needles, combustible levels of explosive methane, and unstable slopes, which can move and potentially injure or kill. In a survey conducted, the study on the composition of fresh solid waste shows that "the samples from the open dump contained approximately 90-95% combustible materials and the non-combustible fraction was approximately 1-5%" . A first landfill is the name given to what replaced the incineration of waste in open landfills. “Early landfills replaced these landfills, without any effort to compact or conceal the waste.” An open dump is different from a landfill in that it is excavated land used as waste storage that is not regulated by the government, while a landfill is also excavated land used for waste storage, but it is regulated by the government. government. Early landfills have some disadvantages, such as leachate, methane, incomplete decomposition and settling or sinkholes. Leachate is water containing various pollutants that flows from landfills. This is considered the most serious problem with landfills because of the damage it can cause to the environment if it leaks. Besides the riskshealth potentials caused by leachate, there are many other concerns such as fires and explosions, damage to vegetation, unpleasant odors, landfill settlement, groundwater pollution, air pollution and global warming. Methane is an anaerobic byproduct (not enough oxygen). It is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas that is highly flammable and also poses a major threat to the climate. Methane can seep through cracks because it is light and therefore can cause an explosion. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “methane accounts for approximately 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities such as natural gas systems, landfills, coal mines and manure management systems”. On the other hand, methane, especially in the form of natural gas, is an important fuel because its combustion produces fewer greenhouse gases than coal or oil. Methane also creates some climate risks because it sometimes escapes during extraction and transportation, causing hydraulic fracturing. Because biodegradable materials degrade very slowly, this has caused incomplete decomposition in landfills. Petroleum-based plastics resist decomposition, and after decades, buried newspapers can still be read. Water is an essential ingredient for decomposition, but at the same time it produces toxic leachate in landfills. Settling is one of the results of incomplete decomposition. Incomplete decomposition can cause both atmospheric and hydrological effects. Sedimentation or sinkholes occur in landfills as shallow depressions or deep holes. They are caused by loading and other processes such as chemical and microbial actions. Factors such as leachate composition, temperature and humidity control settling. As a result, “sedimentation in landfilled waste, particularly long-term sedimentation, is complex and difficult to predict in terms of magnitude and timing.” Settlement can eventually lead to problems, such as cracks in the roofing and damage to gas and liquid collection and drainage systems. “Modern landfills are well-designed and managed facilities for the disposal of solid waste. They are located, designed, operated and monitored to ensure compliance with federal regulations.” Modern landfills are still designed to prevent liquids from escaping and entering the environment. Compared to old landfills, modern landfills are highly regulated and advanced municipal solid waste dumps. Modern landfills are built with a number of protective measures, including a clay or plastic liner to contain leachate, while early landfills were unregulated dumpsites, with no effort to compact or conceal the waste. While early landfills were created on unused land without concern for the environmental effect on the population living in those surroundings, the creation of modern landfills takes into account the health of individuals and the environment. Additionally, early landfills were designed to allow waste to be placed directly on the ground, without barriers or coverings. As a result, leachate seeps into the waste, picks up harmful contaminants, and then enters the ground, but with the design of modern landfills, there are protective liners made of clay or plastic that provide a barrier between the waste.