The city government issues multi-colored containers in which you need to separately fold paper, different types of plastic packaging. Organics from the kitchen are stored in closed containers. But you can only throw away scraps in biodegradable bags, which are not cheap. If you mix up the container and throw out something wrong, the car will not pick up this tank. Garbage that does not fit into any type of waste is thrown into the garbage chute. If you throw recyclables there, they can be fined $200.
In Brazil, about 70% of paper is recycled and 60% -. The poor are attracted to the collection of recyclables. And they are paid not with money, but with food. For six bags of waste - a food set. This way it is possible to feed more than 100 thousand people and collect 400 tons
garbage per month.
And local fishermen, instead of the fish that disappeared due to pollution of the rivers, are now catching PET bottles. In a week, they manage to fish up to 700 kg of plastic waste from the water, which brings in about $4,000 a year.
In the city of Chandigarh there is a 16-hectare Rock Garden park. Thousands of sculptures and installations in it are made from municipal solid waste. The park was created for 40 years by road inspector Nek Chand. This did not solve the problem of weediness in India, but the park has become a national treasure of the country, about 5,000 tourists visit it daily.
What kind of topic is this - "garbage sorting"? Why do we put so much emphasis on it? And just imagine what will happen to the planet in 100 years, if waste goes to the landfill with the same intensity as it is happening now. Then the Earth will become a solid trash can. Yes, you will no longer care, but future generations (generated by you) will certainly not remember you with a kind word. In Europe, the issue of waste sorting, like many other issues, began to be addressed long ago and intensively. Let's take an example. Today we’ll figure it out: how is garbage sorted abroad?
Grade
In addition to the fact that garbage covers such a large percentage of the Earth's surface, everything (for example, a battery or a mercury lamp) is capable of entering into a chemical reaction and causing irreparable damage. This also applies to all kinds of solvents, and even wood products that have been treated with paints or chemical compounds.
These wastes decompose and poison the soil, and with it all the plants, berries, trees and flowers that grow or sprout on it. As a result, berries and fruits, trees, as well as water from springs and springs become unfit for consumption. And it kills fish and birds.
You can reduce the negative impact of garbage and waste on the environment, soil, groundwater and surface water. To do this, you need to learn and household waste. And many of them can be or get energy.
Even better, you start to keep a close eye on the products you use: use only those that can be recycled and thereby reduce the appearance of non-degradable or long-degrading waste.
The latter include:
There is also a list of hazardous items that need to be placed in a special box or box to be later left in a designated area for such waste or taken to a specialized disposal area.
Such waste includes:
Also, they take out to specialized recycling zones non-working large household appliances:
The containers include:
Waste paper includes:
Biodegradable waste includes:
Non-degradable food waste such as: large animal bones, drinks, and soups are sorted separately from decaying waste.
Environmentally hazardous waste is disposed of separately. So, batteries and accumulators containing toxic substances are collected in special small boxes. You can pick them up at a store or supermarket and then return them there so that their contents can be properly disposed of.
Ten or fifteen years ago, Americans believed that separate waste collection was incompatible with their mentality. Today they
conscientiously sort waste and even annually celebrate Recycling Day.
Recycling Day in the United States has been celebrated on November 15 since 1997. The holiday is designed to draw American attention to waste: on this day, the government promulgates new laws and sums up old recycling programs, rewards companies that have achieved good recycling rates, in general, encourages Americans to sort in every possible way.
Most often, in houses equipped with a garbage chute, they throw out food waste, folded into one bag. What cannot be sorted is thrown away in another bag.
Old paper is folded side by side, cans and bottles are placed in a container located on the site. All this is then taken out by the garbage collector.
In some states, for example, in San Francisco (California), near houses that are not equipped with a garbage chute, special containers are installed for different types of waste: for glass, aluminum cans, plastic packaging and bottles; for paper and cardboard; for food waste.
Later, a garbage truck arrives for these containers, and in some states there is not even one. For example, in Florida, the population is served by special cars with separate compartments: plastic is loaded into one, and paper into the other. A car passes by, which picks up food waste.
In other states, separate collection days are arranged for the collection of sorted waste. Local authorities inform the population in advance about the time when everyone can take out paper, glass and plastic to the roadway. After that, special cars drive along the street, collecting sorted garbage.
Americans are actively sorting waste, thanks to the introduction of differentiated fees for the removal of solid waste (municipal solid waste). The amount of garbage that is taken out of your house every day determines the amount of the disposal fee.
Therefore, it is more profitable to reduce the amount of daily garbage and accumulate what can be sorted before the official waste collection day, because the garbage separated into fractions is taken out for free.
Someone independently takes paper, glass, plastic to special collections for garbage to be recycled. Often, such containers are installed near large shopping centers: people come with bags and throw paper, plastic, glass into the appropriate containers.
Sometimes tanks and shoes are also installed near the shops - they are then transferred to those in need. There are also special points where you can give away an unwanted jacket or jeans.
Also in stores - most often in those that sell household appliances - there are special containers where you can.
Raising a reasonable attitude towards waste begins in the United States as early as childhood: a lot of attention is paid at school, students are taught how important it is to reduce and properly sort garbage. Moreover, competitions for the collection of waste paper or plastic containers are regularly held.
The school program provides for 100 mandatory hours of volunteering, which includes street cleaning. Often, students participate in the Adopt a Territory program: within the framework of it, children take patronage over a part of a square, park, forest and maintain order there.
Thus, the government hopes to form a new type of American who, from a young age, will also monitor the level of waste in their own home and in the country.
In Japan, the problem of waste disposal is especially relevant, since the islands do not have much space for their disposal. Largely for this reason, the Japanese have long developed a system for sorting and recycling garbage, and also came up with a special “waste-free” philosophy.
The principles of waste separation in Japan depend on the region and the requirements of the municipal authorities, but most often the waste is divided into four categories, which are somewhat different from the separation we are used to.
Here, non-combustible, combustible, recyclable and bulky garbage is placed in different tanks.
Moreover, for each type of waste, special bags of a certain color and volume are designed to make it easier to distinguish what type of waste they contain.
On large-sized things, which, of course, do not fit in packages, special stickers are pasted.
To ensure that everything is sorted correctly, the workers serving the garbage truck are watching. The garbage collection truck arrives at certain hours.
By this time, the residents have taken out their bags, and since they are transparent, the scavengers have the opportunity to see if the waste is sorted correctly. If there are violations, the packages are not accepted.
The garbage truck arrives not only at certain hours, but also on certain days. Each type of waste is taken out exactly on the appointed day of the week, which one is determined by the municipality.
The most common way to dispose of waste is to recycle everything that can be recycled and bury the rest. There are also MSW incineration plants, but this method, according to some environmentalists, is not the most environmentally friendly - there are only about five of them in the whole of Russia. World experience says that the most optimal method of waste disposal is its processing for further use, RIA VladNews reports with reference to the press service of the Vladivostok administration.
For example, building material, clothes are made from garbage, metal is extracted from waste, etc. Plants with sorting complexes today are the most "humane" in relation to the environment. It is this method of working with garbage that helps to maintain ecological balance - to create a balance in the relationship between man and nature.
In many countries of Europe, Asia, and the USA, sorting of garbage is widespread, which allows you to give garbage the so-called "second life". The organization of this process is maximally optimized and simplified, since sorting begins at the stage of waste disposal by people. The legislation of many countries obliges their citizens to sort garbage into different containers, which have their own color and designation. For example, in almost all prefectures of Japan, a citizen is subject to a large fine for violations of garbage sorting or refusal to do so.
Japan
In the Land of the Rising Sun, garbage is treated very reverently. What is the sensational scandal about a man who threw garbage in the wrong place. The police gave him warnings, but he ignored them. The case ended in jail time. For residents of many countries, this story may seem incredible, but not for the Japanese, who are doing everything in order to preserve the environment.
How is garbage recycled in Japan? It is burned, and the thermal energy is used for heating. Household appliances, furniture, cars are dismantled for further processing. Near each Japanese house, you can see different containers where various types of waste are stored: food, plastic, aluminum cans and others. Thus, waste sorting starts at home, and every citizen contributes to the preservation of the environment and recycling of waste.
The Japanese have learned to recycle garbage in such a way that they even make building materials from organic waste.
Brazil
Brazil is also developing separate collection and recycling of waste. For example, the city of Curitiba ranked first in the world in collecting valuable household waste. Almost all plastic, paper, metal and glass are recycled here. The solution turned out to be successful - to involve the poor in garbage collection. Collecting waste is rewarded with cash or food packages.
Garbage collection in the United States takes place in plastic bags, which are stored in containers located near each house. Utilities take containers for sorting to send garbage for recycling. Paper, plastic, cans, bottles - all of these materials are used to make goods marked "made from garbage."
At one time there were problems with metal cans in the country, but with the help of a reward system for the delivery of garbage, they were resolved. Today, almost every American institution has a press for cardboard, cans, paper.
Finland
A feature of garbage collection in Finland is street containers, resembling small boxes. The garbage storage itself is underground. Many containers are connected to special vacuum pipes, thanks to which the waste immediately enters the processing plants. The speed of the movement of debris is 25-30 meters per second.
The priority is the deep processing of waste. The glass is crushed and the crumbs are sold to glassware companies. As a result, one bottle is used approximately 30 times in the country.
Plastic garbage in the country is pressed and burned at special stations at a temperature of 1.3 thousand degrees, receiving electricity.
Austria
Half of the country's waste is incinerated. There are four waste incineration plants in Vienna alone.
In addition, Austria is ready to switch to alternative sources of electricity generation as widely as possible. Including getting energy generated from burning garbage.
About three thousand people are involved in this field of activity, and the profession of a garbage collector in Austria is considered socially significant.
Sweden
Sweden is one of the leaders in waste collection. Half of it is used to generate electricity and heat, and half is recycled. All families in the country are required to sort garbage. Many have between five and seven containers in their home. In this country, the method of underground vacuum "garbage chutes" is also being actively introduced. Despite the fact that this requires a large investment, in the end, people then save on the transportation of waste.
In many countries of Europe, Asia, and the USA, sorting of garbage is widespread, which allows you to give garbage the so-called "second life".
The most common way to dispose of waste is to recycle everything that can be recycled and bury the rest. There are also MSW incineration plants, but this method, according to some environmentalists, is not the most environmentally friendly - there are only about five of them in the whole of Russia. World experience says that the most optimal method of waste disposal is its processing for further use, RIA VladNews reports with reference to the press service of the Vladivostok administration.
For example, building material, clothes are made from garbage, metal is extracted from waste, etc. Plants with sorting complexes today are the most "humane" in relation to the environment. It is this method of working with garbage that helps to maintain ecological balance - to create a balance in the relationship between man and nature.
In many countries of Europe, Asia, and the USA, sorting of garbage is widespread, which allows you to give garbage the so-called "second life". The organization of this process is maximally optimized and simplified, since sorting begins at the stage of waste disposal by people. The legislation of many countries obliges their citizens to sort garbage into different containers, which have their own color and designation. For example, in almost all prefectures of Japan, a citizen is subject to a large fine for violations of garbage sorting or refusal to do so.
In the Land of the Rising Sun, garbage is treated very reverently. What is the sensational scandal about a man who threw garbage in the wrong place. The police gave him warnings, but he ignored them. The case ended in jail time. For residents of many countries, this story may seem incredible, but not for the Japanese, who are doing everything in order to preserve the environment.
How is garbage recycled in Japan? It is burned, and the thermal energy is used for heating. Household appliances, furniture, cars are dismantled for further processing. Near each Japanese house, you can see different containers where various types of waste are stored: food, plastic, aluminum cans and others. Thus, waste sorting starts at home, and every citizen contributes to the preservation of the environment and recycling of waste.
The Japanese have learned to recycle garbage in such a way that they even make building materials from organic waste.
Brazil
Brazil is also developing separate collection and recycling of waste. For example, the city of Curitiba ranked first in the world in collecting valuable household waste. Almost all plastic, paper, metal and glass are recycled here. The decision turned out to be successful - to involve the poor in garbage collection. Collecting waste is rewarded with cash or food packages.
Garbage collection in the United States takes place in plastic bags, which are stored in containers located near each house. Utilities take containers for sorting to send garbage for recycling. Paper, plastic, cans, bottles - all of these materials are used to make goods marked "made from garbage."
At one time there were problems with metal cans in the country, but with the help of a reward system for the delivery of garbage, they were resolved. Today, almost every American institution has a press for cardboard, cans, paper.
Finland
A feature of garbage collection in Finland is street containers, resembling small boxes. The garbage storage itself is underground. Many containers are connected to special vacuum pipes, thanks to which the waste immediately enters the processing plants. The speed of the movement of debris is 25-30 meters per second.
The priority is the deep processing of waste. The glass is crushed and the crumbs are sold to glassware companies. As a result, one bottle is used approximately 30 times in the country.
Plastic garbage in the country is pressed and burned at special stations at a temperature of 1.3 thousand degrees, receiving electricity.
Half of the country's waste is incinerated. There are four waste incineration plants in Vienna alone.
In addition, Austria is ready to switch to alternative sources of electricity generation as widely as possible. Including getting energy generated from burning garbage.
About three thousand people are involved in this field of activity, and the profession of a garbage collector in Austria is considered socially significant.
Sweden is one of the leaders in waste collection. Half of it is used to generate electricity and heat, and half is recycled. All families in the country are required to sort garbage. Many have between five and seven containers in their home. In this country, the method of underground vacuum "garbage chutes" is also being actively introduced. Despite the fact that this requires a large investment, in the end, people then save on the transportation of waste.
United Arab Emirates
Recently, the UAE has been actively developing in many directions. Was no exception and activities related to the collection and processing of waste.
A few years ago, it became clear that the main landfill could be full by 2022. Therefore, the authorities seriously began to deal with the problem of collection and processing.
To accustom residents to the new rules, they introduced a special tariff for those who collect garbage separately. In addition, various competitions are held. For example, donate an iPad for responsible separate waste collection.
The country also has special measures to support businesses associated with waste processing activities.
Many other developed countries such as Canada, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, etc. collect and sort waste in the same way. Garbage suitable for recycling is necessarily used, the rest of the waste is either landfilled or incinerated.
According to environmentalists, giving waste a “second life” and recycling it at sorting complexes is currently the most altruistic method of MSW disposal.
ANNOTATION
This article presents a generalized experience in dealing with waste, considers the problem of processing waste of various origins, their impact on human life, ecology. Ways to solve these problems are also given, statistics are presented on the amount of emissions and the volume of waste disposal both for individual countries and for Russia.
Keywords: waste, garbage, recycling, recycling, emissions, ecology, recyclables.
The problem of waste disposal of various origins is one of the main tasks of our time. Air pollution, emissions of industrial enterprises, energy systems into the atmosphere, as well as waste obtained from the processing of raw materials of animal origin have a negative impact on the environment. In many large industrial centers, pollution levels are several times higher than the permissible sanitary standards.
Waste is the remains of products or an additional product generated during or after the completion of a particular activity. Production wastes are the remains of raw materials, materials, substances, products, objects, formed in the process of manufacturing products, performing work and having lost their original consumer properties, can be reused. These include slag, ash, plastic, leather, rubber, glass.
According to statistics, for every inhabitant of the planet there are from 0.5 to 2 kilograms of various waste per day.
In our country, various enterprises produce up to 4 billion tons of waste every year. Of these, about 3 billion are industrial waste, up to 40 million are municipal solid waste, the rest is biological waste.
Every year, one average family of four throws out about 150 kilograms of various kinds of plastics, about 100 kilograms of waste paper and about a thousand glass bottles.
Plastic waste that ends up in the ocean kills about 1 million marine life every year.
A favorable environment for the development of pathogens is rotting household waste. As a result, the quality of the environment is deteriorating. Construction debris such as concrete, wood, metal can damage the balance of the ecosystem. Metal is most often recycled, while wood "supplies" local landfills.
While virtually all construction waste can be reused or recycled, construction waste accounts for more than 20% of all waste. Their decomposition time can be several hundred years.
Modern building materials contain many hazardous substances, which have a negative impact on the human body. Table 1 reflects the harmful effects of harmful substances on people.
Table 1.
Effect of derived waste on human organ systems
central nervous system |
lead, beryllium, arsenic, antimony, (PCB); |
Digestive and urinary systems |
lead, cadmium, antimony, dioxins and furans, bromine-containing flame retardants, PVC (from PVC), PCBs |
Reproductive and endocrine systems |
lead, brominated flame retardants, dioxins and furans |
For the respiratory system |
mercury, arsenic, hexavalent chromium |
Circulatory system |
lead and mercury |
On the skeleton |
The occurrence of diseases is also affected by a large number of landfills, the total area of which throughout the country is more than four million hectares. The annual increase in landfills is almost 10% of this value (approximately 0.4 million ha). Taken together, this is the total area of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
To improve the situation in the country, since the end of the 2000s, separate waste collection began to be practiced in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Smolensk. The experience was considered negative, because, firstly, it is expensive for processing enterprises, and, secondly, people reacted irresponsibly to this fact. Now there is no legislative base and practice of applying such laws in order to encourage the population to separate waste collection. There is a well-known European practice when a homeowner is billed for the disposal of mixed waste, an order of magnitude larger than for separate waste.
The largest landfill in the world is located in the United States and covers 1,200 hectares, which is equal to 1,700 football fields. Every day, 13 thousand tons of waste are brought there, and the daily emission of methane from this mega-dump is 2,700 tons.
There are countries that experience a lack of garbage. For example, Sweden, which actively recycles and burns about 2 million tons of waste for use in district heating systems. The kingdom collects garbage from neighboring Scandinavian countries and is already planning to import solid waste from Eastern European countries, where they prefer to bury garbage. Approximately 40% of the fuel in the Swedish CHP plant is municipal waste, but wood waste and biofuels are also used. Petroleum products account for only 3% of the fuel burned at CHPPs.
To combat waste in San Francisco, a project was adopted to reduce the amount of waste to zero by 2020. Currently, 75% of waste is subject to recycling.
There are facts about waste control practiced in San Francisco:
Waste in the city is sorted into wet, dry and other waste. Waste sorting is mandatory, otherwise fines are collected.
Slovenia has set a target for 2030 to achieve a waste reduction of 50 kg per person. At the moment, the mass of waste to be disposed of annually per person is 121 kg.
The recycling of raw materials has become an alternative to waste incineration. One of the ways to achieve this goal is the fact that a special employee comes to each apartment for waste consumption. At an early stage of collection, garbage must be sorted, which greatly simplifies the further processing procedure.
Residents of Kamikatsu ( Japan) plans to get rid of garbage by 2020. Already, 80% of waste is recycled in the city. Citizens independently sort all the garbage into more than 30 categories.
To control the waste separation process, a special center has been created, whose employees advise residents and help in sorting. Recycling of textiles, the work of enterprises for the recycling of household items has led to a saving of 30% of the budget.
In Estonia, in 2008, the tradition of garbage collection was born. In the first one-day large-scale cleanup, 50,000 people took part, all of them together cleared the country of 10,000 tons of garbage. 620 volunteers and more than 500 organizations contributed to the success of the action. Studies show that as a result of the Let's Do It! pollution of natural lands by landfills decreased by 75%. The first countries to adopt the Estonian version of cleaning the world were Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Portugal. To date, in cleanings based on the Let's Do It! almost 20 million people in the world have already participated.
Starting from the current 2018, Novosibirsk has also joined the international action. On September 15, the city’s parks celebrated the Day of Cleanliness, all residents had the opportunity to hand over garbage, namely: batteries, mercury lamps, paper and other recyclable waste and receive soft drinks.
As you know, each battery pollutes about 20 square meters of land or 400 liters of water with heavy metals. The substances contained in any battery are very dangerous for nature and people, which is why they cannot be thrown away with household waste, instead, batteries must be taken to special disposal points.
For recycling, energy carriers are sent to factories, where they are processed into secondary raw materials. At the factories, they are brought in to be selected, after which they undergo a crushing procedure. During this procedure, the batteries go on a conveyor through special shredders, and pieces of iron are selected from the stream by magnets. The remaining mass, containing a large number of various chemical elements, is sent to the workshop for hydro- or pyrometallurgy.
As for mercury lamps, they are dismantled in special machines. Lamps are fed into the hermetic apparatus, where they are crushed and mercury vapor is extracted from the resulting scrap, which, under the action of sorbents, must be captured by a special condenser compartment.
The thermal vacuum method is mainly used, in which waste lamps are sent to a special vacuum trap installation, which allows vapors to be condensed with their further freezing with liquid nitrogen. Further, the thawed mercury is fed through special channels to a special storage-receiver.
The reagent method is less commonly used, based on the processing of metal-glass scrap from lamps with special means, demercurizers, which convert mercury into other, less dangerous compounds.
It is important to specifically mention the fact that all of the above methods are dangerous, because any broken “fluorescent light” lamp is a source of mercury vapor. Having utilized the lamp for 140 grams of weight, during processing, up to 45 grams of glass is obtained (usually lamps or abrasive materials are either re-made from it) and almost 6 milligrams of mercury (it goes to the re-development of lamps). In addition, almost 4 grams of phosphor are emitted, which will simply be buried.
Thus, the environmental situation around the world is not in the best position, however, there are countries that take a very responsible approach to the problem of environmental pollution and its solution through various activities. In Russia, the practice of separate waste collection has not yet taken root, however, an understanding of the need to take these measures is gradually being introduced into the minds of citizens.
Bibliography:
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