GARBAGE PROBLEM
SOLID WASTE
The United State Environmental Protection Agency reports that the US alone produces 11 billion tons of
solid waste each year.
Industrial waste compose from 90-400 million tons
Household and commercial wastes 300 million tons
Hazardous waste from 60-250 million tons
Developed countries produce more garbage than developing countries.
Garbage has become a huge problem because of lack of the dumping sites and the risks posed to heath
through direct exposure, or contamination of water, soil and air.
OPEN DUMPS
sites of garbage disposal
Philippines has at least 10 huge open dumps, the most popular of which is Smokey Mountain where
tragic avalanche of garbage took several lives on July 10, 2000.
Expose garbage to flies, rats and other vermin that then become carriers of diseases.
In the Philippines, 64% of solid waste is composed of plastics, 24% of glass and metals.
In Metro Manila and suburbs alone, the daily bulk of garbage is 6,000 tons and only 2/3 is being
collected by the governments; the rest litter the streets and clog the waterways.
OCEAN DUMPING
another wrong disposal of garbage that has been done for decades in the belief that the oceans are a
bottomless dumpsite.
25,000 metric tons of packaging, half a million bottles, cans and plastic containers, 150,000 tons of
fishing gear, 1,000 km of nets crude oil, and unknown other wastes get dumped at sea.
Certainly affect in no little way the marine environment and all its inhabitants.
LANDFILLS
In the US about 75% of solid waste is disposed of in landfills where the waste is composed and covered
with soil before a new layer is dumped on.
a subterranean trench is dug around the pile to trap the leachate which is then pumped to the top for
filtering out the chemicals. After a few years, the dump can be converted into a park, a golf course, an
athletic field or a wildlife area.
Only 25% decompose in the first 15 years; most of the rest remain undecomposed for at least four
decades.
Newspapers take up as much as 16% of these trash and do not decompose quickly.
The problem today is lack of landfill sites worldwide due to the greater awareness about the risk
associated with garbage.
Recent strategy is using technology to make landfill cleaner and safer and building residences on them.
INCINERATION
It is an alternative method of waste disposal, which reduces the volume of waste by 90% and removes
99% of the toxins.
Heat can be sold to generate electricity and with effective pollution controls, add little to air pollution.
25% of the original waste remains as toxic residues, which are disposed of in landfills and may contain
lead, mercury, dioxin, cadmium and other toxic metals.
Incineration discourages recycling because it would be easier to throw away paper, glass, plastics and
other waste to be burned.
RECYCLING
Reduce considerably the amount of garbage by reusing glass, plastics, aluminum, metals, scrap iron and
other materials.
Reduce air, water and land pollution
Humus would be useful for planting while rotting matter could be used to produce biogas.
Using crap iron to produce steel requires 65% less energy and 40% less water than iron ore.
The process also reduces the accompanying air pollution by 85% and water pollution by 76%.
Air pollution reduced 95% less energy than mining and processing its source, bauxite.
HAZARDOUS AND TOXIC WASTES
Ignitable materials are those that might easily ignite.
Corrosive materials are those that could bore through steel due to acidity.
Reactive materials are those which explode as a reaction to contact with water or compression.
Toxic materials are poisonous and may endanger human health.
Every year at least 1,000 new chemicals are produced, including countless synthetics that do not
decompose in nature. These chemicals stay in the environment for decades, exposing organism to toxic
effects, particularly as carcinogens,(cancer-causing), or are converted by organisms to more toxic forms.
NUCLEAR WASTE
Is the gravest concern among all types of wastes because of its potential risk to living organisms,
particularly to human health.
sublethal effects cause long-term disabilities or such dreaded morbidities as cancer and mutation.
Radioactive wastes persist in the environment.
The problem of toxic waste disposal is illustrated in the Khian Sea incident.
Every year, of some 60 million metric tons of hazardous and toxic waste, about 3 million tons is dumped
into the sea.
Environmental Pollution
What’s Environmental Pollution?
Environmental pollution in any an undesirable change in physical,chemical, or biological characteristics
of any component of the environment
Forms of Environmental Pollution
*Soil contamination
*Air pollution
*Water pollution
*Noise pollution
*Radioactive contamination
*Light pollution
Littering
Thermal pollution
Visual pollution
Air pollution
Burning greater amounts of fossil fuels
Fossil fuels- collective term given to coal, petroleum, oil, kerosene, gasoline and natural gas, which can
be burned to produce energy.
Smog- combination of smoke and fog
Water pollution
Fresh water pollution
Marine Pollution
Toxic heavy Metals
Mercury- used in the production of plastics, chlorine and caustic soda
also known as quick silver
Cadium- by product of zinc smelting, used in the production of plastics, pigments, batteries and
electroplating.
Soft, silvery white metal
Copper- Most toxic metal to marine organisms
-soft, malleable and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity
Lead – input into the atmosphere comes from leaded gasoline, paints, batteries, sheets and pipes and
fall back to earth in rain and snow which eventually flow to the sea.
A heavy metal that is dense than the most common materials. Soft and malleable and also have
relatively low melting point.
Oil Spills – crude oil or refined petroleum
- greatly damaging to the marine environment because they contain a variety of other
chemicals.
Toxic and radioactive wastes- dumped into the sea
Plastics- found in all garbage dumps and pose particular problems at sea.
PCB’s – (polychlorinated biphenyls) are organic molecules of two benzene rings to which chlorine
molecules are attached.
We Must Stop Pollution But How?
Here are some steps we can follow:
1. Use alternate means of transportation, not your car.
2. Buy local foods and avoid factory- farmed meat.
3- Reduce your waste.
4. Reduce your electricity consumption.
5. Plant shady trees.
6. Use fewer chemicals.
7. Conserve water.
8. Learn about the major polluters in your area and tell your friend what you know.
9. Join an environmental group
Clean People , Clean Environment!
THANKS…
