This document discusses recycling goals, terminology, advantages, and challenges. It aims to define waste reduction terms, discuss recycling specific materials like aluminum, glass, paper, plastic, and steel. The key advantages of recycling are preventing greenhouse gas emissions, saving energy, supplying industry with raw materials, and conserving resources for future generations. However, recycling faces challenges such as location of wastes, uncertain supply and markets, and technical issues associated with different materials.
4. Goals
Define terms related to waste reduction
Hazardous waste recycling
Discuss advantages associated with
waste reduction and recycling.
Discuss recycling of specific MSW
(Municipal Solid Waste) components
Discuss ways to increase recycling
5. TERMINOLOGY
Reduction: Reduction in generation, reduction in amount of
material, increase lifetime, or eliminate the need
Recycle - used, reused, or reclaimed, use of the material as
a source raw material, involves physical transformation
Reused: The direct use or reuse of a secondary material
without prior reclamation
Reclaimed: regeneration of wastes or recovery of
usable materials from wastes (e.g., regenerating spent
solvents in a solvent still). Wastes are regenerated when
they are processed to remove contaminants in a way
that restores them to their usable condition materials that
must be reclaimed/recycled prior to use or reuse
Recovery - Process to recover useful material from mixed
waste (energy is an example)
6. Recycling Advantages
Prevents the emission of many greenhouse
gases and water pollutants,
Saves energy,
Supplies valuable raw materials to industry,
Creates jobs,
Stimulates the development of greener
technologies,
Conserves resources for our children’s future,
and
Reduces the need for new landfills and
combustors.
7. Recycling Challenges
Location of wastes (9000 curbside programs)
Uncertainty of supply
Administrative and institutional constraints
Legal restrictions
Uncertain markets
Technical challenges to recycling
Changes in materials (i.e. light weighting)
Too many items in waste
Actually encourages waste production (because
recycling will take care of it)
9. Aluminum Recycling
About 51 percent of aluminum cans is being recycled
Twenty years ago it took 19 aluminum cans to make
one pound, but today, aluminum beverage cans are
lighter and it takes 29 cans to make a pound.
Americans throw away enough aluminum every three
months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95
percent less energy and 20 recycled cans can be
made with the energy needed to produce one can
using virgin ore.
Domestic recycling has declined recently, collection is
expensive
10. Glass Recycling
Glass always lags other recyclables
Alternative markets needed – grind for
construction fill, “glassphalt,” fiberglass
Transportation of heavy glass is expensive
Raw materials are inexpensive
Contamination is an issue
Reuse used to be common practice; however
as manufacturing plants became larger and
decreased in number, bottles had to be
carried further for refilling.
More colored glass is imported than used
domestically
11. Paper Recycling
Problems
Chlorination produces dioxins/furans
Inks are petrochemical based
Acid used to break fibers shortens life
Coating of high gloss paper
Demand for high quality paper
Glues, laminates, plastics, inks not water soluble
Paper can only be reused 4-12 times, always need
a virgin source
12. Plastic Recycling
Problems
Light weight, bulky, low density
Wide variety of polymers
Concerns over contamination for reuse
Difficult to differentiate among types
PET(Polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE(High-
density polyethylene) have high prices due to
domestic and international demand
Curbside recycling is down, driving prices up
More expensive oil prices makes virgin plastic
more expensive
13. Steel Recycling
Expanding economy – increased steel
demands; China and India biggest markets
36.4% of steel is recycled
Use of plastic for automobiles is a problem
One ton steel recycled saves 2500 lb of iron
ore, 1000 lb of coal, 40 lb of limestone, and
significant energy savings