Municipal solid waste(solid waste, household waste) - unsuitable for further use food products and household items or goods that have lost their consumer properties, the largest part of consumer waste. Solid waste is also divided into waste (biological waste) and household waste itself (non-biological waste, artificial or natural origin), and the latter is often called simply garbage at the everyday level.
Municipal solid waste and its classification
Every year the amount of garbage increases by approximately 3% by volume. The amount of solid waste in the CIS is about 100 million tons/year, with Russia accounting for more than a quarter of this volume (according to other data for 2007 for the Russian Federation - about 63 million tons/year).
The composition of solid household waste depends on many factors: the level of development of the country and region, the cultural level of the population and its customs, the time of year and other reasons. More than a third of solid waste consists of packaging materials, the amount of which is constantly increasing. Solid waste is characterized by multicomponent and heterogeneous composition, low density and instability (ability to rot). The sources of solid waste generation can be both residential and public buildings, trade, entertainment, sports and other enterprises. In foreign practice, the name “MSW” corresponds to the term “municipal solid waste” (Municipal Solid Waste).
MSW includes the following types of important waste:
- paper (cardboard);
- large materials;
- food (organic) waste;
- plastic;
- metals;
- rubber;
- leather;
- textile;
- glass;
- tree and others.
Hazardous solid waste includes:
- waste batteries and accumulators;
- electrical appliances;
- varnishes;
- paints and cosmetics;
- fertilizers and pesticides;
- household chemicals;
- medical waste;
- mercury-containing thermometers;
- barometers;
- tonometers;
- lamps.
Some waste (for example, medical, toxic chemicals, residues of paints, varnishes, adhesives, cosmetics, anti-corrosion agents, household chemicals) pose a danger to environment, if they enter water bodies through sewers or as soon as they are washed out of a landfill and enter ground or surface waters. Batteries and mercury-containing devices will be safe until the case is damaged: glass cases of devices break easily on the way to a landfill, and corrosion will corrode the battery case over time. Then mercury, alkali, lead, zinc will become elements of secondary pollution of atmospheric air, ground and surface waters.
According to the nature and degree of impact on the natural environment, they are divided into:
- industrial; waste consisting of inert materials, the disposal of which is currently not economically justified;
- recyclable materials (recycled raw materials);
- waste of hazard class 3;
- waste of hazard class 2;
- waste of hazard class 1.
In Russia, the volume of solid waste generation in 2007 amounted to 56.8 million tons
Table No. 1: Solid waste management in Russia
Russian regulatory framework for waste management
Current national standards of the Russian Federation in the field of resource conservation. Over the years 1994-2003, the following 13 standards were developed and adopted by the IGU of the CIS countries and the State Standard of Russia:
- GOST 30166-95 Resource saving. Basic provisions;
- GOST 30167-95 Resource saving. The procedure for establishing indicators in product documentation;
- GOST 30772-2001 Resource saving. Waste management. Terms and definitions;
- GOST 30773-2001 Resource conservation. Waste management. Stages of the waste technological cycle;
- GOST 30774-2001 Resource conservation. Waste management. Waste hazard certificate. Basic requirements;
- GOST 30775-2001 Resource conservation. Waste management. Classification, identification and coding of waste. Basic provisions;
- GOST R 51768-2001 Resource saving. Waste management. Determination of mercury in mercury-containing industrial and consumer waste. Basic provisions;
- GOST R 51769-2001 Resource saving. Waste management. Documentation and regulation of industrial and consumer waste management activities. Basic provisions;
- GOST R 52106-2003 Resource saving. Basic provisions;
- GOST R 52104-2003 Resource saving. Terms and definitions;
- GOST R 52107-2003 Resource saving. Classification and definition of indicators;
- GOST R 52108-2003 Resource conservation. Waste management. Basic provisions;
- GOST R 52105-2003 Resource saving. Waste management. Classification and methods of processing mercury-containing waste.
All of these standards are aimed at solving problems of resource conservation through the effective involvement of waste into industrial circulation, use modern methods and means of standardization and metrology necessary to regulate these activities, including using tools such as certification, registration, certification, licensing, as well as identification, coding, classification, information support, determination of hazardous and commercial (inert) characteristics of waste.
Improving Russian environmental legislation in the field of waste management The Russian regulatory framework in the field of waste management21 today is largely outdated, lags behind international law and requires modernization. The government does little to encourage waste recycling. Modern environmental principles, approaches and requirements are not properly taken into account when placing government orders for the supply of goods, performance of work, and provision of services for state and municipal needs. The manufacture of products from recycled materials is not a priority criterion for government procurement. Developed countries have come to understand the need to strengthen government regulation in the field of waste management. Their recycling is considered as an independent branch of the economy, closely related to those industries where the corresponding types of waste are generated. Revision of approaches to the problem of waste management in European countries is carried out regularly and entails changes in legislation. In Russia, the fundamental Federal Law “On Production and Consumption Waste” was adopted almost 15 years ago - in 1998, and for this reason alone requires adjustment. It is this law that most subjects involved in the waste management process are guided by. Experts note that it does not include:
- priority of disposal over disposal;
- manufacturer's responsibility for end-of-life disposal;
- prohibition of the import of non-recyclable packaging;
- the need to use the best available technologies. The fundamental EU legal act in the field of waste management is the Waste Framework Directive.
The most important principles of the strategy chosen in the EU in the field of resource conservation, waste recycling and waste management are:
- preference for preventing the generation of waste rather than placing it in landfills and landfills;
- the principle of sufficiency of production capacity and equipment for waste disposal and disposal;
- implementation of the best available technologies without excessive financial costs for enterprises;
- rational placement of recycling facilities closer to the production facilities that are the source of their formation (which significantly reduces transport costs of moving waste);
- expansion of manufacturer responsibility for the entire cycle of manufactured products;
- compliance with the “polluter pays” principle, according to which the polluter covers the costs of removing waste or minimizing the adverse effects of it;
- attention to preventive measures to prevent damage to the environment and public health.
In Russia, an effectively working legal framework has not yet been formed in the field of best available technologies, although it is precisely this area that can stimulate the technological renewal of production.
IN Federal law dated January 10, 2002 No. 7-FZ “On Environmental Protection”, the term “best existing technology” is established, which causes concern among experts due to the fact that it is difficult, including economically, to introduce the best existing technology due to its possible inaccessibility. It is therefore proposed to use the term “best available technology”, which is common in European legislation. Another shortcoming of the existing legislation is that the law does not clarify the criteria for classifying technologies into this category and does not provide a rationale for the selection of these technologies. In the European Union, best available technology has been introduced into industry since Directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control came into force in 1996. This directive obliges EU member states to regulate industrial activities through a permitting procedure based on technological standards using “best available technologies”. In general, European legislation in this industry is becoming more systematic and comprehensive. Thus, this directive was replaced by Directive 2008/1/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 15, 2008. The new directive incorporates the provisions of Council Directive 96/61/EC, as well as several major changes introduced by subsequent directives in this area, in particular Directive 2003/4/EC.
The key element of modern pan-European regulatory mechanisms, based on the principle of using the best available technologies, is not only the legislative norms themselves, but also the infrastructure, including specialized state institutions, engaged in their analysis, monitoring, informing interested parties, introducing relevant technological and environmental standards, issuing and updating relevant directories by industry. In the bill “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts Russian Federation in terms of improving regulation in the field of environmental protection and introducing measures of economic incentives for business entities to implement best technologies“all this is implicitly assigned to the “federal executive body authorized by the Government of the Russian Federation.” Today, the need to bring the norms of Russian state environmental policy in the field of waste management closer to the main directions of European lawmaking is of paramount importance. Therefore, the “direct implementation” of EU standards into current legislation in the field of ecology, resource conservation and waste management and recycling is currently being considered. Poor knowledge of the EU regulatory framework is already having a negative impact on the export of Russian products. In the future, the importance of environmental friendliness as a competitive advantage will only increase.
Legislation and practice of household waste management in European countries
Issues of household waste management are currently one of the most pressing problems of modern cities. European countries have accumulated extensive experience in collecting, transporting and processing waste. The main measures taken are aimed at reducing the volume of waste subject to disposal, processing waste and converting it into secondary raw materials. This material is devoted to the organization of work on household waste management, the responsibility of executive authorities, and the activities of private companies.
The principle of waste management using the example of Poland
Responsibility for organizing the collection of household garbage and waste local authorities authorities. Their main functions include:
- issuing rules that homeowners must follow (for example, the obligation to collect household waste and hand it over to an authorized waste collection company);
- issuing licenses to companies for collecting and transporting waste;
- determination of the maximum tax for waste removal (payment for waste collection companies charged to homeowners depends on the market situation, but should not exceed the maximum established amount).
The average Polish municipality (especially in rural areas of the country) occupies a small area, which does not allow the creation of complete and cost-effective waste collection and disposal systems. Therefore, the creation of regional waste management associations by local authorities is encouraged. However, since such association is not mandatory, few such associations have been created in the country. All homeowners (owners and managers) are required to enter into an agreement with a company that collects, transports and disposes of waste. They have the right to choose from firms of a given profile operating on the market. The firm must inform the relevant local authorities of all contracts entered into (the local authorities maintain a register of contracts). This ensures that all householders are handling waste properly. Local authorities determine the conditions for issuing licenses. These could be, for example, requirements for equipment that the company has and uses. Formally, there are no restrictions on the issuance of licenses. The number of companies operating in the waste market is significant. As a result, it often happens that waste from different buildings on the same street is collected by several different companies. Proponents of such a system argue that it is beneficial for homeowners (they can choose the operator offering the lowest prices). However, according to local authorities, there are complaints about such a system, since environmental costs increase and full control of waste streams becomes more difficult. The transport of waste collection companies is used inefficiently in such a system; some of the secondary raw materials are lost and not used, since the companies themselves choose a solution that is convenient for them, and burying waste, for example, turns out to be the cheapest. As a result, in Poland more than 95% of household waste ends up in landfills. As a result, Parliament empowered local authorities to specify in the license what the end result of the waste management work should be. Despite protests from the private sector (waste firms, for example, argue that such regulation violates the rules of the free market), the new regulations are likely to increase control over waste streams and encourage the development of recycling systems. Another measure is aimed at significantly increasing the level of fees for landfilling. Thus, in the future, landfilling will be less competitive compared to different options recycling and reuse of waste.
"Separate waste collection"
|
Main idea |
Modern world produces huge amounts of waste. Many of them can be reused. Only things that cannot be recycled should go into landfill. If we don't change our attitude towards garbage, the planet could turn into one big garbage dump. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Duration |
45 minutes. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Materials |
Various types of packaging, from simple and multi-component materials: glass, aluminum, plastic, wood, paper, milk cartons, film-coated paper, etc. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related subjects |
Ecology, chemistry, biology. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Target classes |
To develop in students an awareness of the problems of proper management of production and consumption waste, and practical skills in the economical consumption of these resources. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tasks |
Motivate the need for students’ personal participation in solving resource conservation problems. Promote the formation of a culture of recycling household waste. Learn more about different types of packaging and materials used every day. D. When purchasing packaging for a gift to a friend, you pay attention to: - for bright packaging design ( 3) ; - on the packaging material, it large number (4 ); - presence of eco-labels indicating the possibility of recycling ( 2 ); -
pack the gift in an already used box or bag, after decorating it with improvised materials ( 1
).
The teacher summarizes
:
The Ecological Footprint measures the impact humanity has on the environment. It shows us how much of the earth's and water's surface is used for the production of food, raw materials, energy, as well as for the disposal of waste generated during this production process. The modern world produces a huge amount of waste. Many of them can be reused. Only things that cannot be recycled should go into landfill. If we don't change our attitude towards garbage, the planet could turn into one big garbage dump. For many millennia, landfills did not change their volumes, people produced almost no excess waste - materials were expensive, everything that was possible was reused or recycled. Metals were melted down, organic waste was composted, even scraps of old clothing were put to use. The situation remained unchanged until approximately the middle of the 19th century - during the scientific and technological revolution, new polymer materials, rubbers and plastics were invented and became widespread. They were cheap, convenient and, unfortunately, did not decompose naturally. The area of landfills began to increase steadily. The growth of industry and material standards of living still leads to an avalanche-like increase in waste. In Moscow in 2013, about 32.6 million tons of production and consumption waste were generated. About 80% of waste is generated as a result of activities agriculture, mining and processing industries, energy and transport. The remaining 20% are of domestic origin. In Moscow, a huge share of construction waste is made up of soil excavated during the construction of the metro - its volume has increased significantly recently. Household waste, although not most of in volumes of garbage, is a very dangerous type of waste for nature - after all, these are mainly materials that do not decompose under natural conditions. Most household waste (plastics, metals, paper, glass and food waste) can be reused. According to statistics, in Moscow, one family accounts for up to one and a half kilograms of household waste per day. This waste is mainly represented by packaging made from various materials. There are three ways waste disposal- burial in special landfills, burning and processing. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Garbage from the city is mostly transported to landfills near Moscow, currently there are about 210 of them, with an area of 50 to 60 hectares. The total area of landfills is comparable to the area of four and a half states of Monaco or twenty Vatican City. Rational waste management is an alternative to turning our planet into one big garbage dump. 2. Stage of acquiring new knowledge.
Explain that simple materials such as wood, metals, glass, paper or synthetics are increasingly being replaced by composite materials containing several layers. This improves the quality of the final product, but makes it difficult to process - after all, during processing it is necessary to first separate the packaging into its component parts, and this is not always possible. Pay attention to the labeling of plastic packaging. Most plastic products have a special symbol - a number in a triangle, sometimes the symbol is supplemented letter designation. This plastic marking indicates what material the packaging is made of and whether it can be recycled.
Please pay special attention, which is in MoscowPlastics marked 3 and 7 are not accepted for recycling (“polyvinyl chloride” and “all other plastics”). 3R conceptIt is clear that the problem of an avalanche-like increase in the amount of waste must be solved. More than 20 years ago, the 3R concept was formulated - based on the first letters of English words reduce (reduction), reuse (reuse), recycle (recycling). From the very name of this concept its basic principles are clear. Reduce - to reduce consumption, not to strive to buy unnecessary things, not to chase new advances, if the existing things fully correspond to their functions. Try to buy products with less packaging. R euse (reuse) - m Many items can be reused - for example, printing on the back of paper, making crafts from recycled materials (a vase from a drink bottle, a pencil holder from a jar, etc.) And the third "R" recycle (recycling)- used materials can and should be recycled so that they can be made into something new and useful, and not left lying in a landfill as dead weight. When purchasing goods, you should pay attention to the labeling of the packaging - will it be possible to recycle it later? B. Interactive conversation “What to do with garbage?”Reference information for the teacher: There are three ways in which waste can be disposed of. The first is burial at landfills. The disadvantages of this method are obvious - large areas are needed, landfills spoil the landscape, materials from landfills will be almost impossible to recycle. Incineration - on the one hand, the volume of waste is reduced several times and the problem of lack of space for disposal sites is almost solved. On the other hand, the resulting ash is highly toxic; it is necessary to take care of cleaning exhaust from waste incineration plants; when synthetic materials are burned, the most dangerous substances are released - dioxins. Instruments, materials and equipment: Scales, separate packages for different types garbage, observation diary. Goals. Analysis of the structure and dynamics of waste generated in an apartment over a certain period of time (before and after applying the separate waste collection technique) Work progress: Collect the garbage that is generated in your family (class) during one day. If possible, weigh paper, plastic, glass and aluminum separately. To make this easier, you can introduce separate waste collection at home. Observations and calculations can be carried out for a week, then find the arithmetic average for each type of garbage. Try going to the store with a fabric bag for a week, buying groceries in economical packaging, and reusing some items. Then take the same measurements. Place the results in a table and compare with the previous ones. Presentation of results: It is advisable to collect the results in a single table, for example, like this: Weight Aluminum Plastic Paper Glass Others Total weight Day 2 Day … Total on average: Per day:__________ For the week:_________ For the month:__________ In the case of measuring the volume of garbage, you should indicate how much garbage was thrown out before compaction, and whether a more attentive attitude to the choice of packaging at the purchase stage somehow influenced the volume of garbage. Questions for the assignment: How much garbage does your family throw out per week, month, year? How long will it take for the waste you generate to decompose in the ground? Is it possible to use several different waste collection containers in our homes? Explain your point of view. What else can influence the amount of garbage thrown out? Using the table data, calculate how much the mass of waste that is transported from your apartment to solid waste landfills will decrease if waste is collected separately per week (month, year). |
The environment has always been a source of resources for humanity, but for a long time its life activity did not have a noticeable impact on nature. Only since the end of the last century, under the influence of economic activity, noticeable changes in the Earth’s biosphere began to occur. They have now reached alarming proportions.
The scale of the problem
The rapid growth of population and the level of consumption of natural resources, the modern pace of material production lead to thoughtless treatment of nature. With this attitude, a huge part of the resources taken from nature is returned to it in the form of waste, harmful and unsuitable for further use.
Scientists estimate that 5 tons of garbage are generated every day in the world, while its amount increases annually by 3% by volume. The accumulation of household waste on the surface is harmful surrounding nature, polluting water, soil and atmosphere and threatening the existence of all life on the planet. Therefore, one of the important issues around the world is the disposal of household waste.
Classification of household waste
Household waste can be classified according to several criteria.
Thus, according to its composition, household waste is conventionally divided into biological residues and non-biological waste (garbage).
- rats;
- cockroaches
Cockroaches can be carriers of various types of diseases
Non-biological waste includes:
- paper;
- plastic;
- metal;
- textile;
- glass;
- rubber.
The process of decomposition of this waste can last about 2-3 years and in most cases is accompanied by the release of toxic substances, causing harm to the environment and humans.
According to their state of aggregation, waste is divided into:
- hard;
- liquid;
- gaseous;
- pastes;
- gels;
- suspensions;
- emulsions.
By origin, waste is divided into:
- Industrial – a type of household waste resulting from production.
- Construction - are formed during construction and installation work, repair of roads, buildings, as well as during their demolition.
- Radioactive waste.
- Municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated in the residential sector, trade enterprises, educational, healthcare and social facilities.
These are goods that have lost their consumer properties over time and turned into garbage, and also include road and yard waste as solid waste.
The most significant part of household waste is MSW. For each type of waste there are special waste disposal methods.
Waste recycling
The process of disposal of solid waste occurs in several stages:
- collection;
- transportation;
- accommodation;
- neutralization;
- burial;
- storage;
- recycling;
- disposal.
First of all, the process of getting rid of garbage involves its careful sorting. The task of preliminary waste sorting and disposal is greatly facilitated by separate waste collection, which is promoted in most European countries.
Methods for disposal of solid household waste
There are various options for its destruction. Thus, the main way to dispose of solid waste is disposal at special sites (landfills).
At landfills, irrecoverable waste is destroyed - household waste is processed, as a result of which it almost completely ceases to exist as waste. The disposal method is not suitable for all types of solid waste, but only for non-combustible waste or for substances that emit toxic substances when burned.
The advantage of this method is that it does not require significant financial costs and the presence of large plots of land. But there are also disadvantages in using this method - the accumulation of gas during underground decay of waste.
Briquetting is a new, not yet widely used in practice, method of disposal of solid waste. It includes preliminary sorting and packaging of homogeneous waste into separate briquettes, and then their storage in specially designated areas (landfills).
Briquetting waste makes it possible to significantly save space
Garbage packaged in this way is pressed, which greatly facilitates its transportation due to a significant reduction in volume.
Briquetted waste is intended for further processing and possible application for industrial purposes. Along with this method, such as recycling of municipal solid waste, when briquetting they can be transported for burial or disposal by heat treatment.
In essence, this method is similar to the burial method, but in practice it has a number of advantages over it. The disadvantages of the method are that the heterogeneity of the emitted waste and preliminary heavy contamination in garbage containers and changes in some components of the waste create greater difficulty in briquetting.
And the high abrasiveness of components such as stone, sand and glass interfere with the pressing process.
Since these waste treatment methods have a number of disadvantages, despite their cheapness, the best option will be the complete disposal of waste during its processing into recyclable materials and fuel, as well as its possible reuse.
A new way to recycle waste
Garbage disposal
When recycling waste (Latin root utilis - useful), waste can later be used for various purposes.
Waste to be disposed of includes:
- all types of metals;
- glass;
- polymers;
- products from yarn and fabric;
- paper;
- rubber;
- organic household and agricultural waste.
The most effective method of disposal today is recycling.
In other words, recycling is a special case of the concept of “disposal of solid household waste”.
When recycling, waste is returned to the process of technogenesis. There are two options for waste recycling:
- Reuse of waste for its intended purpose after appropriate safe handling and labeling. For example, reusing glass and plastic containers.
- Return of waste after processing to the production cycle. For example, tin containers go into steel production, waste paper goes into paper and cardboard production.
Some types of waste that can no longer be used for their intended purpose are processed, after which it is more expedient to return them to the production cycle as secondary raw materials. Thus, part of the waste can be used to generate thermal and electrical energy.
In addition to those already listed, solid waste disposal can be carried out by several other methods. Each of them is applicable to a specific type of waste, and has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Thermal waste treatment
Thermal processing refers to several methods:
- burning;
- low temperature pyrolysis;
- plasma treatment (high temperature pyrolysis).
The method of simple waste incineration is the most common and one of the cheapest methods of waste disposal. It is during combustion that large volumes of waste are disposed of, and the resulting ash takes up less space, does not undergo decay processes and does not emit harmful gases into the atmosphere. It is non-toxic and does not require specially equipped burial sites.
The main thing about this method is that when burning garbage, a large amount of thermal energy is released, which they have recently learned to use for battery life enterprises engaged in waste incineration. And its surplus is redirected to city stations, which makes it possible to provide electricity and heat to entire areas.
The disadvantage of this method is that during combustion, in addition to safe components, smoke is formed, saturated with toxic substances, which creates a dense curtain over the surface of the earth and leads to significant disruption of the ozone layer of the atmosphere, contributing to its thinning and the formation of ozone holes.
High and low temperature pyrolysis
is a technological process of waste gasification that occurs at a melting temperature higher than in a conventional processing plant (over 900°C).
As a result, the output is a vitrified product, which is absolutely harmless and does not require further disposal costs. The design of this process makes it possible to obtain gas from the organic components of the waste, which is then used to produce electricity and steam.
The main advantage of this method is that it allows you to successfully solve the problem of environmentally friendly waste disposal without extra costs for preliminary preparation, sorting, and drying.
The advantages of low-temperature pyrolysis (temperatures from 450 to 900°C) are:
- use for recycling of almost all types of household waste, carefully selected in advance;
- obtaining pyrolysis oils used in the production of plastics;
- release of pyrolysis gas suitable for further use.
In addition, there is a waste disposal method called composting. Since most of the waste consists of various organic residues, they are subject to rapid rotting in the natural environment.
On this property organic matter composting method is based. The process of composting not only gets rid of a huge part of the waste that pollutes the environment, but also produces substances useful for agriculture - fertilizers.
The presented waste disposal methods allow waste to be processed with the least negative impact on the environment.
Video: Modern approach to waste disposal
Municipal solid waste (MSW) is consumer waste generated as a result of household activities of the population. They consist of products and materials that are unsuitable for further use in everyday life.
This is waste that accumulates in housing, institutions, public enterprises (schools, entertainment and children's institutions, hotels, canteens, etc.).
Solid household waste that is taken into account by the accumulation rate includes waste generated in residential buildings, including waste from routine repairs of apartments, waste from combustion products in local heating devices, waste, fallen leaves collected from courtyard areas and large household items.
The composition and volume of household waste is extremely varied and depends not only on the country and area, but also on the time of year and many other factors. The volumes of household waste for some countries are shown in the table. Paper and cardboard constitute the most significant part of solid waste (up to 40% in developed countries). The second largest category in Russia is the so-called organic, incl. food, waste; metal, glass and plastic each account for 7-9% of the total waste. About 4% each comes from wood, textiles, rubber, etc. The amount of municipal waste in Russia is increasing, and its composition, especially in large cities, is approaching the composition of solid waste in Western countries with a relatively large share of paper waste and plastic.
The modern period of production development is characterized by an increasing volume and variety of final and intermediate products, an increase in the volume of natural resources involved in production activities, and an increase in the quantity and variety of waste discharged into the environment.
The volume of mineral extraction in our country practically doubles every 10 years, but at the same time finished products No more than 5% of the extracted raw materials is transferred, but the overall coefficient of human economic activity is 1-2%. The rest of the mass - 95% - returns to the natural environment in the form of waste, polluting it.
In Russia alone, 4.5 billion tons of production and consumption waste are stored annually on the surface of the earth. The total amount of accumulated waste is 50 billion tons, and more than 250 thousand hectares of land are occupied for storage.
Toxic waste, which can contain toxic and harmful substances tens and hundreds of times more than permissible standards, poses a great threat to the environment and human health. According to academician B.N. Laskorin, their number in industrialized countries already in 1995 exceeded 30 billion tons by absolutely dry mass. In the Russian Federation, 76 million tons of hazardous industrial waste are generated annually.
All this confirms the conclusions of scientists that the main reason for the negative impact on the environment is not so much the growth of production, but the lack of comprehensive processing of minerals, as well as waste disposal.
IN different countries The waste removal and recycling system developed differently. The level of this system was determined by the level of household and
technological culture.
For a long period, pollution of the natural environment by household and industrial waste was local in nature. The natural dispersion and chemical decomposition of waste was sufficient for natural systems to be completely freed of pollutants as a result of self-purification processes.
Until the 70s of the current century, due to the lack effective means Disposing of industrial waste, methods of storing it in city landfills along with household waste or in specialized landfills with primitive facilities were widespread, which causes environmental pollution.
The problem of increasing the use of industrial waste lies not only in its negative impact on the environment, but also in its potential value as a possible raw material.
To determine the efficiency of waste disposal and the capital investments required for this in order to plan their integrated use, the classification of solid waste is of particular importance.
Solid waste includes lump-like, dusty, pasty waste generated during production and consumption, as well as waste collected treatment facilities during emissions into the atmosphere and discharges into water bodies. This also includes liquid waste that is prohibited from being accepted into the sewerage network and treatment plants.
Generalization and analysis of literature data show that currently the classification of industrial waste is based on their systematization by industry. Each industry has its own classification of waste, which creates difficulties for its integrated management.
For practical purposes, waste classification is most often used according to the place of its generation, while distinguishing waste and secondary resources. Since waste is generated as a result of production activities and during consumption, they are accordingly divided into production and consumption waste.
Industrial waste is the remains of raw materials, materials, semi-finished products, chemical compounds formed during the production of products or performance of work and which have lost completely or partially their original properties.
Consumer waste is products and materials that have lost, in whole or in part, their consumer properties as a result of physical or moral wear and tear and human activity.
Among the classification criteria, the degree of impact of waste on the environment is important. Harmful (toxic) waste includes waste that causes harmful effects on the environment, polluting, poisoning and destroying it, creating a danger to living organisms.
Toxic waste is waste containing or contaminated with materials of such a nature, in such quantities or in such concentrations that they pose a hazard to human health and the natural environment.
According to GOST 12.1.0007-76 "Harmful substances. Classification and general requirements safety", all toxic waste is divided into four hazard classes.
The presence of mercury, potassium chromate, antimony trichloride, benzo(a)pyrene, arsenic oxide and other highly toxic substances in waste allows us to classify it as the first hazard class.
The presence of copper chloride, nickel chloride, lead nitrate and other toxic substances in the waste gives grounds to classify these wastes as the second hazard class.
Presence in waste copper sulfate, lead oxide, carbon tetrachloride and other substances allows us to classify them as the third hazard class.
The presence of manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, and zinc chloride in waste gives grounds to classify them as the fourth hazard class.
Production and consumption waste, if possible, can be divided, on the one hand, into secondary material resources that are already being processed or the processing of which is planned, and, on the other hand, into waste that is not at this stage economic development is impractical to process and which inevitably form irrecoverable losses.
Secondary material resources are production and consumption waste that can currently be used in the national economy.
Secondary material resources are classified according to two criteria: source of formation and direction of use. Wastes characterized by similar physicochemical properties, making it possible to use them in the same directions, can be classified into main types (groups). For example, the group “Waste of plastics and polymers” includes nylon, caprolactam, lavsan, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene film, polypropylene, polystyrene, artificial leather waste. The Wood Waste group combines waste from wood harvesting and processing (boughs, branches, stumps, roots, bark, sawdust, shavings, trimmings).
Enlarged classification of secondary material resources divides waste into 28 groups, which provides data for the development and organizational and methodological measures to involve them in the sphere of material production.
Among consumer waste, as a rule, housing and communal waste is distinguished, where a significant part is made up of household solid waste (MSW).
Solid waste includes waste from household activities (cooking, cleaning and repairing apartments), including waste from local heating devices, large household items, packaging, waste, and fallen leaves.
Solid waste is generated in residential buildings, institutions, organizations, public enterprises (food, trade, utilities, consumer services, culture, sports, recreation, hotels, stations, marinas, educational institutions), in places of mass recreation, on the streets and courtyard areas.
Any classification of waste, no matter what the criteria, must provide the data necessary for the development of organizational and technical measures to reduce the amount of waste and its disposal.
Currently, more than 20 methods for neutralizing and processing municipal solid waste (MSW) are known in the world. According to the final goal, they are divided into liquidation and recycling, according to the technological principle into biological, chemical, thermal and mechanical. The main trends in the liquidation and processing of solid waste are: storage in landfills and landfills - 66%, incineration - 30%, composting - 3%, chemical methods - 1%.
The following factors influence the total accumulation of solid waste:
· degree of improvement of buildings/presence of garbage chutes, heating systems, thermal energy for cooking, water supply and sewerage);
· development of a network of public catering and consumer services;
· level of production of consumer goods and trade culture;
· level of coverage of communal cleaning of cultural, everyday and public organizations;
· climatic conditions.
According to the latest data, solid waste production fluctuates between 0.5 and 1.2 kilograms per person per day.
Currently, the most common method of solid waste disposal is landfills. However, this simple method comes with the following problems:
Excessively rapid overflow of existing landfills due to the large volume and low density of disposed waste. Without pre-compaction, the average density of solid waste is 200-220 kg/m3, which reaches only 450-500 kg/m3 after compaction using garbage trucks.
Negative factors for the environment: contamination of groundwater with leachable products, release unpleasant odor, scattering of waste by wind, spontaneous combustion of landfills, uncontrolled methane formation and unaesthetic appearance are only part of the problems that concern environmentalists and cause serious objections from local authorities.
Lack of areas suitable for placing landfills at a convenient distance from major cities. The expansion of cities is pushing landfills to ever greater distances. This factor, combined with rising land prices, increases the cost of transporting solid waste.
Inability to eliminate polygons. Despite the use of the most modern technologies, our society will always need to use them to destroy non-transformable fractions: ash, tires, scrap metal, construction waste.
Most of us buy drinks in plastic bottles. Some more often, some less often. But few people hand over these bottles to special collection points. And some people, including officials dealing with the problem of waste, are confident that processing such raw materials in Russia is a matter of the distant future.
The majority of household waste consists of used packaging, including plastic bottles. We went to the first Russian plant for processing plastic bottles, Plarus, and found out how old packaging is converted into raw materials for new ones.
"Plarus" is the first Russian plant that operates using bottle-to-bottle technology. Recycled plastic is no different in quality from what comes to the enterprise. The finished raw materials are used to produce new plastic bottles.
Plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET. Statistically, it is the most recycled plastic in the world. The bottle recycling process includes three stages, for which three workshops are responsible at the plant.
Collection of raw materials
Raw materials are purchased from landfills, waste sorting plants and private collections. Purchase price: 25 rubles per kilogram. In one hour, the plant processes 1,200 kilograms of plastic bottles.
Processing is a seasonal process. From May to September the number of used PET bottles increases due to natural reasons.
Sorting
The most labor-intensive process is sorting plastic by color. Plastic bottles fall into a drum, where dirt is beaten off and ferrous metals are separated. The computer then determines the color of the bottle and sends it to the appropriate bin.
There are only four colors: natural, blue, brown and green. After processing, you will get plastic of these colors. This is why recycled plastic is in great demand among packaging manufacturers: the raw materials are already colored and there is no need to spend money on expensive dye.
The dirtier the container, the more difficult it is to determine its color, so one bottle can go through the sorting stage several times. The plastic is then pressed into cubes weighing 200 kilograms each and sent to the second workshop.
Washing
In the second workshop, the cube is broken, the bottle again passes through the metal detector and ends up in a washer with cold water, where dirt and sand are washed off.
In a washer with hot water the label comes off. Already clean bottles fall onto the conveyor belt and are checked manually.
The flakes accumulate in the intermediate silo before the next wash. The process is reminiscent of laundry: the flakes are washed with lye and detergent, rinsed twice, and squeezed. Bottle caps float and end up in another container because it separate species plastic, which after processing is purchased by manufacturers of household goods.
The flakes undergo final sorting: the computer selects rejected flakes of a different color.
Granulation
In the third workshop, the flakes are cut in a grinder. Dust is completely sifted out mechanically, so workers do without respirators. Flex melts at a temperature of 280 degrees, harmful substances and large elements are drawn out of the molten material. Then a special machine (die) extrudes thin plastic threads (strands).
They are cooled and cut into transparent granules.
The granulate enters a 50-meter tower, where, under the influence of nitrogen and high temperature the plastic becomes cloudy, gains mass and viscosity.
The product spends 16 hours in the tower, is cooled and packaged.
The finished product is packaged in bags, then the granules are sent to customers.
