Runninghead:CRACKINGDOWNONMUNICIPALSOLIDWASTEREDUCTION 1

CrackingDownonMunicipalSolidWasteReduction
VanessaWang
EdinaHighSchool

AuthorNote
ThispaperwaspreparedforPreAPEnglish10,taughtbyMs.JoelleReiling.


Runninghead:CRACKINGDOWNONMUNICIPALSOLIDWASTEREDUCTION 2

CrackingDownonMunicipalSolidWasteReduction
Asanation,theEPAstatesin2012,...wecombusted[withenergyrecovery]or
discardedinlandfills2.9poundsperpersonperdayofMSW(MSWGeneration,p.2).
MunicipalSolidWaste(MSW),morecommonlyknownastrash,issomethingthatpeoplehave
todealwitheveryday,rangingfromthrowingawayanapplecorefromlunchtodumpingaold
brokencar.Onemightthinkthatthetrashtheythrowawayendsupinalandfilltobestashed
awayforever,andwhiletheeffectsoflandfillsmaybevaguelyknown,nothingmuchisdone
aboutit.Despitesuchlandfillsbeingoutoftheviewofsociety,thenegativeeffectscanhave
largeindirectimpactsonourlives.
IbecameinterestedinthissituationwhenIobservedtheproblemsinmyownschool.As
awhole,thehighschoolisalreadydoingalottominimizewaste,suchasusingcompostable
materialswhenservinglunchandhavingseparatebinsfortrash,compost,andrecycling
throughouttheschool.However,Iobservethatnotmanystudentsutilizetheseopportunitiesas
manydonotthrowawaywasteintheproperbin,whichdefeatsthepurposeofgoingthroughthe
effortontheschoolspartinthefirstplace.Asaresult,thismademecontemplatehowthis
wouldaffectourcommunityandtheenvironmentonalargerscale.Soalthoughtherehasbeen
muchattentionbroughttothebenefitsofrecyclingandothersimilarpractices,wecontinuetobe
producingsubstantialamountsofMSWasstatedabove,andbringinginthedangersthatcome
withit.Inshort,withreducingthatamountoftrashcomesincreasingthequalityofour
environmentthatweliveinoverall.Themaintopicthatthispaperwillbeexploringisamountof
trashthatweultimatelythrowawayanditseffects,andexploringhowweasasocietycanreduce


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thatamount,whetheritbeproducinglesswaste,regularlyrecyclingandcomposting,educating
thepublic,andbyothermethods.
WhataretheEffectsofMSWWhenDisposed?
TheresnodoubtthattheresalargeemphasisonrecyclingintodaysAmericansociety,
anditsforgoodreason.AccordingtoEPAdocumentation,in2012wehaveproduced250.9
milliontonsofMSWandhavediscarded53.8%ofit,equatingto135milliontonsdiscardedthat
year.(MSWGeneration,p.3).Essentially,whenonethrowsawaytrashandagarbagetruck
comesandwhisksitaway,thetrashisusuallyfirstdumpedintoatransferstation.There,the
trashissortedtodeterminewhereitgoes,someplacesbeinglandfills,materialrecoveryfacilities
(forrecyclableproducts),andenergyrecovery/incinerationstations(WhereDoesYourGarbage
Go,2010).However,someofthesedisposalmethodsarentalwaysthebestwaytogetridof
trash.TheEPAsWasteManagementHierarchyistheideathatthemostpreferedwayto
reducewasteissourcereduction,thenrecycling,energyrecovery,andlastlytreatmentand
disposalastheleastpreferedmethod.Particularly,wewilltakealookatthelasttwomethodsto
seewhytheyreatthebottomofthelist.
Landfills
Landfillsareengineeredinsuchawaythatwasteisburiedinorontopoftheground,
whereartificiallinerssuchasplasticorclaypreventwasteproductsfrombeingreleasedintothe
environment(Freudenrich,2000,p.3).Theproblemwiththismethodisthatthetrashcontained
inthelandfillsarepreservedforalongtime(asopposedtobreakdown,whichwouldmean
hazardousproductsaremade),sotherearespacestorageconcerns.Sincelandfillsareproneto


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leaking,theyandthesurroundinggroundwaterhastoconstantlybemanagedandtestedeveryso
often.Landfillsaredesignedtostickaroundforalongtime,butasGhiban(2012)pointsout:
Older,poorlydesignedorpoorlymanagedlandfillscancreateanumberof
adverseenvironmentalimpactssuchaswindblownlitter,attractionofvermin,
andgenerationofliquidleachate[liquidthathaspassedthroughtrashandhas
pickedupenvironmentallyharmfulsubstances].Anothercommonbyproductof
landfillsisgaswhichisproducedasorganicwastebreaksdown[whichcreates]
odourproblems,killsurfacevegetation,andisagreenhousegas.(p.2)
WhilelandfillsareacommonsolutiontodiscardingMSW,theyaretheleastpreferableway
sincethissolutionisultimatelyonlytemporaryandposessignificanthealthandenvironmental
problemsalongtheway.
Incinerators
Incineratorsatfirstglancemaybeconsideredaslightlybetteroption,sinceburningcan
produceenergyandthuslesstrashdoesnotgotolandfills,butthisprocessalsohasitscons.A
majorcomponentisthatthereisrelativelylowenergyreturnfromburning,makingitan
inefficientprocess.Also,itcanbeaburdentoacommunitytohaveaplantnearby,sincethere
arehealthproblemsthatcanoccurfrompollutionemitted,andthatbuildingandmanaginga
plantiscostlyevenwhentakingintoconsiderationtheenergyproduced(Tan&Seldman,2010).
Generally,incineratorsareslightlymorepreferabletolandfills,butarestillnotthebestoptionto
gettingridofMSWonmostaspects,astheprocessisrathermorecumbersomeandexpensive
anyways.Allthisbeingsaid,itcanbegenerallybeagreeduponthatthrowingawaylessisbetter


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fortheenvironmentandeveryone.But,takingaquicklookatsomestatisticsshowsthatthe
solutionmaynotbeaseasyasitsounds.
ExaminingtheCausesandTrendsofMSWProduction
Frompastyears,theamountofMSWthatAmericansgeneratehasincreased,although
wehavebeengettingbetterinrecentyearsintermsofbothreducingtotalMSWproducedas
wellasincreasingrecyclingrates(SeeAppendixAformoredatainformation).Bethatasitmay,
onemustaskthemselveswhatlimitsusfromdoingbetter,ofwhichtheanswerseemsbe
Americancultureitself.ItcanbearguedthatAmericanstendtoproducealargeamountofMSW
duetothecultureofconsumerism.Haugh(2011)suggestsWegothroughalotoftrashinthis
countrybecausewehavebeentraditionallybeenblessedwithabundance.Thefundamental
problemofAmericanoverconsumptionhasexistedsincethepostWorldWarIIeraofpeace,
prosperity,andpinkwashingmachines(p.36).Regardingcurrentrecyclingpractices,people
arealsoconfusedaboutwhattorecycleandwhatnottorecycle.Firstoff,whentossing
somethingawayatthetrashcan,mostpeoplesimplytaketheeasierpathtotosseverythingaway
insteadoftryingtodeterminewhatbelongsintherecyclingandgarbagebin.(Haugh,2011,p.
34).Second,theresinconsistencyacrossthenationaboutwhatthingsareconsideredrecyclable
duetoourfederalstructure.Messagesaremixed.Forexample,phonebooksarerecyclablein
Cary,NC,butnotinnearbyDurham,eventhoughthecitiesrecyclablesaretakentothesame
sortingfacilityRecyclingprogramsvarysogreatlythatthedizzyingrulesandregulationsdoa
prettyfabulousjobofdiscouragingparticipationinenvironmentalbestpracticesatthemost
basiclevels(Haugh,2011,p.34).Theresalsothegeneralfactthatpopulationgrowthwould
contributetooveralltrashproduction,whichmeansthatthemanagementoftrashisbecomingan


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increasinglypressingconcern.So,despitesaidpopulationgrowth,theobservedtrendof
increasedrecyclingratesandlessMSWproductionmeansthattherehasbeenefficientmeasures
takentoreduceMSWgenerated,andcouldalsosignifyapotentialtoevenstartdecreasing
amountproducedcomparedtopreviousyears.Nonetheless,examinationoftheeffectivenessof
currentsolutionsputintoplaceisnecessarybeforesuchthingsshouldbeconsideredachievable.
WhatAreSomeCurrentSolutionsPutintoPlace?
TherearemanysolutionstocombatingthehighamountofMSWproduction.Such
solutionscanberunorstartedbynationwideenactmentstocommunitybasedactivities,andthe
methodsinwhichpeopleareencouragedtodosuchalsovarysignificantlyprovidingfinancial
incentivesorthroughadvocacyontheenvironment,forexample.Somemethodsthatexplore
thesevariantsarediscussedbelow.
CitywideCollection
Generally,therearedifferentwaysinwhichcitiescollecttrashandrecyclables,suchas
havingseparatebinsthatpeoplepresortthemselves(calleddualstream),orsimplydumpingall
trashintoonecontainerwhereworkerssortthemlater(calledsinglestream).Unfortunately,
theresnotalwaysaclearcutmethodthatsbetterthantheothers,astherearemanyfactorsthat
thecityitselfneedstoconsider.Forexample,whilesinglestreamcollectionmayraiserecycling
rates,itcomesatthecostofhavingtopayforprocessingandsortingfees(Wright&Halstead,
2013,p.1).
SchoolEfforts
Schoolsareoftenagreatlocationtopracticeandadvocatethebenefitsofreducingwaste.
Forcomposting,therearepersonalorcommunitygardensthatpeoplesavetheircompostable


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goodsfor.Havingacompostingprograminschoolcanbothbeafunactivityforstudents,while
alsoteachingthemtheprocessofcompostinganditsbenefits(Matsumoto,2014).Additionally,
schoolscanalsolooktowardsreducingwasteasafinancialincentive.AtAtlantaNorth
AdventistSchoolinGeorgia,usinganonlinesystemofturninginhomeworkledtoteacherApril
Lloydfindingthatbysavingpaper,theschoolalsosavedmoneyatatimewhenitwasfacing
budgetcuts(Futcher,2014,p.49).
ReductionattheSource
ConsideringtrashreductionatthesourceisthemostpreferedwayaccordingtotheWaste
ManagementHierarchy,andalsoaveryeffectivewaytoachievethatgoalifsuccessful.For
example,alargecomponentisexcessivepackagingaccordingtotheEPA,Together,foodand
packaging/containersaccountforalmost45%ofthematerialslandfilledintheUnitedStates,and
someofthesediscardedmaterialsarefoodrelatedpackagingandcontainers.(ReducingWasted
Food,p.3).Productsarepackagedinexcessperhapsbecauseacompanymaywanttotryto
maximizeprofitinthattheydoitfordesign/marketingpurposesortoprotect/preservethe
product(ReduceExcessivePackaging,2011,p.1).Thiscanbediscouragedbyindividualactions
suchasbuyingproductsthatusetheleastpackaging.
Overall,therearenumerousapproachesthatpeoplearetryingtodotosolvethisproblem.
Somemethodsmaybelimitedorencouragedbyfactorssuchascost,butthemoreimportant
thingisthatsolutionscantakeplaceatanylevel,whetheritbeindividuallyorawholecity.
ProposedSolutions
Basedonmyresearch,Ibelievethatforthisparticulartopicadvocacyisthebestsolution
toencourageindividualstoparticipateinwastereduction.Asstatedbefore,wealreadyhave


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manyopportunitiespresentedtoustomakeforeasyrecycling/composting.Butinthemoment
whereitmattersmost,noonecanactuallymonitorwhethersomebodyreallythrowsawaya
bottleintherightbin.Ithinkthatbeingeducatedtodotherightthing(or,takingastepback,
whatistherightthing)andchangingAmericasrecyclingculturetonotridiculepeoplewho
considerwhatitemstorecyclecanensurethatrecyclinggetsdone.Asdiscussedincausesof
MSW,thereisconfusionaboutwhattorecycleduetoinconsistentpolicies.Forthecaseoftrying
toaffectrecyclinginourcommunitywherepolicieslookstobeuniform,itseemstobe
beneficialtosimplyeducatepeopleonwhatisrecyclableandwhatisnt.Next,gettingintothe
scienceandpsychologyofthings,astudyconductedbyKateWhiteshowshow,despite
numerousrecyclingprograms,theimpactoftellingothersthemessageoftheenvironmentand
ourbehaviorshowsthatthereisadifferenceinsayinghowitistold.Accordingtothestudy,in
orderforpeopletoexercisebetterrecyclinghabits,itismorebeneficialtotellpeopleaboutthe
negativeeffectsofnotrecyclingversusthepositiveeffectsofrecyclingsincemorepeoplereact
tourgent,negativeinformation(Rigoglioso,2012,p.1).Anotherthingtoconsiderisfinancial
incentives,whichhaveshowntobeveryeffective.Again,focusingonourcommunity,itmight
bebeneficialfortheschooltoenforcestricterrecyclingpoliciesintheinterestofreducingwaste.
However,itmightbetoocomplicatedortoohardtomanagetoinstillarecyclingreward
programinoursystem.Intheinterestofaffectingthehighschoolcommunityinthebestway
possible,myrecommendationisthatthereneedstobemoreeducationtoshowwhatisandisnt
recyclabletoreduceconfusion,showthenegativeeffectsofwhathappenswhenonedoesnt
recycle,andtoshowtheenvironmentalimpactsdirectlyinourcommunitysothatpeopleare
morepersonallyaffectedbytheiractions.


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Conclusion
TherearemanyenvironmentaldangersthatMSWgenerationposesthathaveadirect
impactonsocietyandourcommunity.Formypersonalcalltoaction,Iwilltrytofocusmy
effortsaroundthehighschoolandutilizingthesolutionsabove:educationandshowingdirect
impactofonesactions.Iplantoaskforinformationaboutourownrecyclingandcomposting
ratesintheschoolstrashbinsbyaskingpeoplelikethejanitorswhattheyobserve.Withthis
informationandviewofourownrecyclingandcompostinghabits,Ihopetoeducateand
encourageotherstoobservegoodrecyclinghabitsinordertoraiseourstandardsbetterthan
before.Thiscouldinvolvemakingpostersoravideotosaywhatisrecyclableandcompostable
toreduceconfusion.ToshoweffectsofMSW,Ialsoplantoresearchwhattheschooldoeswith
ourrecyclingafteritistakenoutofthebinsinordertogetabetterviewofhowourrecycling
effortsimpacttheenvironmentsothatIcouldcreateanddisplayaflowchartofsortstofurther
encouragepeople.Wecanreducethenumberofpotentiallyharmfullandfillsbeingcreatedwith
encouragingacultureoffrequentrecyclingandcompostinginourownschool,aswellas
reducingconsumptionofnonrecyclableproducts.Overall,Ihopethatwewillbeabletosolve
theproblemofMSWgenerationtobenefitusall.


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AppendixA
MSWRatesfromtheEPAWebsite
ChartA1

ChartA2