Interdisciplinary Modules to Teach Waste or Residue Management in the Food Chain
MODULE 3: MANAGEMENT OF WASTES/RESIDUES
INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
In this section, the definition and components of the EPA hierarchy will be described, and the current status of waste management practices in the U.S. will be presented.
Components of the EPA Hierarchy
Integrated Solid Waste Management
Current Status of Waste Management Practices in the U.S.
Impact of Waste Management on Operational Cost
EPA
Hierarchy
The EPA developed a hierarchy to address the priorities for managing solid waste by municipalities, businesses, and consumers. The preference for managing solid waste in order of priority is source reduction, recycling including composting, and waste disposal including waste combustion and burying waste in landfills. The goal of EPA's hierarchy is pollution prevention (Mason, Shanklin, Wie, & Wolfe, 1999; EPA, 2000d).
Components
of the EPA Hierarchy
Source
Reduction (Waste Prevention)
Source reduction involves decreasing waste prior to its generation
through the design of packaging materials and products and the reuse of
products and their packaging (Mason et al., 1999). According to the EPA Environmental Facts (EPA, 2000d), source
reduction "includes the design, manufacture, purchase, or use of
materials, such as products and packaging, to reduce their amount or
toxicity before they enter the municipal solid waste (MSW) management system."
Examples include:
-
Designing products or packaging to reduce the quantity or the toxicity of the materials used, or to make them easy to reuse;
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Reusing existing products or packaging, for example, refillable bottles, reusable pallets, and reconditioned barrels and drums;
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Using the least amount of packaging that reduces the amount of damage or spoilage to the products; and
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Managing non-product organic wastes (e.g., food scraps and yard trimmings) through on-site composting or other waste management methods. More information about source reduction is presented later in this module.
Recycling
Recycling is defined as the collection of such materials as cardboard, steel, and aluminum and manufacturing them into a new product. Composting involves the collection of organic residues/wastes, treatment of this organic material in such a way that it decomposes to humus, and the utilization of the co-product as a soil amendment (Mason et al., 1999). More information about recycling and composting are presented in this module.
Waste Combustion with Energy Recovery
Waste combusting is defined as the incineration or burning of waste. Preferably this process involves the recovery of energy that is used for other purposes. Additional information about waste combustion with energy recovery is included in this module.
Landfills
Disposal of wastes/residues in landfills involves the collection, transportation, and, ultimately, burial in a facility that meets the EPA standards. The EPA identified this as the least preferred method of discarding solid waste (Mason et al., 1999). Additional information on landfills is discussed in a later section of this module.
EPA’s Goals
The EPA has established the following goals for the U.S.:
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to recycle at least 35% of MSW by the year 2005
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to reduce generation of MSW to 4.3 lb/person/day by the year 2005
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to empower state, local, and tribal governments to better manage solid waste
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to provide leadership in source reduction and recycling
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to build stronger public and private partnerships
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to ensure the environmental soundness of source reduction, recycling, combustion, and land disposal (EPA, 2000d).
Integrated
Solid Waste Management
Integrated solid waste management involves the selection and application of appropriate technologies, techniques, and management practices to design a program that achieves a business's goals and objectives, while minimizing operating costs and environmental harm (Tchobanoglous, Theisen, & Vigil, 1993). In most businesses, a single choice of methods is frequently unsatisfactory, inadequate, and not economical (Rhyner, Schwartz, Wenger, & Kohrell, 1995). Use of an integrated approach to managing solid waste has evolved in response to the regulations developed to implement various approaches (Tchobanoglous et al., 1993).
The elements most often associated with integrated solid waste management in all types of businesses and operations include:
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reducing the quantity and toxicity of waste in products and packaging materials
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reusing materials and products
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recycling
-
composting
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incineration with energy recovery
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incineration without energy recovery
-
landfills
Components
of an integrated solid waste management program in food service
operations include:
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menu design and planning
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purchase specifications
-
food production practices
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service methods
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portion control
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waste-product disposal methods
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consumer education
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employee training (Mason et al., 1999).
Current
Status of Waste Management Practices in the U.S.
Current Practices
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grinding food waste in a garbage disposal and placing other solid waste into dumpsters
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recycling part of their waste
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composting organic waste
| Year | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total MSW (Million Tons) |
340 | 383 | 409 |
Source:
"The state of garbage in America,"
by N. Goldstein & C.
Madtes, 2001, BioCycle,
42(12), 42-54.
|
Year |
MSW Generation (Millions of tons) |
Recovery Methods | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Recycling |
Composting | ||||
|
Amount (Millions of tons) |
% |
Amount (Millions of tons) |
% | ||
| 1960 | 88.1 | 5.6 | 6.4 | N/A | N/A |
| 1970 | 121.1 | 8.0 | 6.6 | N/A | N/A |
| 1980 | 151.6 | 14.5 | 9.6 | N/A | N/A |
| 1990 | 205.2 | 29.0 | 14.2 | 4.2 | 2.0 |
| 1998 | 220.2 | 49.0 | 22.2 | 13.1 | 6.0 |
Source: Environmental fact sheet: Municipal solid waste generation, recycling, and disposal in the United States (p. 2), by the EPA, 2000, Washington, D.C.: Author.
Status
of Landfills
As noted above, the primary method to dispose of solid waste in the U.S. is to bury it in a landfill. The number of landfills declined from greater than 7,900 in 1989 to 2,216 in 2000. Many of these landfills closed due to changes in regulations while others closed because they reached their capacity. Nationwide landfill capacity is not a problem, but it is a problem in certain geographic and densely populated areas. For example, the remaining landfill life is 1.8 years in Massachusetts compared to 1,546 years in Montana. In a 2000 survey conducted by BioCycle, 11 of 49 states responded that they had legislative restrictions on adding new landfill capacity. Even though capacity is not a wide-spread concern, the cost of disposing of solid waste in landfills continues to increase (Goldstein, 1999, 2000). In November 2000, the average tipping fee was $37.20/ton. The cost per ton ranged from $21.87 in the western region of the U.S. to $58.19 in the northeastern region (Solid Waste Digest: National Edition, 2000).
Transfer
Station
A transfer station is a facility that combines waste from various locations into a large truck, railroad car, or barge to be transported to a municipal recovery facility or a landfill (Mason et al., 1999). Waste haulers deliver solid waste to a central location where it is compacted and reloaded into larger transport vehicles prior to being transported to a landfill (Rhyner et al., 1995). Transfer stations also are used when the distance to the disposal site is so great that hauling the waste directly to the disposal site is not economical and lowers productivity (Tchobanglous et al., 1993). Many municipalities have decided it is more economical to operate a transfer station rather than site, build, operate, maintain, and eventually close a landfill.
Environmental
Concerns Associated with Transferring and Disposing of Waste
Environmental concerns associated with transferring waste include: emissions from landfills, air and water pollution, odor, and potential explosions (Block, 2000; EPA, 2000a). The emissions of greenhouse gases from landfills have been associated with climate changes; the intensity of weather conditions, such as severe heat waves and droughts; and changes in global sea levels. Gases from landfills are the major source of methane emissions caused by the disintegration of wastes. Residents living in the vicinity of landfills and transfer stations are concerned with air pollution caused by the emissions from the trucks delivering the solid waste to the landfill and the odor associated with the operation and decomposition of waste. The potential of explosions that could result from the build up of gas in the landfills is another concern expressed by citizens. If leachate from landfills is not carefully monitored, it can pollute groundwater in the adjacent areas.
Impact
of Waste Management on Operational Cost
The cost of waste disposal charged by commercial haulers varies in different regions of the country and is impacted by several factors. These factors include tipping fees at the local landfill or transfer station; type and quantity of waste/residue generated; location of the operation; number and size of dumpsters; frequency of pick-up; and administrative costs such as transportation costs, labor, and overhead. As the tipping fees and transportation costs increase, the cost to the operators also increases. If the managers do not implement strategies to reduce the quantity of wastes/residues discarded, the profitability of their operation will be impacted.
Traditionally the waste disposal cost was included as part of the overhead cost charged on a per square foot to institutional food services. More recently organizations have begun to charge the actual cost of waste disposal to the department generating the waste. Thus, waste disposal expenditures for these operations have increased (Mason et al., 1999).
Introduction | Integrated Waste Management | Waste Management Methods | Other Considerations | References
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