Ethics in Engineering Practice - Report Example

Introduction Innovation is very essential to any given country since it is related to the productivity of that country. Even though there are different avenues that can be used to increase productivity in the country, innovation is one of the most significant factors. With lack of sustained innovation, the growth rate in the labor constrained economies is likely to reduce to zero. Innovation is capable of driving productivity across all the industrial sectors. Several industries that help in the economic growth of different countries require significant engineering innovations. The engineering profession expertise is essential in converting different innovative ideas to reality for the use by the common. Several comforts enjoyed by many of the human kind are as a result of the innovations by the engineers. Innovation and technology are two words that are inseparable. The engineers use different technologies in creating different innovations in the environment. In Australia, it is essential for all the engineers to possess highly developed innovative skills that can enable them to make major contributions to their profession and to the society at large. (Engineers Australia, 2008). This paper is a report of the innovation in waste management through recycling of wastes. Australia is one of the world’s greatest producers of wastes. Australia produces more of the waste products per person than any other country. The country is more of the consumerist society. More of the disposed waste products disposed into the environment are symbols of unsuitable production patterns and consumption. Several urban centers in Australia are in the continual growth stage, they expand to accommodate many occupants. Due to this, there should be a sophisticated disposal of waste system that can effectively deal with the wastes and the pollution. Finding sustainable waste disposal technique, while holding the Australians’ current lifestyle comfort is not an easy task. From the previous research, it was estimated that most of the Australians produce close to three kilograms of wastes on daily basis. The wastes can be in form of liquid waste, solid wastes or gaseous wastes. With the increased growth in the urban centers, the level of pollution is constantly increasing (Daven and Klein, 2008). Origin of recycling In the past, the concern about the environment has led to the increased level of recycling in Australia and in other countries around the world. Recycling has been used over years by different individuals at their homes since there was lack of enough resources. Recycling however has become an integral part in the in the modern society. The first paper mill to use the recycled material in Australia was built in 1815. The industry used the recycled rags in making paper. Most of charitable organizations have been recycling different households clothing and goods. .The first steel recycling industry was started in 1915. Different aluminum cans and glass bottles were collected and recycled (Daven and Klein, 2008). In the recent years, recycling is considered as a day today phenomenon for most of individuals who are spurred by the concern of improper disposal of wastes in the environment. Rubbish tips are in the recent years not seen as the best solution for disposal of wastes. The wastes can be seen as a valuable resource that should not be land filled. The Australian government in 1992 endorsed National Kerbside initiative which included voluntary recycling for major packing industries. Due to this, Australia was considered the first country to have voluntary recycling plan commitments at all the levels of the industry. The initiative also created different objectives such as the extension of the kerdside recycling schemes. The improvement in the recycling wastes in Australia has greatly improved. Recycling of the green waste comprising of up to half of the households wastes is possible because of mulching and composting methods (Daven and Klein, 2008). In July 1999, the ANNZECC ministers accepted the national packaging covenant to compliment and improve the achievements of the National Kerbside Recycling strategy. Based on different principles of shared responsibility, lifecycle and product stewardship management, the covenant ensures that the costs are divided equally. Additionally, secure viability of the kerbside recycling enables minimization of the environmental impacts of the consumer waste packaging, closing of the recycling loop and economical development of sustainable recycling systems. The covenant entails entire packaging chain such as a producer, government, wholesalers, retailers, distributors and fillers. These individuals make different key decisions on the designing and characteristics of packaging for different products (Daven and Klein, 2008). In the late 2012, the government of Australia introduced the industry national television recycling computer scheme. The new scheme required the importers and the manufactures to fund different arrangements by the industries such as the establishment of the free recycling points in Australia. Later in 2013, the Australian paper started the construction of $90 million recycling paper plant in Maryvale to increase production of the recycled paper. This is the only paper recycling premium plant in Australia capable of producing high quality printing and office papers. This industry helps in preventing the importation of the recycled pulp from other countries and helps reduce the amount of paper wastes that are sent to the land mills (Daven and Klein, 2008). Waste disposal issues As different levels of wastes in the environment increases, the live ability in such environments also declines. Therefore, wastes should be disposed in ways that can minimize its negative impacts on the people. Several wastes produced by humans are non biodegradable. Australias’ level of waste production is not declining even with the increased awareness of environmental waste issues and high level of recycling. In Perth for example, the household generation of waste increased by close to thirty percent between the year 1998 and 2002. The major waste disposal issues in Australia are as outlined below ( Polprasert, 2007). Limited landfills and solid wastes Disposal of solid wastes like the garbage and the industrial by products has often been dumped into the landfill always referred to as a tip. Using landfills as site for waste disposal possess several environmental problems. Identifying appropriate and new land fill sites is difficult and land fill concept is not sustainable. This is because it cannot last forever. For example in Sydney, finding the new landfill sites for dumping the wastes has led to the suggestion that the wastes from the Sydney city can be dumped in other areas of the state like the abandoned mine next to the town of Goulburn. Close to two hundred and fifty kilometers south west of the Sidney city, using the regional town of Goulburn as the dumping sites as a method of waste management can increase the large ecological footprint of Sydney ( Polprasert, 2007). Polluted waterways and Liquid waste The sewage effluent or runoff and other different house hold wastes produced through car washing, dish washing are considered as liquid wastes. The liquid wastes can as well be produced by the processes in the industries and may include the toxic chemicals. Most of the liquid wastes are often disposed in the coastal regions and approximately one percent is recycled. Currently in Australia, there are more proposals of introducing recycling of water in order to service the urban areas. The problems of the liquid disposal of wastes and drinking water supply are continuously creating great concern for most of the individuals leaving in several parts of Australia ( Polprasert, 2007). Another contributing factor to the polluted water ways is the solid waste. Approximately six billion tones of the solid wastes are discarded into the seas and oceans around the world every year. Most of these wastes are in form of plastic matter. Common examples of the plastic wastes include shopping bags, fishing equipments, polystyrene materials and drinking bottles. The number of plastic wastes that are found in the oceans creates a major threat to the marine life. This is because most of the species can suffocate and end up dying if they become entangled in different forms of debris that are dumped in the sea like the abandoned fishing nets or consume the plastics ( Polprasert, 2007). Air pollution and Gaseous waste The increased levels of consumption of energy have led to the high level of the atmospheric waste. This is mainly in form of the green house gases. However, this waste is not as visible as the liquid or solid waste; they always pose more threats to the human life. There is no good track record in Australia on the greenhouse emissions. This is because oil, coal and natural gas are used as the major sources of energy. All the three naturally occurring gases are the major contributors to global warming and the greenhouse effect ( Polprasert, 2007). Hazardous waste Hazardous wastes are at times referred to as the toxic wastes which require more special handling during disposal since it poses more threat to the individuals and the environment at large. One example of the hazardous waste is the nuclear waste. Much of controversy surrounding the usage of nuclear energy is arising since there is lack of effective means of disposing the radioactive wastes that are generated. Different mismanagement of such wastes can be very detrimental to living organisms ( Polprasert, 2007). Thinking about waste One of the major factors contributing to the waste management problems in Australia is the means in which different individuals conceptualize or think about waste and their established patterns of consumption and production that are unstable in the recent years. There is the emergence of a dominant mentality that wastes does not really influence individuals as long as wastes can be hidden in the land fields or washed by the run offs down the drain. Adoption of more conscious or considered attitude towards different wastes produced and whatever is done with it is very essential. Change in waste disposal will not only improve the environment aesthetically but also help in restoring the biodiversity and improve air, water and land quality (Polprasert, 2007). Sustainable waste management There is great attention on the issue surrounding proper disposal of wastes. Much emphasis needs to be placed on the sustainable goals of minimizing wastes. This includes recycling and re using of wastes. These goals are in line with the ecological principles of sustainability and the ability to reduce the effects of improper waste disposal in the environment. Engineers have come up with recycling techniques to help in the proper disposal of wastes. More wastes in the recent are recycled for future use instead of dumping them in the landfills. Most individuals are familiar with the recycling concept when it comes to the household items like plastics bottles, and food scraps. Another example of waste recycling on the large scale commonly used in Australia is waste water recycle. For example in July 2006, individuals living in Toowoomba in Queensland casted their votes on the new proposal which saw over twenty five percent of the water in the town recycled. This proposal is gaining more consideration in many countries including Australia where provision of drinking water is a major challenge (Polprasert, 2007). Impacts of recycling to the society Recycling of waste products creates more jobs, tax revenue and economic development. Recycling of wastes creates a new business that process, haul and broker recovered materials. Also different industries that manufacture products that are made from the recycled materials. The recycling company consists of close to fifty six thousand establishments that are able to employ close to one million people and generate revenue to the country. The recycling industries adds value to materials hence contributing to the growing labor force such as dispatchers, sorters, truck drivers, process engineers, brokers and chemists. These jobs pay above the average wage and many are found in the urban city where creation of job is very vital (Morgan, 2006). Recycling of wastes also leads to more security of energy. Recycling process leads to a significant saving of energy compared to the normal production of the materials. For instance, production of aluminum cans saves approximately 95percent of energy that is needed to make the same amount of aluminum from the original source. Using the glass cullet or the broken glass enables the glass industry to reduce the energy in its furnaces. The cost of energy used drops in every cullet used in the process of manufacturing (Morgan, 2006). Again recycling of wastes leads to the reduction in the emissions of the greenhouse gas. Current research indicates that the increased human activities have led to the increased warming of the earth surface through the increased emissions of the greenhouse gases that alters the chemical composition in the atmosphere. Global warming may have adverse effects in the health of different individuals. Recycling is seen to avoid by combination of the energy savings, carbon sequestration and reduce emissions of methane. This will help reduce the level of harmful gases into the atmosphere (Morgan, 2006). Recycling of wastes also leads to reduced pressure on the landfills. And it creates more natural resources for use in the future. The revenues from recycling can help reduce the cost of recycling and forestall the requirement for new capacity for disposal since one cubic yard of the recycled material is one less than the cubic yard of the landfill space that is needed. These costs that are avoided are considered as the part of revenues that is brought by revenues to the community. For instance, in 1996, approximately 130 million cubic yards of the materials were removed from the land fill due to recycling. Through substitution of the scrap materials for use of metal ores, trees, minerals and other virgin materials, recycling helps reduce pressure to expand mining and forestry that can damage the environment (Morgan, 2006). Relevance of impacts of recycling to engineers Today recycling is considered as an industry that is able to utilize variety of the engineering fields. Electrical and mechanical engineers designs the modern machines and instruments to improve and automate the procedure of recycling, increase the recycling efficiency and helps in reducing direct interaction between the humans and the dangerous materials. Environmental engineers, civil engineers and computer engineers are greatly involved in the process and have great contribution in the recycling industry. The engineers can use recycling to help conserve the natural resources in the environment. Recycling of wastes helps preserve different resources for the future generations and to prevent different unnecessary costs. The use of recycled materials is much more energy efficient than producing of the new materials. This helps decrease the emissions of the greenhouse gases and decrease air pollution (Engineers Australia, 2008). The engineers have the responsibility to ensure that there is proper recycling of waste; they need to come up with more innovations that can help improve recycling of different waste materials. This will create a sustainable environment that is able to support human life and growth. Some of the major problems in the urban centers are the dumps and the landfills. These can only be avoided through recycling of wastes. The engineers need to create awareness in the community and within their families about the issues affecting environment and help contribute in creation of a more environmental friendly and conscious place to stay in (Engineers Australia, 2008). Ethics of engineering profession Engineering is often considered as a learned and important profession. As members of this noble profession, the engineers are supposed to exhibit high standards of integrity and honesty. They have direct and great impact on the life quality for different individuals. Accordingly different services offered by the engineers needs impartiality, honesty, fairness, and equity and should be dedicated towards the protection of the public safety, health and welfare. Engineers should perform under the set standards of their professional behavior and must adhere to the highest ethical conduct (Whitbeck, 2011). Engineers shall at all the time strive and serve the interest of the public. They are expected to participate in different projects in the community that can lead to the advancement of health, safety and the well being of the society at large. They are not to promote such recycling programs that are against their standards. They are to extend the knowledge of the public and appreciation on the achievements of engineering. The engineers are supposed to adhere to different principles of sustainable development for them to develop a sustainable environment for future generations. The engineers are supposed to avoid any practice or conduct that may deceive the members of the public. They are to avoid using of different statements that are containing misinterpretation of material facts or omission of important facts in the environment concerning waste management (Whitbeck, 2011). The engineers shall only perform different services or projects only in their areas of competencies. The engineers are to take different assignments just when they are qualified by experience or education in the technical fields they are involved. They are not to sign any plan in the environment dealing with a subject matter they lack competence in or any document or plan that is not prepared under their control and direction. The engineers are to accept different assignments and assume various responsibilities for coordination for the entire projects and sign and seal different engineering documents for the whole project, provided that every segment is already signed and sealed by the qualified engineer who had prepared the segment (Whitbeck, 2011). Competencies I have demonstrated One of the competencies I have demonstrated is the discernment of development in knowledge and research directions in the engineering discipline. This is by identifying the development and innovation in the engineering field. The engineers have come up with several strategies that can help improve recycling of waste products in order to create a sustainable environment. Different literatures have recorded on the relevance of recycling of wastes to the engineers. Engineers thus find it a responsibility to actively take part in different recycling process in the environment. The next competence is the knowledge of the factors that impact engineering discipline. I have identified the positive role of engineering in creation of sustainable environment for the humans and other living things. Through recycling of waste products, the engineers are able to create a conducive environment free from waste pollution. Improper disposal of wastes may result from the increased engineering activities in the industries and factories. The engineers have a great role in the environment; they should collaborate with the members of the community to make the environment more sustainable. An additional competency I have demonstrated is on the ethical conduct of the engineering profession. I have demonstrated the code of ethics of the engineers in Australia and the norms of the professional conduct that is pertinent to the engineering discipline. The engineers are supposed to act according to the code of ethics; they are not to violate the set standards for their profession. The engineers are supposed to be accountable for their actions and activities in the environment. They are supposed to recognize any error they have done and correct it appropriately. Conclusion Engineers have a major role in creating a sustainable environment for human survival; they are able to come up with several innovations that can help improve the condition of the environment. Recycling of waste is one of the major innovations by the engineers. Recycling of wastes helps to reduce improper disposal of wastes that can in turn create various environmental hazards. Recycling of wastes is relevant to the engineers in several ways and the engineers are able to improve the recycling process using several means. There are several codes of ethics that guides the engineering profession, the engineers are expected to act according to the set code of ethics. References Engineers Australia (2008).Submission to the Review of the National Innovation System,Engineers Australia, Barton. Daven, J and Klein, R. (2008). Progress in waste management research. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Morgan, S. (2006). Waste, recycling and reuse. London: Evans. Polprasert, C. (2007). Organic waste recycling: Technology and management. London: IWA Pub. Whitbeck C. (2011).Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research. USA: Cambridge University Press. Read More

In the recent years, recycling is considered as a day today phenomenon for most of individuals who are spurred by the concern of improper disposal of wastes in the environment. Rubbish tips are in the recent years not seen as the best solution for disposal of wastes. The wastes can be seen as a valuable resource that should not be land filled. The Australian government in 1992 endorsed National Kerbside initiative which included voluntary recycling for major packing industries. Due to this, Australia was considered the first country to have voluntary recycling plan commitments at all the levels of the industry.

The initiative also created different objectives such as the extension of the kerdside recycling schemes. The improvement in the recycling wastes in Australia has greatly improved. Recycling of the green waste comprising of up to half of the households wastes is possible because of mulching and composting methods (Daven and Klein, 2008). In July 1999, the ANNZECC ministers accepted the national packaging covenant to compliment and improve the achievements of the National Kerbside Recycling strategy.

Based on different principles of shared responsibility, lifecycle and product stewardship management, the covenant ensures that the costs are divided equally. Additionally, secure viability of the kerbside recycling enables minimization of the environmental impacts of the consumer waste packaging, closing of the recycling loop and economical development of sustainable recycling systems. The covenant entails entire packaging chain such as a producer, government, wholesalers, retailers, distributors and fillers.

These individuals make different key decisions on the designing and characteristics of packaging for different products (Daven and Klein, 2008). In the late 2012, the government of Australia introduced the industry national television recycling computer scheme. The new scheme required the importers and the manufactures to fund different arrangements by the industries such as the establishment of the free recycling points in Australia. Later in 2013, the Australian paper started the construction of $90 million recycling paper plant in Maryvale to increase production of the recycled paper.

This is the only paper recycling premium plant in Australia capable of producing high quality printing and office papers. This industry helps in preventing the importation of the recycled pulp from other countries and helps reduce the amount of paper wastes that are sent to the land mills (Daven and Klein, 2008). Waste disposal issues As different levels of wastes in the environment increases, the live ability in such environments also declines. Therefore, wastes should be disposed in ways that can minimize its negative impacts on the people.

Several wastes produced by humans are non biodegradable. Australias’ level of waste production is not declining even with the increased awareness of environmental waste issues and high level of recycling. In Perth for example, the household generation of waste increased by close to thirty percent between the year 1998 and 2002. The major waste disposal issues in Australia are as outlined below ( Polprasert, 2007). Limited landfills and solid wastes Disposal of solid wastes like the garbage and the industrial by products has often been dumped into the landfill always referred to as a tip.

Using landfills as site for waste disposal possess several environmental problems. Identifying appropriate and new land fill sites is difficult and land fill concept is not sustainable. This is because it cannot last forever. For example in Sydney, finding the new landfill sites for dumping the wastes has led to the suggestion that the wastes from the Sydney city can be dumped in other areas of the state like the abandoned mine next to the town of Goulburn. Close to two hundred and fifty kilometers south west of the Sidney city, using the regional town of Goulburn as the dumping sites as a method of waste management can increase the large ecological footprint of Sydney ( Polprasert, 2007).

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