Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing - Report Example

Recycling Reusing Reducing Recycling Reusing Reducing Part Journal Review 12-2-12 The recycling of waste paper was the main activity carried out on this day. The waste paper constituted old newspapers, torn book pages and wrapping papers. 12-3-12 On this day, there was recycling of used aluminum cans in our home. They were collected and placed in different collecting bins. 12-4-12 Recycling of plastic papers was done. This was achieved through the collection of all plastic containers and scraps from within the compound. They were then taken to a plastic recycling plant 12-5-12 This day saw the continuation of the work began the day before. The plastics were cleaned and characterized according to their qualities. 12-6-12 This day involved recycling picking any polythene papers that would be found within the compound. Papers that could be reused for other purposes were cleaned and stored. Unusable papers, on the other hand, were collected in bins ready to be transported to the recycling plants. 12-7-12 Glass bottles were recycled on this day. Bottles in good condition were collected and cleaned ready for reuse for other purpose. Those in poor conditions were collected in bins ready to be transported to the re-manufacturing plants. 12-8-12 On this day, there was auditing of the total amount of recyclable wastes that had been collected for the whole week Part 2: The Amount of Recyclable Waste in my Community The project involves recycling three main types of wastes namely paper, plastics and aluminum cans. My community has about 100 households Amount of Waste Paper in a Year The amount of waste paper collected in one home after one week was 1 kg. This means that for 100 households, the waste is equal to 100kg of waste paper per week. This means that in a year, the average quantity of waste paper that would be recycled in my community would be 5200 kg (5.2 tons). Amount of Waste Plastics The amount of plastics scraps, polythene bags and straps collected in one homestead after one week was 0.6 kg. On average the whole community, therefore, is about 60kg in a year this value translated to 3120 kg (3.12 tons). Amount of Waste Aluminum Cans The amount of aluminum cans collected in one home after 1 week was 0.3 kg. This means that the whole community produces 30 kg of cans in week. This translates to 1.56 tonnes of aluminum cans as waste per year. Amount of Waste Glass On average the amount of glass collected for the week was about 1kg. This means 100 households would produce 100kg of waste per week. This translates to about 5200kg of glass waste per year. Part 3: Recycling Processes The recycling process involved, in some cases, reusing what had been considered waste after being subjected to the initial function for which the waste had been intended. In this project, different types of waste found within the homestead were recycled. These wastes include papers, plastic bottles and paper bags, metallic cans, and waste paper. The recycling process for each of these wastes varies because of the nature of the process and the type of impact each would have on the environment (Jacobsen, Gellynck & Buysee, 2013). Plastic Recycling This process involves turning old pieces and/or scraps of waste plastic not products that can be used again. The reuse may involve cleaning and disinfecting certain products using them just as they are for different duties. The process of recycling may also involve subjecting the scraps into a manufacturing process chain to come up with new products. For plastics that have to undergo through a manufacturing process it usually necessary for them to be subjected to several processes for preparation purposes. The first process involves collecting and sorting out the plastic waste. The collected plastics are grouped according to their properties. Scraps that are relatively denser are grouped together whereas those that are thin and light such as paper bags are grouped differently. In addition, plastic containers that are in good shape are put in different recycle bin because they may have to undergo a different recycling process without necessary changing their structure. It should be noted that mixed plastic scraps may not be of great help during the recycling proves that involves re-manufacturing because this results in a poor quality of end products due to the different plastic structures involved. The second stage of the recycling process involves washing and cleaning the plastics in each of the respective groupings. This is usually aimed at removing the labels, dirt, and adhesives and any other impurities that may be present. For the plastics that have to be re-used without necessary undergoing a manufacturing process, disinfection is done at this point before they are ready to be used for the new purpose. For plastics that have to undergo through a re-manufacturing process, shredding is done to end up with very small chips that are bagged up ready for chemical testing. The testing enhances identification, categorization, and classification of the plastic shreds ready for different manufacturing process that in factories (Jacobsen, Gellynck & Buysee, 2013). Recycling of the plastic containers and papers has a great impact on the environment. In most cases plastics end up in landfills thereby polluting the land because they do not biodegrade as organic compounds do. It is also important to recycle plastics considering that they are manufactured from products which are facing a high rate of depletion in the world today. The recycle and reuse processes of the plastics therefore results sustainable natural resources (Jacobsen, Gellynck & Buysee, 2013). Recycling Paper Paper is also one of the wastes that occur in abundance in homes. The recycling process, therefore, involves converting the waste paper into new paper products that can be used for other activities. The recycling process involves the collection of paper from the homestead and taking it to the relevant industries that carry out the recycling process. In general, the recycling process involves the mixing of waste paper with chemicals which then facilitate the breakdown of the fibers to facilitate in the manufacture of other paper products. The very first process in the recycle of waste paper is to identify and collect waste paper from the homestead. This is then collected in one container or bin and taken for sorting and identification. The sorting process is usually aimed at identifying the paper types that would form the three major types of feed-stocks for paper recycling. The first category of paper to be recycled is the mill broke. This refers to the pieces of paper, or trimmings that are recycled internally by a paper manufacturing mill. This is however not found in homes unless it is transported by some of the workers in the plant. This category of waste paper was therefore not covered in our project. The second category of paper to be recycled constituted the pre-consumer waste which refers to the paper that is rendered as was even before being used by the consumer (Jacobsen, Gellynck & Buysee, 2013). The third category which constitutes post-consumer wastes is the largest amount of paper waste not only in the US homestead but also all over the world. This also falls in different subcategories which include white paper, cartons among others. In our project, we collected daily newspapers, old book papers, wrapping papers and cartons which were then collected in dustbins and taken to several recycling plants. In most factories, the waste paper after being mixed with chemicals, is chopped and heated to break down the fibers and hence make it ready for the manufacture of other types of paper, such as the tissue paper (Jacobsen, Gellynck & Buysee, 2013). Recycling of paper has its own rationale that is acceptable by many. It is, no doubt, a fact that the process of making paper involves great impact on the environment especially when the trees are cut. It is therefore necessary to adopt recycling as process that would minimize the number of trees cut for making certain types of papers. This not only assures sustainability in environmental conservation but also results in low production costs for the manufacture of paper. Recycling of Metallic Cans Many homes in the community use products packaged in cans. These include products such as sodas, canned food among others. These products are produced in large quantities in a daily basis. The can recycling process starts in a manner similar to the other two wastes. Used cans in homes were collected and placed in specific recycling bins. These were then transported to the recycling plants in which they are shredded, melted and cooled to form solid masses known as aluminum ingots. These are usually ready to be used in the manufacture of new aluminum products. Recycling of such cans would ensure that the amount of aluminum mined for the purposes of making the cans would be reduce hence ensuring sustainability of minerals. Conclusion The project gave great insight in the amount of waste that is generated yearly in a community. The fact that 100 households generate wastes that are in the neighborhood of 10 tonnes is a clear indicator that recycling of such can relieve the environment of a lot of stress. Recycling should therefore be adopted as a way through which the amount of wastes released by human beings into the environment can be minimized. Reference Jacobsen, R., Gellynck, X., & Buysee, J. (2013). Cost comparison between private and public collection of residual household waste: Multiple case studies in the Flemish region of Belgium. Waste Management, 33(1), 3-11. Read More