Abstract The paper compares wastemanagement practices and policies in the Canadian city of Toronto with the American city of New York. Government officials in major North American cities are increasingly concerned about reducing waste collection and transport costs, and are seeking to increase efficiency. While Toronto officials are aggressively promoting recycling in order to reduce the volume of solid waste that huge urban areas must haul to landfills for disposal, New York City officials are focusing more upon implementing more efficient and less expensive methods of waste collection and transportation.
From the Paper "Comparing waste management practices and policies in the Canadian city of Toronto with the American city of New York indicates that government officials in major North American cities are increasingly concerned about reducing waste collection and transport costs, and are seeking to increase efficiency. Subsequently, Toronto officials are aggressively promoting recycling in order to reduce the volume of solid waste that huge urban areas must haul to landfills for disposal, while New York City officials are focusing more upon implementing more efficient and less expensive methods of waste collection and transportation. In Toronto, Solid Waste Management Services is responsible for handling the transfer and disposal of garbage, "as well as the processing and sale of recyclable materials collected through the blue..."
Abstract This paper discusses the wastemanagement issue in the communities of Toronto and New Castle Upon Tyne. The paper explains that, as the population of both cities increases, so do the problems surrounding wastemanagement. In New Castle Upon Tyne the city council has determined that residents are currently creating more waste than any other city in the area. This situation creates an issue that is likely to become more dominant in society with continued growth.
Abstract This paper reviews the wastemanagement crisis in Toronto and suggests that a multi-pronged intervention is necessary if the matter is to be ameliorated. Chiefly, this paper suggests that a combination of cracking down on wasteful households in conjunction with an emphasis on diversifying energy sources for the downtown core using waste materials is the most effective means to assist everyone involved.
From the Paper "As a recently appointed consultant to assist the city of Toronto with its burgeoning waste problem, the writer believes in an intervention that could work - and at an affordable cost. This paper will de-emphasize statistics - to some extent - but it will emphasize the broad concepts at work (inasmuch as these concepts have caused a great deal of comment). As an additional point, it should be noted that the intervention in mind is really a multi-pronged one; as Toronto's waste management issue is a complex matter, it stands to reason that there is no simple solution that will make the matter go away over night."
Abstract The paper focuses on medical wastemanagement. The paper ties in the treatment of hemodialysis to demonstrate how one illness can affect the system. It further discusses the history of medical wastemanagement, the issues surrounding it through history and then focuses on the current issues of incineration, disease, effects on the public and global warming. The paper discusses the politics involved, and the future concerns.
From the Paper "The issue of medical waste management has been relatively new to our culture in the United States. While we have always been aware that medical waste must be disposed of in the most efficient manner, it was not until the 1980s that concerns regarding the process gained public prominence and government intervention. In consideration of the fact that medical waste encompasses virtually every item, (to include human tissue and body parts), that are removed from a medical facility, it is understandable why public concern has been focused on this issue now for over 20 years."
Abstract The paper discusses how the environment and the responsible use of resources has become more important to society over the course of the last thirty years. With the increases in the standard of living for Americans, the production of waste has also increased. Americans produce on average almost four pounds of garbage per person per day. Out of the millions of tons of waste generated each year, approximately 73 percent is land-filled, 14 percent is incinerated and only 13 percent is recovered for reuse.
Abstract The paper looks at Toronto's current waste disposal problems - with special attention being paid to the city's heavy reliance on landfills. The paper then looks at the challenges and possibilities presented by recycling and how some new technological innovations (chiefly incineration) might be the most useful change. Also the paper looks at the potentialities of waste diversion techniques, examine the allure of bio waste recycling and the hope offered by the elimination of plastic wrapping. Finally, the paper delves into the issue of technologically-advanced incinerators and how they might help resolve Toronto's garbage problem.
From the Paper "All in all, in light of the problems facing Toronto, more recycling/waste disposal techniques should be considered - and high-technology incineration is right at the top of the list. Also near the top of the list is an "old" approach to waste management that, really, has not gained the widespread traction it deserves: old-fashioned recycling. Maureen Carter-Whitney writes that recycling, as compared to waste disposal, reduces energy consumption, relieves strain on the environment, diminishes the risk of dangerously high levels of eutrophification and acidification, cuts down air pollutants, and makes ecological toxicity less prevalent than it would be otherwise."
Abstract In this article, the writer points out that waste is a non-avoidable result of high-technology industrialized economies, as more things are produced and more waste is generated. Environmental, economic and social factors involved are examined and waste incineration is compared and contrasted with land filling and the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. The writer discusses that the growing concern for the environment, a constant increase in the amounts of waste produced, economic, land and social costs involved in developing new landfill sites and public opinion have brought about the need to approach wastemanagement in a new way. The writer maintains that the use of waste incinerators does provide certain advantages to landfill, particularly in terms of waste reductions as well as through waste-to-energy schemes. The writer concludes that the 3Rs method of wastemanagement has the greatest potential for growth and improvement and is a sustainable way of approaching wastemanagement.
From the Paper "A waste incinerator involves burning waste at high temperatures inside a specially engineered and purpose-built incinerator facility. Some of the positive impacts include the reduction of the volume of waste, less fossil fuel use and less land required for disposal of leftover solid residue as well as the potential of energy-from-waste incinerators. For example, by incinerating waste, its weight and volume are greatly reduced, often by as much as 90% . Pitchtel also stated that a third, albeit unintended benefit of incineration is detoxification - the destruction of microbial and other pathogenic organisms - of the waste . Waste-to-energy incinerators boil water to make steam for heating spaces or for production of electricity."
Abstract Wastemanagement and the landfill industry in general have emerged in the past few decades as an area of concern for citizens, government officials and policy makers alike. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was designed to govern the handling and disposal of "hazardous wastes" at sites that were then currently active. The RCRA affects sites where such wastes were treated, stored or disposed of since November 19, 1980. Thus, any person that generates "hazardous waste" is governed, as are persons that treat, store or dispose of hazardous wastes. This paper discusses the changes in the wastemanagement and landfill industry as a result of the RCRA, the reconfiguration of the solid waste industry after the EPA banned local small dumps, and includes policy analysis and recommendations for the future in this area.
From the Paper "The RCRA requires landfill owners to prove that they can afford to maintain their landfills after closure and to correct environmental problems the landfills cause. Trust funds are the most promising of the mechanisms owners may use to provide financial assurance (Lee, at 35-39). After the EPA banned small dumps, a large landfill industry arose, causing a reconfiguration of the solid waste industry. Public and private landfill owners face additional compliance deadlines under the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill regulations issued by the EPA."
Abstract This paper discusses the wastemanagement of Maltese Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. The paper discusses the history of poor wastemanagement in the area. The paper suggests that there is a gap between the ideals of the government and its investors, particularly in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and the actual and current want of strict protocols, official guidelines and better methods of handling dangerous or hazardous waste that comes out of pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. It also suggests the need for further studies into the problem.
Table of Contents:
Discussion
Limitations And Recommendations
From the Paper "These guidelines and SOPs are limited to pharmaceutical manufacturing companies now operating in Malta at this present time and cover only the management of their hazardous waste products in each stage indicated by the guidelines and SOPs. They are also to be applied in accordance with current legislations in force in the island and from an agreement with the EU.
This study recommended that these guidelines and SOPs on pick up, packaging and loading and export be tested on other and next-largest pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Malta for a reasonable period and the findings compared with those of Actavis, Ltd. The difficulties encountered in the case of Actavis, Ltd. should be noted and used as guide in the study of other similar firms in the island."
Abstract This paper discusses some of the problems and solutions to Canada's garbage and full landfill issues. It looks at the 3 R's of necessary alternatives - reduction of waste at its source, re-usability and recycling. The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this method of garbage disposal and makes recommendations for integrated wastemanagement in Canada.
From the Paper "3 R's of necessary alternatives are meant "to divert as much waste as possible from disposal" (Mitchell 377) to reduction of waste at its source, reusability, and recycling. Source reduction refers to eliminating as much waste material as possible at its origin to halt "the flow of garbage into the landfill" (The 4 R's). For the consumer it means "reducing the amount of toxicity" (Mitchell 378) in products brought home (water based instead of oil based paints), and the durability of products that will not need to be thrown out despite their inconvenience (cloth instead of disposable diapers). In industry this could include "more efficient manufacturing techniques that produce less scrap or generate fewer toxic wastes per unit of output" (Mitchell 378). In both areas, especially retail, "packaging makes up about half our garbage by volume, one-third by weight" (The 4 R's). Reusability is simply living the way our great-grandparents did down on the farm: repair, don't replace the chair, the new-fangled radio, wash out jars to store things, and if you have to buy, purchase that which lasts. Quality pays for itself. Recycling is the final option, and ideally the least desirable because it means the first two have not achieved their objectives; however, modern life being what it is, what cannot be reused should be broken down by cardboard, paper, bottles, etc. at home. In industry recycling and reusability are often reversed in their order of precedence as they are in some telephone companies who melt down quantities of scrapped copper filaments and remold them into copper wire. This might be an example of the fourth R, recovering (potential) energy from waste, a practice which was employed during wartime especially in England where railings, gates, every scrap of metal was taken by the War Office and melted down for armaments.
Abstract The paper looks at how the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) syndrome affects how sites for waste disposal facilities are located. The paper then examines particular problems facing landfills and incinerators. The paper shows how current waste disposal strategies in Canada are ineffective due to undesirable by-products and strong resistance to these facilities. The paper concludes that the most obvious solution to these problems would appear to be to adopt waste diversion programs like the ones being developed in Toronto.
From the Paper "To begin this discussion it is necessary to look at the social phenomena known as NIMBY syndrome. NIMBY stands for Not In My Back Yard(Meredith 480). When discussing NIMBY syndrome in "Assessing Environmental Impacts in Canada" Thomas Meredith states,
"...A society collectively accepts the need for a project, say a landfill site, an airport, or a nuclear power plant, but no one wants it near them" (Meredith 480)."
"In this sense NIMBY syndrome can be seen as a way in which land can be made socially unavailable for facilities like incinerators or landfills. This can be seen as a major contradiction because two totally different social and environmental factors are being expressed at the same time. Everyone knows that these facilities are necessary for society to function and are largely unwilling to live without them. However, they are also unwilling to live near the facilities that they desire. Since these two desires can't both be fulfilled it is necessary to look for other options."
Abstract In this article the writer looks at the issue of solid waste in Toronto and discusses what can be done to address a matter that has grown in importance in recent years. Specifically, the paper looks at the background of the situation, discusses possible policy responses and evaluates those alternatives. The writer offers a recommendation for one or more preferred options, complete with a brief overview of how they should be implemented. The writer concludes that Toronto would richly reward itself by placing the onus for solid wastemanagement upon private citizens and businesses - a step which might be politically unpopular in the short-term, but which will benefit the city in the long-run.
From the Paper "For some time, many Toronto residents have been outraged at what they view as the city's shameful inability to keep waste disposal and sanitation at a level commensurate with the city's pre-eminent status among Canadian municipalities. For one thing, many believe that solid waste should be recycled into steam for heating and for other energy-related purposes; as well, in light of the fact that Toronto's garbage pick-up has been the object of ridicule in many precincts for some time, there appears to be a sentiment that supervised sites whereat taxpayers can drop off tires, appliances, construction waste and other refuse should have been put into place years ago. Further, resentment seems to linger over the fact that Toronto has made remarkably little effort (at least in recent years) to establish guidelines at transfer stations that would mandate the separation of aluminum and other ferrous metals from organic products being shipped elsewhere; needless to say, this too is seen as a wasteful process that curbs what might be the productive recycling of still-useful items."
Abstract This paper demonstrates different approaches to wastemanagement by exploring ways that can help organizations become more environmentally aware and by constructing an example of an environmental policy for a particular organization. The paper also examines the impact of UK and European Union environmental legislation on organizations and describes the different types of waste produced by organizations. It offers suggestions to organizations about how they can reduce waste and presents an outline for a particular organization of the environmental and commercial benefits of reducing waste.
Main Structures and Approaches To Environmental Management Compare and Contrast Attempts to Raise Awareness
Environmental Policy "Best Practice"
EU legislation / Regulation for Environmental Management Approaches to WasteManagement Different Types of Waste Produced within Each Council
Evaluation
From the Paper "The Reading Borough Council is implementing an Environmental Management System, which complies with both the international standard ISO14001 and the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). These accreditations mean that the Reading is one of the top local authorities in the field of environmental management. The Environmental Management System (EMS), which is also in place at the Royal Borough or Windsor and Maidenhead, currently covers a number of services. The EMS along with Agenda 21 (discussed in task 2) and Sustainable Development initiatives, are all aimed at achieving and improving a balance between economic, social and environmental issues in the Borough."
Tags: green, activities, recycling, sustainable, development, programs, landfill, community
Abstract The paper explores the severity of the wastemanagement problem in Ontario, specifically in Toronto. The paper examines what diseases and/or viruses are now emerging as a result of their wastemanagement policies and explores the waste disposal alternatives available as the issue of wastemanagement becomes more pressing with the passage of time. The paper is of the opinion that the province of Ontario must begin to pressure citizens and private businesses to focus on diversionary plans for waste and they must start providing citizens and businesses with the resources they need to make these diversionary alternatives a success.
From the Paper "The relevance of this topic to our own course work can scarcely be exaggerated. For one thing, our focus on the environment has brought home the reality that we must find an adequate way of disposing of our waste or we as Ontarians will be confronted with the degradation of the ecosystem upon which we depend for food and nourishment. More than that, if human beings in the GTA and elsewhere in Canada's most populous province do not find a means of improving their approach to waste disposal, then the health risks to ordinary citizens - not all of whom are polluters or particularly slothful - will grow ever worse. Not least of all, our fragile groundwater reservoirs (a vital component of the hydrological cycle as our October 2 notes clearly reveal) will continue to face contamination - and the sufferings of this generation because of such a development will be met and exceeded by the sufferings of future generations who will be confronted with the grim specter of contaminated water, as well."
Abstract Hazardous wastemanagement is one of the most problematic issues that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asked to face: Hazardous waste is challenging to clean and dispose of and there tend to be complications resulting from the disposal of waste in the response from the public sector in terms of opposing localized disposal plans. The EPA is also challenged in terms of funding, for the cleanup and disposal of hazardous wastes is a costly process. This paper investigates how the EPA manages the funding and cleanup of hazardous wastes despite these challenges.
