CHM 110 - CHEMISTRY AND ISSUES IN THE ENVIRONMENT
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CHM 110 - CHEMISTRY AND ISSUES IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Menu | | Lecture/Outline | | Issues | | Assessment Index
| Submit the files for grading. |
OBJECTIVES :
1. Calculate/estimate the solid waste that you or your household produces
on a yearly basis.
2. Appreciate the fairly large amounts of wastes produced by your life-style.
3. Recognize methods for decreasing your production of wastes.
INTRODUCTION :
In this exercise, you will be introduced to various solid wastes which
are produced to support the lifestyles that we are accustomed in the United
States. You will calculate the amount of solid wastes that you personally
produce, as well as, the amounts calculated on a per capita basis. The per
capita amounts are produced indirectly by you because of the manufacturing,
industrial, mining, and agricultural activity needed to support society
in general. For the per capita calculations, assume that the population
of the United States is 250 million. Take whatever figure is given for the
entire U. S. and divide by 250 million to get the per capita amount.
Large amounts of waste products are produced by agriculture and logging.
Much of this waste is left in place and is eventually biodegraded. However,
agricultural (animal and crop) wastes can cause serious water pollution
problems if concentrated by very large farms. Mining activities result in
huge piles of tailings, overburden from strip mines, smelter slag, and other
residues. Depending on what is done with them they can have large impacts
on the environment. A rule of thumb is that it takes 20 pounds of raw material
to produce 1 pound of useful product. In this survey, we will concentrate
on household or municipal wastes.
6.67 Billion tons of solid waste produced per year
QUES. 1: Calculate the total tons and pounds of waste per
person per year. Assume a population of 250 million.
QUES. 2: Calculate the tons of Municipal, Commercial waste
produced per year, and then calculate the pounds per person.
159 Million tons municipal waste (excluding commercial) per year
QUES. 3: Calculate how many total tons and pounds of municipal
or household garbage is produced per person per year.
QUES. 4: Calculate how many pounds of paper per person
are thrown away per year.
INVENTORY # 1: Weekly Garbage Survey
Devise a method to calculate the pounds of garbage thrown away for each
of two weeks. Since most of you probably have a bathroom scale, use this
to weigh the garbage. First find your weight, then hold a bag of garbage
and reweigh yourself. The difference is the weight of the garbage. Note:
If you do not have a bathroom scale, an alternative is to do some type of
volume measurement for the inventories.
Weight of garbage week # 1: _______ Weight of garbage week # 2: ________
Wgt of garbage per household / year: _______
Wgt of garbage /person / year: _______
INVENTORY # 2: Weekly Amounts of All Paper/Cardboard Categories
A fairly clean category of garbage to keep separate is the paper products.
Include newspaper, magazines, "junk" mail, cardboard, paper product
food packaging, etc.
Pounds of Paper Products: Week # 1 _________ Week # 2 ___________
Graphic # 3:
As you can see from the above pie chart, most of the waste is put into landfills.
Only a tiny fraction is composted. This number will change in Illinois since
the July 1, 1990 ban on yard wastes in landfills.
QUES. 5: What do you do with your yard wastes?
Another way to dispose of waste products is through recycling. An increased
public and municipal awareness has resulted in a variety of recycling efforts.
INVENTORY # 3: Recycling
Measure the pounds of recycled materials collected in a two week period.
Then pro rate them to a yearly number.
Material Pounds/two weeks Pounds/year
Paper (from Inv. #2) _______________ _____________
Aluminum _______________ _____________
Glass _______________ _____________
Plastic _______________ _____________
Total lbs. recycling _______________ _____________
QUES. 6: How much do you currently recycle and what specific methods
could you use to increase the amount that you recycle?
INVENTORY # 4: FRACTION OF EXCESS WEIGHT IN PACKAGING
We are generating waste in the form of packaging and throwaway products
at ever increasing rates. Both producers and consumers are to blame. The
consumer has been indoctrinated to expect convenience and the producers
oblige with ever increasing amounts of excess packaging. In the following
table is a list of a "typical" partial shopping list.
TABLE 1: GROCERY PACKAGING WEIGHTS - ALL IN OUNCES
Grocery Item Total wgt. Packaging wgt.
Soda six pack 72 6
Frozen orange juice 12 0.75
Milk (half gallon) 66 2.26
Cereal 15 3.15
Dishwasher detergent 50 3.05
Liquid detergent 74 3.8
Cookies (box) 10 1.0
Pineapple (can) 20 2.68
Instant Coffee 4 2.76
Soup 11 1.47
Mayonnaise 32 9.92
Peanut butter 18 6.3
Bread 16 0.48
Frozen pizza 12 1.6
Frozen TV dinner 17 2.3
Meat 11 0.22
Toothpaste 5 0.42
QUES. 7: Calculate the total weight of the groceries in
the table, the total weight of the packaging, and finally calculate the
percent weight of the packaging.
QUES. 8: What specific measures can you take to reduce
the amount of waste from packaging that ends up in the garbage?
HAZARDOUS AND TOXIC WASTE IN HOMES
Toxic commonly refers to a narrow group of substances that are
poisonous which cause death or serious injury to humans and animals. Hazardous
, a broader term, includes all wastes that are dangerous, including those
that are toxic. They present immediate or long term health risks or pose
a threat to the environment.
Legally, a hazardous waste is any discarded material, liquid
or solid that contains substances in the following four categories:
1. Fatal to humans or laboratory animals in low doses.
2. Toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic to humans or other life
forms.
3. Ignitable with flash points less then 60 degrees Celsius.
4. Corrosive - Strong acid, bases, or oxidizing or reducing agents.
5. Explosive or highly reactive (undergoes violent chemical reactions).
Although most households do not accumulate large quantities of hazardous
wastes, we all have materials in out homes that are both toxic and hazardous.
Many solvents, cleaners, pesticides, fuels, and other materials are just
as dangerous as their industrial counterparts. When we discard them in the
sewers, garbage, or on the soil, they combine with those of our neighbors
to make a significant quantity.
INVENTORY # 5: HOME CHECKLIST OF HAZARDOUS WASTE:
Check off any of the following items that you find in your house.
Cleaning Products Paint and Building Products
Drain cleaner - Drano, Liquid Plumber Paint thinners
Toilet bowl cleaner Paint strippers
Septic tank cleaner Other solvents
Disinfectants Spray cans
Bleach Varnish and stains
Ammonia Wood preservative
Dry cleaning solvents or spot removers Acids for etching or cleaning concrete
Oven cleaner Latex and oil based paints
Driveway asphalt or roofing tar
Automotive Products Gardening and Plant Products
Antifreeze Pesticide sprays
Battery acid Pesticide dusts
Old batteries Ant and roach killers
Gasoline Weed killers (herbicides)
Rust inhibitor or remover Banned pesticides (Chlorodane)
Used motor oil
Brake and transmission fluid
QUES. 9: Develop a plan of action to safely handle and
dispose of the hazardous wastes in your house.
