First published in 1992, Waste Location seeks to widen and integrate the debate on the intrinsically spatial nature of waste disposal. The political and industrial significance of the new environmentalism of the 1980s came from the recognition of growing public pressure for environmental quality and product reliability. Attention was turned to waste as the product of consumption. As the political economy of waste was explored, new issues were raised: new technologies, recycling, pollution havens, waste minimization, location of landfill sites and incinerator facilities, and environmental crime, responsibility and planning. The 1990s sees the advocates of ‘cradle to grave’ responsibility still battling the promoters of market forces. One of the major developments in the study of waste collection and disposal was the new forms of data collection and handling technology. The contributors consider both geotechnics and geographical information systems within this context. The focus on the geography of the UK is set within the broader framework of political economy and the international trade in pollution exports. The case studies presented range from bin analysis through a Bayesian perspective on risk to the global politics of international waste streams. Together, the contributors provide a comprehensive overview of the waste location debate in the early 1990s. Students of environment and climate change will find this book particularly enlightening.

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This book will prove useful not only for both large and small academic institutions, but for small businesses as well. As small quantity generators and conditionally excluded small quantity generators, secondary schools, colleges, universities, and small businesses will identify with the problems-and solutions-presented here. The approaches in this book can save many chemistry departments thousands of dollars. In addition, they significantly clarify the often complicated legal requirements placed on both secondary and post-secondary institutions by state and federal government. This informative book offers specific, practical, and cost-effective solutions to the problems of waste disposal, from a description of a successful program to conduct a one-time cleanout of secondary schools, to the identification of chemicals that have no identity. Approaches to waste disposal taken around the country, including in-house treatment, lab packing, and the benefits of recycling through waste exchange programs are covered.

Waste is one of the planet’s last great resource frontiers. From furniture made from up-cycled wood to gold extracted from computer circuit boards, artisans and multinational corporations alike are finding ways to profit from waste while diverting materials from overcrowded landfills. Yet beyond these benefits, this “new” resource still poses serious risks to human health and the environment. In this unique book, Kate O’Neill traces the emergence of the global political economy of wastes over the past two decades. She explains how the emergence of waste governance initiatives and mechanisms can help us deal with both the risks and the opportunities associated with the hundreds of millions – possibly billions – of tons of waste we generate each year. Drawing on a range of fascinating case studies to develop her arguments, including China’s role as the primary recipient of recyclable plastics and scrap paper from the Western world, “Zero-Waste” initiatives, the emergence of transnational waste-pickers’ alliances, and alternatives for managing growing volumes of electronic and food wastes, O’Neill shows how waste can be a risk, a resource, and even a livelihood, with implications for governance at local, national, and global levels.

Solid Waste Recycling and Processing, Second Edition, provides best-practice guidance to solid waste managers and recycling coordinators. The book covers all aspects of solid waste processing, volume reduction, and recycling, encompassing typical recyclable materials (paper, plastics, cans, and organics), construction and demolition debris, electronics, and more. It includes techniques, technologies, and programs to help maximize customer participation rates and revenues, as well as to minimize operating costs. The book is packed with lessons learned by the author during the implementation of the most successful programs worldwide, and includes numerous case studies showing how different systems work in different settings. This book also takes on industry debates such as the merits of curbside-sort versus single-stream recycling and the use of advanced technology in materials recovery facilities. It provides key facts and figures, and brief summaries of legislation in the United States, Europe, and Asia. An extensive glossary demystifies the terminology and acronyms used in different sectors and geographies. The author also explains emerging concepts in recycling such as zero waste, sustainability, LEED certification, and pay-as-you-throw, and places waste management and recycling in wider economic, environmental (sustainability), political, and societal contexts. - Covers single- and mixed-waste streams - Evaluates the technologies and tradeoffs of recycling of materials vs. integrated solutions, including combustion and other transformational options - Covers recycling as part of the bigger picture of solid waste management, processing and disposal

Ever-expanding landfills, ocean gyres filled with floating plastic mush, endangered wildlife. Our garbage has become a massive and exponentially growing problem in modern society. Eco-entrepreneur Tom Szaky explores why this crisis exists and explains how can we solve it by eliminating the very idea of garbage. To outsmart waste, he says, we first have to understand it, then change how we create it, and finally rethink what we do with it. By mimicking nature and focusing on the value inherent in our by-products, we can transform the waste we can't avoid creating from useless trash to a useful resource. Szaky demonstrates that there is value in every kind of garbage, from used chewing gum to juice pouches to cigarette butts. After reading this mind-expanding book, you will never think about garbage the same way again.

Incineration has been used widely for waste disposal, including household, hazardous, and medical wasteâ€"but there is increasing public concern over the benefits of combusting the waste versus the health risk from pollutants emitted during combustion. Waste Incineration and Public Health informs the emerging debate with the most up-to-date information available on incineration, pollution, and human healthâ€"along with expert conclusions and recommendations for further research and improvement of such areas as risk communication. The committee provides details on: Processes involved in incineration and how contaminants are released. Environmental dynamics of contaminants and routes of human exposure. Tools and approaches for assessing possible human health effects. Scientific concerns pertinent to future regulatory actions. The book also examines some of the social, psychological, and economic factors that affect the communities where incineration takes place and addresses the problem of uncertainty and variation in predicting the health effects of incineration processes.