CONSERVATION AND WASTE REDUCTION

Conservation: is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to protect the natural world. Those who follow the conservation ethic and, especially,

those who advocate or work toward conservation goals are termed conservationists.

Waste minimisation: is the process and the policy of reducing the amount of waste produced by a person or a society.

Incineration

Positives:

· Energy reclamation · Reduction in volume of waste · Long-term security of waste handling

Negatives:

· Large amount of air pollution and ash generated · Generation of hazardous residues · Large impact on surrounding communities that must deal with unpleasant side effects · Loss of potential recyclables · Large investment required and long lead time before operation

Recycling

Positives:

You can get money for what you recycle (aluminum just about everywhere, and places that have CRV tax you get it back, sometimes up to $.10 a bottle, etc)

You reduce the amount of resources needed to make the same item compared to making it without recycling

It saves natural resources as it takes less energy to make something with recycled material rather something new

It saves space in landfills. The items that we recycle are not biodegradable.

 

 Negatives:

Causes people to buy more waste because they feel good for recycling. For example, plastic bags in supermarkets and such.

Its inconvenient (you have to wash all the products that had sticky substances in them (coke can)

In some areas you have to pay to have your items recycled at home and its illegal not to recycle and its a hassle to drive to the nearest recycling plant and it costs gas + the plastic bags you need to store the recycled items in.

Landfills

Negatives:

· The cost of lining systems, leachate collection, leachate treatment, covering and capping is prohibitive

· Costs tend to drive the building of regional mega-landfills which excite intense opposition from host communities

· Release high concentrations of methane and water pollution

· Unpleasant odours and visual impacts affect surrounding communities

Positives:

· Can hold large amounts of waste in inert condition   Cheap and fast

Conservation: Local

Conservation: National

Random Dumping

Overfishing

Solutions

Conservation: Global

Successes with MDG 7

The 3Rs

It calls for an overall reduction in resources and energy used, increase in the ratio of recyclable materials and further reusing of raw materials and manufacturing wastes.

The 3Rs in India

Characteristic of India: A higher proportion of small and very small quantity generators

Implication:More difficult to control waste movementsarising from such generators and moredifficult for such generators to initiate wastereduction measures

PROMOTION OF WASTE MINIMIZATION CIRCLES A “Waste Minimization Circle

(WMC)” is a small group (5 to 7 units) of entrepreneurs in the small scale sector, whose units manufacture similar products and employ the same processes voluntarily meeting periodically and regularly in the premises of each member unit, one after another, to analyze the current operations of the host unit, to identify sources of waste generation, and implement waste minimization options leading to an increase in individual profitability and reduction in the growth of pollution in all the units.

The charter is a mutually agreed document between the Government and industrial houses, incorporating voluntary initiatives by 17 identified categories of industries to ensure total compliance with pollution control norms.

Incentives: Financial; including matching grants, subsidies, low or no-interest loans, tax deductions, or tax credits

Waste Management

Biomethanation: biogas

-A biomethanation plant to process 500 tonnes of waste per day will be set up at Mulund, Mumbai-Responsible for 5% of city’s electricity

Thank you!