The Expert answers:

BENEFITS OF RECYCLING

Recycling saves resources
Using recycled materials in manufacturing reduces the need to destroy habitat and ecosystems in the extraction of raw materials. Fewer clear cuts, strip mines and oil drilling operations mean more of earth’s ecosystems remains intact.

Recycling saves energy, reduces pollution
Using recycled content instead of bauxite ore to make aluminum cans reduces energy use by 95%, water pollution by 97% and air pollution by 95%.

Recycled content in writing paper reduces energy use by 33%, air pollution by 73% and water pollution by35%.

Glass manufacturing with recycled content reduces energy use by 5%, air pollution by 22 % and manufacturing waste by 75%.

The Expert answers:

The current recycling business model is Single Stream Recycling, where by recyclables are collected from homeowners for a monthly fee and sorted either by hand or by machines, then sold if there is an available market, if not, the recyclables are stored and finally sent to a landfill.

Paper recyclables, if not contaminated by oils such as food contamination can be mixed with fresh wood pulp to make degraded products that people often don’t buy due to the lower quality, they can’t be used for food packaging due to the risk that some recyclable may have been contaminated by the end user and the fact that sample testing would not be able to prevent the contamination. Oil contamination usually can not be detected until an entire batch fails to mesh in random spots causing a large amount of recyclables and new material to be thrown away. A single pizza box that slips into the recycling system can ruin a ton of wood pulp. Also, the market for low quality newsprint was newspapers and the market for newspapers has diminished greatly so for the most part the recycled paper have bee increasingly sent to the landfill.

Type 1 and type 2 plastics are also typically from food containers and as it’s impossible to prevent a consumer from using a container for other purposes, they can not be recycled into food containers therefore the market is to make insulation from them for clothes, sleeping bags, home insulation and as a filler material in synthetic wood and parking curbs. As this is not an end to end recycling, the market depends on continued economic growth to create a demand. Often the market will lapse and the recyclables are sent to the landfill.

Metals can be fully recycled. However the concentrations are not as predictable as raw ore, can not be tested by sampling ( a sample of ore is indicative of what the ore is but a sample of recycled cans is only representative of the sample ) and although the contamination problem is muted by the smelting process, it still prevents end to end recycling. Currently there is still a high demand for recycled metals so they are unlikely to be sent to the land fill.

In general recycling collects an extra fee from the consumer and sorts the waste before delivery to the landfill. Until people actually buy products made from recycled materials, they are deluding themselves into believing they are environmentally friendly. What we currently have is not recycling but green washing.

The Expert answers:

1. Recycling prevents resource destruction.
To understand the value of recycling, we must look at the entire lifecycle of a product from
the extraction and processing of raw materials, to the manufacture and consumption of the
product, and then to its final disposal. Recycling creates a closed-loop system where discarded
products are returned back to manufacturers for use in new products. This prevents the pollution
and destruction that occurs when virgin materials—like trees and precious metals—are extracted
from the earth.
Sustainable resource management, through recycling and similar activities like water and energy
conservation and green building, is no longer a personal decision but a necessary practice in a
world with a growing population and a finite resource base. We must greatly expand recycling
infrastructure around the world and incorporate sustainability into everyday personal and
business practices for the future of our economy, our health and our environment.
Just look at what one community can do: using the National Recycling Coalition’s
environmental savings calculator, the collection of 135 tons of recyclables at the Eco-
Cycle/Broomfield Recycling Center for the month of January 2006 saved the equivalent of
777,910 gallons of water, 1,889 trees, 549,332 kilowatt hours of energy, 6,845 pounds of air
pollutants and 1,473 cubic yards of landfill space. And that was in just one month!
2. Recycling prevents pollution.
When recycled materials are used in place of virgin materials during manufacturing, we avoid
the environmental damage caused by mining for metals, drilling for petroleum, and harvesting
trees. Of course there is always some degree of pollution created in any manufacturing process,
including recycling, but production using recycled material is dramatically less polluting and
resource intensive than production from virgin materials:
• Producing recycled white paper creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water
pollution than producing paper from virgin fibers.
• Using recycled cans instead of extracting ore to make aluminum cans produces 95% less
air pollution and 97% less water pollution.
• Recycling and remanufacturing are 194 times more effective in reducing greenhouse gas
emissions than landfilling and virgin manufacturing.

3. Recycling saves energy.
Every year, Americans generate more than 230 million tons of solid waste. By recycling about
30% of our waste every year, Americans save the energy equivalent of 11.9 billion gallons of
gasoline and reduce the greenhouse gas equivalent of taking 25 million cars off the road.
For every one million tons of material recycled rather than landfilled, we save the energy
equivalent of
• Aluminum: 35,680,000 barrels of oil
• Glass: 460,000 barrels of oil
• Newspaper: 2,920,000 barrels of oil
• Office paper: 1,760,000 barrels of oil
• Mixed residential paper: 4,010,000 barrels of oil
• PET (plastic): 9,100,000 barrels of oil
• HDPE (plastic): 8,870,000 barrels of oil

The Expert answers:

Requirements at the truck stops and truck service/repair shops regarding Hazardous Waste and environmental liabilities is the same as for auto repair/service shops.
All waste oil must be collected and stored in labeled reservoirs, and tracked to the recycler by licensed hazmat transporters.
Any spill, in either venue must be contained, and recovered by APPROPRIATE means.
Some spills can be recovered with approved absorbent granules such as clay, DRYSORB etc. Others must be controlled and recovered with booms. The EPA is vigilant concerning this issue for all hazmat generators.
This includes other fluids as well such as antifreeze, brake fluid, transmission oils and the like.
In addition to these, the chemicals used in the industry are heavily regulated as well, and they cannot be discarded in trash waste.
Old and contaminated gasoline or diesel must not be mixed with lubricant oil waste.
Coolant must be reclaimed and stored for recycling.
To be sure, there are shops (auto and truck both) that try to cheat the system.
Others err due to ignorance, but the penalties are high, and getting higher.
Loss of license, financial censure and jail time are all penalties suffered for disregarding regulations and laws governing hazardous waste.

Merry Christmas

The Expert answers:

Mother nature, she recycles everything, she takes ground water evaporates it then turns it into fresh water in the form of rain. Insects recycle all waste into nutrients to feed plants, who recycle co2 into oxygen and sunlight into food. You could also say the dinosaurs were recycled into oil.

Modern man has been recycling since the begining of time, unused food into compost, trees into furniture into fire, sand into glass, broken tools were remelted and made into something new.

The idea of throwing things away is pretty new.

The Expert answers:

The oil is decanted into a large holding tank where it is boiled up and left to settle. Any water is removed and the oil is then filtered. This process is repeated to produce a watery brown liquid that is used in furnaces at power stations and quarries as an alternative, recycled fuel

The Expert answers:

Cons – Recycling:
Pollution — how many trucks are on the roads now to collect all of that junk?
-Manufacturing of the truck and all of its parts
-Gas, Oil, Transmission Fluid, Gear Oil, Hydraulic Fluid, Power Steering Fluid, Air Filters, tires (waste)

Pollution — how many blue/green/black containers do we have to manufacture so people can recycle
-Transportation of the containers to houses

Pollution — how many processing centers do we have to build
-Energy draw, tractors moving stuff around, etc. Etc..

Http://www.videosift.com/video/Penn-Teller-Bullshit-Recycling

Daniel Benjamin’s Paper referenced in Penn and Teller:
http://www.environnement-propriete.org/english/2004/2004download_pdf/Benjamin2004.pdf

We have plenty of landfill space — have you seen landfills lately?
-They produce and capture Landfill gasses
http://www.epa.gov/landfill/proj/index.htm
“As of December 2008, approximately 480 landfill gas (LFG) energy projects were operational in the United States. These 480 projects generate approximately 12 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and deliver 255 million cubic feet per day of LFG to direct-use applications. EPA estimates that approximately 520 additional landfills present attractive opportunities for project development.”

-They turn them into fertile parks
http://webecoist.com/2009/05/10/garbage-to-green-10-landfills-turned-into-nature-preserves/

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081005134527AAvr32j

Google is your friend:
Google Cons Recycling

The Expert answers:

Recycling can be defined as an act of reusing used materials or products by processing them. This helps our environment by reducing the burden on natural resources which are getting depleted significantly. A common example of recyclable items today is paper, which is then converted to new paper products. Glass, tin, wood, etc. Are some of the other items that can be recycled. Recycling is very good for the environment in many ways. Some of these include:
Lowers landfill amount
Too much landfill means a huge problem for mankind and other animal species. Non-biodegradable products accumulated for a long period means harmful and toxic gases. Recycling prevents the same.
Reduces consumption of energy
Natural resources are drying out. This applies for oil, forests, metals, mines, etc. Hence, recycling helps by reusing the resource once again, instead of digging into mother earth for more. It requires lower energy to use recycled wood as it would take many years for a plant to become a full-grown tree.
Reduces pollution
As landfills lead to harmful emission of gases and other toxic wastes they pollute the environment. If you ever pass a landfill during humid and warm summer months you would hate the stench caused due to toxic gases. Recycling helps in reducing the landfill deposits and making the world a better place to live.
Cost-effective
Recycled goods cost less compared to regular items. You can also reduce other costs by recycling methods at home. For instance, use natural rotten veggies or your pet pee can actually be a good fertilizer for the garden. Recycle the grass and leaves to create a compost of them.
It is time to act now. Recycling can help your children breathe fresh air and lead a pollution free life. Ask others to join this quest for recycling and adopt environmental friendly habits.

The Expert answers:

Radioactive waste is waste type containing radioactive chemical elements that does not have a practical purpose. It is sometimes the product of a nuclear process, such as nuclear fission. The majority of radioactive waste is “low-level waste”, meaning it has low levels of radioactivity per mass or volume. This type of waste often consists of items such as used protective clothing, which is only slightly contaminated but still dangerous in case of radioactive contamination of a human body through ingestion, inhalation, absorption, or injection.

[edit] Sources of waste

[edit] NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material)
Processing of substances containing natural radioactivity, this is often known as NORM. Much of this waste is alpha particles emitting matter from the decay chains of uranium and thorium.

[edit] Coal
Coal contains a small amount of radioactive nuclides, such as uranium and thorium, but it is less than the average concentration of those elements in the Earth’s crust. They become more concentrated in the fly ash because they do not burn well [1]. However, the radioactivity of fly ash is still very low. It is about the same as black shale and is less than phosphate rocks, but is more of a concern because a small amount of the fly ash ends up in the atmosphere where it can be inhaled.[2].

[edit] Oil and gas
Residues from the oil and gas industry often contain radium and its daughters. The sulphate scale from an oil well can be very radium rich, while the water, oil and gas from a well often contains radon. The radon decays to form solid radioisotopes which form coatings on the inside of pipework. In an oil processing plant the area of the plant where propane is processed is often one of the more contaminated areas of the plant as radon has a similar boiling point as propane.[1]

[edit] Mineral processing
Wastes from mineral processing can contain natural radioactivity.

[edit] Medical
Radioactive medical waste tends to contain beta ray and gamma ray emitters. It can be divided into two main classes. In diagnostic nuclear medicine a number of short-lived gamma emitters such as Tc-99m are used. Many of these can be disposed of by leaving it to decay for a short time before disposal as normal trash. Other isotopes used in medicine, with half-lives in parentheses:

Y-90, used for treating lymphoma (2.7 days)
I-131, used for thyroid function tests and for treating thyroid cancer (8.0 days)
Sr-89, used for treating bone cancer, intravenous injection (52 days)
Ir-192, used for brachytherapy (74 days)
Co-60, used for brachytherapy and external radiotherapy (5.3 years)
Cs-137, used for brachytherapy, external radiotherapy (30 years)

[edit] Industrial
Industrial source waste can contain alpha, beta, neutron or gamma emitters. Gamma emitters are used in radiography while neutron emitting sources are used in a range of applications, such as oil well logging.[3]

[edit] Nuclear fuel cycle
Main articles: Nuclear fuel cycle and Used nuclear fuel

[edit] Front end
Waste from the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle is usually alpha emitting waste from the extraction of uranium. It often contains radium and its decay products.

Uranium dioxide (UO2) concentrate from mining is not very radioactive – only a thousand or so times as radioactive as the granite used in buildings. It is refined from yellowcake (U3O8), then converted to uranium hexafluoride gas (UF6). As a gas, it undergoes enrichment to increase the U-235 content from 0.7% to about 3.5% (LEU). It is then turned into a hard ceramic oxide (UO2) for assembly as reactor fuel elements.

The main by-product of enrichment is depleted uranium (DU), principally the U-238 isotope, with a U-235 content of ~0.3%. It is stored, either as UF6 or as U3O8. Some is used in applications where its extremely high density makes it valuable, such as the keels of yachts, and anti-tank shells. It is also used (with recycled plutonium) for making mixed oxide fuel (MOX) and to dilute highly enriched uranium from weapons stockpiles which is now being redirected to become reactor fuel. This dilution, also called downblending, means that any nation or group that acquired the finished fuel would have to repeat the (very expensive and complex) enrichment process before assembling a weapon.

[edit] Back end
The back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, mostly spent fuel rods, often contains fission products that emit beta and gamma radiation, and may contain actinides that emit alpha particles, such as uranium-234, neptunium-237, plutonium-238 and americium-241, and even sometimes some neutron emitters such as Cf. These isotopes are formed in nuclear reactors.

It is important to distinguish the processing of uranium to make fuel from the reprocessing of used fuel. Used fuel contains the highly radioactive products of fission (see High Level Waste below). Many of these are neutron absorbers called neutron poisons in this context. These eventually build up to a level where they absorb so many neutrons that the chain reaction stops, even with the control rods completely removed. At that point the fuel has to be replaced in the reactor with fresh fuel, even though there is still a substantial quantity of uranium-235 and plutonium present. Currently, in the USA, this used fuel is stored. In other countries (the UK, France, and Japan in particular) the fuel is reprocessed to remove the fission products, and the fuel can then be re-used. The reprocessing process involves handling highly radioactive materials, and the fission products removed from the fuel are a concentrated form of High Level Waste as are the chemicals used in the process.

[edit] Proliferation concerns
Main article: nuclear proliferation
When dealing with uranium and plutonium, the possibility that they may be used to build nuclear weapons is often a concern. Active nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons stockpiles are very carefully safeguarded and controlled. However, high-level waste from nuclear reactors may contain plutonium. Ordinarily, this plutonium is reactor-grade plutonium, containing a mixture of plutonium-239 (highly suitable for building nuclear weapons) and plutonium-240 (an undesirable contaminant and highly radioactive); the two isotopes are difficult to separate. Moreover, high-level waste is full of highly radioactive fission products. However, most fission products are relatively short-lived. This is a concern since if the waste is stored, perhaps in deep geological storage, over many years the fission products decay, decreasing the radioactivity of the waste and making the plutonium easier to access. Moreover, the undesirable contaminant Pu-240 decays faster than the Pu-239, and thus the quality of the bomb material increases with time (although its quantity decreases). Thus, some have argued, as time passes, these deep storage areas have the potential to become “plutonium mines”, from which material for nuclear weapons can be acquired with relatively little difficulty. Critics of the latter idea point out that the half-life of Pu-240 is 6,560 years and Pu-239 is 24,110 years, and thus the relative enrichment of one isotope to the other with time occurs with a half-life of 9,000 years (that is, it takes 9000 years for the fraction of Pu-240 in a sample of mixed plutonium isotopes, to spontaneously decrease by half– a typical enrichment needed to turn reactor-grade into weapons-grade Pu). Thus “weapons grade plutonium mines” would be a problem for the very far future (>9,000 years from now), so that there remains a great deal of time for technology to advance to solve this problem, before it becomes acute.

Pu-239 decays to U-235 which is suitable for weapons and which has a very long half life (roughly 109 years). Thus plutonium may decay and leave uranium-235. However, modern reactors are only moderately enriched with U-235 relative to U-238, so the U-238 continues to to serve as denaturation agent for any U-235 produced by plutonium decay.

One solution to this problem is to recycle the plutonium and use it as a fuel e.g. In fast reactors. But the very existence of the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant needed to separate the plutonium from the other elements represents, in the minds of some, a proliferation concern. In pyrometallurgical fast reactors, the waste generated is an actinide compound that cannot be used for nuclear weapons.

[edit] Nuclear weapons reprocessing
Waste from nuclear weapons reprocessing (as opposed to production, which requires primary processing from reactor fuel) is unlikely to contain much beta or gamma activity other than tritium and americium. It is more likely to contain alpha emitting actinides such as Pu-239 which is a fissile material used in bombs, plus some material with much higher specific activities, such as Pu-238 or Po.

In the past the neutron trigger for a bomb tended to be beryllium and a high activity alpha emitter such as polonium, an alternative to polonium is Pu-238. For reasons of national security, details of the design of modern bombs are normally not released to the open literature. It is likely however that a D-T fusion reaction in either an electrically driven device or a D-T fusion reaction driven by the chemical explosives would be used to start up a modern device.

Some designs might well contain a RTG using Pu-238 to provide a longlasting source of electrical power for the electronics in the device.

It is likely that the fissile material of an old bomb which is due for refitting will contain decay products of the plutonium isotopes used in it, these are likely to include alpha-emitting Np-236 from Pu-240 impurities, plus some U-235 from decay of the Pu-239; however, due to the relatively long half-life of these Pu isotopes, these wastes from radioactive decay of bomb core material would be very small, and in any case, far less dangerous (even in terms of simple radioactivity) than the Pu-239 itself.

The beta decay of Pu-241 forms Am-241, the in-growth of americium is likely to be a greater problem than the decay of Pu-239 and Pu-240 as the americium is a gamma emitter (increasing external-exposure to workers) and is an alpha emitter which can cause the generation of heat. The plutonium could be separated from the americium by several different processes, these would include pyrochemical processes and aqueous/organic solvent extraction. A truncated PUREX type extraction process would be one possible method of making the separation.

[edit] Basic overview

[edit] Physics
The radioactivity of all nuclear waste diminishes with time. All radioisotopes contained in the waste have a half-life – the time it takes for any radionuclide to lose half of its radioactivity and eventually all radioactive waste decays into non-radioactive elements. Certain radioactive elements (such as plutonium-239) in “spent” fuel will remain hazardous to humans and other living beings for hundreds of thousands of years. Other radioisotopes will remain hazardous for millions of years. Thus, these wastes must be shielded for centuries and isolated from the living environment for hundreds of millennia [4]. Some elements, such as I-131, have a short half-life (around 8 days in this case) and thus they will cease to be a problem much more quickly than other, longer-lived, decay products but their activity is much greater initially.

The faster a radioisotope decays, the more radioactive it will be. The energy and the type of the ionizing radiation emitted by a pure radioactive substance are important factors in deciding how dangerous it will be. The chemical properties of the radioactive element will determine how mobile the substance is and how likely it is to spread into the environment and contaminate human bodies. This is further complicated by the fact that many radioisotopes do not decay immediately to a stable state but rather to a radioactive decay product leading to decay chains.

[edit] Biochemistry
Depending on the decay mode and the biochemistry of an element, the threat due to exposure to a given activity of a radioisotope will differ. For instance I-131 is a short-lived beta and gamma emitter but because it concentrates in the thyroid gland, it is more able to cause injury than TcO4- which, being water soluble, is rapidly excreted in urine. In a similar way, the alpha emitting actinides and radium are considered very harmful as they tend to have long biological half-lives and their radiation has a high linear energy transfer value. Because of such differences, the rules determining biological injury differ widely according to the radioisotope, and sometimes also the nature of the chemical compound which contains the radioisotope.

[edit] Philosophy
The main objective in managing and disposing of radioactive (or other) waste is to protect people and the environment. This means isolating or diluting the waste so that the rate or concentration of any radionuclides returned to the biosphere is harmless. To achieve this the preferred technology to date has been deep and secure burial for the more dangerous wastes; transmutation, long-term retrievable storage, and removal to space have also been suggested.

The phrase which sums up the area is ‘ Isolate from man and his environment ‘ until the waste has decayed such that it no longer poses a threat.

[edit] Fiction
In fiction, radioactive waste is often cited as the reason for gaining super-human powers and abilities. An example of this fictional scenario is the 1981 movie “Modern Problems” in which actor Chevy Chase portrays a jealous, harried air traffic controller Max Fiedler; Max Fiedler, recently dumped by his girlfriend, comes into contact with nuclear waste and is granted the power of telekinesis, which he uses to not only win her back, but to gain a little revenge. Another more widely known character affected by a bite from a radioactive spider is Spider-man. The Spider-man character was developed by Marvel Comics (see also Stan Lee) and was portrayed on the big screen by actor Tobey Macguire in two films: the first in 2002, and the second in 2004. In the film franchise, however, it is a bioengineered spider that bites him and changes his genetic makeup.

In reality, exposure to high levels of radioactive waste may cause serious harm or death. It is interesting to note that the treatment of an adult animal with radiation or some other mutation causing effect, such as a cytotoxic anti-cancer drug, cannot cause that adult animal to become a mutant. It is more likely that a cancer will be induced in the animal. In humans it has been calculated that a 1 sievert dose has a 5% chance of causing cancer and a 1% chance of causing a mutation in a gamete (e.g. Egg) or a gamete forming cell such as those in the testis which can be passed to the next generation. If a developing organism such as an unborn child is irradiated, then it is possible to induce a birth defect but it is unlikely that this defect will be in a gamete or a gamete forming cell.

[edit] Types of radioactive waste

Removal of very low-level wasteAlthough not significantly radioactive, uranium mill tailings are waste. They are byproduct material from the rough processing of uranium-bearing ore. They are sometimes referred to as 11(e)2 wastes, from the section of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act that defines them. Uranium mill tailings typically also contain chemically-hazardous heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. Vast mounds of uranium mill tailings are left at many old mining sites, especially in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

Low Level Waste (LLW) is generated from hospitals and industry, as well as the nuclear fuel cycle. It comprises paper, rags, tools, clothing, filters, etc., which contain small amounts of mostly short-lived radioactivity. Commonly, LLW waste is designated as such as a precautionary measure if it originated from any region of an ‘Active Area’, which frequently includes offices with only a remote possibility of being contaminated with radioactive materials. Such LLW waste typically exhibits no higher radioactivity than one would expect from the same material disposed of in a non-active area, such as a normal office block. No LLW waste requires shielding during handling and transport and is suitable for shallow land burial. To reduce its volume, it is often compacted or incinerated before disposal. Low level waste is divided into four classes, class A, B, C and GTCC, which means “Greater Than Class C”.

Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) contains higher amounts of radioactivity and in some cases requires shielding. ILW includes resins, chemical sludge and metal reactor fuel cladding, as well as contaminated materials from reactor decommissioning. It may be solidified in concrete or bitumen for disposal. As a general rule, short-lived waste (mainly non-fuel materials from reactors) is buried in shallow repositories, while long-lived waste (from fuel and fuel-reprocessing) is deposited in deep underground facilities. U.S. Regulations do not define this category of waste; the term is used in Europe and elsewhere.

High Level Waste flasks are transported by train in the United Kingdom. Each flask is constructed of 3ft thick solid steel and weighs in excess of 50 tonsHigh Level Waste (HLW) is produced by nuclear reactors. It contains fission products and transuranic elements generated in the reactor core. It is highly radioactive and often thermally hot. HLW accounts for over 95% of the total radioactivity produced in the process of nuclear electricity generation.

Transuranic Waste (TRUW) as defined by U.S. Regulations is, without regard to form or origin, waste that is contaminated with alpha-emitting transuranic radionuclides with half-lives greater than 20 years, and concentrations greater than 100 nCi/g (3.7 MBq/kg), excluding High Level Waste. Elements that have an atomic number greater than uranium are called transuranic (“beyond uranium”). Because of their long half-lives, TRUW is disposed more cautiously than either low level or intermediate level waste. In the U.S. It arises mainly from weapons production, and consists of clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris and other items contaminated with small amounts of radioactive elements (mainly plutonium).

Under U.S. Law, TRUW is further categorized into “contact-handled” (CH) and “remote-handled” (RH) on the basis of radiation dose measured at the surface of the waste container. CH TRUW has a surface dose rate not greater than 200 mrem per hour (2 mSv/h), whereas RH TRUW has a surface dose rate of 200 mrem per hour (2 mSv/h) or greater. CH TRUW does not have the very high radioactivity of high level waste, nor its high heat generation, but RH TRUW can be highly radioactive, with surface dose rates up to 1000 rem per hour (10 mSv/h). The United States currently permanently disposes of TRUW generated from nuclear power plants and military facilities at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.[2]

[edit] Management of medium level waste
It is common for medium active wastes in the nuclear industry to be treated with ion exchange or other means to concentrate the radioactivity into a small volume. The much less radioactive bulk (after treatment) is often then discharged. For instance, it is possible to use a ferric hydroxide floc to remove radioactive metals from aqueous mixtures [5]. After the radioisotopes are absorbed onto the ferric hydroxide, the resulting sludge can be placed in a metal drum before being mixed with cement to form a solid waste form.[3] In order to get better long-term performance (mechanical stability) from such forms, they may be made from a mixture of fly ash, or blast furnace slag, and portland cement, instead of the normal cement (made with portland cement, gravel and sand).

[edit] Management of high level waste

[edit] Storage
High-level radioactive waste is stored temporarily in spent fuel pools and in dry cask storage facilities. This allows the shorter-lived isotopes to decay before further handling.

Long-term storage of radioactive waste requires the stabilization of the waste into a form which will not react, nor degrade, for extended periods of time. One way to do this is through vitrification. Currently at Sellafield, the high-level waste (PUREX first cycle raffinate) is mixed with sugar and then calcined. Calcination involves passing the waste through a heated, rotating tube. The purposes of calcination are to evaporate the water from the waste, and de-nitrate the fission products to assist the stability of the glass produced.

The ‘Calcine’ generated is fed continuously into an induction heated furnace with fragmented glass[6]. The resulting glass is a new subtance in which the waste products are bonded into the glass matrix when it solidifies. This product, as a molten fluid, is poured into stainless steel cylindrical containers (“cylinders”) in a batch process. When cooled, the fluid solidifies (“vitrifies”) into the glass. Such glass, after being formed, is very highly resistant to water. [7] According to the ITU, it will require about 1 million years for 10% of such glass to dissolve in water.

After filling a cylinder, a seal is welded onto the cylinder. The cylinder is then washed. After being inspected for external contamination, the steel cylinder is stored, usually in an underground repository. In this form, the waste products are expected to be immobilised for a very long period of time (many thousands of years).

The glass inside a cylinder is usually a black glossy substance. All this work (in the United Kingdom) is done using hot cell systems. The sugar is added to control the ruthenium chemistry and to stop the formation of the volatile RuO4 containing radioruthenium. In the west, the glass is normally a borosilicate glass (similar to Pyrex {NB Pyrex is a trade name}), while in the former Soviet bloc it is normal to use a phosphate glass. The amount of fission products in the glass must be limited because some (palladium, the other Pt group metals, and tellurium) tend to form metallic phases which separate from the glass. In Germany a vitrification plant is in use; this is treating the waste from a small demonstration reprocessing plant which has since been closed down.

In 1997, in the 20 countries which account for most of the world’s nuclear power generation, spent fuel storage capacity at the reactors was 148,000 tonnes, with 59% of this utilized. Away-from-reactor storage capacity was 78,000 tonnes, with 44% utilized. With annual additions of about 12,000 tonnes, issues for final disposal are not urgent.

In 1989 and 1992, France commissioned commercial plants to vitrify HLW left over from reprocessing oxide fuel, although there are adequate facilities elsewhere, notably in the United Kingdom and Belgium. The capacity of these western European plants is 2,500 canisters (1000 t) a year, and some have been operating for 18 years.

[edit] Synroc
The Australian Synroc (synthetic rock)[8] is a more sophisticated way to immobilize such waste, and this process may eventually come into commercial use for civil wastes (it is currently being developed for US military wastes). The synroc contains pyrochlore and cryptomelane type minerals. The original form of synroc (synroc C) was designed for the liquid high level waste (PUREX raffinate) from a light water reactor. The main minerals in this synroc are hollandite (BaAl2Ti6O16), zirconolite (CaZrTi2O7) and perovskite (CaTiO3). The zirconolite and perovskite are hosts for the actinides. The strontium and barium will be fixed in the perovskite. The cesium will be fixed in the hollandite.

Synroc was invented by the late Prof Ted Ringwood (a geochemist) at the Australian National University.

Nuclear waste locations in USA
[edit] Geological disposal
The process of selecting appropriate deep final repositories is now under way in several countries with the first expected to be commissioned some time after 2010.However, many people remain uncomfortable with the immediate stewardship cessation of this management system. In Switzerland, the Grimsel Test Site is an international research facility investigating the open questions in radioactive waste disposal ([9]). Sweden is well advanced with plans for direct disposal of spent fuel, since its Parliament decided that this is acceptably safe, using the KBS-3 technology. In Germany, there is a political discussion about the search for an Endlager (final repository) for radioactive waste, accompanied by loud protests especially in the Gorleben village in the Wendland area, which was seen ideal for the final repository until 1990 because of its location next to the border to the former German Democratic Republic. Gorleben is presently being used to store radioactive waste non-permanently, with a decision on final disposal to be made at some future time. The U.S. Has opted for a final repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but this project is widely opposed and is a hotly debated topic. There is also a proposal for an international HLW repository in optimum geology, with Australia or Russia as possible locations, although the proposal for a global repository for Australia has raised fierce domestic political objections.

Sea-based options for disposal of radioactive waste [10] include burial beneath a stable abyssal plain, burial in a subduction zone that would slowly carry the waste downward into the Earth’s mantle, and burial beneath a remote natural or human-made island. While these approaches all have merit and would facilitate an international solution to the vexing problem of disposal of radioactive waste, they are currently not being seriously considered because of the legal barrier of the Law of the Sea and because in North America and Europe sea-based burial has become taboo from fear that such a repository could leak and cause widespread damage, though the evidence that this would happen is lacking. Dumping of radioactive waste from ships has reinforced this taboo. However, sea-based approaches might come under consideration in the future by individual countries or groups of countries that cannot find other acceptable solutions.

A more feasible approach termed Remix & Return [11] would blend high-level waste with uranium mine and mill tailings down to the level of the original radioactivity of the uranium ore, then replace it in empty uranium mines. This approach has the merits of totally eliminating the problem of high-level waste, of placing the material back where it belongs in the natural order of things, of providing jobs for miners who would double as disposal staff, and of facilitating a cradle-to-grave cycle for all radioactive materials.

[edit] Transmutation
There have been proposals for reactors that consume nuclear waste and transmute it to other, less-harmful nuclear waste. In particular, the Integral Fast Reactor was a proposed nuclear reactor with a nuclear fuel cycle that produced no transuranic waste and in fact, could consume transuranic waste. It proceeded as far as large-scale tests but was then cancelled by the US Government. Another approach, considered safer but requiring more development, is to dedicate subcritical reactors to the transmutation of the left-over transuranic elements.

There have also been theoretical studies involving the use of fusion reactors as so called “actinide burners” where a fusion reactor plasma such as in a tokamak, could be “doped” with a small amount of the “minor” transuranic atoms which would be transmuted to lighter elements upon their successive bombardment by the very high energy neutrons produced by the fusion of deuterium and tritium in the reactor. It was recently found by a study done at MIT, that only 2 or 3 fusion reactors with parameters similar to that of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) could transmute the entire annual actinide production from all of the light water reactors presently operating in the United States fleet while simultaneously generating approximately 1 gigawatt of power from each reactor.

[edit] Reuse of waste
Another option is to find applications of the isotopes in nuclear waste so as to reuse them. [12] . Already, cesium 137, strontium 90 and a few other isotopes are extracted for certain industrial applications such as food irradiation and RTGs.

[edit] Space disposal
Space disposal is an attractive notion because it permanently removes nuclear waste from the environment. However, it has significant disadvantages, not least of which is the potential for catastrophic failure of a launch vehicle. Furthermore, the high number of launches that would be required makes the proposal impractical. To further complicate matters, international agreements on the regulation of a such a program would need to be established.[13]

[edit] Accidents involving radioactive waste
While radioactive waste is not as sensitive to disruption as an active nuclear reactor, it is often treated as regular waste and forgotten. A number of incidents have occurred when radioactive material was disposed of improperly, simply abandoned or even stolen from a waste store.

Scavenging of abandoned radioactive material has been the cause of several other cases of radiation exposure, mostly in developing nations, which usually have less regulation of dangerous substances (and sometimes less general education about radioactivity and its hazards) and a market for scavenged goods and scrap metal. The scavengers and those who buy the material are almost always unaware that the material is radioactive and it is selected for its aesthetics or scrap value. A few are aware of the radioactivity, but are either ignorant of the risk or believe that the material’s value outweighs the danger. Irresponsibility on the part of the radioactive material’s owners, usually a hospital, university or military, and the absence of regulation concerning radioactive waste, or a lack of enforcement of such regulations, have been significant factors in radiation exposures. For details of radioactive scrap see the Goiânia accident.

Transportation accidents involving spent nuclear fuel from power plants are unlikely to have serious consequences due to the strength of the spent nuclear fuel shipping casks.

[edit] See also
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
Hot cell
List of nuclear accidents
Nuclear power
Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant
Geomelting
Radioactive scrap metal

[edit] References
^ Survey & Identification of NORM Contaminated Equipment
^ Why WIPP?
^ Removal of Silicon from High Level Waste Streams via Ferric Flocculation
Fentiman, Audeen W. And James H. Saling. Radioactive Waste Management. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2002. Second ed. An overview of waste from the nuclear fuel cycle was written by B.V. Babu and S. Karthik, Energy Education Science and Technology, 2005, 14, 93-102.

[edit] External links
Key Radionuclides and Generation Processes (DOE)
Alsos Digital Library – Radioactive Waste (bibliography)
Belgian Nuclear Research Centre – Activities (documents and links)
Belgian Nuclear Research Centre – Scientific Reports (documents)
Critical Hour: Three Mile Island, The Nuclear Legacy, And National Security (PDF)
Environmental Protection Agency – Yucca Mountain (documents)
Grist.org – How to tell future generations about nuclear waste (article)
A discussion on the secrecy surrounding plans for radioactive waste in the UK (article)
International Atomic Energy Agency – Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology Program (program objectives)
International Atomic Energy Agency – Internet Directory of Nuclear Resources (links)
Nuclear Files.org – Yucca Mountain (documents)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Radioactive Waste (documents)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Spent Fuel Heat Generation Calculation (guide)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Coal Combustion: Nuclear Resource or Danger (document)
Radwaste.org (links)
Radwaste Blog (weblog)
Surviving on Nuclear Waste (book)
The Nuclear Energy Option – Hazards of High-Level Radioactive Waste (book)
UNEP Earthwatch – Radioactive Waste (documents and links)
Uranium Information Center – Radioactive Waste (briefing papers)
United States Geological Survey – Radioactive Elements in Coal and Fly Ash (document)
World Nuclear Association – Radioactive Waste (briefing papers)
Radioactive Waste Management, by UIC

Topics related to waste management edit
Anaerobic digestion | Composting | Incineration | Landfill | Mechanical biological treatment | Radioactive waste | Recycling | Sewerage | Waste | Waste collection | Waste sorting | Waste hierarchy | Waste management | Waste management concepts | Waste legislation | Waste treatment technology
v • d • eNuclear technology
Nuclear engineering Nuclear physics | Nuclear fission | Nuclear fusion | Radiation | Ionizing radiation | Atomic nucleus | Nuclear reactor | Nuclear safety
Nuclear material Nuclear fuel | Fertile material | Thorium | Uranium | Enriched uranium | Depleted uranium | Plutonium
Nuclear power Nuclear power plant | Radioactive waste | Fusion power | Future energy development | Inertial fusion power plant | Pressurized water reactor | Boiling water reactor | Generation IV reactor | Fast breeder reactor | Fast neutron reactor | Magnox reactor | Advanced gas-cooled reactor | Gas-cooled fast reactor | Molten salt reactor | Liquid-metal-cooled reactor | Lead-cooled fast reactor | Sodium-cooled fast reactor | Supercritical water reactor | Very high temperature reactor | Pebble bed reactor | Integral Fast Reactor | Nuclear propulsion | Nuclear thermal rocket | Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
Nuclear medicine PET | Radiation therapy | Tomotherapy | Proton therapy | Brachytherapy
Nuclear weapons History of nuclear weapons | Nuclear warfare | Nuclear arms race | Nuclear weapon design | Effects of nuclear explosions | Nuclear testing | Nuclear delivery | Nuclear proliferation | List of states with nuclear weapons | List of nuclear tests

The Expert answers:

I think it is a combination of things.

First of all, think there are still a number of municipalities that have no recycling programs. For those that do, I think there is a lot of confusion by people as to what can actually be recycled because it does differ from place to place. I am fortunate that my township recycles type 1-7 plastics, steal cans, aluminum cans, paperboard (cereal box material), newspapers, and junk mail. However, the next town over only does type 1 and 2 plastic and newspaper which is typical in this area (south central PA). If it weren’t for a program at which my wife and I volunteer, we’d just throw out corrugated cardboard and office paper.

Another reason is that organizing all of it can be a bit overwhelming. My wife and I struggled at first but we worked out a system of bins in our garage that we can simply slide out to the curb on trash day or throw in the car when we go to volunteer. We do help our friends organize their stuff and take what their municipalities do not take to the volunteer program facility (this include all of the recycling from our church which is in a municipality without a recycling program).

In the end, some people are just plain lazy. Unfortunately, I think this is the biggest reason. I have heard every excuse in the book

…I don’t want to rinse everything and that take a lot of water so how is that any better? (showed them how to rinse a party’s worth of beer and soda bottles with six ounces of water by transferring the water from container to container)
…I don’t have time to sort it (gave them extra bins next to their current cans in the garage five feet from kitchen trash)
…Can’t afford the recycle bins (found out their municipality offer free bins and even picked them up for them on my way through town)

I have watched people throw a soda can in the trash when a clearly marked recycling bin was right next to the trash can. Some places make recycling mandatory but there is no way to enforce it. Until people see a real impact in their life (most people are self-centered), they won’t do it.

The Expert answers:

My guess is that you are asking about recycling via returning items to the grocery store and getting a deposit back for each item? The reason that the grocery store will only accept those items marked CA CRV is because they want to make sure they were purchased in CA and deposit was given.

So someone couldn’t go to another state and purchase the items w/o giving a deposit but returning it to a CA grocery store and getting money for it. That’s my guess.

The Expert answers:

Recycle it anyway. I recycle anything that is plastic, cardboard, etc., and they always take it. Better to be safe than sorry!;)

The Expert answers:

A plastic trash can or hamper with a lid, to which you can attach a label “BATTERY RECYCLING”, can be had for under $15 at Target, Wal-Mart or a similar discount retailer. It needn’t be a specialized container.

The Expert answers:

The most unusual plant container i have seen is an old toilet bowl. Someone used an old toilet bowl and planted it with water plants (i.e. Water lily and reeds )

The Expert answers:

Depending on what your local/National building code requires, as well as the local bylaws, you would most likely need to find an architect/Engineer/building contractor to design the house for you.

The short answer is that it is possible to build a house out of these containers. I personally would not want a house build completely of steel, but that is just me.

Also, another main concern of useing steel containers for a house, especially in a rain forest, is corrosion resistance. You would have to make sure the steel is well protected, or you could have a rusted out house in a couple years.

The Expert answers:

What data are there to suggest that those laws DO “encourage” recycling? For many years, the state of Oregon had a law that required a fee on every container that would be returned to the purchaser when the empty container was returned. The neighboring state of Washington had no such nonsense law, and yet had a higher rate of recycling of the same types of containers. Amazingly, there were groups always trying to get the laws passed in Washington, that would have required adding staff to the government, and that obviously would have no benefit other than requiring more taxes to be levied in order to pay for the more government employees to administer the un-needed law!

The Expert answers:

Scrap glass taken from the glass manufacturing process, called cullet, has been internally recycled for years. The scrap glass is economical to use as a raw material because it melts at lower temperatures than other raw materials, thus saving fuel and operating costs.

Glass that is to be recycled must be relatively free from impurities and sorted by color. Glass containers are the most commonly recycled form of glass, and their colors are flint (clear), amber (brown), and green. Other glass, such as window glass, pottery, and cooking utensils, are considered contaminants because they have different compositions than glass used in containers. The recycled glass is melted in a furnace and formed into new products.

Glass containers make up 90 percent of the total glass used in the United States. The 2000 recycling rate for glass was about 23 percent. Other uses for recycled glass include glass art and decorative tiles. Cullet mixed with asphalt forms a paving material called glassphalt.

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The Expert answers:

You have the answer…. Itz cheap and can be recycled!!!

The Expert answers:

If she is just recycling, sure, but it would be easier to just send her the money you would spend on postage. It turns out that when I checked here
http://www.adirondackcouncil.org/BBBBaa207.html
I learned
“Currently, there is a five-cent deposit on cans and bottles of carbonated beverages including beer and soda. When the original bottle bill was passed, bottled water and juice drinks were not included in the legislation and are still not subject to the deposit. In the last 25 years, …”
That means their cans are marked with the state of sale and you can’t do it.

The Expert answers:

Recycling aluminum benefits the economy, the community and the environment and can make you money. Aluminum can be recycled over and over again. Recycled aluminum will make it back to the product market within 60 days after recycling. Any type of aluminum is recyclable. Schools, organizations and sport teams commonly use this as a method to raise money. There is no out-of-pocket expense. You will simply need to set up a designated area for receiving the aluminum and then transport it to the recycling station

OR

Put crushed aluminum cans in the recycling bin.They are processed the same way. I used to have a can-crusher, a little hand operated press that flattened cans out for easy keeping and storage. You could get a lot more of them into a box and they still were worth the nickel if you lived in CA or other states that refunded on cans.
🙂

The Expert answers:

Just google local recycling centers.

The Expert answers:

Virginia is one of many states that does not have a deposit and return law. You most likely are supposed to put your empty bottles and cans in the recycling bin. You won’t get any money back if you bring them to New York. They need to have the stamp on the top of the can.

The Expert answers:

Yes you can get money for recycling a laptop

you can also do a trade-in where you get money off a new laptop by handing in your old laptop to them. Not a lot of places offer this though and even then you have terms and conditions in place.

The Expert answers:

Food cans -recycle able no money
aluminium pop cans-recycle able money for deposit or money for weight per pound
copper pipe,wire-recycle able money for weight
cast aluminium-(old BB Q’s)money for weight
aluminium siding,soffets,and old window frames-money for weight
beer and alcohol bottles -if deposit paid than money to be
made
in some areas car batteries can be taken to scrap dealer we get 5.00 per battery in Ontario at our centre it may vary per area

The Expert answers:

Cans worth between 3 to 5 cents depending on area. The only way to scrap food cans is mix with tin and other metal.( typically scrap yards dont take food cans) go for wiring, copper, radiators, brass which goes for 1.10 lb for radiators 3.00 per lb for clean copper. 2 for brass. Clean metal should be free of any other types of metal or plastic.

The Expert answers:

Please don’t throw them away!
Ohio doesn’t give money for turning in plastic bottles. But you can certainly recycle.
You can find a place to recycle here:
http://www.recyclingcenters.org/Ohio/

If none of these places are convenient, often schools and public areas have recycling. Just ask around.

The Expert answers:

Ok first of all there are various methods of recycling.

Do you want to make a lot of money or do you want to just make a little bit of money?
If you only want to make a little bit of money then the best thing to do is collect cans. But if you want to make a good amount of money and do it quickly then scraping is the way to go.

You can get information on either one of these methods by doing a simple web search for the terms “can collecting” and “Scraping”

The Expert answers:

Needle felting, paper mache, recycle art, wood crafts. There are projects with instructions here: http://www.make-craft-projects.com/
Pick the category on the left that interests you.
Click on it and you will go to a page with different projects. Click on the one you want and it will go to the page with pictures and instructions.

The Expert answers:

Recycle art with poptabs:

Recycle tin cans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3rG4Wy6Oe4

How to make a poptar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he215SLuOLI

The Expert answers:

How about jewelry making, paper craft, Candle Making and Candle Crafts,Cardboard Crafts, Recycling Crafts,Nature Crafts, Easy Homemade Gifts,Jar Mixes and Gifts in a Jar, decorative strings ,hand print crafts, money or coin craft, etc…

The Expert answers:

Recycle projects

http://www.kinderart.com/crafts/bugvillage.shtml
http://www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm

dye dryer sheets and make into flowers or stitch/glue together for banners or decor.

Milk carton pen/pencil holder
use magazine to cut out pictures,fabric can be used.

Paint/markers some rocks
do faces or other images
ex: find a rock that looks close to a animal/bug or a book and paint in details.

Ice cream carton lids make good photo frames just decorate.

The Expert answers:

Here are a bunch of articles on teen crafts using recycled items. All these articles give you detailed instructions on several crafts and they are all inexpensive. Enjoy getting crafty!

Craft with bottles
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2767758/recycled_teen_crafts_plastic_bottles.html?cat=24

Crafts with Socks
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2767764/recycled_teen_crafts_with_socks.html?cat=24

crafts using cereal boxes
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2767570/recycled_teen_crafts_cereal_boxes.html?cat=25

Making purses from recycled items
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2768152/recycled_teen_crafts_purses.html?cat=24

Making jewelry
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2767892/prom_crafts_pasta_jewelry.html?cat=24

crafts using old books
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2754437/green_teen_crafts_recycled_books.html?cat=24

crafts using newspaper
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2809668/recycled_teen_crafts_with_newspaper.html?cat=24

crafts using milk jugs
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2788960/green_teen_crafts_recycled_milk_jugs.html?cat=24

crafts using coffee cans
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2785688/green_teen_crafts_coffee_cans.html?cat=24

The Expert answers:

DIY Inspiration. Bottle Animals. Recycled water and detergent bottles made into animal lights – but are really cool sculptures on their own.

Http://unconsumption.tumblr.com/post/45985412324/truebluemeandyou-diy-inspiration-bottle

The Expert answers:

There are many sites for recycling projects from making compost to recycling gray water, but I assume you mean recycling crafts. Here are two sites that I found, plus there are magazines such as “Pack ‘O Fun” that you can borrow from your library or purchase anywhere magazines are sold. Your library will also have other books dealing with recycling.

Www.familycrafts.about.com
Kinderart.com/recycle

Hope this is what you are looking for.

The Expert answers:

Yes and no and yes.

Yes, tulle can probably be recycled in that it probably could be placed into a recyclable bin somewhere. This would require the capability of your recycling system to find a tulle buyer who will re-use, re-purpose, or re-manufacture it. Also, that they can gather enough of it to be able to supply this buyer. Chances are, this is not going to be a happening thing in the near future in most communities. – It is more likely to happen in a community that has a tulle manufacturing plant or other industry with a predicable and reliable amount of tulle waste.

So, the answer is no, it is not likely to be recyclable material in most communities.

On the other hand, there are a number of ways to divert smaller quantities of tulle from the landfill stream. One is to give it away, list it on a board like freecycle.org or craigslist.com, or donate it to a place like Goodwill or Salvation Army. Another way is to re-use or re-purpose it on your own. There are a zillion crafting projects ranging from decorative to utilitarian that call for tulle or netting. I’m sure that you can find some out on the net as well as among the stacks and periodicals at your local library.

Depending upon how fine, how strong, and what color your tulle is, there are a number of different things it can be made into. It can be made in to draw string sacks for produce, delicates in the washing machine, or even as “ditty bags” for use in a pack, bag, purse, or drawer. It can be made into a number of skin scrubbing bath items like back scrubbers, bath scrunchies, and even fixed over bar/solid soap as a combination soaping and scrubbing item. (This one has been pretty popular over the years and designs range from utilitarian to quite decorative.) Tulle and netting can also be used to generate a number of different types of kitchen scrubbers popular among home crafters and bazaar sales in the 1960’s and 1970’s; you can still see vestiges of these designs in the cleaning aisle of your local grocery store. Tulle and netting is also commonly used in assorted drawer sachet and Christmas decorations. Of course, it is used as a decorative accent in a number of crafting and sewing projects including wood and other based yard decor. A number of the clothing for kids the past several months or a year have included assorted versions of the ballet tutu skirt which contain ruffles of tulle; tulle ruffles have escaped the skirt and are found on tops, at sleeve and pant hems, and more. From this there are an assortment of even adult clothing with lace or tulle type over lays, whole backs and other pieces with “holes” covered by the same, and more. Tulle is also often used in some sorts of pillows and drawer sachets. I’m sure that we will see more tulle in hair accents, clothing accents, and more as the months wear on. Again, depending upon the size of your tulle’s mesh and strength, tulle and netting is often used to hold black thistle as a bird feeder. It can be used as a filter or strainer in a number of different applications too.

Often the Reduce, Re-use, and Re-purpose cornerstones of the current recycling movement demand creative thinking and beg for a number of crafting skills. “Crafting” is not the activity of just dingy old ladies, men with too much time and too many tools, nor counter culture types in odd outfits eating odd food. In America there has almost always been a debate about when and how “crafting” becomes skilled workmanship, and skilled workmanship becomes art. Also, if a product is hand crafted in a garage it is considered to be more of a craft item yet, when does a couple of folks working in the same garage become a business versus a manufacturing line.

The Expert answers:

Some recycling centers do not accept magazines because of the finish on the paper. Check with yourlocal recycle center to see if they take them.

But you should consider the “reduce, reuse, recycle” slogan.

If you do not want to get the online subscriptions to your magazines, find others who can enjoy them when you are done with them, places like nursing homes, hospice centers, jails, libraries, and assisted living communities. Some elementary schools and day cares might even be interested in then for craft projects. You need to call around and see if any of these places would be interested.

Just my two cents.

The Expert answers:

For disposal of hazardous waste, many cities and municipalities have hazardous waste collection sites or special days set aside for collection of such items. Check with your city or county Solid Waste Dept. Or Environmental Quality or Environmental Protection agency for information. If you have a computer that is still functional, consider donating it to a school or nonprofit organization in need. Also, a nonprofit computer recycling organization called Computer Recycling Center may be helpful (see sources). For ideas on how to recycle items from cell phones to used tires, or how to stay ahead of the game and REDUCE consumption of products (for example, use canvas bags instead of plastic or paper; stop junk mail), see the following sources. Did you know, for example, that 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year, and that the majority of them are NOT recycled? If we reduce consumption (by using canvas bags, for example), we work toward making our earth cleaner and healthier.

The Expert answers:

Scarily enough, household waste is a very broad definition. It can be ANYTHING that comes from the household, so that kind of category for recycling isn’t a very good one.

Here’s a suggestion: Use your “household waste” bin for anything organic, or throw the “anything organic” into a compost heap for future gardening. Under this definition, kitty litter (minus waste) CAN go into one of these.

Also, find out from your community how they are defining household waste.

The Expert answers:

You would need a composting toilet to do that , composting toilets will burn the human waste and only after it is burned can it be recycled. Egg shells you can throw right into your garden.

The Expert answers:

New technology breeds electronic obsolescence, creating a growing e-waste environmental problem. Even electronic waste recycling can have negative environmental impacts.

High Tech Trash by Elizabeth Grossman, published by Island Press in 2006 states “The cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in computer and television monitors contain lead – which is poisonous to the nervous system – as do circuit boards. Mercury – like lead – a neurotoxin, is used in flat-panel display screens. Some batteries and circuit boards contain cadmium, known to be a carcinogen.”
The fact sheet “Electronic Product Management Issues” published by the California Integrated Waste Management Board in February 2002 states “When disposed in landfills, these products have the potential to contribute significant levels of toxic materials to the leachate produced in landfills. These include lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, cadmium, arsenic, zinc, chromium, and selenium.”

Toxic Tech: Not in our Backyard states “PVC is a chlorinated plastic used in some electronics products and for insulation on wires and cables. Chlorinated dioxins and furans are released when PVC is produced or disposed of by incineration.”

The Expert answers:

The consumer should be held responsible for the items he purchases. Maybe we would become more responsible if we had to find ways to dispose of all of the garbage we create by overconsuming.

We can Reduce, Reuse, Refuse to keep on buying more stuff that we do not need. There are many websites and other ways to recycle when we need an item or have one that still has some life.

The Expert answers:

All the e-waste in my area is recycled in my city and not by Chinese. They use all the safety equipment required.

Before when we were shipping all that stuff to other countries including China and India it wasn’t considered recycling, and who knows how many people will die because of it. Much of it was dumped in or near water and has contaminated the water supply for entire communities and it could take decades to see the results of heavy metal poisoning, increased cancers, birth defects etc. It will have lasting damage to both wild life, domestic animals used for food and the humans in the area. Not to mention those who actually try to recycle some materials, thye usually heat a circuit board over an open flame and inhale noxious gases to get the precious metals off the board.

The Expert answers:

I think you probably mean WEEE, that’s Waste Electric and Electrical Equipment.

All electrical equipment contains recyclable components, starting off with the plastics from outer casings etc. Down to the component boards which can contain gold and platinum.
These are separated and sold on to various sources for recycling, chips and circuit boards can be re-used so the aim of this is to lessen the amount of virgin (new) polymers and metals needed to continue in the electrical industry.Copper and other metals are recovered from motors, this is a valuble metal fetching close to £4000 per tonne of scrap.

WEEE waste companies in the UK are heavily regulated and the same also applies to many worldwide countries including China.
The recycling and waste industry used to send thousands of tonnes of waste plastics and electrical items to China but this has now thankfully come down to a more acceptable level thanks to the intervention of the Chinese government.

The Expert answers:

Well for the last ten years I have been composting my food scraps and separating my recycling (Glass, paper, plastic)I also wash my Styrofoam containers and recycle them. I have been recycling the plastic bags from the store but i try to use the reusable ones often. I like composting its great for my garden and i don’t feel so bad about dumping that stuff in a landfill. I used to have a plastic bin that i used but it got burnt in the brush fire by our house so now its just a big pile of yard scraps and food scraps. I think the raccoons like it too. I recycled the melted bin via waste services. I recycle the plastic cups my yougurt comes in to plant seedlings for the garden by drilling holes in them. I also use my community’s freecycle groups from yahoo. If i dont need something any more I post it on line and someone comes to my door and gets it. You can do alot b doing just a little.

The Expert answers:

Check this out-

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=e-waste+disposal

The Expert answers:

The paper used today is made from almost any type of tree. But go back in time, just 150 years and the paper in the US was made from hemp. It was a political decision to make that plant illegal, so as to increase the yield, and because the political people in charge at the time owned vast areas of American woodland. The whole idea was, if there is no other source of paper, then they would get immensely rich.
Although there are tree farms that produce the material for making paper, much is also gained from unfarmed woodland.
The rain forests are being cut down. Although the main reasons for the claiming of this land are for farming and lumber usage, there is still a lot which goes towards the production of paper.
Paper can be recycled, although if not mixed with a certain percentage of new wood, it is of a poor quality. Each time that we recycle paper, we are reducing the amount of new trees that need to be cut down for paper use.
The costs of transporting newly felled timber is quite high, so recycling paper, can and does, reduce fuel usage and eases road congestion.
To help alleviate the need for cutting trees for paper, we could, very easily, revert to the old method of paper production.

The Expert answers:

America is nothing like Switzerland. Having been there last year I have some knowledge of this. Getting around in most town means that you must have a car. Since everything is so spread out here. And public transportation is almost non existence. And most people are too lazy to recycle. I recycle glass, paper, oil, and veggies in my compost pile. Its too hard to find a place that recycles pet. I have some twisty bulbs but most of my fixtures won’t take them. I admit that I don’t recycle everything that I could. I am also saddened by the fact of how lazy people are and how they just don’t care about their trash. Almost every day I have to pick trash out of my yard that my neighbors of passerby just throw out their windows with no regards to wildlife of people. I even went to the park the other day and saw lots of trash lying around in the lake and on the land. It would be great if everyone could do their part to make this world cleaner.

The Expert answers:

Fantastic Plastic Facts

* Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W bulb for up to 6 hours.
* 9.1 billion plastic bottles were disposed of in 2002 with only 360 million of them being recycled.
* In Britain we use about 275,000 tonnes of plastic bottles in our homes every year- that’s about 15 million bottles every day.
* It takes about 450 years just for one plastic bottle to break down in the ground!
* An average 323 plastic bags are taken into our homes every year and it takes 500 years to decay when sent to landfill.
* It takes about 25 recycled plastic drinks bottles to make one fleece jacket.
* Only 2.5% of plastic bottles are presently recycled in Europe.

The Expert answers:

Try the national campaign to encourage recycling website at the link below.

Recycling Facts & Figures
In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.
While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 50 percent of all paper, 34 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 2005, almost 9,000 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. As of 2005, about 500 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Aluminum Can Recycling
Benefits of Aluminum Can Recycling
Facts about Aluminum Recycling
Cans For Habitat
History of Aluminum Cans
How Are Aluminum Cans Made?
How Is An Aluminum Can Recycled?
Helpful Resources and Links
Battery Recycling
Curbside Recycling
About Curbside Recycling
Curbside Recycling Fun Facts
The Costs of Curbside Recycling
Used Motor Oil & Filter Recycling
How To Change and Recycle Your Oil Filter
How to Collect and Recycle Your Motor Oil
Paint Recycling
Paint Wise—Buy The Right Size
Use It All Up—Leave No Trace of Your Leftover Paint
Reuse or Recycle It—Give Your Old Paint New Life
Store It Properly—Extend the Life of Your Leftover Paint
Disposal of Paint—The Last Resort
Helpful Links on Paint Recycling
Cell Phone Recycling
Computer Recycling & Reuse
How to Start a Recycling Program
Paper Recycling
Why is it Important to Recycle Paper?
How is Paper Recycled?
The Facts About Paper and Paper Recycling
What Can be Made From the Different Collected Paper Products?
Close The Loop – Buy Recycled!
What is Paper and How is it Made?
The History of Paper
Paper Recycling at School
Paper Recycling In My Community
Paper Recycling at Work
Paper Recycling Education Resources
AF&PA Paper Recycling Awards
Helpful Links
Identifying Recycled Content Products
Plastic Bottle Recycling
Plastic Bottle Recycling Facts
Explaining the Bottle Bill
Can & Bottle Container Disposal Counter

The Expert answers:

Http://www3.niu.edu/recycling/alum_facts/page4.html

http://www.southlakelandrecycling.co.uk/fan_plastic_facts.html

http://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/Science/Interesting-plastic-facts

Hope this helps 🙂

The Expert answers:

Hello. I am a environmentalist and have conducted a few recycling activities with schools and communities. Below are some of the facts that I use to encourage people to recycle:

How long does it take to biodegrade?
ItemTime to break down
Cotton1 to 5 months
Paper2 to 5 months
Rope3 to 14 years
Orange peel6 months
Cigarette butts1 to 12 years
Plastic bags10 to 20 years
Leather shoes25 to 40 years
Tin cans50 to 100 years
Aluminium cans80 to 100 years
Glass bottles1 million years
Plastic bottlesForever

You can see that if we just place things in a landfil site then the rubbish just keeps getting larger and larger – we need to reduce our waste and recycle.

Reuse
Always mend items rather than throw them out. In many places we are becoming more of a ‘throw away society’ because many things today are designed for one time use only, such as tin cans and glass bottles and if something breaks we buy a new one. We should try to reuse as many things as possible and increase their lifespan, rather than throwing them out immediately!

Reduce
If you have a choice, try to buy things with less packaging. For example, you may want to buy some fruit at your local grocery store, some of them may be covered in plastic or placed on a tray and others may be loose. Buy the ones that are loose as this reduces the amount of packaging. Also, always try to buy things in larger sizes as this reduces the amount of packaging you will collect.

Refuse
How many plastic bags did you collect yesterday? Did you collect 5, 10 or 15 bags? Let’s say you collected 10 bags…so on average you collect 70 bags a week – do you know that’s about 3,650 bags a year! And that’s just you! How many does your family or community collect? Go on – work it out!

So, simply by refusing a plastic bag when you are offered one can help enormously. How about using a cloth bag to go shopping with? When you go to buy your fruit and vegetables just ask the shopkeeper to place them straight into your cloth bag! You can say no when a shop vendor tries to put just one or two items into a plastic bag. If it is only a small item you can put it in your pocket! If you have plastic bags at home why don’t you reuse them when you go shopping? Just grab a few bags and put all of your goods in there.

Compost
Compost is kitchen waste such as vegetable and fruit peel, leftover food scraps and garden waste such as leaves and branches that are left to properly decompose and turn into compost. It creates a cleaner environment as it means food and garden scraps will not be thrown out onto the streets to decay. Compost is great for growing vegetables and fruit.

Interesting facts to talk about…
·You can use these interesting facts to surprise the your school mates….

By recycling 1 ton of paper you save:
• 17 trees
• 6,953 gallons of water
• 463 gallons of oil
• 587 pounds of air pollution
• 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space
• 4,077-kilowatt hours of energy

·Recycling 1 aluminium can save enough energy to run a TV for three hours – or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.

·One three-foot stack of newspapers is equal to one tree, approximately 30 feet tall
·One three-foot stack of newspaper weighs 100 pounds
·To make one ton of virgin paper uses 17 trees (3 2/3 acres of forest)
·Recycling one aluminium can saves the energy equivalent to one cup of gasoline
·32% of all waste is from packaging
·Plastic bags and other plastic rubbish thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year

You asked about negative points too. I would have to say that recycling can use alot of energy – more sometimes than making a brand new item. So that is a drawback. Also, and one of the main points I think, is that if we are told that to recycle will solve our problems, then we are not really looking at the underlying problem. That is – we all consume too much and produce far too much waste. We should be changing the way we live and use things. We should REDUCE and REUSE and then recycle as a last option. You could try and encourage your school friends to reduce the amount of waste – for example, buying things with less packaging and saying no to plastic bags in shops.

I live and work in the developing world and solid waste is such a big problem here – people burn it on the streets which releases a nasty toxin called dioxin. This can cause cancer. They sling it into the river which causes pollution, or it just lies around the city decaying and looking ugly.

So – hope this information helps – good luck with encouraging your school to recycle – try to make it easy for them by placing recycle bins in many places and by telling people what they can and can’t put in them…..

Thanks

The Expert answers:

As mentioned by the other respondents, there are lots of good reasons to recycle, but another element, that we don’t seem to emphasize as much, is the importance of buying recycled items whenever there is that option. I always buy toilet paper and paper towels made from post-consumer recycled paper – Sure it is not as soft as “cashmere” but I just can’t justify cutting down trees to wipe my deriere.

Another factor to consider is the choice of packaging to begin with. Consider carbonated beverage containers: Plastic is recyclable but is made from petroleum products – I don’t know all the chemistry involved, but I would suspect that there are byproducts released both during their manufacture and when they are recycled into other plastic products. Glass is essentially made from non-toxic and abundant sand, but it is very heavy (adding to the amount of fuel required to transport the bottles) and requires a lot of energy (heat) to make and to recycle. Aluminum cans are light, and theoretically can be recycled many, many times without diminishing in quality, but he initial extraction of aluminum involves mining and potentially harmful chemicals too. -A lot to consider when purchasing soda!

The best we can do is learn as much as we can about the way packaging is made and recycled, minimize our consumption of packaging in the first place, and choose products that are recycled or in recycled packaging in order to support recycling initiatives.

The Expert answers:

There are no such things as vampires.

1. Vampires, defined as a humanoid that MUST consume blood or energy to survive do not exist. Cut and paste time, as it is too much work to type this out over and over and I “recycle” my own answers instead of retyping them.

2. The human body is not designed to process blood for nutrition. There is not enough protein, carbohydrates, and fats present in blood to maintain a complex creature such as Homo Sapiens or any theorized offshoot mutations. When a human ingests food it is broken up into a bolus by chewing, then churned up in the stomach with digestive juices to form a mass called chyme. It then passes through the pylorus into the duodenum, part of the small intestine where it mixes with bile salts and secretions from the pancreas and liver which continue breaking it down on a molecular basis. The broken down nutrients pass through the wall of the intestines and into the bloodstream where they are carried to each cell or stored for later use. Indigestible bulk continues through the intestines, turning a dark brown from the bile.

3. A person physically unable to process his own food for nutrition therefore also could not process blood – it’s the same process. Ingested blood does not transmit directly to the veins anyway – it would be chemically broken down by the digestive system.

4. Theoretical ingestion of blood to supply these nutrients would therefore have to occur at least once a day, and would require the ingestion of the entire blood supply which could not happen as the stomach is far too small to hold that much liquid volume. Hold up your clenched fist – under normal conditions your stomach is about that size. Furthermore, such a mass would be difficult to pass thru the intestines as it has no fibrous bulk, would create an intestinal impaction, causing massive vomiting from the large concentration of iron present, and any “real” vampire would have to eventually expel the waste, which would come out as a black, tarry, smelly goo, just as stool does when blood is present from a upper GI bleed.

5. Even if a vampire feeds once a week, and his victim also becomes a vampire, that is exponential growth, with 4 iterations a month. 1st iteration: 1 makes 1, total 2. 2nd iteration: 2 make 2, total 4. 3rd iteration: 4 make 4, total 8. 4th iteration: 8 make 8, total 16. 16 vampires at the end of 1 month, 256 at the end of the 2nd month, 4096 by the end of the 3rd month, 65,536 by the end of the 4th month, 1,048,476 at the end of the 5th, and 33,572,832 vampires at the end of half a year! Do the math – vampires are a mathematical impossibility.

6.The humans who profess to be vampires are victims of an all-encompassing self induced delusion. They are as human as you or I, regardless of their claims. Note that there is absolutely no scientific or medical proof that these people derive any benefit at all from the ingestion of blood, and even worse are the so-called “psychic” vampires, because their delusion is one that they cannot substantiate with any concrete evidence at all.

7. There is no “vampire” gene. People are not “born” as vampires. When a woman goes to the hospital for prenatal care there are many tests done on mother and child, even while still in the womb, to check for many things, including genetic anomalies that result in deformities and birth defects. If such a gene existed, in today’s world with today’s technology it would have been found – we have already completely sequenced the human genome. It would also have to follow Mendel’s law of dominant/recessive gene theory. Again, the odds on that many “vampires” all escaping the notice of the medical/scientific community are so low as to be almost nonexistent. The idea that there is a global “vampire community” engaging in controlled breeding to keep the “bloodline pure” is delusional in the extreme.

The Expert answers:

Http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-benefits.html

http://www.environment-green.com/

The Expert answers:

You can recycle it at your nearest trash collection station – the one near me has a recycle center – or there may be a location solely dedicated to recyclables. If you don’t know where that is, you can check the yellow pages of your phone book. I’d imagine you could recycle it in the same place you would recycle other paper items. And kudos on being so environment-conscious!

The Expert answers:

Plastics – there are 7 types. Look for the number in the recycle symbol. You can google the names of them all. (milk bottles, shampoo, etc.)
aerosol cans, aluminium cans
paper, card board, juice boxes (this is called liquid paper board and is the best quality which relates to the length of the paper fibre)
glass bottles (usually on the type form a grocery store – no perfume bottles)
this is all house hold stuff.
You can recycle old car batteries, scrap metal from old cars, plastic bumper bars.
You local government will be the best source of info.
Car tyres.

The Expert answers:

Actually you can recycle food, it is biodegradable. For example, you can make a compost pile and use that as fertilizer in your garden….

Some oil can be recycled. For example there is this show on the learning channel that showed this guy that travels to restaurants and uses their old cooking oil to make fuel for his vehicle.

To add to your list- clear glass, newspaper, used motor oil an be recycled into heating oil, industrial lubricants or new motor oil.

Oh and if you buy a new car battery you can take your old one in to be recycled and usually they give you a few bucks back towards your new one.

Hope this helps…

The Expert answers:

You just toss them into a recycling bin… If u live in an apartment you probably have one like in the basement and if you live in a house you should have like a blue bin… If not you can ask city hall for one, or just go to a recycling depot with all your cans and get some $$$.

You don’t really have to do anything to them, just if they are bottles take off the lids

The Expert answers:

I don’t recall the exact formula but yes, converting Al2O3 into Al metal requires a prodigous amount of electricity. If you reverse the reaction, i.e., convert 1 lb of Al into Al2O3, you get out something like 7 times more energy then a 1 lb stick of dynamite going off). The solid fuel rockets on the space shuttle burn Al powder. When the Washington Monument was built (which was before Hall & Herolt figured out how to make Al cheap), the Al pyramid at the top represented a significant fraction of all the Al metal that existed. Al reduction plants are built near electric generation plants.

And yes, you are not saving the planet if you drive your SUV to recycle 1 used beverage can (UBC) but if everyone who drinks out of Al cans recycles, we are saving a very significant amount of electricity because there is a huge number of Al cans used every day.

The Expert answers:

Go to the website below they have articles to tell you about recycling and I have already entered your town.

Here are what it brought up within 7 miles of your town.

Jack’s Disposal Service Curbside Program
Municipal Curbside Program

(909) 889-1969

San Bernardino, CA 92415
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) Aluminum Cans Aluminum Foil Asphalt Brick +43 more
For residents of San Bernardino County only.

Mountain Communities Recycle Center – Goodwins Market
1.7 mi. Location

(909) 338-7251

24089 Lake Gregory Drive

Crestline, CA 92325
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) Aluminum Cans Blue Glass Brown Glass Cardboard +3 more

Mt Communities Recycle Center – Blue Jay5.4 mi. Location

27264 Highway 189

Blue Jay, CA 92317
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) Aluminum Cans Blue Glass Brown Glass Clear Glass +2 more

Mountain Communities Recycle Center
6.2 mi. Location

(909) 338-7251

28200 Highway 189

Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) Aluminum Cans Blue Glass Brown Glass Clear Glass +1 more

Nexcycle/Kwik Stop Dairy
6.5 mi. Location

(909) 279-2200

133 East 40th Street

San Bernardino, CA 92404
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) Aluminum Cans Blue Glass Brown Glass Clear Glass +1 more

San Bernardino Tomra Pacific, Inc. – Stater Bros #107
6.6 mi. Location

(877) 737-5263

977 Kendall Drive

San Bernardino, CA 92407
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) #3 Plastic #4 Plastic (LDPE) #5 Plastic (Polypropylene) #6 Plastic (Polystyrene) +7 more

San Bernardino Tomra Pacific, Inc. – Ralphs #753
6.6 mi. Location

(877) 737-5263

4444 University Parkway

San Bernardino, CA 92407
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) #3 Plastic #4 Plastic (LDPE) #5 Plastic (Polypropylene) #6 Plastic (Polystyrene) +7 more

Stater Brothers
6.6 mi. Location

(909) 886-4517

277 East 40th Street

San Bernardino, CA 92404
Plastic Bags Brown Paper Bags

EarthWize – Stater Bros #036
6.6 mi. Location

161 East 40th Street

San Bernardino, CA 92404
#1 Plastic (PETE) #2 Plastic (HDPE Clear) #2 Plastic (HDPE Colored) Aluminum Cans Blue Glass Brown Glass Clear Glass +2 more

The UPS Store
6.6 mi. Location

(909) 881-6788

985 Kendall Drive

San Bernardino, CA 92407

The Expert answers:

You would have to have more information to answer this question. Like, what recyclers are currently paying per pound for cans in Mississippi and what size cans are they? Just use a kitchen scale and weigh out 1 lb. Of cans. Use a mixture of can sizes in your lb. To represent the sizes in your 1,000. Count the number of cans in 1 lb. Divide 1.000 by the number of cans in 1 lb then multiply the answer by how much they are paying per lb. For cans. Then you will have an approx. Answer. Like this—–

A = the number of cans in 1lb
B = how many lbs 1,000 cans weigh
C = how much money is being paid for 1 lb of cans
D = how much 1,000 cans are worth if you recycle them

1000 divided by A = B
B x C = D

For example: If there are 5 cans equal 1 lb. And they are paying $1.00 a pound for cans to recycle it would look like this—- 1,000 divided by 5 = 200 200 X $1.00 = $200.00

The Expert answers:

Hybrids or multi material items can’t be recycled. They are destined to go to the landfill. Once these items have been joined they can’t be separated. There is a small ray of hope, there is a company that takes some of these items and reuses them. Go to www.terracycle.net and check out some of the products they make from non recyclable waste.

The Expert answers:

Go to www.earth911.org they can help you locate recycle centers and can answer questions about what can be recycled.

The Expert answers:

It’s like water coming out of a tap – only as much water comes out as you let out, and the rest stays in the tank, it doesn’t have to be recycled.

Well, not quite. Each electrical load has a certain resistance, so it consumes a certain amount of power. Only that much current is drawn from the supply. The generator supplies the total amount of current required by all the loads, no more and no less. Depending on what that is, it takes more or less power to drive the generator, and so more or less fuel must be burned (or whatever other power source is used, tons of water falling down from a reservoir etc.) to make that much electrical power.

Actually, the electrical power only travels through the wires at the speed of light. So it does take a finite time (a few microseconds) for the generator to notice that a load has been turned on, and the voltage will dip for a bit. But it’s all sorted out quicker than you can notice.

The electricity meter measures the product of voltage, time and current going into your house. So it measures what you actually use, yes. Google “electricity meter”

The Expert answers:

Well i will tell you . The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth. It is one of the most important cycles of the earth and allows for carbon to be recycled and reused throughout the biosphere and all of its organisms.The process by which carbon is recycled in the ecosystem by various chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes. It shows the relation ship of the carbon molecule and the rest of the earth and how its recycled , formed and distributed.

The Expert answers:

The carbon cycle involves the constant recycling and sequestration of carbon in the earth’s system. Carbon exists in many forms, as carbohydrates in wood, leaves, fruit, in organic complex molecules in animals e.g collagen or in rocks such as calcium carbonate and finally as a gas e.g carbon dioxide or methane. As carbon moves through the cycle, it will exist in one form or another at various times.

A part of the carbon cycle is the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbohydrates (sugars). This is where photosynthesis comes in. It converts carbon from carbon dioxide and hydrogen from water into glucose, fructose, starch, lignin etc etc. This happens with the aid of the sun. Chlorophyll captures energy from the sun in the chloroplasts of leaves and stems and uses this to break carbon dioxide and water molecules up and recombine them into carbohydrates and release oxygen as a byproduct. Once converted, the carbohydrates are transported all over the plant and used wherever necessary for growth.

The Expert answers:

That which once has life dies and decays its remains enriches or fertilizes the ground. When its seed falls into the rich soil it grows strong and healthy. Interesting though that it is not just the soil but also the other elements such as rain and sunshine and wind cause it to grow and mature as well.

From this perception there appears to be no rebirth of an original living organism that dies. This cycle is true for each living organism in a generation.

An alternative perception is required to get an answer for your question.

If lifeforms are segregated by species. And there is no accounting for individual generations of a species. But instead views a reproductive generation as a continuation of rather than separates them as individual. Then one could see how the recycle birth cycle is maintained for many generations.

The new cycle only recognizes only new growth then maturation, then producing new seed. Both birth and death is not recognized.

The outcome of this death and rebirth cycle appears to devalue the worth or importance of each individual generation. What is stressed in this cycle only is the continuation of the species as a whole.

From my way of thinking especially for human being any perception that devalues the worth or value of a human being and it’s individual contribution other than for reproduction is not good.

The Expert answers:

The water is irrelavent. The cycle bacteria live in the filter media and some on the gravel. If those have stayed wet then your should still have some bacteria.

Now the longer you leave the tank, the less cycle you will have. The bacteria you have will gradually starve if there is no source of ammonia for them. So you need to get some fish in there soon.

If you move all the fish from the small tank, along with it’s filter (or stuff the media from the small filter into the bigger one) then you wont have any cycle problems.

Moving the tank wont destroy the cycle, even if you change 100% of the water. But you need to look after your filter and gravel.

Ian

The Expert answers:

I hadn’t heard of a “recycle bank” so I went out on the net and came up with the site listed below.

Let me begin by saying that I have recycled for many years and that financial considerations have been as much if not more in my thoughts when doing so. Also, I live in an area that is generally eco-concerned and whose leaders have been facing filled/filling landfill issues for some years now.

My immediate impression at recyclebank.com was that there was a lot of banking, credit card, and retail marketing going on. I am still left with an impression that this particular site is as much about developing income potential out of recycling activities as it is anything else.

That said, this site also claims that it is about motivating people, businesses, and communities to recycle. Folks earn site points for their recycling activities which are rewarded by member participants. Folks can even earn recycle bank points for their curbside recycling volumes if, their garbage hauling system signs up for a barcoding, barcode reading, and barcode reporting system available through links on the site. Individual site members are encouraged to contact their garbage hauler and community leaders in an effort to get them to sign up. Individual site members are also encouraged to get their retailers and local businesses to sign up. The site does contain a fair amount of eco-friendly and general conservation information,

The emphasis of this site and the banking system is to recycle quantities of material in a documentable manner. There is little emphasis on the reduction of quantities of waste material in the first place. The recycling stream is simply an alternative waste stream and the ultimatly eco-friendly thing to do is to reduce all waste streams. There appears to be a great emphasis of getting quantities of matererials into the recycling stream yet, I saw nothing about completing the recycling cycle; in other words, actually re-using, re-purposoing, or re-manufacturing the collected material, If the recycling loop is not completed, all it does is form sorted piles of waste.

On the other hand, there are whole regions, communities, and individuals who aren’t particularly recycling. For example, a person in one area said: “Recycling, who would want to save this area and who cares what’s going on in the rest of the world.” While this was a person was speaking as an individual, there are no recycling programs in their community and no known plans for any. Finially, over the past two or three years the “save the Earth” folks have come to realize that personally connecting recycling and other eco-friendly practices to individuals’ and communities’ best interests is far more motivating than the controversial topic of global warming. More often than not, saving money is a powerful motivator; particularly in these economic times. The ecology movement of the 1970’s was kept alive by little measures, activities, and things done by individuals; we fail to acknowledge these little, individual acts of environmental kindness. But up until recently, little acts of environmental kindness were touted as wholey inadequate and only full commitment with sacrifice was considered green enough to be worthwhile. We are again beginning to identify, approve of, and support little acts of environmental kindness; in doing so, it is my personal hope that we re-develop a grassroots base and change of over-all culture with respect to envrionmental responsibility. This recycle bank has the potential to instruct, motivate, reward, and incite individuals, businesses, and even communities that have not been particularly pro-active in the recycling and other eviornmental movements. This site does have the potential to reach whole niches and sub-populations that other motivators and programs have not.

The Expert answers:

1. Everlast recycle
2. Good Yii recycle
3. Yii and Young recycle
4. Good yi-cycle
5. Mesti kaya recycle and any other variations of above.

Good luck..

The Expert answers:

The outputs of respiration are the inputs of photosynthesis, and the outputs of photosynthesis are the inputs of respiration. SO…both plants and animals carry on respiration(consumer), but only plants (and other producers) can carry on photosynthesis(recycler).

This fast track can take minutes to years to complete. Carbon moves from the soil, water or atmosphere through living things by photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition and back to the soil, water, or atmosphere.

But most of the carbon on Earth is recycled through a slow track that can take millions of years. As marine organisms die, their shells and skeletons become buried under layers of silt on the ocean floor and their carbon becomes part of sedimentary rock. When sediments covered marine organisms before they decomposed, the resulting heat and pressure caused huge deposits of petroleum (oil) to form.

The Expert answers:

The biogeochemical cycles recycle the atoms that previously had been used by living things — making them available again to the producers of ecosystems. That’s very important for things like sulfur and phosphorus which can cycle locally. Carbon, oxygen, water, nitrogen cycle in the biosphere.

If these things weren’t recycled, well, then, eventually all of these things would be converted to forms that couldn’t be used by living things, so… No more living things.

The Expert answers:

In my community, we recycle through our municipality. They contract with a recycler and then tell us what we can leave at the curb on pickup days. So, if your community does the same, contact them to see what you can recycle. My villages recycle list fills 1 and 1/2 letter size (in small type) pages and also lists local recyclers and what they accept without charge and what they will accept for a fee.
If you want to go directly to a recycler in your area, contact them to see what they will accept. Most do not accept electronics, tires, or home appliances (big or small) except for a fee. One example: A local organization accepts electronic waste (Computers, printers, keyboards, TV’s,etc.) but charges you 30 cents a pound.
Many recyclers will pay YOU for aluminum cans and other metals.
I hope this helps.

The Expert answers:

The only company we use is recycle cardboard boxes Atlanta 770 709 1872..They come out and give you instructions on how to store the boxes and what they will pay for your boxes they don’t buy crushed cardboard . Just reusable boxes hope that helped.

The Expert answers:

First of all, I have to say, Ian, you do not understand the workings of the recycling industry. In most cases, trucks, MRFs (material recovery facilities, where the materials are sorted and baled), and even hauling companies are privately owned in the U.S. True, some large municipalities do own and operate their own fleets, but generally, municipally operated waste management programs contract with private haulers to collect both waste and recyclables. I’m not sure what it’s like where you live, but the norm in my state is for people to receive a waste collection bill, either from a private hauling company or from their municipality. It’s a bill because you are receiving a service, namely, having your refuse hauled away. Even if your town does operate the recycling service with your tax dollars, they would be operating the garbage system that way as well. So I’m not sure how you’ve come to the conclusion that your tax dollars are supporting the recycling industry.

Recycling helps the economy by creating jobs. “Recycling creates more jobs than landfills or incinerators. Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job, landfilling the waste creates 6 jobs, and recycling it creates 36 jobs. Recycling can also frequently be the least expensive waste management method for cities and towns.” –taken from Rumpke’s website, linked below. At every point in the recycling loop, there are opportunities for job creation: from the guy who dumps your bin into the truck, to the men separating plastics at the MRF, to the firms that deal exclusively in scrap plastics, to the factory where pellets made from shredded plastic bottles are made into fabric that is eventually sewn into a backpack. This is opposed to the popular alternative, lanfilling, where your garbage is put in a truck and dumped in a hole to be buried, with very little job creation and a squandering of resources. And make no mistake about it: recycling is big business in this country. There are entire trade magazines(I linked below to one of my favorites) devoted to it, and that simply wouldn’t be the case if there wasn’t money to be made.

Recycling has also assisted American markets and manufacturing by providing a domestically available feedstock to manufacturers in the form of recycled materials. Take, for example, our ability to recycle aluminum cans from American consumers and turn them into new products, as opposed to importing more bauxite ore from other nations (I’ve linked to a page with a production table that shows just how little bauxite the U.S. Has versus countries like China and Brazil).

In a broader sense, recycling has helped the economy develop because recycling technology is constantly growing and changing, fueling research and spurring efficiency.

Hope this helps!

The Expert answers:

Hopping the details can give a little help for you:
Post-consumer Waste
Recycled milk cartons, recycled paper, and other post-consumer waste products are finding their way into many types of disposable tableware; however, this is not new since many companies have manufactured products from these recycled materials for years.

Chinet Plates
Believe it or not, purchasing recyclable plates may be as easy as buying the same Chinet plates that your parents did. Chinet is made from post-industrial waste. They mainly use defective milk cartons that were manufactured but weren’t useable for various reasons. The plastic is separated from the carton and the pulp is then used for the manufacturing of Chinet plates.

Chinet plates are both biodegradable and compostable. Since they are recycled they also help to keep materials out of the landfills. Most conventional grocers carry Chinet plates and platters.

Bagasse
Bagasse is the sugarcane fiber that is leftover from the sugar-making process. Sugar cane is completely renewable and can be turned into almost anything that is normally made from paper or plastic. By finding a need for this leftover fiber, manufacturers avoid creating air pollution that’s caused by the burning of the fibers; the way that it was discarded in the past after the juice extraction process was completed.Food served on Bagasse plates and platters won’t soak through. Not only do they have a tropical look, the plates and platters also have a nice, reedy feel.

The Expert answers:

Well yes there are since there are paper recycling companies and initiatives to recycle paper.

Http://www.albawaba.com/nbk-continues-its-bank-wide-paper-recycling-initiative-380880

http://mrckw.com/?page_id=213 is the Metal and Recycling Company located in Kuwait that recycles paper.

The Expert answers:

It’s not as bad out there as you think! I run an e-recycling company and am doing rather nicely thank you very much. You do need to be aware that before you even start providing this kind of service to ‘businesses’ you will need a Waste Carriers License issued by the Environment Agency (cost £150 for 2 years) – this only allows you collect waste and take it directly to an authorised treatment facility (ATF) for recycling – you can’t store it under a carriers license. If you want to do anything else such as refurbish for resale/donation or disassemble for parts you will need a full Waste Management Licence or at least an exemption license if you are dealing with smaller amounts. My exemption license cost £550 for 2 years. Also there are lots of regulations to get to grips with too including the Environmental Protection Act, The WEEE Directive and all the associated hazardous waste regs (CRT monitors for example are classed as hazardous waste and must be treated separately) . It’s a good and worthwhile business, but you need plenty of cash to set it up and a real in depth knowledge of the laws or the Environment Agency will come down like a ton of bricks.

The Expert answers:

Yes. Our garbage disposal company takes papers including junkmail, newspaper, cardboard, numbered plastics and some unnumbered depending on the item, motor oil, aluminum, metal cans, and glass at curbside. You can also drop off lead-acid batteries, PCs, monitors, and printers at their office at n/c.

There are places around town to recycle inkjet and laser toner cartridges, and clean styrfoam.

I participate in Freecycle which recycles whole products to people. Rather than buying another car, I am continuing to run my mid-1980s car that still gets 38 mpg on the hwy and 34 in town, with a few rebuilt parts and an occasional piece from the junkyard. And I’m helping to support a biodiesel effort that will help to use up waste cooking oil.

The Expert answers:

Many do who don’t know as their collection agency (waste managers – garbage companies) do it for them. The companies, like all companies, make money, and garbage/waste companies make some of their money by selling some of the stuff that they collect.

The Expert answers:

These days most electronic waste is recycled. For example gold and other precious metal recovery from old cell phones is big business. Similarly there are companies dedicated to re-cycling old deskop computers. Civic amenity waste sites (formerly the local garbage dump) filter out electrical and electronic waste for processing. When I was just starting electronics as a lad we used to be able to raid the pile of broken TVs out back of the local TV/Cable rental company repair workshop for parts but that sort of “resource” is long gone.

The Expert answers:

The research shows it’s Washington if we are talking about the recycling rate per capita for homes. Callifornia is the largest recycler though. Here’s the data and a link.

According to Department of Conservation statistics released today, Californians recycled 5.8 billion California Refund Value bottles and cans from January to July, the highest six-month figure ever.

“Recycling bottles and cans is one of the many ways Californians can express their commitment to the state’s environment and natural resources,” said California Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman. “It’s heartening to see recycling on the rise, and this should serve as a reminder to everyone to recycle where you live, work and play.”

Numbers for the first half of 2004 show recycling is up for aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers. If the trend continues, Californians will recycle more than one billion additional bottles and cans in 2004 than in 2003.

Overall, the recycling rate of CRV containers for the first six months of this year was 63 percent, up from 58 percent for the January-June period last year. By the end of 2003, the recycling rate had fallen to 55 percent, the lowest annual rate since the CRV program began in 1987.

The increase in the recycling rate can be tied to a number of things, including a higher refund value that took effect in January 2004. Ongoing efforts by the Department of Conservation have resulted in greater public awareness of the need to recycle and better customer service at thousands of privately owned recycling centers in the state. Also, DOC funding to cities and counties and grants to a variety of entities have resulted in more recycling opportunities, and outreach efforts have increased recycling at private businesses like office buildings and restaurants.

More than 19 billion CRV bottles and cans will be sold in California this year. Containers that aren’t recycled represent hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed CRV – cash that should go back into Californians’ pockets. In 2003, some eight billion bottles and cans were thrown away, worth an estimated $300 million in CRV.

In addition to the cash reclaimed through redemption, energy is saved as well: a single aluminum can, if recycled, saves enough electricity to run a television for nearly three hours.

The Expert answers:

UN statistics show an old scrap recycle rate of about 50% for the USA.

Here is a pretty decent report on metal recycling rates from the UN Environment Programs office:

http://www.unep.org/resourcepanel/Portals/24102/PDFs/Metals_Recycling_Rates_110412-1.pdf

The Expert answers:

Go to http://earth911.com/ and enter your information. Although this website doesn’t tell you which agencies will pay for recyclables, you can find this information out with a few phone calls. Obviously, if you search the Internet for this information you get a lot of articles with statistics, but no actual “here is where you can take your recyclables.”

I’m assuming Ohio doesn’t have a bottle/can deposit law like some states.

The Expert answers:

I do not have statistics but can tell you from the town that my parent live in Germany:
85% of all household rubbish is recycled (separate for paper, plastic, metal, glas, batteries, and organics).
Since the households have to pay by weight for any general rubbish but get the separated rubbish collected for free, it is a very efficient system.

All bottles glas or plastic and cans have a deposit on them when you purchase then, which gets returned when you bring it back to the shops, there is very little litter on the streets.

The Expert answers:

Kayla

Use a t-test …

Ho: mean = 1
Ha: mean > 1
Alpha = 0.01

t-statistics = (1.1 – 1) / (1 / sqrt 16) = 0.40

P=Value = P(t > 0.4) = 0.347

Since P > 0.01, do NOT reject the null … There is significant evidence that the mean is not greater than 1

hope that helps

The Expert answers:

First, give your introductions:
*Define plastic and define recycling (mention that plastic is from _____ which is a nonrenewable resource, and recycling is one of the 3Rs, then expound)
*state the importance of plastic (convince the class that we need plastic and none can substitute the uses of plastic – but we need to use plastics wisely and efficiently)
*if you can mention types of plastics, its good (plastic bags, bottles)
*also mention ways how people dispose plastic
-for example, burning and then site the negative effects of burning plastics
*then state: why is there a need to recycle plastic? (2 sentences will do) = state some statistics: say that: “Today, __ millions of tons of plastics are thrown everywhere. If this will continue to rise, it is expected that by the year___, the world will be a world of plastic)
*then mention: what are the ways to recycle plastic? (there are a lot of ways, like: reprocessing, making bags out of it, among others)

avoid lengthy paragraphs.
And when reporting, prepare a power point presentation on the outline of your topics.
The familiarize yourself with the other details. If preparing a power point presentation, don’t put everything there, ok? Hope this helps

The Expert answers:

Recycling. Statistics, whats recyclable, who makes money, who loses it, future impact.

The Expert answers:

Maybe this will help?

Http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/United_States_Recycling_Statistics

The Expert answers:

Actually, the Government can’t add recycling booths to every grocery store. They can’t mandate a private business do anything. Also, a Conservative Republican would instead of righting a Bill on recycling centers would write a Bill giving economic incentive for a private company to create a recycling center that collected the recycled goods and then sell them to China since in California you can’t create the industry to recycle in State.