CTT DE LOS ANDES

LANGUAGE CENTER
WORK GROUP – report

members
Carolina Gavilanes
Kristopher Aman
Saul Quice
Topic .-

Waste Disposal
November-March
2020 - 2021

Garbage .- environmental
consequences and challenges
The excessive growth in the volume of waste in today's society is jeopardizing the ability of
nature to maintain our needs and those of future generations.
Garbage is considered one of the biggest environmental problems of our society. The
population and the consumption per capita is growing, and therefore the garbage; but the
space is not and in addition its treatment is not the suitable one.

In Argentina, each inhabitant produces an average of 0.85 kg/inhab/day, which generates a

total of 36,036.39 tons of urban solid waste per day and 13,153,282.19 tons per year. Of
these, 4,639,934 are contributed by the province of Buenos Aires, the largest waste
generator. Tierra del Fuego, on the other hand, is the province with the lowest generation of
waste, with 31,230.92 tons per year. It should be noted that the generation of waste does not
only vary with the number of inhabitants, but also with the economic level of each region
(González, 2010).

To date,
waste management has focused mainly on a single aspect, the elimination of waste (making
it disappear from sight) through landfills, sanitary landfills and in some cases, incinerators.
These end-of-pipe solutions, as they are called, do not take into account the need to reduce
the consumption of raw materials and energy, and pose serious risks to the environment and
people's health.

In our country, the population in general does not have a culture of interest in the
destination of waste, the main concern is the need to have a waste collection service. Once
they are removed from the sight of the generators, for many the problem is already solved.
There is not much interest in making a significant reduction in generation as a basis for
sustainable management, to achieve the preservation of natural resources, and no interest in
the mechanisms of final disposal, unless they represent a threat to health in the case of
surrounding populations.
However, we are all consumers and responsible for the waste we generate in relation to
quality and quantity. Therefore, we also play a fundamental role in the generation of waste.

The generation of waste brings with it the following

environmental impacts:

- The consumption
of energy and materials used to make packaging and products that we then discard. This
energy and these materials often come from non-renewable resources, for example oil and
minerals. When we dispose of what we consider to be waste, we are actually throwing
away natural resources.

- Water pollution. Surface water is contaminated by the garbage we throw into rivers and
pipes. In places where garbage is concentrated, liquids, known as leachates, leak out and
contaminate the groundwater on which, in our city, we all depend. It should be clarified that
in the sanitary landfills the leachates do not contaminate the water or the soil because they
are controlled and properly treated. The discharge of garbage into streams and canals or its
abandonment on public roads also brings with it the reduction of the channels and the
obstruction of both these and the sewage networks. During rainy periods, it causes flooding
that can lead to the loss of crops, material goods and, even more seriously, human lives.

- Soil contamination, the presence of oils, fats, heavy metals and acids, among other
contaminating residues, alters the physical, chemical and fertility properties of soils.

- Air pollution, solid waste abandoned in open air dumps deteriorate the quality of the air
we breathe, both locally and in the surroundings, because of burns and fumes, which reduce
visibility, and the dust that the wind raises in dry periods, since it can transport harmful
microorganisms to other places that produce respiratory infections and nasal and eye
irritations, in addition to the discomfort caused by smelly odors. Also, the degradation of
organic matter present in the waste produces a mixture of gases known as biogas,
composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide (CH4 and CO2), which are recognized as
greenhouse gases (GHG) that contribute to the process of climate change.
The poor management of waste has harmful effects on public health (through
environmental pollution and the possible transmission of infectious diseases carried by the
rodents that inhabit them) and degradation of the environment in general, in addition to
impacts on the landscape. Likewise, environmental degradation entails social and economic
costs such as property devaluation, loss of environmental quality and its effects on tourism.

The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences indicates that high levels of
heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and nickel have been found in leachate from
landfills. Exposure to these metals can cause blood and bone diseases, as well as liver
damage, reduced mental capacity, and neurological damage (NIEHS, 2002). Volatile
organic compounds1 (or VOCs) such as benzene and chlorobenzenes, tetrachloroethylene,
trichloroethylene, xylene, vinyl chloride, and toluene have also been found. Exposure to
these compounds has been associated with diseases such as cancer, leukemia, and liver and
nerve damage (NIEHS, 2002).
This implies that each country must generate national policies and programs that support
adequate management and encourage the reduction of solid waste generation, recycling and
stimulate the adoption of clean technologies for industrial production.

Adequate waste management is the set of operations that improve the financial
effectiveness and the social and environmental adequacy of the storage, sweeping and
cleaning of public areas, collection, transfer, transport, treatment, final disposal or other
necessary operations in addition to contributing to minimizing the quantities of waste
generated at the household, agricultural, commercial, industrial and public institution
levels. Basically the waste management system is composed of four subsystems: Waste
generation, transport, treatment and disposal and control and supervision

In Argentina, the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development (SAyDS), under

the Ministry of Health and Environment of the Nation, has designed in 2005 the National
Strategy for Urban Solid Waste (ENGIRSU) in order to provide adequate and concrete
responses to waste management, because beyond the fact that each municipality is directly
responsible for the waste it generates, the issue deserves a nationwide treatment, because of
the need to ensure public health and environmental preservation.

To carry out this strategy, the national government requested technical and financial
support from the World Bank. In February 2006, the World Bank approved the IBRD-
7362-AR Loan Agreement for the National Project for the Integrated Management of
Urban Solid Waste (PNGIRSU). The amount of the loan is U$S 40,000,000. As published
by the SAyDS, the project provides technical and financial assistance as an incentive for
the provinces and their municipalities to develop their own integrated management plans
and systems within the framework of the objectives of the National Strategy. Within this
framework, the financing of infrastructure for final disposal and its associated systems is
foreseen, through the construction of sanitary landfills, treatment plants, transfer stations
and the closure of open air dumps, as appropriate. Another component is the development
of social plans for the inclusion of informal waste collectors in different jurisdictions.

The jurisdictions included in the project include Municipality of General Pueyrredón,

Municipality of Rosario, Municipality of Córdoba Capital, Province of Chubut, Province of
San Juan, Province of Mendoza, Province of Jujuy, Province of Chaco, Province of Santa
Cruz, Province of Córdoba, Province of Santa Fe, Province of Salta

The global program: Zero Waste

ZERO WASTE is an integral solution to the problem of waste since it combines "upstream"
measures that aim to reduce the toxicity and the amount of waste we generate and ensure
that all materials that are discarded can be safely reused, with "downstream" measures that
allow reuse, recycling and composting of everything that is discarded.

ZERO Waste includes recycling but goes much further. It aims to progressively reduce the
burial and incineration of waste to zero, setting clear intermediate targets to achieve this.
This includes recycling, but only as part of a series of measures that begin by reducing
consumption and waste generation, modifying the design of articles of use and reusing the
materials that are discarded

Considering that organic materials represent about 50% of the waste and that they can be
recovered with accessible technologies such as composting or biodigestion, and that
recyclable materials are 20-30%, it turns out that more than 70% of the waste we produce
could be used.

In many cities and even countries of the world have adopted plans for zero waste: San
Francisco (USA), Canberra (Australia), Kamikatsu (Japan), Halifax (Canada), New
Zealand, are some examples. In Argentina, in November 2005, the city of Buenos Aires
passed Law 1854, known as the Zero Waste Law, which established goals for reducing the
amount of waste brought to final disposal. In Rosario, in November 2008, ordinance 8335
was passed which adopts the Zero Waste target.
Our Role as Consumers .- As consumers we have an important role in the generation of
waste. Every month we buy and throw away kilos of waste that are disposed of in landfills
or dumps, generating serious health and environmental problems. There are some
guidelines that consumers can take into account to reduce the amount of waste we generate,
as well as its toxic composition.

The rule of the 4 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Replace, Recycle

To reduce is to prevent at source, on the one hand the formation

of waste, on the other hand the toxicity of the waste. It is necessary to modify both
production processes and our consumption habits, acquiring only necessary products by
planning purchases.

What can I do?

Avoid over-packaging, reduce "throwaway" products (such as aluminum foil, plastic trays,
tetrabrick packaging); reduce the use of plastic bags when shopping; purchase products that
use reusable and/or recycled materials; reduce the use of PVC (packaging, construction
objects), avoid unnecessary consumption.

Reusing means using a product again and taking this into account when we purchase the
product. Many products can be reused with creativity, giving a new utility to the object that
we would otherwise throw away. Thus, the useful life of the product or packaging is
extended.

What can I do? Use returnable glass containers; when using paper for writing or printing,
take advantage of both sides; use non-reusable coffee filters; look for new uses or use for
the design of new objects.
Replacement requires the purchase of products with a long life, biodegradable, non-toxic
and with less environmental impact.

What can I do? Choose other alternatives to toys that run on batteries or are made of
plastic; use cloth tissues instead of paper tissues; choose notebooks with cardboard covers
instead of plastic; buy glass containers instead of plastic or cans

Recycling, recycling allows the reintroduction of different materials in the production

cycles, saving raw materials and reducing the waste flow that goes to the final disposal
treatments. However, that a product is recyclable, as indicated in many of them, does not
necessarily mean that it will be recycled. The materials that are most easily recycled today
are organic matter, glass and paper.

What can I do? Organic waste can be "composted" to be used as household or rural
fertilizer; cardboard, plastic, paper, glass, and metals can be useful for some companies or
cooperatives that recycle them.

Did you know that?

One ton of recycled paper is equivalent to not cutting down 20 trees, not using 1,500 liters
of diesel, saving 4,000 kw and 25 thousand liters of water?
And a ton of recovered pet (which is 40 thousand bottles) is equivalent to saving 3.8 barrels
of oil?