Secondary raw materials - saving natural resources. Personal experience: How to sort garbage at home? Plasma processing of garbage

The choice of recycling method depends on the type of waste. There are three technologies:

• Burial. The most popular method. Landfills are organized outside the city, away from settlements, highways, reservoirs and forests. Choose deep ravines, dried up ponds or artificial pits. Modern landfills comply with all established environmental standards. Thanks to this, harmful fumes from rotting garbage do not enter the atmosphere, and the risk of fire is minimized. The solid domestic wastes referred to the IV group are stored. Hazardous industrial waste is also subject to burial at specialized sites. Pre-products are cemented and subjected to neutralization.
• Burning. Thermal treatment is carried out in incinerators. This method utilizes liquid, solid, gaseous and some types of hazardous waste. The main advantages of the method - saving land resources and getting heat in the process. However, undesirable substances and dioxins are released into the atmosphere. Besides, in industrial scale incineration requires expensive equipment and the work of qualified specialists.
• Recycling. Garbage is sent to factories where it is recycled. As a result, new materials suitable for use are obtained. Energy-containing waste is used to generate electricity or processed into fuel.

Our company is engaged in sending all types of waste for recycling. Experienced professionals unmistakably choose the right approach, ensuring the preservation of the environment. We work with industrial facilities, construction sites and individuals. Leave a request conveniently on the website or by e-mail [email protected].

This problem is becoming more and more serious and threatening the ecological situation every year. Billions of tons of various waste are generated annually, the main part of which is household waste.

Types of household waste

How to sort garbage at home?

How to properly dispose of garbage

The editors of the site call for a responsible attitude to the environment and to pay more attention to the materials from which popular consumer products are made.
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The modern world does not stand still. Every year, production volumes increase, population growth and urban expansion continue. At the same time, the problem of waste disposal has ripened. On the ground, special landfills for waste products are present in limited quantities. At the same time, the volumes entering them exceed their capacity, so the garbage mountains increase every day. Untreated heaps of waste negatively affect the ecological state of the planet. That is why there was a need to create high-quality waste processing plants. These facilities should only be used modern methods waste processing and recycling. It is worth noting that the garbage generated by mankind belongs to various hazard groups. In order for waste recycling to be effective, for each individual type it is necessary to choose its own disposal method. But first they need to be sorted.

Waste household

This number includes the remains of products associated with the life of people. It can be plastic, paper, food and other similar waste that was thrown out of institutions and homes of the population. The rubbish that we used to get rid of is found at every step. Many garbage is assigned the fifth and fourth degree of danger.

Recycling of household waste from plastic should not be done without mechanical action, i.e. grinding. Further, they are necessarily treated with chemical solutions. Often, after such a procedure, new polymeric substances are made, which are used again to create new products. Household waste such as paper or food waste can be composted and then putrefied. Subsequently, the resulting composition is suitable for use in agricultural business.

Biological decay

Biological species in nature are humans and animals. These two groups also generate a large amount of waste. A lot of this rubbish comes from veterinary clinics, sanitation organizations, catering establishments and similar businesses. Processing of biological waste is reduced to their incineration. Substances of liquid consistency are transported on special vehicles. Incineration is also used for organic waste.

Industrial waste

This type of waste is generated as a result of the functioning of production and technological activities. This includes all construction garbage. It appears in the process of installation, facing, finishing and other works. For example, this category of waste includes paint and varnish residues, heat-insulating substances, wood and other industrial “trash”. Recycling industrial waste often involves incineration. Wooden remains are suitable for obtaining a certain amount of energy.

radioactive waste

Such wastes include solutions and gases that are not suitable for use. First of all, these are biological materials and objects containing radioactive components in large quantities (above the permissible norm). The degree of danger depends on the level of radiation in such waste. Such garbage is disposed of by burial, some is simply burned. A similar method of processing applies to the next group of residues of activity.

medical waste

This list contains all substances that produce medical institutions. Approximately 80% of waste is ordinary household waste. He is harmless. But the remaining 20% ​​are capable of causing damage to health in one way or another. In Russia, the disposal and processing of radioactive and medical waste has many prohibitions and conventions. Also in the country are carefully spelled out the necessary conditions handling of this group of garbage, methods of their burial or incineration. Special repositories for liquid and solid radioactive components were created. If it is necessary to get rid of medical waste, it is put in special bags and set on fire. But this method, unfortunately, is also unsafe, especially if the drugs belong to the first or second hazard group.

Division into classes

All waste is divided depending on its state of aggregation. So, they are solid, liquid or gaseous. In addition, all garbage is classified according to the degree of danger. There are four classes in total. Garbage belonging to the first degree of danger poses the strongest threat to the planet and living organisms, including humans. These wastes can ruin ecological system which will lead to disaster. These include the following substances: mercury, polonium, lead salts, plutonium, etc.

The second class includes residues that can cause an ecological failure that will not be able to recover for a long period (about 30 years). These are chlorine, various phosphates, arsenic, selenium and other substances. The third hazard group includes those wastes, after the impact of which the system will be able to recover in ten years. But only if the garbage no longer affects the infected object. Among them, chromium, zinc, ethyl alcohol and so on are distinguished.

Low-hazard waste - sulfates, chlorides and simazine - is assigned the fourth class. But this does not mean that they practically do not affect humans and the ecosystem. If the source is removed, the organism or nature will be able to recover only after three years. There is fifth grade trash. This means that the waste is completely safe for the environment.

The Importance of Recycling

There are several reasons why competent recycling is necessary:

1. Getting into the environment, most substances and materials turn into pollutants (it is worth considering that our planet is already suffocating every day from the emissions of cars and factories).
2. Many of the resources from which certain materials are created are exhausted. Their stocks are too limited, so recycling is the way out.
3. In some cases, objects that have fulfilled their purpose turn out to be a source of substances. Moreover, they are cheaper than natural materials.

More about recycling

Recycling is a change in waste materials until they completely disappear or change the structure so that it is not possible to reuse them. But this word can have another meaning. For example, it is often used in a figurative sense.

Today a large number of waste is reused for different purposes. All garbage that is disposed of today is divided into two main groups:

1. Solid household waste (glass, paper, plastic, food waste).
2. Industrial waste (biological, medical, radioactive, construction waste, as well as waste from the transport complex).

Disposal can be carried out in one of several ways, which are also divided into groups. For example, the main methods include heat treatment, composting, which is a natural decomposition method, and waste disposal in special landfills. Some of these recycling methods allow you to get secondary raw materials.

Recycled materials

Usually, all the waste that remains after human production and activities is called "recyclable". But this view is not entirely correct. The fact is that not all waste should be recycled or sent to other needs. There is also a group of waste that is reused only as an energy source (after special treatment), therefore it is also not classified as a secondary raw material. Those substances that, after processing, give out energy, are called "secondary energy raw materials."

This group includes only those materials that, after a certain impact, can become suitable in national economy. good example is a canned food tin. It can no longer be used to store food, but after being melted down, it is used to make a new container for food or other metal objects. Becomes obvious: secondary raw materials are called items that, after being used for their intended purpose, are resources that will be useful for further use. To get a new product or raw material, waste processing is necessary. Today, several methods are used for this, which are described below.

Natural processing

Back in the 20th century, in most cases, the processing of household waste was carried out by composting. Garbage, in particular organic, was dumped into specially dug pits and sprinkled with earth. Over time, the waste decomposed, rotted and was used as fertilizer in agriculture. But relatively recently, this method has been slightly modified. Scientists have developed hermetic installations for heating composted waste. Organic residues in this case begin to decompose faster, which results in the formation of methane, which is biogas. It was he who began to be used to create biofuels.

Specialized companies have appeared that build mobile stations for waste processing. They are used in small villages or on a farm. It was calculated that such large-scale stations intended for cities would be unprofitable to maintain. It takes a lot of time to get a decomposing product, and the resulting fertilizers still remain unused, and they also need to be disposed of somehow. In addition, there are other wastes that have nowhere to go, so they will accumulate. For example, it is plastic building remains, polyethylene, etc. And it is economically unprofitable for the authorities to create a specialized plant where the processing of municipal solid waste would be carried out.

Thermal disposal

Under thermal processing incineration of solid household waste. The process is used to reduce the amount of organic matter and render it harmless. Further, the resulting residues are disposed of or disposed of. After burning, the garbage is significantly reduced in volume, all bacteria are exterminated, and the resulting energy is able to generate electricity or heat water for the heating system. Such plants are usually arranged near large urban landfills in order to recycle solid waste passed through the conveyor. There are also nearby landfills intended for the disposal of processed residues.

It can be noted that waste incineration is divided into direct and pyrolysis. With the first method, only thermal energy can be obtained. At the same time, pyrolysis combustion makes it possible to produce liquid and gaseous fuels. But regardless of the method of thermal disposal, harmful substances are released into the atmosphere during combustion. It harms our ecology. Some people install filters. Their purpose is to hold solid volatiles. But as practice shows, even they are not able to stop pollution.

If we talk about the technology for processing medical waste, several special furnaces have already been installed in Russia. They are equipped with gas cleaning devices. In addition, microwave, steam-thermal treatment and autoclaving have appeared in the country. These are all alternative methods of incinerating medical and other suitable waste. Residues containing mercury are processed by special thermochemical or hydrometallurgical methods.

Plasma Utilization

This method for this moment It is the most modern way recycling. Its action takes place in two stages:

1. Waste is crushed and compressed under pressure. If necessary, the garbage is dried to achieve a granular structure.
2. The resulting substances are sent to the reactor. There, the plasma flow transfers so much energy to them that they acquire a gaseous state.

To avoid ignition is obtained with the help of a special oxidizing agent. The resulting gas is similar in composition to ordinary natural gas, but it contains less energy. The finished product is sealed in containers and sent for later use. Such gas is suitable for turbines, boilers, diesel generators.

Similar processing of production waste and household waste has been used for some time in Canada and the United States. In these countries, the remains of human life are effectively disposed of, and the final product is used for good as fuel. In the West, they are already preparing to introduce this technology on an even larger scale. But since such equipment is quite expensive, it cannot be purchased by the CIS countries.

Is it possible to solve the problem of waste disposal?

Of course, in order for the processing of solid waste and hazardous waste to take place on highest level requires a lot of financial investment. Political circles should also be interested in this. But for now, we have to make do with obsolete equipment for recycling. According to the authorities, the existing factories cope with the problem, so there is no need to reconstruct and re-equip them. Only an ecological catastrophe can serve as an impetus for this.

Although the problem is vast, it is still possible to solve or reduce its size. The situation demands integrated approach from society and government. It is good if everyone thinks about what he personally can do. The simplest thing a person can do is start sorting the garbage that he generates. After all, the one who throws away waste knows where he has plastic, paper, glass or food products. If it becomes a habit to sort the remains of life, then such garbage will become easier and faster to process.

A person needs to be regularly reminded of the importance proper disposal waste, sorting and caring attitude to the natural resources he owns. If the authorities do not take measures, conduct motivational campaigns, simple enthusiasm will not be enough. Therefore, the problem of waste disposal will remain in our country at a “primitive” level.

Separate waste disposal has long been practiced abroad: containers with compartments for plastic, waste paper, food and toxic waste are installed not only by local authorities, but also by the citizens themselves at home. In Russia and Ukraine, environmental responsibility is developing slowly. And in St. Petersburg, they recently began to completely eliminate containers for separate collection, established several years ago: management companies did not come for them for months, and residents reluctantly used them. A correspondent for The Village in St. Petersburg talked to a person who sorts garbage in his apartment and found out what is needed for separate collection at home.

Where to begin

When my girlfriend and I started sorting garbage at home, we immediately made one big mistake - we didn’t think about what to do with it next. They just started putting waste paper, plastic and glass bottles into separate boxes and bags. When a whole mountain accumulated after a few weeks, I realized that I had absolutely no idea where to put it all. Recalling my school experience, I thought that handing over waste paper or bottles would not be difficult. I conducted monitoring in my district - Primorsky - and realized that it is impossible to do everything in one place.

Each type of waste has its own collection points, and waste paper is collected only on weekdays from 12:00 to 14:00, which is very inconvenient. Bottles are also different: one type or color in one area, another in another, plastic ones were not taken anywhere at all. As a result, I accumulated a whole mountain of bottles and I did not know what to do with them. Then I learned about the monthly “Thank you for the trees” campaign, where you could immediately hand over everything that you have. Now it is no longer held, but there are many one-time promotions.

Sorting mechanism

Now we are doing the simplest sorting: there are containers for plastic, glass, waste paper and, of course, food waste. They do not take up much space, it is enough to allocate a small corner. True, it was not possible to accustom all six tenants of the apartment to throw everything into different containers. I started alone, and six months ago my sister joined me. At first, everyone doubted the rationality of our actions, but the media began to talk more about sorting, and the neighbors showed more understanding.

If you have a lot of energy and are willing to spend a little more time on it, you can separately collect paper and cardboard, divide glass by color, save metal separately, remove paper clips from tea bags or magazines. This will certainly make the job easier. processing enterprises or even increase the earnings of those involved in recycling, but only if everyone else does it. When one person in the city does this, there is not much benefit.

Food waste throw it in the regular trash. Some people use so-called vermicomposters at home - these are boxes in which worms process food waste dumped there: there is no smell, and the fertilizer is ready. Worms do not run away, everything is neat. There are other examples: one retiree, who runs the Rooftop Garden project, decided to create a continuous cycle of consumption and processing on the roof of her apartment building. She put compost bins in there, where the whole house dumps their food waste. Recycled recyclables are subsequently used to fertilize the land in the garden.

Where to take

To start For those wishing to sort waste, I recommend finding out the location of glass, paper, food and hazardous waste collection points near your home. I am an environmental engineer by training and did not know this. When you pass this stage, separate disposal no longer seems so problematic.

With paper or waste paper, the easiest thing is now: there are many points and private companies that are ready to come and pick up all the waste paper from your office or home weighing 200 kilograms or more. It's hard in an apartment. But one of my acquaintances agreed with the management company, and now they collect cardboard and paper with the whole house, which they then take out special services. The management campaign spends the profit from disposal on the improvement of the local area and on technical needs.

I throw out metal garbage like cans in a separate bag, and then I take it to the general trash in the yard, from where it is taken away almost instantly.

With hazardous waste, especially with batteries, the situation is also gradually improving: they were allowed to be collected by any company or any person in general. I can walk around the city with a box and collect them to turn in. At many gas stations and shopping malls special containers for collecting batteries, mercury lamps and medical waste. Like an eco-mobile, only stationary.

Now there are a lot of garbage disposal points in the city, they can be found on the site map Recyclemap.ru. There are collection points for glass, paper, hazardous waste and even clothes for each district. For me, the most convenient action is "Separate collection". Recently, they began to operate - this Saturday they will go around the city for the second time to collect recyclables. There is another way for the most lazy or busy - ecotaxi which is scheduled to be launched soon. Judging by the responses on social networks, many people liked the idea. If they do not overcharge, then for 200-300 rubles this will be an excellent alternative to the "Separate collection".

Recycling

Most often, waste is immediately sent to a landfill, bypassing storage facilities. There are two waste sorting stations in St. Petersburg, where workers select useful fractions from a common pile of waste. There, the percentage of recovery of recyclables is very low: from 3 to 15% maximum. Abroad, up to 90% of waste is sent for recycling.

You need to understand: whatever one may say, preliminary sorting is necessary and very important. If the city doesn't do it, then we can do it. In any case, food waste must be separated from everything else: it stains, rots and spoils everything around. Same plastic bag can no longer be processed if it is covered in banana and vinaigrette residue. Imagine how on the conveyor from all our compressed garbage people are trying to pull out a cardboard box or plastic bottle. This is unrealistic and no one will do it.

Greenpeace.org
Greenpeace.org
Greenpeace.org
Greenpeace.org
Greenpeace.org

Education

Officials and the administration have their own opinion on this matter: they claim that garbage containers no one uses for separate disposal and that is why they are dismantled. And residents say they are ready to use it if they create infrastructure for them and take out the garbage on time, and the lids of the tanks will not be locked. I heard somewhere that if at least 4% of the citizens start doing something, the rest will start to catch up with them. This will set the trend - such a marketing rule.

There is an opinion: "Here I am alone, what's the point then?" But if a person at least rinses the bottle and turns it in for promotions or at a collection point, this will already be a huge step. If only because it will attract the attention of other people. I went to school for extracurricular lesson ecology and told children about separate recycling and how to make the planet cleaner. Children in the fourth and fifth grades already understand well the meaning of separate waste collection and recycling. It became incomprehensible to me: if children understand, then why don't adults do this? Perhaps such an irresponsible generation, which should be replaced by growing environmental activists? We asked them why people don't do it then, and the schoolchildren confirmed our theory: people are either lazy or simply don't know where to take their garbage.

The authorities can influence the consciousness of citizens and their desire to properly dispose of waste. This cannot be supported by activists alone: ​​they simply do not have the opportunity to oversee the whole city. IN European countries For a long time they have been holding campaigns to inform the population about how to use the bins, how to properly sort garbage. And then they just put it on and that's it. Russia will come to this one way or another, but without the initiative of the state, it will take much longer.

The issue of recycling and reuse raw materials is relevant today more than ever. Properly organized process of waste disposal and recycling is a huge step towards improving the environment.

For large enterprises, the concept of a waste generation standard is not an empty phrase. Ecologists develop project documentation and are required to ensure compliance with the standards.

But apart from waste industrial enterprises There is also household waste. What happens to the garbage that each of us throws into the trash every day?

Disposal options in modern world there are only three:

• The least environmentally friendly option is burial. Only organic waste can decompose completely, and there are not so many of them. The disposal of waste of inorganic origin leads to the formation of highly toxic infiltration water and the release of methane into the environment.
• The incineration of municipal solid waste achieves two goals: to reduce its volume and to obtain a certain amount of energy that can be used. These are the pros this method. But there is also a significant minus - in the process of combustion, toxic compounds are formed that pollute the atmosphere. And the ash remaining after waste processing is quite toxic and requires further burial in special storage facilities.
• Sorting of waste with the possibility of subsequent recycling paper, glass, plastic - the most environmentally friendly method of waste disposal.

What kind of waste can be recycled

Paper, plastic and glass are the top recyclable waste products.

The current level of paper waste processing allows saving thousands of hectares of forest annually from deforestation. As a result of recycling waste paper, not only paper and cardboard are produced. Modern equipment makes it possible to produce environmentally friendly heat-insulating materials based on paper waste, used in cold period years for room insulation.

As a result of the processing of polymer waste, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and polyamide can be obtained. The use of the obtained materials is quite wide. They are used to produce sewer pipes and containers for technical liquids, waterproofing and furniture fittings, a lot of household products (scoops, basins, buckets).

Recycling glass allows you to create virtually non-waste production. And the material obtained in the process of processing is in no way inferior in quality to new glass.

How it works - Watch the video for recycling garbage: