© D A Barnes/Alamy© Radius Images/AlamyDavid McGlynn/Photographer's
Choice/Getty Imagesa.
c.b.Global demand for bottled water is increasing, but most of these empty bottles are not
recycled. In 2011 the average American consumed 110 L (117 qt) of bottled water, which
translates into 60 million plastic water bottles per day (a). A return to water fountains
(b) or a shift to refillable bottles (c) could reduce some of this waste.
Solid Waste
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
tons. This represents a small decrease from 2005, a
change attributable to the economic downturn that
began in 2008.
Waste generation is an unavoidable consequence of
the prosperous, high-technology, industrial economies
of the United States and other highly developed nations.
Many products that would be repaired, reused, or recy-
cled in less affluent nations are simply thrown away.
Nobody likes to think about solid waste, but it is certainly
a concern of modern society—we keep pro-
ducing it, and places to dispose of it safely are
dwindling in number (Figure 16.1).Types of Solid Waste
Municipal solid waste consists of the com-
bined residential and commercial waste pro-
duced in a municipal area. Municipal solid- Distinguish between municipal and
nonmunicipal solid waste. - Describe the features of a modern sanitary
landfill and relate some of the problems
associated with sanitary landfills. - Describe the features of a mass burn
incinerator and relate some of the problems
associated with incinerators. - Explain the composting process.
T
he United States generates
more solid waste per capita than
any other country. (Canada is a
close second.) According to the
EPA, in 2010, the average person in the
United States produced 2.01 kg (4.43 lb) of
solid waste per day. This amount corre-
sponded to a total of 227 million metric
municipal solid
waste Solid
materials discarded
by homes, offices,
stores, restaurants,
schools, hospitals,
prisons, libraries, and
other commercial and
institutional facilities.À}ÊÜ>ÌiÀÊ«ÌÃÊUÊ}ÕÀiʣȰ£Ê