Geography Topic 8 : A Wasteful World

4.1 types of waste and it’s problem

a. the differences in waste production between low-income countries (LICs) and high income countries (HICs)

HICs typically produce 5 times the amount of waste LICs produce

LICs on average produce 100-200 kg/year/person

HICs on average produce 400-800 kg/year/person

Top HIC waste producing countries (/kg/year/person)

Ireland – 800
Norway 780
USA – 760
Denmark – 725
(10) UK – 600

Top LIC waste producing countries (/kg/year/person)

Laos – 237
Vietnam – 182
Philippines – 149
Thailand – 73

b. greater wealth is a major contributor to increasing waste, especially in HICs

Consumer society – As countries become more wealthy, they have greater demand for consumer products. They buy more items and replace them more frequently

Throw away society – Tendency to buy things and dispose of them

Why is waste in LICs less?

Consumer purchases are limited due to low income. People can’t afford to buy new products therefore practical up cycling is commonly practised
Purchases in LICs have very little packaging – and often biodegradable
Literacy rates in LICs are very low therefore not many read and throw away newspapers – 84% of the world’s paper consumption is by HICs

Why is waste in HICs high?

Wealthy countries have a greater demand for consumer products due to more disposable income (eg. GDP / capita USA : $40K, GDP / capita Uganda : 294)
Imported goods have more packaging (UK: 10.5 mil tonnes of waste in 2007 from packaging)

c. Types of domestic waste produced in HICs

Green waste – waste broken down by living organisms originating form plant or animals
Non biodegradable waste – waste that can’t be broken down by living organisms
Industrial waste – Waste produced by industrial activity eg. of factories and mines
Domestic waste – waste consisting of everyday items, eg. food, yard, containers and product packaging. Includes residential and commercial waste
E waste – Discarded electronic devices. An estimated 15 mil phones are thrown away annually in the UK, the UN estimates that 50 mil tones of E waste is produced annually.

Packaging : Materials used for the containment, protection and handling

The UK produced 10.5 mil tonnes of packaging waste in 2007. 70% were due to food and drink
Mixed material packaging presents some problems as multiple materials makes a package hard to dispose of

4.2 – recycling and disposal of waste

a. how waste is recycled at a local scale and how recycled material is used

Case Study : Bracknell Forest Council

Works with Reading + Workingham council for the disposal of waste

2 main house hold waste recycling centres

– Small Mead, Island Road, Reading

– Longshot lanes, Bracknell

150 recycle sites and 3 authority centres located at convenient places such as supermarket
Also a website with clear directions

House collections

Alternate waste collection for recycling and compost.
On the other week general waste is collected and delivered to it’s respective recycling area

Paper and Cardboard

Paper and cardboard collected from houses
Taken to Severnside recycling facility
Material sorted from pure and contaminated (eg. ink is a contaminant)
Paper is pulped, baled and sent to St. Regis paper mill, Kent
Pulp rolled and layered to make reels of paper
Paper turned into packaging material

Plastic

Recycled at Baylis recycling plant near Keynsham, Bristol
Bottles sorted by polymer type and colour
Melted and formed into new shape
Wide range of products created

Glass

Sorted into 3 different colours at recycling point
Mixed glass used by aggregate industry
Collected for reprocessing by Berryman’s from Dagenham
Glass collected into large roads from different places to be reprocessed in Yorkshire
Glass washed and crushed to make a cullet
Cullet washed with new materials eg. limestone
During heating process, recycled glass is used to save energy so they don’t have to heat it to such high temperatures

Cans

Sent to Biffa Waste Management Facility, South Hampton
Transferred into a reprocessing facility, Leister
Separation from aluminium and steel.

As steel is magnetic, it’s attracted by a magnet and processed by European Metals Recycling LTD, then sent to a furnace to where they are mixed with molten iron. Poured into a mould to make large slabs and rolled into coils to be used for bikes and cars.

Aluminium on the other hand is shredded to the size of a 10p, shreds are passed through a magnetic drum to remove the last of steel and molten aluminium is pumped into moulds, chilled until solidification and to be used in the making of new cars

b. the ways in which HICs dispose of different types of waste

CASE STUDY : GERMANY

Germany produces 60 mil tonnes / year

1.Landfill – 160 sites

Involves putting waste in the ground and covering it with soil or rock
Germany in the 1970s had 50,000 sites

Problems with landfill

Escaping liquids and gases from rotting waste pollute land
Suitable landfill sites are running out. They must have correct geological conditions eg. not nearby water supply and crops must not be affected by seepage
Landfill land is now more expensive

2. Exporting

Germany exports 1.8 mil tonnes of non-hazardous waste a year to countries such as China or Spain. They see it as an opportunity to earn money
Germany exports their nuclear waste to France and the UK

3. Incineration

Germany has 68 incinerators, also a source of energy
Darmstadt deals with 212,000 tonnes of waste / year
Plans to build 100 more incinerators
One problem is they still may emit emissions

4. Recycling

Germany has very strict laws concerning recycling
Germany has the capacity to recycle less than a third of it’s waste
The Green Dot Scheme operates in 20 countries and has been successful in declining waste to 1 mil tonnes/year
Unfortunately the scheme is expensive – $2.5 bn/year
67% of waste is recycled and 32% is burnt

4.3 – sources and uses of energy

a. energy resources can be classified as renewable and non renewable. Some renewable sources of energy are easier to develop than others

Non renewable energy

Type of fuel	Origin	Advantage	Disadvantage
Coal	Fossilised plants, found in seams / close to the surface of the Earth or mined underground Must be burnt to produce energy	Cheap Easy to convert into energy Coal supplies should last for 250 years	Gives off greenhouse gasses
Oil	Fossilised animals Lakes of oil found under the land / sea Pipes put down through the ground, liquid pumped to provide energy	Cheap Easy to convert Oil supplies should last for 50 years	Gives off greenhouse gasses
Natural gas	Methane gases trapped under seams of rock Pipes put down through the ground	Cheap Easy to convert Cleaner than oil/coal Gas supplies should last for 70 more years	Gives off greenhouse gases
Nuclear (uranium)	Produced from uranium, obtained from mining Produced when atoms are split in nuclear reactors	Small amount of uranium gives off a lot of energy Raw materials will last a long time Doesn’t produce greenhouse gases	Nuclear reactors are expensive to build Nuclear waste is expensive to store, radioactive and toxic Leaks are fatal
Biomass	Decaying plant / animal matter that provides energy.	Cheap Readily available Renewable	Gives off greenhouse gases Large area of land takes up space to be used for food

Renewable energy

Renewable energy

Process

Advantages

Disadvantages

Geothermal

Ground source heat pumps heat from the ground into the house

These supply radiators / warmth systems

Cuts energy costs by 70%

£12000 to install

Infinite resource

Doesn’t give off greenhouse gases

Must be enough space

Expensive to build

Water may contain corrosive materials which could damage the pipes over time

Solar energy

Cells produce electricity from the sun

Panels face the un, the fluid heats in the panels which produces hot water for use

£12000 to install

Fitted onto buildings, doesn’t take up extra space

Energy not used can be taken into the National Grid

Accounts for 35% of a house’s hot water

No running cost

No greenhouse gases

Expensive to install

May be visually polluting

Can’t be mass produced

Not efficient in countries where the sun is rare

Wind energy

Turbines rely on the force of wind to power blades into generating electricity

Wind turbines are quiet and efficient

No emissions

30% saved on electricity bill

Requires local wind speed of >60 m/s

Life expectancy of 20 years

Regular maintenance required

Visual pollution

Offshore turbines affect the migration of birds

Hydroelectricity

Tidal energy provided by the movement of tides that moves the turbines to produce electricity

Power stations often in highland areas

No emissions

Cheap + infinite

Tidal barges can be used as bridges

Can produce large bodies of water for leisure

Only built in certain areas

Alters water flow

Build up of sediment may decompose to form methane

40-80 mil people globally have been displaced due to dam construction

Negatively affects wildlife

b. the global energy mix of energy consumption

Energy surplus – Countries that have more energy than they consume

Energy deficit – Countries that consume more than they produce

Carbon neutral – Countries that run entirely on renewable fuels (eg. Iceland)

Reasons for mix of energy consumption

Population. India has to meet energy needs for 1.2 bn people and has to use whatever’s available. Iceland has only 320,000 people to supply to and therefore can use sources that aren’t in great supply
Income. India’s government lacks the capital reserves so they supply the people with the cheapest forms of energy. Iceland can more easily afford initial start up costs required to produce energy from renewable sources
Availability of energy supplies. India has 5.6 bn barrels of oil near the west coast. Iceland however doesn’t have fossil fuels so it imports everything.But they do have great geothermal energy potential and fast flowing rivers which could be useful for hydroelectric power

Reasons for surplus ( + ) and deficit ( – )

+ Often in LICs, incomes are low and therefore people can’t afford electricity
+ In HICS, due to low population
+ Employment of green energy
– High populations in HICs
– No employment of green energy due to lack of govt. power and funding
– Many people able to afford electricity and the white goods requiring them

c. Exploitation of energy resources has varied impact on the environment because of waste production and the impact on both local and global environments

Non-renewable resource – CASE STUDY : Canada tar sands extraction.

180 bn. barrels of bitumen to be refined into petrol are awaiting to be extracted
Located near the Athabasca River, Alberta, Canada
For many years thought not economicaly viable, however due to dwindling overseas supply, rising cost of oil extraction and development of new extraction technology has resulted in the commercial exploitation of these resources

Local impact

Surface mining has resulted in the loss of vegetation and surface soil and rock to be cleared leading to concerns of loss of habitats
Energy required for refinement provided by natural gas is enough to heat 3 mil homes
6 barrels of water is required to extract 1 barrel of oil – 349mil cubic metres of water / year. Water that is contaminated has lead to deformities downstream

Global impact

Refining bitumen releases 5-15% more CO2 than refining crude oil increasing global greenhouse gas concentrations
Removal of surface vegetation, mostly spruce trees affects the amount of O2 in the atmosphere

Renewable resource – CASE STUDY : England’s wind farm industry (The London Array)

175 wind turbines generat 630 mega watts of electricity. Enough energy to power 470,000 homes or 2/3 of Kent homes
London Array is located off the coast of Ramsgate, Kent with plans to be the largest offshore wind farm
In 2009 the UK govt conculded that there is scope for between 5-7k offshore wind turbines to be installed
Estimated offshore wind alone will be able to meet Britain’s current demand for electricity 10 times over
This is in effort to cut carbon emissions by 80% in 2050
We currently generate 15% of our energy needs from renewable sources

Local impact

Turbine blades cause the death of 4 birds/turbine/year
Turbulence created can lead to temperature changes
Turbines produce noise which is slowly in the modern era being reduced to less than 40 db.

Global impact

Construction of blades and pillars produces greenhouse gases

4.4 Management of energy usage and waste

a. how energy is being wasted

Domestic

Leaving lights on when not needed
Leaving phone chargers plugged in after phone has finished charging
Standby electronic equipment
No insulation – no double glazing, no loft/water tank/wall cavity insulation
Thermostats set to high

Energy used for domestic purposes account for 48% of Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions

Domestic consumption of electricity as people buy more homes
Heating is the largest consumer of electricity

Key figures of energy loss in the home

25 % roof
10% windows
15 % draughts
15% floor
35% walls

Industry

Poorly serviced / maintained machines
Vibrations from machinery
Leaks from compressed air valves
British industry wastes £12.7 bn on energy/year
The estimated cost of leaving office devices alone is worth £8.66 mil

b. carbon footprints for countries at different levels of development

Carbon footprint – the measure of impact that human activities have on the environment, also the weight of equivalent CO2 emitted by the activities of a single person

STATS

World wide average carbon foot print – 4,000 kg
Industrialisaing natioin carbon footprint – 11,000 kg
Average footprint for a person in thr UK – 9,700 kg

Primary footprint – Amount of energy used in house / number of people in house + journeys

Secondary footprint – Recreational activities + energy required to supply people with goods and services

c. possible solutions to energy wastage in the UK on a local, domestic and national scale

1 ) Domestic

i. New home building design

Hot water jackets save £20 a year
Reduce central heating by 1 degree c saves £70/year
Cavity wall insulation saves £90 /year
Floor insulation saves £45 /year
Loft insulation saves £45 /year
Condensing boiler saves £200/year
Double glazing saves £5,000/year
Energy saving lightbulbs save £50/year
No standby electrics save £37/year

Govt. enforces strict laws on including these energy saving things in new buildings to reduce energy waste

ii. older homes

Case study : Warm Front Scheme

Grants from UK govt up to £2,700 for heating and insulation

Case study : British Gas

Offers free wall insulation to it’s customers on benefits

Case study : Aberdeen County Council

Upgraded council housing by improving heating systems
Including CHP (combined heat and power) in 4 high rise buildings containing 288 flats
System recovers heat which is lost in the production of electricity and distributes hot water to heat buildings

2 ) Local Scale

Case study : Eastcroft District Heating Scheme, Nottingham

Gaining energy by burning waste
Run by the Waste Recycling Group

150,000 tonnes of rubbish is sent here