Skip to Content

[X] CLOSEMENU

The Future of Waste

November 12, 2014

Today’s Guest Blogger is Kevin Rossignol, an editor and outreach coordinator for BudgetDumpster.com.

Beneath our feet rests several billions of tons worth of garbage that has piled up over the course of the 20th century, and now, the 21st century. And while we are not in any danger of running out of space for this trash anytime soon, there will come a point where we can no longer rely on the earth to hold our waste. So what will we be doing with all this waste in the future?

Crisis Breeds Progress

It’s a question that city planners, civil engineers, and environmental advocates have been grappling with for decades. A partial answer was provided by the “landfill crisis” of the late 80's and early 90's. A displaced garbage barge and an erroneous EPA report gave people the perception that we were running out of landfills. So what did we do? We recycled more, wasted less, and paid far more attention to what we were throwing out. As a result, the national recycling rate increased dramatically from 16% to 25% between the years 1990 and 1995, providing ample evidence that the future doesn't have to be reliant on old-fashioned dumping.

But the progress made during the 90’s has been stymied in the years since the landfill crisis. The national recycling rate, while making modest gains in the 2000’s, has plateaued at 34.5%. It’s a great accomplishment compared to historic trends, but when you consider that cities like San Francisco and Seattle are able to divert 60-80% of their waste it paints a stark picture of just how far behind the rest of the country is. Part of the problem is that recycling remains a participatory industry, relying on individuals and businesses to make the choice to recycle their trash. Fortunately, there are a number of technological developments that promise to fix the problem of participation.  

The Recycling Center of the Future

The waste management industry has traditionally lagged behind other industries that have rapidly embraced the latest technological innovations. But that's all starting to change with the latest generation of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs). These facilities utilize a dizzying array of technologies to accurately and efficiently sort mixed waste (both non-recyclable and recyclable materials).

One such facility located in Montgomery, Alabama uses optical sensors to identify targeted wastes (plastic containers, metals, and even organics) in mid-flight as it drops off a conveyor belt. The sensors trigger a burst of air that ejects the selected material from the belt and drops it onto another belt where it is taken to a central collection area. Once there, it can be baled and prepped for sale to a reclamation company.

Other MRFs incorporate even more tech such as magnetic & induction sorters that allow for the complete separation of ferrous and nonferrous materials as they make their way through the sorting process; significantly increasing the amount of recoverable (and valuable) metals.

Each stage in the sorting process is automated, allowing for the efficient and accurate processing of all types of waste. But perhaps the biggest advantage offered by state-of-the-art MRFs is that individuals and businesses are not responsible for separating their recyclables from their trash. All they have to do is fill up a single bin and leave it for the garbage man. This significantly increases the amount of recovered recyclables since consumers aren’t left to choose whether a plastic bottle goes to the landfill or the recycling center, it all goes to the same facility where it will be sorted out automatically.

Food for the Soil, Energy for the Bulb

Optical sensors, magnets, air cannons; it’s all pretty futuristic. But these hi-tech recycling solutions only take care of part of the waste stream. What can we do to tackle the ever-increasing amount of organic waste heading to landfills? Composting is one alternative that is proving effective in some areas, but food scraps, agricultural waste, and yard debris continues to make up a significant portion of the waste stream that is headed to landfills.

Organic landfill waste is undesirable because as it decomposes it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is several times stronger than carbon dioxide. Some landfills are able to capture this gas and burn it to produce electricity, but are not constructed to be air-tight, which means there will always be some amount of methane leaking into the atmosphere. Fortunately, there are ways to bypass landfills entirely in order to capture the energy locked inside the organics we throw away.

Just this past October the State of Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to enact a landfill ban on organic waste from all commercial enterprises including hotels, restaurants, and hospitals generating one ton or more of food scraps per week. Many businesses in the state now have to choose between either sending their waste to a local compost facility or sending it to farms and independent businesses that operate facilities called anaerobic digesters.

Anaerobic digesters are an intriguing alternative to landfills, as well as composting, because of the unique outputs they produce. A digester is essentially a giant silo that provides an optimal environment for anaerobic bacteria (non-oxygen breathing microbes) to break down everything from food scraps to lawn clippings.

As the bacteria work over a period ranging from 21-30 days, the microbes convert the organic waste into methane gas and nitrate-rich solids. Most commercial digesters burn the methane using combustion engines, which in turn power turbines to generate electricity. This process releases zero greenhouse gases, and is a renewable source of energy since the only inputs are organic waste.  

A Future without Landfills

Expanding and combining these technologies will allow us to create a future where landfills are no longer the norm, but are instead a relic of the past. There are already plans in place for the Montgomery MRF to expand its facility to include digesters for breaking down all of the food waste it receives. With these all-in-one facilities virtually every scrap of reusable MSW can be recovered and put to good use. The future of waste is a bright one, and with continued technological advancements such as these we may just realize that landfill-free future sooner rather than later.

By Kevin Rossignol


Kevin Rossignol is an editor and outreach coordinator for BudgetDumpster.com.

NERC welcomes Guest Blog submissions. To inquire about submitting articles contact Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager. Disclaimer: Guest blogs represent the opinion of the writers and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.

Comments (0)


Add a Comment





Allowed tags: <b><i><br>Add a new comment: