Jan. 06, 2025
Machinery
Everyone takes advantage of contemporary waste management. But while everyone uses trash containers or recycling receptacles every day to toss out unwanted items, how many people actually give the modern convenience of waste disposal even a brief thought?
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Throughout human history, the evolution of waste management has been fundamentally tied to its effect on health and the environment, both good and bad. The modern waste management industry has come a long way, and with recycling and other advances, it&#;s poised to go even further.
Here is a timeline of some significant developments in waste management history.
3,000 B.C. | The first recorded landfill is developed in Knossos, Crete (modern-day Greece), where large holes were dug into the earth to dump refuse.
2,000 B.C. | In China, simple methods of composting and recycling are developed and utilized, particularly for bronze to be used later.
500 B.C. | Athens, Greece, developed a law requiring garbage to be dumped at least one mile from the city to preserve its beauty and prevent illness.
| The English Parliament bans dumping of waste in ditches and public waterways.
| German papermaker Andreas Bernhart begins placing his paper in coverings labeled with his name and address, thus devising the first recorded use of packaging.
| New Amsterdam (now Manhattan, New York City) passes the first anti-littering law, making it illegal to throw or leave waste in the streets.
| Ben Franklin starts the first street cleaning service and encourages the public to dig pits in the earth to dispose of waste.
| The Public Health Act of is passed by English Parliament, giving authority for waste collection and prevent mass scavenging. Also, the first concept of a portable receptacle is created.
| America builds its first incinerator on Governors Island, New York City.
| Nearly 300 incinerators are in operation throughout the United States and Canada. Landfills begin to grow.
| The rear loader garbage truck is developed, providing more efficiency in waste pickup.
| The U.S. Supreme Court bans the dumping of municipal waste into the ocean.
| Open-burning dumps and backyard waste burning is prohibited in most areas.
| Consumerism reaches an all-time high due to the convenience and low cost of plastics, resulting in a 67% increase in packaging disposal.
| The Clean Air Act is passed.
| The Solid Waste Disposal Act is passed, authorizing government research on resource recovery and landfill research.
| More than 33% of U.S. municipal waste is separated recyclable vs. nonrecyclable. Many states implement recycling programs, such as pay-per-can and newspaper curb recycling.
| The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is founded as an independent federal agency to regulate the safety and security of the natural environment across the nation.
| The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is created to plan for recycling, conservation and waste management. Twenty-six states have laws to regulate recycling.
| More than 3,000 household hazardous waste programs are set up in all 50 states.
| Federal agencies are required to buy and use recycled products. The Office of Federal Environmental Executive is created to enforce the directive.
s | More than 5,000 U.S. cities begin using &#;pay-as-you-throw&#; programs, charging residents based on the amounts of garbage each household or buildings throw away.
s | Advances are made in garbage truck technology, which allows them to pack and haul up to three times more waste than previous models.
Today | Americans make up less than 5% of the global population but create nearly 20% of the world&#;s garbage, producing over 250 million tons of trash annually.
The waste management products available from Commercial Zone are designed to help mitigate the issues created by trash and other refuse, while also making the processing of waste more efficient. We&#;re committed to staying on the forefront of trends to create a more sanitary, safer, healthier planet. It&#;s these trends and practices that help influence the design and features of our site furnishing products.
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Sources
Recycle Guide: History of Waste Management
Waste is a massive problem. World Bank estimates show that, globally, we produce approximately 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste each year. However, at least 33% of that waste is not managed in an environmentally sound manner &#; and that&#;s an extremely conservative estimate. The importance of waste segregation is something that we can no longer afford to ignore.
The situation is much the same in the UK. In , only 44.1% of municipal waste was successfully recycled. Admittedly, this was an increase from the rate of 43.8% in the previous year. Low recycling rates can be largely attributed to inadequate infrastructure for processing our rubbish, which has, historically, been sent overseas to countries like China for processing. But with China enacting a ban on foreign paper and plastic waste imports, the UK faces the risk of having a waste treatment capacity shortage of up to 6 million tonnes by .
Fortunately, the UK government has committed to an ambitious 65% municipal recycling rate by , adopting a large part of the European Union&#;s Circular Economy Package (CEP) into UK law. The initiative also seeks to ensure that no more than 10% of municipal waste ends up in landfills.
To achieve these recycling targets, both households and commercial organisations will have to do their part by accurately segregating their waste. For businesses, sorting the trade waste they produce is a critical component of an effective reuse and recycling system.
UK law also requires businesses to be responsible for their trade waste by properly storing and sorting it. More specifically, businesses are expected to do the following:
Businesses that handle hazardous waste also have extra storage and sorting responsibilities. For starters, they need to store hazardous wastes separately to ensure they don&#;t contaminate each other. Hazardous waste items such as batteries, electrical appliances, light bulbs and electronics should be labelled accordingly to make it easier to recycle them.
Waste segregation is the sorting and separation of waste types to facilitate recycling and correct onward disposal. When waste is sorted correctly, it can save your company money.
Waste segregation should be based on:
Sorting your waste makes it easier to understand how to reduce your general waste output, identify items that can be reused and set aside items that should be recycled. Beyond that, however, there&#;s also a moral imperative to be responsible for how you handle your trade waste.
Failing to segregate trade waste properly means that it will end up mixed in landfills the same way it was mixed in your bins. Waste items like food scraps, paper and liquid waste can mix and decompose, releasing run-off into the soil and harmful gas into the atmosphere.
The law also specifically states that it is illegal to mix hazardous waste or POPs waste &#; waste with high levels of persistent organic pollutants &#; with either other hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste.
For businesses, the benefits of proper waste segregation include:
Educating staff on correct waste disposal in your company isn&#;t just about creating waste policies but also about educating your employees. For instance, mixing food with cardboard or plastics (the latter being perfectly recyclable) could be avoided with sufficient training.
To support your workforce, you can also use colour-coding and clear signages on bins across your facilities to make it easy for staff to place waste in their proper receptacles.
While there are different ways of classifying trade waste, businesses can refer to the UK government&#;s guidance on waste categories.
The UK&#;s construction sector is the country&#;s largest user of raw materials, and it also produces the largest waste stream in terms of gross tonnage. In , England&#;s total waste output was estimated to be 189 million tonnes &#; approximately 61% (120 million tonnes) came from construction, demolition and excavation.
Construction and demolition waste can be further segregated into the following categories:
Vehicle and oily waste refer to end-of-life vehicles that are no longer usable and their components and consumable items, such as:
This category also includes liquid waste from vehicles, such as:
Liquid waste should be stored in tanks or barrels to ensure its safe removal for treatment and reuse.
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) covers a wide range of waste types, such as:
Dry mixed recycling is a broad term that refers to a wide range of clean recycling waste that&#;s easily reused or reformed into other goods or their core materials. Examples of dry mixed recycling items include:
The health and contamination risks associated with healthcare or clinical waste &#; especially during the COVID-19 pandemic &#; make it particularly important to sort these waste items properly. Common examples of clinical waste items include:
Although not mentioned in the government&#;s guidance, organic waste is another common waste category that presents problems if not sorted properly. With more than 4.5 million tonnes of food wasted every year, businesses need to control their use of food resources and ensure that any rotten meat, vegetable cuttings and other food waste is sorted and forwarded to a food recycling facility.
Proper waste segregation plays a vital role in any business&#;s ability to improve its recycling rate and achieve its zero to landfill goals. At Axil, we manage over 10 categories of waste, including general recycling materials, food and clinical waste. Our bespoke waste stream services map out your organisation&#;s disposal, storage and recycling needs to come up with the best and most efficient waste management solution.
The company is the world’s best Waste Compression System supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
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