Is all the waste usefull?

Every citizen of planet earth «produce» a daily quantity «useless» things (solid, liquid and gas) left because the environment is undesirable. When driving the car, it produces various gases, some of which are just smelly, but some are very harmful to health whoever breathe. When empty the kitchen sink, «offers» environment in a quantity of liquid waste often contain harmful substances. Once again, empty the bag of trash baskets in the office, kitchen and store it «offers» nature a «lion» waste.

Of course that's not all our waste: Vast amounts of waste generated in industry, mining, agricultural and livestock farms whose products reach our home. None of us can not imagine how much waste is produced for each product we buy. But for all this care (or care) are creating them. And of course the cost of managing their waste is incorporated in the final price of the product purchased

Obviously we can not turn our homes on landfills or may freeze our waste indefinitely in order to avoid overburdening the environment.

Production waste is a natural process of all living organisms. This was and always will be so.


But they have all the same litter environmental effects or whether we could «mark them» depending on whether damage or very little?

Hazardous wastes are classified as the discharge into the environment poses a risk to water and soil. Hazardous wastes have difficulties both in storage and their final destruction. Most we can not throw it to burning them causes serious pollution in the air.

Most are produced in the chemical industries, mining, ship repair in areas, refineries ... hazardous waste are still at home (we will deal with them in the next section)

Each country depending on the volume and type of industry and depending on the environmental sensitivity of the legislature, annually spends significant amounts of hazardous waste management services.

Unfortunately statistiki1 in 1991 our country was last in the EU in hazardous waste management expenditure per capita. We spent $ 0.17 per capita when the average EU was $ 5.5 per capita, while Denmark in the same year spent $ 14.2 per capita. What happens in our country We have very little hazardous waste or inexpensive methods to manage the expense of our natural environment and ultimately to the detriment of our children?



Hazardous waste at home:
If in the past ignorance of the hazards of certain waste was justified in our time is unacceptable. When you buy a product today, the law requires the manufacturer to inform us a special mark on the label for the type of risk is likely hiding. And do not think that refers to products purchased in specific cases. Daily buy many things when it's time to jump up would create environmental problems.

The worst use of strong pesticide in the U.S. not by farmers but the farmers household gardens. Also: the contamination of air inside many homes from household items found to exceed the limits permitted by law for outdoor air!

Yet consumers are unaware of what they buy, use and end of fly ...

To see a list of the most damaging domestic waste of modern living:

Solvents, acids (ph <2) and bases (ph> 11,5)

Drugs Paints, varnishes, adhesives and resins

Pesticides Pesticides, poisons for mice

Batteries Skoroktona

Obstructing toilet drain cleaning fluid

Strong detergents Cleaning dry cleaning

Bleach, peroxide bleach and other cleaners on the oven

Used needles and syringes permanent marker

Materials containing asbestos Spray

Transformers and capacitors (some of them)

Printed circuit boards and electronic devices which contain internal batteries

Fluorescent lamps and all wastes containing mercury (eg thermometers)



And to see a list of the most harmful wastes associated with our car:

Mineral oils and synthetic oils Oil filters Fluids Brake fluid Antifreeze Batteries



All of the above:

1. if buried in earth contaminate soil and groundwater

2. if you burn with toxic fumes filled the air we breathe



I think we became convinced that not all the same garbage.

The garbage that I presented in this section take the «worst» degrees be dangerous.

There are others who, although are harmless, do not cause environmental problems in a direct manner. In this second category we can include the waste that are creations of the industry and have the disadvantage of not decompose easily or not easily separated to recycle. The second category of waste up the great issue of littering.

And, of course, neither the first nor the second compared with the innocent skoupidakia generated when clean potatoes or fruit .... (these are also recycled at home and become compost). The latter organic waste which is always produced by people in all periods of history and never caused problems because of the ease to decompose with the help of microorganisms.





what we do with hazardous waste?

We buy only what we really need and the quantity you need.

Specific signals from the labels of the packages we understand what are the most dangerous: avoid them if we can do our work with other less harmful!

Do not buy dishwashing detergent or other title that have antibacterial. (These products kill bacteria and useful chalontas the ecological balance of the kitchen and bathroom) for the same reason not to buy products containing the ingredient triclosan.

The water-soluble colors fly away when dry.

The oils deliver the car to the garage or gas station that made the change. If we change our own oil would do the same at the gas station.

Containers of pesticides wash 3 times using laundering as pesticide.

Injection needles are covered with the cap to not pierce anyone collects.

The batteries to make sure we recovered.

The car batteries recycle the individuals who supplied the car ilektrologeia. Give the there.



(There are some countries where a certain day of the week the municipality collects such waste from houses)



What we can do in our place?



We can write a letter to the mayor asking what happens in our municipality. Ask to look and to our municipality for hazardous waste. Your voice is heard!


To see some numbers on the batteries:

Over 10 billion batteries produced each year on Earth.

In the USA purchased each year two billion bataries1.

The France2 every year 720 million batteries, weighing 26,500 tonnes.

- Several thousand industrial-type batteries (industries, OTE, Army) which is usually lead or cadmium / nickel

- Approximately 1,000,000 car batteries. (Most are lead.)

- 100,000,000 batteries «household» various sizes and types, while 5,000,000 are in the shape of button batteries (button cells).

(Numbers nineties. These numbers are larger today)

From the «home» is estimated that 80% of simple battery zinc / carbon and the other is alkaline. A number of approximately 20,000,000 batteries that were until now every year in Greece were those which contained mercury at a rate of 0,001-1% by weight. Later these types of batteries have reduced rates of mercury to 0.025%.

Batteries currently in circulation with no mercury (to choose!)

From the button-shaped batteries in circulation in Greece some 500,000 batteries are those which contain high percentages of mercury, ie, up to 30%.

The only batteries collected and recycled in Greece today are lead batteries for vehicles. The collection is not systematic, nor is there information to teams, drivers, etc. The motivation of the collection is only economic, because lead-containing melts and birds.

The recycling of other battery is difficult and costly. Across Europe there are now only 4 factories to recycle. The 2 of them in France and Germany 2. To accept a factory of batteries collected by an organization or company necessary bureaucratic procedures and costs. The collection, transfer and acceptance by one country to another battery only after specific approval of contracts and environment ministries and 2 choron4.

Germanos shops for a few years set up a collection of used batteries which promoted abroad for recycling. Now they have probably stopped.

Today is a Greek company Waste Management, the Envirochem Hellas based in Piraeus, which specializes in managing hazardous waste. This company has signed contracts with the stores Praktiker and Carrefour and obtain for loading and transfer abroad of batteries collected. So these companies bear the cost to recycle batteries in exchange for our advertising for such products.

The intentions of the EU is in the future, batteries are collected at a much higher rate than today through strict regulation. But until then?

The EU law prohibits the export to countries outside the EU toxic waste and thus battery. What kept this law when there are poor countries willing to accept hazardous waste for a temporary financial return?

Surveys in 11 landfills in the U.S. and Kanada5 revealed that although the batteries are only 0.2% of the volume of waste coming from these 20% of toxic waste, while at the same time the main source of cadmium is a hazardous metal. Considering that in our country that electronic devices consume more and more it is likely to have similar proportion of our household waste. (Although investigations are often not the 0.2% of total waste do not think that far from our reality)



Let us not forget that most appliances today are equipped with a «memory» ie to repeat some information we give them. But to keep the memories are in the small batteries that give power to the device if you happen to come from the outlet.

You know as batteries that have many fixed phones? (How else would keep the «memory» of phones that we frequently)

Did you know that all computers have batteries? (Not portable! These of course are. Batteries have all household computers!)



Of all the household hazardous waste mentioned in only this time we can send for recycling are the batteries.

The reasons are many.



RISKS FROM BATTERIES

For us:

1. Ignition Risk

2. Risk of leakage of liquid

3. Danger that if someone tries to open or puncture the

4. Risk of swallowing (especially in shape batteries «button»)

CAUTION: Batteries should be stored at locations in the house that does not reach children. If swallowed, call a doctor immediately

Environment:

1. ignition-combustion - air pollution

2. damage to the wrapping - contamination of soil and groundwater



Substances having a small battery (such as those our watches or our photographic cameras) are likely to pollute soil 1 cubic meter or 400 cubic meters of water!

Some metals, such as may contain the batteries we have known and confirmed effects on our health. See table:



TOXIC EFFECTS OF METALS



LEAD
Stem cell disorder


Ekgefalopatheia Peripheral neuritis


Renal lesions

CADMIUM
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease


Emphysema Kidney damage


Damage the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system







The battery issue is our issue. Affects all of us. Because we all have to purchase and use batteries.

But as mentioned for other hazardous substances in batteries and there are ways to reduce the problems.



1. Avoid using batteries as possible. (eg listen to music at home putting the device into the outlet instead of batteries)

2. Not leave batteries in devices that do not use frequently.

3. We prefer solar batteries where they are available. Loaded with sunlight and do not fly ...

4. We prefer rechargeable. (They cost more at first, but it pays very recharged several times with minimal power consumption. In addition: not forced to throw often batteries)

5. Recycle these batteries are not sure «resist» another. (Caution: do not place any second-hand batteries with new ones on the same device! It is dangerous and damaging and batteries)



Recycling batteries is not economically advantageous. The purposes is to protect the environment and save natural resources (raw materials savings as manganese, zinc and steel). Those who accept batteries for recycling do for promotion of their businesses. Besides paying for each pound of batteries deliver the waste management company to work with.