By: Jennie Malonek @ Alhambra High School, LAUSD &
Sylvia Kliever @ Kentwood Elementary School, LAUSD
COMPOST- a food for gardens, it can include leaves, clippings, and vegetable scraps. It is usually contained in a box to prevent animals from scavenging. It produces heat and begins to decay after a few weeks. A compost pile gets hotter and decomposes more quickly if is covered with soil or straw. After biodegrading, it can be used in your garden to provide nutrients to plants.HAZARDOUS WASTE (toxic waste)- Some waste that is left over from the manufacturing process such as plastic or paint is poisonous. We call poisonous waste hazardous waste. Burning these wastes puts poisons into the air and soil. This is harmful to all living organisms. Other factories empty wastes into rivers, polluting and damaging the ecosystem.
LANDFILL- a place where solid waste material is dumped and covered with earth. Some landfills contain household and industrial chemicals. The chemicals pollute the soil and contaminate ground water. As the amount of garbage increases the space for landfill decreases. Many communities refuse new landfills because of the contamination. Some parts of the USA allow garbage to be burned in large incinerators. Air pollution is created by burning. This leaves ash which must still be deposited into a landfill. Ash is considered a hazardous waste.
PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls)- A group of toxic chemicals. These are used for industrial products such as fluorescent lights and electrical transformers. They are very poisonous. They are not easily biodegradable and can remain in our environment for hundreds of years.
POLYSTYRENE- A type of plastic foam. It is often used in insulation, plates, egg cartons, coffee cups and disposable food containers. Anything made of this product is not very biodegradable and is also difficult to recycle.
BIODEGRADABLE- capable of being used as a food by other living things. Buried in the soil, mold and bacteria will eventually transform this into soil. A leaf takes a few weeks, paper takes a few months, and plastic takes a few hundred years to biodegrade. Most organic waste is biodegradable.
LEACHATE- rain water and melted snow produce a liquid which percolates through landfills. It contains water, bacteria and decomposed wastes.
NIMBY (not in my backyard)- a term characterizing the public's attitude towards landfills and incinerators.
PHOTODEGRADABLE- a process in which ultraviolet rays attack the connections or links in a plastic (polymer) chain. This causes plastic to fall apart. This process does not occur in landfills where there is no light.
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW)- all trash or garbage including paper. plastic, metal, glass, food, garden clippings, etc.
REDUCE- to make or use less of something.
REUSE- to use something again.
RECYCLE- a recovery method utilizing the collection and treatment of a particular waste product so it can be used again to manufacture a new product.
CONSERVE- to use wisely and as little as possible.
RECLAIM / RECLAIMABLE- to be able to recycle.
ASH- what is left over after any material is burned.
INCINERATE- to burn at a very high temperature.
WASTE STREAM- "flow" of materials.
HOUSEHOLD WASTE STREAM- waste from private residences.
COMMERCIAL WASTE STREAM- waste from services, restaurants and businesses.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE STREAM- waste from manufacturing and processing facilities.
INFECTIOUS WASTE STREAM- waste from hospitals and health care facilities, also known as "red bag."
MUNICIPAL WASTE STREAM- waste collected from a city, community or region.
HAZARDOUS WASTE STREAM- toxic, corrosive, ignitable and/or reactive waste.
CONSTRUCTION / DEMOLITION DEBRIS- waste from building and construction.
RESOURCES- (renewable and non-renewable) something useful found in nature. Renewable resources can be replaced. These include: new crops using soil conservation, tree harvesting which includes replanting, fishing (if the fisherman leave enough stock for the population to replenish itself). Non-renewable resources cannot be replaced. These include fossil fuels, minerals, and ores.
Waste Not, Want Not is a part of LAEP
Learning Exchange.