Waste Disposal, Waste Management and Recycling Issues

Waste disposal in NJ can be used as an example of waste management across the nation. In NJ, just as elsewhere, waste is generated in all sorts of ways. Its composition and volume largely depend on consumption patterns and the industrial and economic structures in place throughout the state.

Waste disposal is best when it does not have to be done at all. The people of New Jersey are on the whole good recyclers but could give more thought to considering quantity, packaging, and how you take food home. Reduce and minimize the waste you produce is the best waste management.

Continue reading and think deeply about your wasteful habits, because we’ve put together suggestions to help unleash your waste disposal creativity and keep our communities great places to live.

First of all when you consider the energy market, it is preferable to incinerate waste from fossil resources, like oil for instance, to recover the energy produced, as we do in many of our state plants. Then there is a the second life of waste, which becomes a substitution fuel.

Electronic waste, colloquially known as e-waste, includes obsolete computers, monitors, cell phones, televisions, microwaves, digital cameras, portable electronic games, calculators, etc. E-waste is the fastest growing garbage stream in the world, and according to an Environmental Protection Agency estimate only 10 percent of the e-waste in the United States is recycled. This is a shame as electronics can be processed for reuse, repair, and under certain conditions recycling. Instead of which millions of tons of obsolete electronics lying where they have fallen after waste disposal in our NJ landfills.

E-waste is the fastest growing component of the municipal solid waste stream, and currently makes up five percent of all municipal solid waste. E-waste has become a really very a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their “useful life”. Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products which very soon become e-waste. Many of these products could really be reused, refurbished, or recycled.

Environmental issues are much more than recycling “stuff”, they’re about doing without stuff, unless you’re prepared to pay to keep it for many years. The people of NJ simply don’t have to buy it all. If you really care about global warming, then you really do have to replace oil and coal burning power plants, with renewable fuel driven alternatives.

Using recycled materials is still not very popular in our society. The main reasons lie in the perception the average consumer has of recycled products as well as the price of recycled materials which is still too often higher than the price of raw materials. Recycling is your opportunity to keep NJ a clean and healthy place to live. It’s easy, saves on waste disposal costs in your rates, saves energy and is good for the environment.

There are also many different types of recycling. Plastic and paper aren’t recycled as much as “downcycled,” meaning every time they are recycled they become a lower-quality product. After two or three cycles the fibre size reduces and they become unusable. Plastics are everywhere, but did you realize that they constitute as much as 13.8 pounds in an average computer.

Solid and fluid, hazardous and non-toxic wastes are generated in our households, offices, schools, hospitals, and industries. No society is immune from day-to-day issues associated with waste disposal. Solid waste is composed of such a broad array of materials discarded by households, businesses, industries, and agriculture, and the scale is massive. The United States generates more than 11 billion tons (10 billion metric tons) of solid waste each year.

Recycled products are often close to or equal in price to products made from virgin materials. Manufacturing new products from recovered materials saves resources, energy and water, while reducing air pollution and disposal costs. Recycle as much as you can, please citizens of NJ, donate computers and mobiles that work, to organizations that can use them, rather then trash them.

Buying refurbished products would also be easy on your pocket and environment. Recycling points are now found in all NJ towns and cities, as well as at public bureaus and offices. TV and print ads and campaigns have also had a positive effect, making it easier to meet our target requirements.

Finally, primary disposal of commercial waste in NJ is the responsibility of the business owner. The local authority may provide sites which business may use (for a fee) to dispose of their waste. Disposal fees vary with each facility and some facilities may pick up loads and supply drop-off boxes.