RECYCLING WASTE TO RESOURCES

Transcription

1 RECYCLING WASTE TO RESOURCES Abstract Recycling is a process to change waste materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution from land-filling by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" waste hierarchy. "Seven Billion Dreams, One Planet, and Consume with Care" - The theme of 2015 Word Environment Day by United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) calls for the importance of Recycling and its awareness among all is not as a matter of choice, but of conviction. The following article will provide various aspects and information about Concept and purpose of Recycling waste, various types of wastes, Benefits of recycling, Possible products of recyclable waste, various activities involved in recycling. The article describes various National and International standards related to recycling, Regulations/legislations related to recycling and its effective implementation as well. The article has given special emphasis on the Recycling possibilities in UNICOIL including ongoing in-house best practices and more over, UNICOIL encourages the use of recycled products as a Social Responsibility besides economic benefit.

2 Concept and purpose of Recycling waste Waste has been a major environmental issue everywhere since the industrial revolution and the waste we create at home, Industries, other public places, hospitals, farms and other sources can be effectively recycled to useful products. Recycling is processing used materials (waste) into new, useful products. This is done to reduce the use of raw materials that would have been used. Recycling also uses less energy and great way of controlling air, water and land pollution. Recycling conserves raw materials making new products out of recycled materials reduces the need to consume precious resources. So it helps protect raw materials and protect natural habitats for the future. Recycling saves energy because the manufacturer doesn't have to produce something new from raw natural resources. By using recycled materials we save on energy consumption, which keeps production costs down. Recycling reduces the need for more landfills. No one wants to live next to a landfill. Types of Wastes and their classification (solids/liquids/gases). Broadly, we can classify the Wastes into two according to the effects on Human Health and Environment - Hazardous Waste and Non-Hazardous Waste. Hazardous Waste is unsafe to use commercially, industrially, agriculturally or economically whereas Non-Hazardous Waste is Safe to use commercially, industrially, agriculturally or economically Hazardous wastes are not classified by their physical state (solid, liquid or gas) but by their properties and potential to cause harm. Hazardous wastes are defined as wastes that have one or more of the following properties. They may be: corrosive (substances that cause damage on contact, e.g. acids) ignitable (materials that can catch fire easily like benzene) toxic (materials that can be poisonous to humans when inhaled or ingested, or come in contact with skin or mucous membranes) reactive (substances that can yield a harmful chemical if they react with other substances) Infectious (substances that are capable of causing or communicating infection). Non-hazardous wastes include all other types of waste. Waste Management Hierarchy Solid, liquid, or gaseous by-products resulting from human biological processes, manufacturing, materials processing, consumption of goods, or any other human activity. Solid Waste (¹) - Solid wastes include solid portions of the discarded material such as glass bottles, crockeries, plastic containers, metals and radioactive wastes. The solid wastes may be biodegradable or non-biodegradable. The biodegradable solid wastes are agricultural wastes, food wastes, paper, food processing by products, manure, yard wastes etc. The non-biodegradable wastes include plastics, metals, synthetic materials, polythene, radioactive wastes etc. Liquid Wastes - Liquid wastes are the liquid part of the waste material. Liquid waste includes effluents of industries, fertilizer and pesticide solutions from agricultural fields, leachate from landfills, urban runoff of untreated waste water and garbage, mining wastes etc. The liquid waste may contain nontoxic inorganic substances or toxic organic substances.

3 Gaseous Wastes - The gaseous wastes are generated in to environment mainly due to anthropogenic activities. The gaseous wastes include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of sulphur (SOx) etc. These gaseous wastes can cause serious environmental hazards. Therefore, it is highly essential to take appropriate steps for the proper management and control of gaseous wastes in the environment. Benefits of recycling We can summarize some of the important benefits of recycling as below. Reduce the Size of Landfills: One of the biggest reasons why recycling has been promoted is that it does reduce the strain on our environment. By utilizing waste products in a constructive way, we can slowly decrease the size of our landfills. The benefits of recycling are that it helps to keep the pollution in check and decrease it little by little. Conserve Natural Resources: Scrap cars, old bottles, junk mail and used rubber tires are becoming common features of our landfills. All of these may seem endless, but the resources required to make them are finishing off quickly. Recycling allows all of these junk items to be used over and over again so that new resources do not have to be exploited. More Employment Opportunities: While you may feel that recycling is each person for himself, in reality it is a huge industry within itself. After you do the basic sorting out and deposit your trash for recycling, it has to be sorted and shipped off to the right places. This is done by thousands of workers, who are newly employed by the growing industry. Offers Cash Benefits & Saves Money: Recycling is not all about being charitable and doing what is good for the environment. If it were so, everybody would recycle out of the goodness of their hearts. Most governments have policies in place which give financial benefits to those who recycle. People that take the aluminum cans or glass bottles to the recycling plant, get a cash benefit in return. Hence, an unexpected place where the benefits of recycling can be seen is our economy. Recyclable waste In the strictest sense, recycling of a material would produce a fresh supply of the same material for example, used office paper would be converted into new office paper, or used foamed polystyrene into new polystyrene. Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics. The composting or other reuse of biodegradable waste such as food or garden waste is also considered recycling. Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing. More about the Common Recyclable Materials (²) Paper - High-Grade Paper is usually generated in office environments and can earn recycling revenues when present in sufficient quantity. Types of high-grade paper include: Computer paper, White ledger, Tab cards, Corrugated cardboard, Newspaper, Miscellaneous waste paper, Mixed waste paper. Glass - This includes all container glass that is separated into clear, green, and brown. When this glass is broken or crushed for recycling, it is called flint, green, and amber cullet, respectively. Plastic - There are 7 types of plastics that are identified by a Society of Plastics Industry (SPI) code number ranging from 1 to 7. These numbers are usually found on the bottom of plastic containers inside a three-arrow recycling symbol. They are PET (SPI = 1), HDPE (SPI = 2), PVC (SPI = 3), LDPE (SPI = 4), Polypropylene (SPI = 5), Polystyrene (SPI = 6) and for others - Other (SPI = 7)

4 Metals - includes Aluminum, Tin-Coated Steel Containers, Bimetal Containers, Non-Ferrous Metals, Ferrous Metals, Compostable - Usually, compostable materials include food scraps and yard trimmings. Paper that cannot be recycled also can be composted. Food Scraps Includes grease-free organic scraps from restaurants, cafeterias, motels, and other places producing food waste Yard Trimmings Includes landscaping debris, grass clippings, branches, and leaves. There are large-scale facilities which compost yard trimmings, producing a product that can be used for mulch, potting soil, landfill cover, and soil amendment. Possible products of recyclable waste - There are various products of recyclable waste nowadays with advancement in Technology. Few of them are Wood Replacement, Flooring, Decking, Tiles, and Pallets etc. Activities involved in recycling - Recycling consists of a series of key activities ranging from the collection of waste to reporting. Safety and the protection of the environment and resources are the main priorities in the recycling process. Collection & Transportation - Containers with a size determined according to the volume of your waste output are delivered to your company for the collection of various recyclable waste. When a container is totally filled, it is replaced with an empty one. Evaluation and Separation A part of waste which are separated according to their types are stored for being reused while those which cannot be recycled are separated for disposal. Remaining waste is stored for processing.. Storage Until completion of recycling/destruction process, waste is stored in special containers Destruction Products which are slated for recycling after initial sorting and need to be destroyed are processed by specialized personnel or crushed so that they cannot be reused. Recycling All waste included in the recycling process are delivered to the manufacturing process in the form of raw materials by using special recycling processes depending on their types Reuse Waste collected are carefully checked and those which can be reused will be processed and recycled subject to permission given by their owners and in accordance with the applicable laws.

5 Disposal A limited quantity of waste materials which cannot be recycled are disposed of in licensed facilities by using special methods and in accordance with applicable laws so that they do not pose a risk to human health and the environment. Reporting Waste and activities at each phase of recycling are recorded and all reports and minutes which are required to be kept in accordance with applicable laws and regulations are drawn up and delivered to our business partners. Recycling codes are used to identify the material from which an item is made, to facilitate easier recycling or other reprocessing. Such symbols have been defined for batteries, bio-matter/organic material, glass, metals, paper, and plastics.[citation needed] Various countries have adopted different codes. Below shown are examples of Recycling Codes. International standards related to recycling - Standards have been produced in accordance with the guidance produced by CEN on Environmental Aspects and in accordance with CEN/TR Plastics - Recycled Plastics. Guidelines for the development of standards relating to recycled plastic. CEN/TR considers the general environmental aspects that are specific to the recycling process. The following standards covering plastics recycling are available: BS EN 15342:2007, BS EN 15343:2007, BS EN 15344:2007, BS EN 15346:2007, BS EN 15345:2007 BSEN15347:2007, BS EN 15348:2007 The ISO standards related to recycling are ISO 15270:2008 for plastics waste and ISO 14001:2004 for environmental management control of recycling practice. Regulations/legislations related to recycling - National Vs. International Three legislative options have been used to create such a supply of recyclable material: They are Mandatory recycling collection, Container deposit Legislation, and Refuse bans. Mandatory collection laws set recycling targets for cities to aim for. Container deposit legislation involves offering a refund for the return of certain containers, typically glass, plastic, and metal. Refuse bans method of increase supply of recyclates is to ban the disposal of certain materials as waste, often including used oil, old batteries, tires and garden waste. One aim of this method is to create a viable economy for proper disposal of banned products. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the U.S. federal government which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment. Legislation has also been used to increase and maintain a demand for recycled materials. Four methods of such legislation exist: Minimum recycled content mandates, Utilization rates, and Procurement policies, recycled product

6 labelling. Both minimum recycled content mandates and utilization rates increase demand directly by forcing manufacturers to include recycling in their operations. Content mandates specify that a certain percentage of a new product must consist of recycled material. Utilization rates are a more flexible option: industries are permitted to meet the recycling targets at any point of their operation or even contract recycling out in exchange for tradable credits. Recycling possibilities in UNICOIL. Various types of Wastes generates in UNICOIL are Waste paint and thinner, Rags with Waste Paint, Timber bits & dust, Empty Oil and Paint Drums, Plastic Chemical IBC, Plastic and Paper Waste, MEK & Ink marker bottle, Filter Cake -Dry & loose Sludge, Oil Emulsion, Plastic chemical drums, used Cotton & Latex gloves, rags, Oxide Lumps, Oxide Sludge, Chemicals, Oil Scum, Roll grinding dust, waste Steel grits & dust, Roll grinding sludge, Metal, Electronics, Copper cables, lighting accessories, Empty Chemical bottles, Waste Oil, Grease, Rubber and polyurethane, Used cat-ions and anions resin from DM water plant. The above are classified as Non-Hazardous and hazardous according to the guidelines laid down by Royal Commission Environmental Regulations in view of its effects on Human Health and Environment. Accordingly, the disposal procedures vary for both types. We can broadly classify the Recycling possibilities in UNICOIL as three. 1. Recycling process ongoing in UNICOIL - Existing best practices. 2. Proposal for further recycling possibilities with waste generated within UNICOIL. 3. Encouraging the purchase of Recycled Products. 1. Recycling process ongoing in UNICOIL - Existing best practices. a) Recycling of Paint Expired paint of similar White & Beige shades are mixed in huge Tote Tanks and used as Primer Bottom Coat which saves thousands of Riyals every year. b) Recycling of Used Wood Wooden fingers for multi-slit Packing from Zinc ingot Spacers and Paint Pallets. Wooden Spacers used for Jumbo Zinc Ingots are segregated and re-sized at Operations Carpentry Shop for the use as fingers in Multi-slit Packing. Earlier, UNICOIL was buying fingers.

7 c) Metal scrap - Metal scrap from various production units are collected and disposed in special Bins for metal scrap. 2. Proposal for further recycling possibilities with waste generated within UNICOIL. a) Expanded Metal From GI scrap from CTL and other lines can be used for the production of Expanded Metal. b) Iron Oxide from ARP Exploring buyers for turning waste into by-product. Iron oxides are widely used as inexpensive, durable pigments in paints, coatings and colored concretes. c) Solvent Recovery Plant To recover Thinner from Waste Thinner generated from Operations. d) Recycling of Paint Drums The empty Paint drums from Color Coating Line shall be returned to the Paint Supplier for cleaning & re-filling. 3. Encouraging the purchase of Recycled Products UNICOIL encourages the use of recyclable products as well as recycled products. a) The Story of Tapsha & Marbooh The Pallet assembly for the packaging of Roll Formed Sheet consists of two components -Tapsha & Marbooh (in Arabic). This was developed as part of cost-reduction effort by using used wood. The wood supplied by the vendor is previously

8 used which benefits economically and environmentally. b) Hot Proposal for purchasing Used EURO Pallets. Very soon, the procurement of used EURO pallet to be done instead of new Pallet, at less than half the price of new. Recommendations for effective communication and implementation of recycling concept(³). Communications are an integral part of any local authority recycling service as, to participate fully, people need to know clearly what their services are, what their service rules are and what happens to their recycling after it is collected. Identifying the background and resources and difficulties for recycling. Establish where you want to be - This enables you to understand the context for your communications and identify the strategic goal you are working towards Aim and Objectives - Define aim and objectives. Identify your audience - There are four main groups to consider: Householders, Internal groups like your staff, External groups - such as the media, Specific subgroups like community groups. Campaign Activities - Communication methods should cover a wide range of community activities. Recommendations for effective implementation of Regulations/legislations - There are various Acts and guidelines for the implementation of the Regulations and Legislations nationally and internationally. In Saudi Arabia, below Regulation by Royal Commission is very strict and effective in which includes Penalty for the defaulters as well. Industrial & Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal Regulation Waste Manifest Regulation Waste Transportation Regulations. Public awareness should be created regarding hazards of air pollutant accumulation in environment. Adequate legislation should compel Recycling - Disciplinary actions should be specified for the

9 defaulters. Campaigns in School, Organizations and Community Groups plays a very important indeed. Conclusion The journey of Waste To Resources is the theme of tomorrow and Save Today to Survive tomorrow is the road map. At UNICOIL, we are committed to working with businesses, community groups, and our neighbors to improve the place we live and do business by implementing environmental recycling programs that benefit our community both socially and economically. UNICOIL comply with the Stack Emission test done annually, Waste Disposal and Treated Water disposal as per the guidelines of Royal Commission. The implementation of QSHE System in 2015 will definitely support to focus on these aspects in particular. UNICOIL has been awarded with the Best Environmental Performance Award from Royal Commission for Jubail among the best companies adapted environmental activities for 2014 as part of the Royal Commission celebration of word Environment Day. References: (1) (2) (3)