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SMR Recycling - Google Docs

Uploaded by

aliceecarlile
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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‭Alice Carlile‬

‭Intro to Environmental Studies‬

‭24 October, 2024‬

‭SMR Recycling: One-One-One‬

‭ iboiron & Lepawsky, Introduction to Discard Studies: Wasting, Systems, and Power‬
L
‭Quote:‬‭"If discards are necessary for systems to hold together, then differently organized‬
‭systems are needed that fundamentally‬‭alter‬‭discards rather than eliminate them. The elimination‬
‭of discards, we argue, would be wishful thinking indebted to the myth of purity."‬
‭Question:‬‭Considering the rate of production we have reached in 2024, wouldn't it be necessary‬
‭to eliminate‬‭some‬‭discards? Or at least come up with a viable solution to lessen the‬
‭environmental cost of waste, which would probably result in the elimination of some discards?‬
‭Reaction:‬‭I think it's interesting that realistically, we cannot eliminate waste and we never will. I‬
‭think people tend to radicalize the most ideal solution for environmental issues, especially when‬
‭it involves waste. This is probably partly because of all the negativity and sense of urgency‬
‭surrounding the state of our climate and our environment.‬

‭ he Plastic Industry's Fight to Keep Polluting the World -- The Intercept‬


T
‭Quote:‬‭And, as we know from the plastic-filled whales that regularly wash up dead, the oceans‬
‭are awash in plastic waste and now contain some 150 million tons of the stuff — a mass‬
‭expected soon to surpass the weight of all the fish in the seas.‬
‭Question:‬‭In regards to the ocean and its contamination of plastic, what would be the most‬
‭effective solution to help clear the water of plastic? Extraction, refining, or waste management?‬
‭Would extraction even be a viable solution considering the size of the ocean and the amount of‬
‭time we are estimated to have before saving the ocean is a lost cause?‬
‭Reaction:‬

‭ ehind the Scenes at NYC's Recycling Facility—Untapped New York‬


B
‭Quote: "‬‭The final step of the sorting process is done by humans. There are around a dozen hand‬
‭sorters who do a final check of the stream to remove items that don’t belong. Once that final step‬
‭is done, the sorted materials are dumped into a bunker and then into a baler which compresses‬
‭the materials into large cubes."‬
‭Question:‬‭How long does this hand-sorting process take? Is there a way to speed up this process‬
‭with machinery, and if so, would that be beneficial for the overall impact recycling has on the‬
‭environment?‬
‭ eaction:‬‭I thought it was interesting how 20% of the facility is powered by solar power. I‬
R
‭wonder how the effects of saving energy through this method compare to the effects on the‬
‭environment from a recycling facility that is not solar-powered.‬

"‭ The Story of Stuff"‬


‭Quote:‬‭"99% of the stuff we harvest, mine, process, transport- 99% of the stuff we run through‬
‭this system is trashed within 6 months."‬
‭Question:‬‭Would it be more expensive to come up with a solution to this issue, or to continue‬
‭producing at the rate we are now? If the solution was viable, how much would it be estimated to‬
‭cost, and who would be paying for it?‬
‭Reaction:‬‭I think it's a double standard that we are willing to produce and trash items at such a‬
‭high speed, but we can't come up with a way to provide income for those affiliated with the‬
‭production of said items.‬

"‭ How NYC Recycles" -- Cheddar News‬


‭Quote:‬‭"In the last full year, we recycled over 680,000 tons of material, and that's 50% of the‬
‭recyclables that we know people throw away. We know there's well over 1 million tons of‬
‭recyclables that we could be capturing in New York City."‬
‭Question:‬‭Do we have a measurement of exactly how much of New York City's recycled plastic‬
‭is actually "reused"? Would this be a helpful measurement to have in place for each state, and if‬
‭so, how would one go about taking into account how much plastic is reused annually?‬
‭Reaction:‬‭I find it surprising that more people don't recycle regularly. It makes me wonder if‬
‭people are just not recycling the right kind of waste, as if they don't know how to properly‬
‭recycle, or if people are just avoiding recycling as an option altogether.‬

9‭ 9% Invisible — National Sword‬


‭Quote:‬‭"A lot of the stuff we were throwing into the recycling bin was never recyclable in the‬
‭first place, it was just trash."‬
‭Question:‬‭This partly answers my question above. I understand now that people don't know how‬
‭to properly recycle. How do we go about encouraging proper education surrounding recycling?‬
‭How effective would more and better education about the right way to recycle be for the future‬
‭of our environmental impact?‬
‭Reaction:‬‭I found it interesting that people don't know how to recycle, or are just ignoring their‬
‭ability to. When I think about it, I don't ever remember being taught as a child how to recycle,‬
‭except for the fact that plastic and paper products go in the blue bin next to the trash. I wonder‬
‭what would happen if schools put more emphasis on the importance of recycling, and more so,‬
‭the cost of not doing it correctly.‬
‭ I Question: How long does this hand-sorting process take? Is there a way to speed up this‬
A
‭process with machinery, and if so, would that be beneficial for the overall impact recycling has‬
‭on the environment?‬

‭ I Answer: The hand-sorting process at a recycling facility can vary significantly in duration,‬
A
‭depending on the volume of materials and the complexity of sorting required. Generally, it can‬
‭take anywhere from a few hours to several days to sort a batch of recyclables. Hand-sorting is‬
‭labor-intensive and often requires workers to manually separate different types of materials,‬
‭which can slow down the overall process.‬
‭To speed up the sorting process, many facilities are increasingly integrating machinery.‬
‭Technologies like conveyor belts, optical sorters, and air classifiers can significantly enhance‬
‭efficiency by automatically separating materials based on size, weight, or composition. For‬
‭example, optical sorters use cameras and sensors to identify and separate materials, which can‬
‭drastically reduce the amount of time workers spend on manual sorting.‬
‭Implementing machinery can be beneficial for the overall impact of recycling on the‬
‭environment. By speeding up the sorting process, facilities can handle larger volumes of‬
‭recyclables, reduce contamination rates, and improve the quality of sorted materials. This can‬
‭lead to higher recycling rates and more efficient use of resources, ultimately contributing to a‬
‭more sustainable waste management system. However, it's important to balance automation with‬
‭job considerations for workers in the industry.‬

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