WasteRush Glossary 4 – S-Z
Words / Initials / Acronyms that you might want to know as we ALL learn to Value and Use our Waste to Clean our Climate.
*Have you ever wondered what is meant by SAF ?
…SAF – Sustainable Aviation Fuel – is a biofuel for aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint.
*What is Upcycling ?
…Upcycling – converting waste products to new products that are of higher economic value or quality than that of the original waste product.
If you do not find a word that you are looking for,
please let me know so I can add it !
The links for each term offer you more information about it.https://wasterush.info/all-the-wasterush-glossary-posts-together-now/
ALL the WasteRush Glossary posts are now together in one post.
The WasteRush Glossary #4 – S-Z :
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) – is a biofuel used to power aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint. Depending on the feedstock and technologies used to produce it, SAF can reduce GHG emissions dramatically compared to conventional jet fuel. Some emerging SAF pathways may even have a net-negative GHG footprint.
Sanitary Landfill – A sanitary landfill is an engineered facility designed for the “safe disposal” of solid waste. The waste is spread above layers of protective materials that protect the ground below from “leachate” seepage. The garbage is compacted to the smallest practical volume and at the top, covered by more protective material when the landfill is full, to protect the air above the landfill.
This allows landfill Gas (LFG) to develop within the landfill which is then captured thru a series of pipes, that are buried in the landfill as the piles of garbage grow, to allow the gas to be sucked out of the landfill and used as transportation fuel or to produce electricity, and other uses.
SCFM – Standard Cubic Feet Per Minute (SCFM) to measure the development and flow of Landfill Gas (LFG = a Biogas) – Pulling Landfill Gas out of a landfill is measured in Standard Cubic Feet per Minute. There is an industry “rule-of-thumb” that one million tons of deposited municipal solid waste (MSW) will produce about 300 SCFM of Landfill Gas (LFG).
OR said another way “Every million tons of MSW in a landfill is estimated to be able to produce approximately 300 [standard] cubic feet per minute of LFG” (which may produce approximately 0.78 megawatts of electric power)
Solid Waste – In natural systems, there is no such thing as Waste. Everything flows in a natural cycle of use and reuse. Living organisms consume materials and eventually return them to the environment, usually in a different form, for reuse. Solid waste (or trash) is a man-made concept. It refers to the wide variety of discarded materials, not liquid or gas, that are no longer useful to the owner. However, what has become worthless to one person may be of value to someone else, and solid wastes can be considered misplaced resources. Learning to think twice about the Solid Wastes you no longer want by considering what next to do with them is part of their life cycle. When you consider their potential value as someone else’s useful resource is very important if we humans wish to maintain a livable environment.
Solid Waste Combustion – “Solid Waste Combustion” is the process of burning solid waste materials to reduce their volume and mass. This process can generate energy in the form of heat, which can be used to produce electricity, by boiling water to make steam and run a power generator. By using this process, the Waste disappears and only a by-product of Combuster Ash is left over. HOWEVER, burning anything causes GHG emissions and may also include various other air pollutants including dioxin, heavy metals, acid gases (hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide), particulates and nitrogen oxides. Under the US Clean Air Act, Solid Waste Combusters (incinerators) are subject to stringent federal regulations to control the combustion process and filter away the emissions and air pollutants.
Depending upon where the incinerator is in the world there are problems:
>> Burning Waste in general is an environmental problem.
>>This article: Why China’s waste incinerators are running out of trash describes the historical issue the world is having with Waste Management in general. It discusses such problems such as:
*Raising the price of the electricity produced to consumers to make building the incinerator worthwhile.
*The danger of toxic pollutants and GHG emissions to flora and fauna and the concept of “zero-waste city”.
*Ignoring the important elements of a Circular Economy and the growing popularity of the value of Reuse and Recycled materials. Incinerators require a lot of Waste to be effient.
If you search google for “Waste Combustion” most of the information you will find talks about incineration (the more modern term for combustion used today). (therefore, see also incineration).
Solid Waste Combustor ash – Noncombustible residues remaining after the “combustion of solid waste” in the form of various types of ash.
Solid Waste Diversion – When most of us hear the word “waste,” we picture overflowing bins, landfills, or smoke from incinerators. But waste management today is no longer just about getting rid of rubbish. It’s about creating systems that reduce what we throw away and recover what we can for the value in 2nd Use Materials. Waste diversion means keeping waste out of landfills and incinerators by using it in recycling, composting, or reuse in industry. Waste diversion means less “take from planet Earth”. (see Overshoot.)
Syngas – Synthesis Gas – Syngas is like the unsung hero of future energy production. It can be made from renewable sources like biomass or even Waste, turning potential pollutants into a valuable resource, without causing GHG emissions. This has made it a crucial part of the global push for industries looking for cleaner fuels that are in limitless, replenish-able supply. But producing high-quality syngas isn’t simple; it demands precision at every step, and that’s where advancements in gas technologies are making a difference.
Synthesis Gas or Syngas is a mixture of primarily hydrogen and carbon monoxide that often also contains some amount of carbon dioxide and methane. It is highly combustible. Syngas produced from waste materials or biomass is considered a form of renewable energy.
Applications of synthesis gas
Synthesis gas is a versatile intermediate product with a wide range of applications:
Chemical synthesis: Synthesis gas serves as a building block for the production of various chemicals, including ammonia, methanol, synthetic fuels, plastics and more. It provides the necessary carbon and hydrogen atoms for the production of complex molecules.
Fuel production: Synthesis gas can be converted into synthetic fuels such as synthetic gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels using processes such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
Power generation: Synthesis gas can be burned in gas turbines and combustion engines or used in combined cycle power plants to generate electricity.
Hydrogen production: Synthesis gas is a preliminary product for hydrogen production. The hydrogen content can be increased by processes such as the water-gas shift reaction (consumption of CO with water vapor in favor of hydrogen) or separated from the remaining components in the synthesis gas by membrane separation or pressure swing adsorption.
Environmental applications: Synthesis gas can be used for the remediation of waste materials or contaminated soils through processes such as thermal desorption or chemical reduction in situ.
Take-make-use-throw away – is the old Linear Economy way of thinking
“Take-make-use-REUSE” – is the new Circular Economy way of thinking
TFS
– Waste Transfer Stations help move Waste from a community to a Landfill – If a community is not large enough to have its own Landfill, there may be a Transfer Station nearby, where municipal solid waste is collected and then transferred to a Landfill.
30 Apr, 2021 – This mini-documentary explores the lives of the Catadores = Waste Pickers at Jardim Gramacho , Brazil”- once the world’s largest garbage dump/ landfills. It sheds light on their daily struggles, the social injustice they face, and how artist Vik Muniz used art to tell their story to the world. Through his collaboration with the Catadores, this project sparked global attention, empowered the Catadores community, and helped transform their futures.
Trash Sorting – Waste Pickers
*Human – Millions of people worldwide make a living collecting, sorting, recycling and selling materials that someone else has thrown away. In some countries, waste pickers provide the only form of solid waste collection, providing widespread public benefits and achieving high recycling rates.
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This mini-documentary talks about a full length feature documentary….if you care to view the full film:
Waste Land (2010) – Hour and 40 min
“Waste Land” is a captivating and thought-provoking documentary directed by Lucy Walker. Released in 2010, the film takes viewers on a powerful journey through the lives of Catadores = garbage pickers in what was once the world’s largest landfill, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It intertwines themes of art, social justice, and the human spirit, creating an emotionally resonant and uplifting cinematic experience. “Waste Land” serves as a reminder that even in the midst of despair, beauty and hope can be found. We can turn our world Waste problem into hope and benefit.
The world is covered with Landfills, where Waste Pickers work……………..
At the 1st World Conference of Waste Pickers, held 1-4 March, 2008, grassroots waste pickers’ organizations from around the world (representing groups in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe) gathered in Bogotá, Colombia, to make a declaration to world governments, support organizations, waste pickers’ groups, and the public.
We Declare
1. We declare our commitment to work for the social and economic inclusion of the waste picker population, to promote and strengthen its organizations, to help them move up the value chain and to be included and given priority in formal waste management systems.
2. We declare our rejection of incineration and landfill-based technologies and agree to demand and create processes that promote “zero waste”, or the maximum utilization of waste (such reuse, recycling and composting). These alternatives represent viable socioeconomic alternatives for informal and marginalized sectors of the global population.
3. We declare our commitment to continue sharing knowledge, experience and technology, as these actions will promote and accelerate contact with the greatest possible number of waste pickers and their organizations across the world, making visible their living and working conditions and their contributions to sustainable development.
4. We declare our commitment to advocate for improved laws and public policies that effectively involve waste picker organizations. Waste pickers should become actors in decision-making processes, with the goal of improving working conditions for their category, developing knowledge and capacity-building activities, and seeking the recognition and professionalization of their work.
In this video, you’ll learn about our dedicated staff, cutting-edge technology, and the meticulous process we use to turn your recyclables into valuable commodities like plastic, cardboard, and aluminum. Unique Sorting Technology: Watch our AI-powered robots, optical sorters, and magnetic fields sort through materials like plastic & aluminum.
*Human AND Machine Trash Sorting – Putting machines to work for people. As you will notice in this video about trash storting in a modern up-to-date MRF, the management has found important uses for both it’s new machines and the human Waste sorters who may have worked at the facility for years. Each has it’s place and fills the most essential rolls that mixed MSW – Municipal Solid Waste streams require.
The Tri-County Recycling Facility in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA, is taking advantage of the usefulness of all it’s options – human or machine.
Humans can help prevent problems allowing the machines to work non-stop. Properly developed machines can increase sorting efficiency and allow more waste to be sorted in a shorter timeframe, thus accelerating the recycling process. The more recyclable material found the more economical the MRF operation will be.
Upcycling – the process of converting waste to new products that are of higher economic value or quality than that of the original waste product.
When you consider that still/today only 10% of Waste Plastic is recycled, there is a lot to do! Precious Plastic has been working on upcycling Waste Plastic for 10 years. They have a world wide community of 80,000 people working in Waste Plastic UpCycle businesses.
Precious Plastic is now working to fund Version 5 to continue and expand and “upcycle more Waste Plastic”.
They are working on expanding the participation and interest in their efforts by improving the machines they have designed which are “Open Source“.
Take a look at the shop on this South African website called: UPCYCLE
Urban Mining – Our cities have essentially become open-air reserves of valuable raw materials. The concentration of precious metals and minerals in electronic waste is up to 50 times higher than in mined ores, making urban mining industries increasingly vital to our resource future. Urban Mining is another way to talk about capturing and recycling Metals, Critical Minerals & Rare Elements and the trend to recover raw materials from (electrical and electronic waste ) in the city and community where there are so many people with such gadgets, who are unfortunately throwing them in the garbage rather than recycling them.
Waste – Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or no-longer usable materials by the person/organisation who used them. Other words for Waste are rubbish, refuse, debris, garbage, trash. Other things that can be considered waste: sludge, muck, and also waste emissions – gases.
Types of Waste:
Solid Wastes – These are the unwanted substances that are discarded by human society. These include urban wastes, industrial wastes, agricultural wastes, biomedical wastes and radioactive wastes.
Liquid Wastes – Wastes generated from washing, flushing or industrial manufacturing processes are liquid wastes.
Gaseous Wastes – These are the wastes that are released in the form of gases from automobiles, factories or burning of fossil fuels like petroleum and seep into our atmosphere. They get mixed in the other gaseous atmosphere and occasionally cause events such as smog and acid rain, besides “climate change”.
Waste Hierarchy – When something comes to the end-of-it’s-life, we now believe that it should be considered for Re-use or Repair or Recycling. In other words get the most value out of the product or what it is made of, before wasting it completely. The Waste Hierarchy suggests the priorities for reusing something. If we are to ensure that our future generations have the resources they need to live the kind of life we lived, we need to plan a way to practice resource recovery.
Waste Management – The evolution of waste management through centuries reflects humanity’s growing understanding of our relationship to the environment. What began as simple pit digging and dumping outside city walls has transformed into a sophisticated, multi-pronged global system striving for *environmental sustainability*.
Waste management continues to evolve. Industry leaders are moving away from traditional disposal toward circular economy principles that view waste as a valuable resource, following the cycles of life as planet Earth does. This shift necessitates changes in consumer behavior, new technologies, collaborative thinking, and innovative policies. Recent global waste management reports indicate that adopting circular economy practices could transform current costs into net gains of over $100 billion annually by 2050.
Waste Stream – The flow of waste from where someone decided it was no longer useful (homes, businesses, institutions and factories) to a pickup truck, to a recycling center, to be considered for some kind of Re-use, Repair or Recycling (Resource Recovery) before being thrown away in a landfill/garbage dump – is a Waste Stream.
WtE – Waste-to-Energy or energy-from-waste (EfW), are terms used to describe the process of using unrecycable waste materials as renewable feedstocks to produce energy usually via combustion/burning producing heat and electricity.
The term WtE is commonly used in specific reference to incineration which burns waste with air and high temperatures heating steam to run electric generators and in so doing recover energy. Modern incineration facilities must use strong pollution control equipment to filter the smoke from this process to prevent the release of harmful GHG emissions into the environment and also produce a byproduct of Ash. Burning anythng is not good for the environment. (see Solid Waste Combustion)
Waste to Fuel (W2F) or (WtF) – the process of converting Waste to renewable Fuels uses a number of technologies. The list continues to grow. WtF differs from WtE, in that most Fuel technologies are not based on burning the Waste, but causing the conversion to Fuel by other means that cause far less GHG emissions. However, like WtE, they can make the volume of Waste disappear, therefore significantly reducing the amount of material, if any, going to Landfills. Another byproduct can be fertilizer.
12 Jan, 2022 – Water vapor is all around us in the air that we breath.
Water Vapor (H2O) – a Greenhouse Gas – Water vapor is the gaseous phase of water. It is invisible, less dense than air and triggers convection currents that can create clouds. Being a component of Earth’s hydrosphere it is also a potent greenhouse gas. Use of water vapor, as steam, has been important to humans for a long time. It has increased with energy production and transportation, since the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Water Vapor is a Major Player in Climate Change. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite that measures humidity throughout the lowest 10 miles of the atmosphere, is gathering interesting information. The information shows that as surface temperature increases, so does atmospheric humidity. Dumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere makes the atmosphere more humid. Since water vapor is itself a greenhouse gas, the increase in humidity amplifies the warming from the other greenhouse gases.
When excess water vapour heats up, the combination is the basis of extreme weather events. The increasing temperatures in the Arctic are affecting the path of the jet stream (more exaggerated waves), increasing the severity of storms, and lengthening individual weather events. (rain, storms, drought).
So if you business emits “Steam” – water vapor…you may be effecting climate change with more heat. Can you cool that water vapor? Can you send it directly to another business or place that needs heat/energy?
WEEE or e-waste – Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in the EU is called WEEE- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment which includes. but not limited to, computers, mobile phones, appliances, etc. It is extremely important that these items are managed and recycled correctly due to the critical, precious and hazardous materials they contain and their potential to help supply their very high demand around the world or to prevent harm to the environment. For more information on WEEE laws and regulations
Zero Waste – accumulation of waste happens when people do not have the slightest idea about how to manage their waste. Where humans gather, so does garbage.
The zero waste movement was born from people who do not want to be part of this problem. In the strictest sense zero-waste is a mindset of producing no “trash”, either as a person or a business. The goal is to change the cycle of buying things that end up in a landfill, to buying or using things that produce no landfill, that can be reused.
Zero Waste means think first before you buy: “What will happen to this purchase after I have finished using it. Will it end up in a landfill, or can it be reused?”
With just one small step at a time, you can greatly reduce your footprint. But, going zero waste isn’t just great for the environment, you’ll notice an improvement in your quality of life. Postive side effects include eating better, feeling better, saving and making money, and not having to take out the trash as often!
Our planet Earth has always followed zero waste principles. For thousands of years, up until the industrial era, waste was not a developed concept because many or most of civilization’s discarded material were re-used, retaining their value/life in a circular way, just like nature. But what nature has done through evolution, today humankind needs to do by changes in behavior.
Zero waste is an approach to change our behaviour to achieve responsible production and consumption. This can foster sound waste management that minimizes and can use waste. To achieve zero waste, all stakeholders – including national and local governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, communities, men, women and youth – must act.
Promoting zero-waste helps advance the goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Sustainable Development Goal 11 and Sustainable Development Goal 12 ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
All it takes is committing to the view that, actually, there is no such thing as waste. Rather, waste should be regarded as a source of materials and energy.
Some trash is inevitable because this is a messy world but we can all do more to make it a little less messy. We can also influence companies to use less packaging by more often mindfully selecting products that are minimally wasteful. Your buy is your Vote for Zero Waste.
We think differently about waste. For us, waste is a raw material – but one that has lost its way and requires a different approach. Milgro does not think from waste, but from the preservation of raw materials. Therein lies the difference.
David Attenborough: Life On Our Planet
Zero Waste Management – Zero waste management offers a smarter solution; focusing on using waste; including, buy limited to, reuse, reduce, repurpose, recycle and recover resources to protect our climate, our health, conserve natural resources. The zero waste concept reimagines waste not as trash, but as a valuable resource. A zero waste system refers to an integrated approach that manages discarded materials resources. It involves product redesign, behavioral change, and systems-level transformation in how our discarded materials are handled.
An updated definition of Zero Waste was adopted by the ZWIA board December 2018.
“Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.” https://zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/
“Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.
14 Aug, 2023 – There is no waste in nature. Everything is reused ♻️ 🍃 Hear from innovators with climate solutions how human ingenuity has used waste and promoted responsible consumption and production, reducing our ecological footprint, and safeguarding the planet for future generations.
Zero Waste = Clean Planet
Aiming for Zero Waste is one of the fastest, easiest, most cost-effective short-term Climate solutions.
If you search on Google for only “Zero Waste” you will get 306,000,000+ results. But there are lots of other word groups that include “Zero Waste” that will give you so many more results. A more and more popular topic, every day.
WasteRush Glossary 4
COP 31’s theme is “Together for a Cleaner Future.” … with Australia leading negotiations
Türkiye prioritises cleaning up garbage emissions in COP31 ‘action agenda’ ‘Zero Waste’ is the personal project of Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan and aims to cut emissions from landfills and waste disposal.
Mankind, the stewards of planet Earth, can do this too. Watch the ants cutting up the leaves in the middle of the screen…………………..
All Four pages of the WasteRush Glossary:
A-D WasteRush Glossary 1
E-L WasteRush Glossary 2
M-R WasteRush Glossary 3
WasteRush Glossary 4 – S-Z
Waste; Our Assurance of future Resources
– posts on the subject:
Hard-To-Recycle Waste – What Do You Have? What Are You Looking For?
WasteRush is Now! Tools to Sell & Buy Waste Commodities!
Wasterush Tools! Right To The Point! like commodities
Waste Online Tools! There Are More Of Them!
Harvesting Waste Ideas. Waste Rushes? NOW!
Industrial Zone – Closed-Loop Networking
Cigarette Butts: Pick Them Up Off The Street!
e-waste recycling
Urban Mining ! – More Important Than Ever
Critical Minerals & Rare Elements! ….. COLOSSAL WASTE RUSH
Municiple Solid Waste (MSW)
“Renewable Energy Stations”- replace Landfills in the Future
Useful Green WASTE Business Ideas That Can Scale To Any Size You Can Use.
Anaerobic Digestion In Full Swing – #1 Waste To Energy?
CNG, LNG, RNG Fuelling Stations – #2 Waste To Energy
#3 Municipal Solid Waste – MSW To BioFuel? Yes!
How To Get More Electricity For Your Community – Worldwide
Landfill Gas Projects Worldwide – – – Clean Up The Air, Now!
water-sanitation-toilets
#1 Leaky Toilets Are Everyones Business!
– series of 7 posts on water, sanitation, toilets
Plastic
Climate Proof Your Oil-Plastic Products! Win the Challenge!
Waste Plastic Upcycle Businesses – Opportunities, Opportunities!
– series of 5+ posts on waste plastic businesses
Jobs! With The Ocean Cleanup INTERCEPTOR™ Business!, +1000+ ECO Jobs!
COVID 19 Waste – Pick It Up Off The Street!
IMPORTANT! What Is The Future of Precious Plastic: UPDATE!
Mushroom / Mycelium
Mycelium In Industry – Ancient And New
– series of 15 posts on Mycelium in Industry
Printing Industry
Eco-Printing & Packaging EQUIPMENT They were the first to turn Circular!
Thoses posts about wastes that need present action!!!
Too Much Methane !
Why We Need To Capture Landfill Gas – – -Right Now!
Wipes – Human Behavior & False Advertising
Job Vacancies In Green Companies < More Now !