Industrial waste is made from various commercial activities that take place in plants, factories, mines and mills. Commercial waste consists of chemical, toxic, hazardous and solid industrial wastes which are playing a significant role in polluting New York, and the world in general. While there are fewer regulations on proper water disposal and waste disposal systems, it is highly important for companies to have a running waste management system.
Safe Disposal
There are typically two methods to dispose industrial waste, but they have become controversial overtime. Disposing in landfills is the most common approach.
Landfills are rooms or areas where hazardous and industrial waste is disposed. More often than not, you dispose waste in landfills that contain hazardous and toxic materials. These materials, when exposed, pollute the air, water and the environment by seeping into the soil and emitting greenhouse gases. This can lead to health complications developing in inhabitants of areas near the landfills. However, many industries and companies are moving towards the initiative to have their waste recycled. This helps in the collection of materials that can be of use again and safely disposing of materials that inflict no harm to the environment.
Incineration is another method of waste disposal, and frankly the most controversial. Incineration is basically burning hazardous waste in order to reduce the burden on landfills. However, it does lead to CO2 and other harmful gas emissions, which pollute our environment as well.
Methods of Recycling
There are four primary methods to recycle industrial waste, which include:
Composting – Composting is commonly used to recycle organic waste. Materials that are not good for composting are removed and the refuse is deposited through mechanical methods. This is where the organic waste is degraded into potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus contents for further use.
Physical Reprocessing – Involves the collection of commercial waste materials like grease trap waste, oil filters, containers and transformers through collection, recovery, recycling and disposal.
Energy Recovery – Commercial waste contains energy contents that are treated thermally where the waste is used to generate electricity and steam. Commercial waste is then used in combustion fuel or to make other types of fuels.
Biological Reprocessing – Organic waste like mineral, plant and soil waste is recycled through composting and digestion. The process emits gases like methane that are used to generate electricity.
Though the recycling process can be expensive and time consuming, the benefits recycling offers to the environment and community are vast. It also helps you in reducing your liability towards Mother Nature and the people in your neighborhood.
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