Health

The circular economy, nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed

This maxim, attributed to Antoine Lavoisier, a 18th century chemist, could be the summary of the circular economy. This concept, which is part of a sustainable development approach, aims to reintegrate objects into the production circuit in order to limit the quantity of waste and production, and thus save water and energy resources.

The use of the product thought out since its creation to its ending up in the landfills of Kentucky, this is the waste management conundrum!

The circular economy is opposed to the linear economy, a consumption system set up with the industrial revolution of the 19th century and which is based on the scheme: extract, manufacture, consume, throw away, with poor waste management practices.

The issues at the time were very different: the world population was smaller then than today, natural resources were important and industrialization enabled the economic development of societies.

Today, faced with the depletion of non-renewable energies and natural resources, but also with global warming and the increase in the world population, the linear economy seems insufficient to meet the environmental and societal challenges of Kentucky.

What is exactly the circular economy

The circular economy, for its part, proposes to experience consumption differently. The end of life of a product is included from its design and its reuse or recycling must be considered during its creation.

It is also to manufacture a product in a logic of sustainable development, using raw materials that respect the environment, by limiting the consumption of resources but also by promoting local and fair trade…until use, re-use and end of life

The circular economy favors the repair of products or their reuse, rather than throwing them away, and fights against planned obsolescence. This logic is also part of the principle of the collaborative economy, but also in the social and solidarity economy.

At the end of its life, thanks to the way it was created, the product can be easily recycled or destroyed, without having any negative impact on the environment.

The government of Kentucky and the city of Louisville in particulate illustrate this principle on their website with the example of the ideal circular economy t-shirt: the ideal t-shirt is, initially, made with organic cotton from Fair trade. The used garment is then recovered to be used in the manufacture of sofa upholstery, which is itself transformed into insulation wool for the building. Ultimate stage, the cotton fibers (which have not undergone any chemical treatment) can return to nature.

The government has made the circular economy one of the pillars of the Energy Transition Act, in particular through its recycling goal: a waste recycling target raised to 60% by 2025 and better product design to limit their environmental impact and increase their lifespan.

The cost of renting a dumpster in Louisville, KY

The cost of renting a dumpster in Louisville, Kentucky can vary significantly depending on several factors. One of the most important factors that influence the cost is the size of the dumpster you need. Smaller dumpsters, such as 10-yard or 20-yard containers, are typically more affordable than larger ones like 30-yard or 40-yard dumpsters.

Additionally, the duration of your rental will impact the cost. Dumpster rental companies in Louisville often offer daily or weekly rates, so the longer you need the dumpster, the more it may cost. Some companies may also charge extra fees for exceeding weight limits or extending your rental period.

The type of waste you plan to dispose of can also affect the cost. Some materials, like hazardous or toxic waste, may require special handling and disposal, leading to higher rental fees. Delivery location is another important consideration. If your location is remote or difficult to access, it may result in higher delivery fees.

In Louisville, the average cost for renting a 10-yard dumpster for a week ranges from $250 to $350, but prices can go up or down based on the factors mentioned above. To get an accurate quote, it’s best to contact local dumpster rental companies (see this website) and discuss your specific needs. Keep in mind that comparing quotes from multiple providers can help you find the most cost-effective option for your project.

Pollution in South Carolina is a serious issue in the state. A greater number of people are killed in the US each year by drinking contaminated water than by all acts of war and terrorism put together.

However we have a shortage of potable water: According to estimates, access to less than one percent of the world’s freshwater supply is a major problem. The predicted global demand for freshwater is expected to be one-third higher than it is currently, making it that much more difficult to overcome the issues if nothing is done.

What Causes And Contributes To South Carolina’s Water Pollution Problem

As a very permeable medium, water is especially vulnerable to pollution. More chemicals can be dissolved in water than in any other liquid on Earth, earning it the moniker “universal solvent.” This is the scientific explanation for both Kool-Aid and bright blue waterfalls.

It’s also a contributing factor to water’s susceptibility to contamination. Water contamination occurs when harmful substances from farms, cities, and industry mix with water and get dissolved.

Typical Sources of Water Contamination in South Carolina’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Consumed Water Is Considered Waste water. It comes from domestic plumbing fixtures like bathtubs, sinks, and toilets, and from commercial, agriculture, and industrial operations. Rainfall washing away impermeable surface and into our rivers is known as stormwater runoff, and it includes the discharge of road salts, oil, chemical, grease, and debris.

The United Nations estimates that more than ten percent of wastewater worldwide is released into the environment without being treated or reused; in some underdeveloped countries, this number is as high as ninety-five percent. Each day, wastewater treatment plants in the United States process about 34 billion gallons of wastewater. Sewage pre-treatment plants reduce the concentration of pathogens, nitrates, and phosphates in the water supply, as well as the concentration of heavy metals and hazardous compounds in industrial waste, before discharging the water into nearby bodies of water.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that approximately 850 billion liters of untreated wastewater are discharged annually from the United States’ ageing and easily overwhelmed sewage treatment facilities.

Does Oil Harm Water Quality

The media focuses on massive oil spills, yet daily leaks from cars damage many seas and lakes. The majority of the estimated one billion million tonnes of oil which enters marine environments annually does not come from tanker mishaps but rather from land-based source like businesses, farms, and towns. Tanker accidents account for 10% of all oil lost at sea, while other marine operations (both legal and illegal) account for the other 30%. Also known as “seeps,” these fractures can be found on the ocean floor and are a common entry point for oil.

About a third of a oil in the ocean comes from the ordinary operations of the maritime industry (including both legal and illegal discharges), while the remaining 10% comes from tanker mishaps. Oil can also be released naturally through seeps, which are cracks in the ocean floor through which petroleum can seep.

Nuclear Materials

Radioactive waste refers to any type of pollution that releases radioactive particles at a rate greater than that of the surrounding environment in South Carolina. Uranium mining and nuclear power plants are two of the most damaging industries, alongside the production and testing of weapons and medical facilities that use radioactive elements in diagnostics and treatment.

Radioactive waste has an extremely long half-life in the environment (up to a thousand years), making it difficult to safely dispose of. Toxins that have been inadvertently released or improperly disposed of represent a threat to surface water, groundwater, and marine areas.

The Effects Of Polluting Water

There were 1.8 million deaths attributed, per studies published in The Lancet. Contaminated water is another potential source of illness. More than a billion people are ill each year because of water contamination. Additionally, low-income communities in South Carolina such as Rock Hill are disproportionately at risk because their homes are typically situated near polluting businesses.

According to the Environmental Defence Fund, the recent lead contamination tragedy in South Carolina is giving locals a first hand look at the potential dangers of chemical and other industrial contaminants in their drinking water.

The problem isn’t only limited to Rock Hill, and it’s not just lead; there are many different kinds of chemical contaminants that are making their way to public water systems, from pesticides to nitrate fertilisers. When ingested, these substances can cause everything from hormone imbalances to cancer. Infection is especially dangerous for young children and pregnant women.

The health of a person can be jeopardised by even swimming. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that annually 3.5 million people in the United States get illnesses like rashes, pinkeye, lung infections, and hepatitis after swimming in coastal waters that have been contaminated by sewage.

If the environment has occupied a tiny and belated place for researchers of geography, the trend has changed in recent years, as work academics and degrees focused on the environment are on the rise. Even though diplomas oriented towards this field amounted to less than twenty diplomas, only 7% for the Earth and Life Sciences, the environment is the set of living biotic factors likely to have effects on other living beings, especially humans. Universities in their scientific fields (Earth Sciences, Biology), Literary (Geography) and Law / Economics offer training courses focused on the environment.

What do you learn by studying waste management?

The study of waste helps understand how people live and carry out their vital functions (consumption, diet, health) and cultural (leisure, various activities), or professional. This is not divination: by studying the trash cans, we can establish trends in behavior, based on typologies carried out on the basis of analyzes of contents of garbage cans carried out over several years.

Such analysis is somewhat similar to other fields of study which aim to study the relationships that men had with their waste from one society to another. But how do you define the word waste?

The variety of household waste

First, appeared in the 14th century, the word “waste” comes etymologically from the verb “to decline” and expresses a general notion of depreciation. Common usage qualifies waste as a rejected product because without recognized possibility of use; dumped in the trash and left in the dumpster as garbage, it is intended for disappearance by burial in a landfill or by cremation, destruction in an incineration plant in the manner of a corpse.

A product qualifies as waste only from the moment it is deposited in the trash, i.e. from the moment its market value or social ceases to exist. This is the result of a loss of use.
It is also appropriate to note the various definitions of this term which are listed in dictionaries, such as “decrease in quantity or value (there is waste in the melting of the currency) or what is lost in the use of a material (meat waste, wasteo).

In 1972, the dictionary gave an unclear definition of the meaning of this word: “discredit, decrease”. Another definition of 1988 states “what falls from a material we work on, waste wool. Loss, part irrecoverable of something: fruit crates where there is waste. No one morally and physically degraded, a waste of humanity “. These definitions have given the term “waste” a pejorative connotation that also conveys the term “junk” and the idea that we have of waste is fundamentally negative: it is something that no longer serves any purpose, that encumbers.

Pluralized, waste is defined as follows: “debris, food scraps that are unfit for consumption or use (throw waste in the trash); materials rejected as not of immediate value or left as residue from a process or operation. Non-combustible and unnecessary products from metabolism of living cells, intended either to be rejected (carbon dioxide, excreta, urine, sweat …), or, especially in plants, to be accumulated separately general circulation (latex, oleoresins, alkaloids, etc.) ”. Dictionaries certainly define this term, nevertheless the definitions provided are hardly explicit.