Recycling in the metals industry

In 1990, scrap was a major feedstock component of U.S. metals production. Steel scrap represented 56% of raw steel production, old lead scrap was 66% of total lead production, and purchased aluminum scrap represented 37% of total production. Copper scrap makes up 44% of total U.S. copper consumption annually. Although some recycling operations, such as past (but now obsolete) lead-acid battery breaking and the use of high salt fluxes on aluminum drosses have created environmental problems, the recovery of obsolete autos, cast or extruded products, appliances, lead-acid batteries, beverage containers, and drosses represents major environmental benefits in terms of reduced litter, landfill wastes, and energy savings. Evolving technologies, marketing concepts, and regulations promise even higher levels of recycling in the future. The cumulative amounts of aluminum, copper, lead, and ferrous scrap that would have had to be absorbed by our environment as discards during the period 1965–1990 had they not been recycled totaled more than 2.2 billion tons, just for the four metal groups. Concurrently, huge energy savings were realized and environmental benefits achieved through reduced emissions associated with generating that energy.Correspondence should be directed to: Earle B. Amey, U.S. Geological Survey, National Center 983, Reston, Virginia 20192.     

Central Government Limitations on Local Policy Options for Environmental Protection*

The advantages of centralized environmental policy-making are widely assumed, but a corrective may be overdue. Central government environmental policy limits local policy options in at least three ways: (1) through federal pre-emption imposing solutions on local government; (2) through federal mandating of policy for implementation by subnational government; or (3) through federal disincentives to local adoption of innovative solutions. These constraints are illustrated by policy controlling the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, hazardous waste, and solid waste, respectively. The constraining effect of central environmental policy is felt regardless of whether the formal structure of environmental rule-making and implementation is centralized or decentralized. The analysis suggests the need for greater flexibility and coordination in the geographic structuring of environmental policy-making.     

A Comparative Analysis of Curbside Recycling Behavior in Urban and Suburban Communities*

This study explores the variations in household participation rates in recycling projects implemented in urban and suburban communities. A causal model is developed to compare the demographic attributes of residents, their awareness of the recycling programs, their environmental attitudes, and their overall willingness to recycle. The model is assessed by Linear Structural Equations Methodology (LISREL). The results suggest that household recycling behavior is not consistent across communities due primarily to variations in demographic characteristics of residents and their evaluation of program policies.     

GIS,multi‐criteria and multi‐factor spatial analysis for the probability assessment of the existence of illegal landfills

This work deals with the identification of potentially contaminated areas using remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and multi‐criteria spatial analysis. The identification of unknown illegal landfills is a crucial environmental problem in all developed and developing countries, where a large number of illegal waste deposits exist as a result of fast, and relatively unregulated, industrial growth over the past century. The criteria used to perform the spatial analysis are here selected by considering the characteristics which are ‘desirable’ for an illegal waste disposal site, chiefly related to the existence of roads for easy access and to a low population density which facilitates unnoticed dumping of illegal waste materials. A large dataset describing known legal and illegal landfills and the context of their location (population, road network, etc.) was used to perform a spatial statistical analysis to select factors and criteria allowing for the identification of the known waste deposits. The final result is a map describing the likelihood of an illegal waste deposit to be located at any arbitrary location. Such a probability map is then used together with remote sensing techniques to narrow down the set of possibly contaminated sites (Silvestri and Omri, 2008 Silvestri, S. and Omri, M. 2008. A method for the remote sensing identification of uncontrolled landfills: formulation and validation.. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 29(4): 975–989. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), which are candidates for further analyses and field investigations. The importance of the integration of GIS and remote sensing is highlighted and represents a key instrument for environmental management and for the spatially‐distributed characterization of possible uncontrolled landfill sites.     

中国城市生活垃圾处理能力的时空格局及影响因素

基于2003-2017年中国30个省份的数据,探究城市生活垃圾处理能力的时空格局,并构建动态面板数据模型实证检验中国城市生活垃圾处理能力的影响因素.研究结果表明,考察期内城市生活垃圾处理能力存在空间发展不平衡问题;进一步利用Dagum基尼系数测算城市生活垃圾处理能力的空间差距并将其进行分解,其中,东部地区的地区内差距最...     

Locating a Community Recycling Center within a Residential Area: A Belgian Case Study

This article demonstrates the operation of a simple optimal location-allocation technique for solving the problem of locating one or several community recycling center(s) within a residential area. The article attempts to measure both transportation and externality costs in comparable units, and to incorporate them into the model. A sensitivity analysis of the results at the level of the nuisance provides further insight into the operation of the model and the relative importance of the quantification of pollution in applied location-allocation problems.     

From salvage to recycling – new agendas or same old rubbish?

Recent years have seen increased attention paid by geographers to the phenomenon of household waste recycling. Much of this attention by geographers has focused on contemporary recycling, especially contemporary policy and behaviour. This article takes a wider temporal perspective and considers the antecedent 'National Salvage Campaign' of the Second World War. It considers the conceptual lessons from this recycling campaign, drawing out the importance of themes of scale, relatedness, civic duty and positive identity. The article explores the socially constructed boundaries that attempt to find an 'appropriate' place for waste and how such boundaries are constantly reconsidered and redefined.     

Locating a Community Recycling Center within a Residential Area: A Belgian Case Study

This article demonstrates the operation of a simple optimal location‐allocation technique for solving the problem of locating one or several community recycling center(s) within a residential area. The article attempts to measure both transportation and externality costs in comparable units, and to incorporate them into the model. A sensitivity analysis of the results at the level of the nuisance provides further insight into the operation of the model and the relative importance of the quantification of pollution in applied location‐allocation problems.     

基于环境示踪剂氯的北山地区浅部地下水补给研究

地下水补给研究是高放废物深地质处置库选址和场址评价的重要研究内容之一。甘肃北山地区是我国高放废物地质处置库场址首选预选区,为查明该区地下水补给特征,基于环境示踪剂氯查明了北山地区浅部地下水补给量。结果表明:(1)总体而言,氯质量平衡方法在北山地区应用效果较好。(2)基于包气带的氯质量平衡方法计算得出的浅部地下水垂向补给量在渗透性较大的沟谷盆地中为0.07～2.03 mm·a^-1,平均值约1.0 mm·a^-1。(3)基于饱和带的氯质量平衡方法计算得出北山地区浅部地下水多年平均入渗补给量为0.25 mm·a^-1,不足多年平均降水量的0.5%。相关结果可为我国高放废物地质处置库选址和场址评价提供依据。     

活性碳纤维吸附水中酚及脱附条件实验研究

化工、医药等行业排出的含酚废水对环境造成的污染十分严重,其废水的处理日益受到重视。活性炭纤维(Activated Carbon Fibers,ACF)作为一种新型吸附材料,其具有的大比表面积、丰富微孔结构等特点,使其吸附过程效率高。并且其吸附操作设备具有简单、方便、能耗低等优点,从而使该吸附法成为近年来一种快速发展的废水处理方法。本研究通过静态条件下的吸脱附性能研究,研究了ACF吸附水中酚的规律,确定了最佳的吸附时间为4 h,水溶液pH为弱酸性及低温有利于吸附的结果,得到了准确的平衡吸附量;找到了合适的ACF脱附再生剂NaOH,并测试出其多次再生的利用率。     

循环型旅游经济发展的新思路

文章在全面论述循环经济的内涵、理论与原则的基础上,提出旅游经济发展模式应在循环经济的理念指导下进行,并给出了循环旅游经济发展的总体思路;分析了旅游经济发展如何运用循环经济的3R原则,制定旅游循环经济发展战略,实现循环型旅游,最后提出实现循环型旅游经济发展的对策。     

基于循环经济的湿地利用模式——以华侨城湿地为例

随着湿地开发利用项目日益增多,湿地生态环境的保护与社会、经济效益增长之间的关系也越来越受到人们的关注。在循环经济的指导下,华侨城集团提出滨海湿地利用新模式——华侨城湿地多业态综合利用模式,实现生态效益、经济效益和社会效益的"三赢",并为湿地资源的保护和利用提供新的思路。     

The solid waste dilemma

In 1976, the U.S. Congress enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to further address the problem of increasing industrial and municipal waste. The main objectives of RCRA were to responsibly manage hazardous and solid waste and to procure materials made from recovered wastes. To fulfill these objectives, four main programs of waste management were developed. These programs were defined under Subtitle C, the Hazardous Waste Program; Subtitle D, the Solid Waste Program; Subtitle I, the Underground Storage Tank Program; and Subtitle J, the Medical Waste Program. Subtitle D illustrates the solid waste dilemma occurring in the United States. Under this program, states are encouraged to develop and implement their own waste management plans. These plans include the promotion of recycling solid wastes and the closing and upgrading of all environmentally unsound dumps.Correspondence should be directed to Earle B. Amey, U.S. Geological Survey, National Center 983, Reston, Virginia 20192.     

The role of resource recycling

Resource recycling reduces the amount of waste discharged into the global environment. The waste reduction achieved by thorough recycling is substantial. Recycling is thus an inseparable part of global environmental protection.We human beings have used mineral resources since the birth of our species. The quantities and increasingly complex forms in which mineral resources have been used at different times in our prehistory and history serve as indices of civilization's advancement. But on the eve of the 21st century, environmental pollution and global warming stemming from spiraling resource and energy consumption pose serious dilemmas for humanity. The rapidity with which our resource consumption has increased approximates exponential growth.The worsening condition of the earth's environment because of massive resource and energy consumption is the result of activity at many stages of production, from the mining of mineral resources to the manufacture of finished products; the culmination of the process is the disposal of products as waste after their use. As we shall see from examples given in this paper, efforts are being made to solve this problem through recycling; but in many areas the problems remain incompletely solved or unsolved altogether.     

Consumption,ageing and identity: New Zealander's narratives of gifting,ridding and passing on

Consumption practices involving disposal can provide important insights into how ‘being’ is accumulated. Analysis of 36 semi‐structured interviews with 13 individuals aged 59–70 in the Manawatu, Kapiti, Rangitikei and Horowhenua regions of the North Island in New Zealand illustrates how practices of gifting, ridding and passing on goods as legacy contribute to the production of familial and individual subjectivities. The research revealed that practices of disposal are performative, with both the absent presence of the objects placed away and the practices by which this occurs having agentic effects. The places that objects were assumed to occupy in the real and imagined lives of others and the moving of things away contributed to older adults' identities as caring parents, productive citizens and individuals of significance. Disposal practices consequently enabled participants to stabilise and order parent and child relations and one's relative position in the life course.     

用层次分析法评价草浆造纸废水治理技术

文章用层次分析的方法建立评价禾草帛浆造纸废水治理工艺方案的指标关系。给出了计算方法，并就目前我国应用较多，影响较大的4种式工艺方案。利用层次分析的方法对其各评价指标进行计算。对比，评价，然后求出最优结果，层次分析中所确定的评价禾草帛浆造纸废水治理方案的12个评价指标，全面反映了禾草帛浆造纸废水治理工艺方案的环境效益，经济效益和社会效益等方面的内容，并且用层次分析法计算出的造纸废水治理工艺方案评价指标的权重值，相对比较准确可信，有助于科学决策。     

辽河三角洲湿地生态循环经济模式探讨

辽河三角洲湿地是我国重要的湿地资源之一。随着经济和社会的快速发展,人们对辽河口湿地土壤、水、生物、矿产等资源的掠夺越来越严重,湿地资源过度开发,湿地退化严重,生态环境失衡。因此,如何保护和利用好辽河口湿地资源并实现良性的生态循环经济,已成为迫切需要解决的问题。根据可持续性评价目标提出了建立生态循环经济模式的5大评价标准:生产性、稳定性、保护性、经济可行性和社会承受力,在此基础上探讨了3种生态循环经济模式。     

人工湿地的构建与应用

论述了人工湿地污水处理技术的机制和优势,阐述了人工湿地的构建和污水处理研究进展,表明人工湿地的污水处理效率与污染物的种类和污染程度、人工湿地的类型、湿地植物种类、基质类型、水力停留时间和水力负荷等密切相关.在中国,典型人工湿地有3种类型,分别为垂直流人工湿地、潜流式人工湿地和表面流人工湿地,主要用于处理来自化粪池、养殖...     

晋陕蒙接壤地区环境污染和环境保护目标

本文对晋陕蒙接壤区三角地带１３个市县（旗）环境污染现状进行了评析，按照２１世纪能源供需状况和区域经济发展规划，以及对环境的影响程度，就该区的环境发展趋势和废水和固体废弃物的排放量作出预测，并提出保证经济持续发展的环境保护目标。     

英国废弃物管理的战略框架—目标、措施与启示

对英国废弃物管理战略形成过程的系统分析表明，充分的公众参与、一体化的链式管理体系以及市场激励手段的运用是英国废弃物管理战略的显著特点；同时英国废弃物管理的实践经验，如政府对废弃物管理的职能公共化、废弃物产生者的责任主体化以及废弃物收集处置服务市场化等，对我国废弃物管理具有重要的启示和借鉴。