also emit explosive and toxic gases (Miller,1999, p.383). .
In 1996, 16% of Municipal Solid Waste was incinerated. Incinerators are .
expensive to build, operate and maintain. Air pollution control equipment often fail .
exceeding safe levels of emission standards (Miller,1999,p.383). Some EPA scientists .
point out that "all incinerators burning hazardous or solid waste releases toxic air .
pollutants, called dioxins" (Miller,1999, p. 383). According to the EPA, ".dioxins in .
food and air may already be major cancer hazard: existing levels of dioxins in the U.S. .
population are now believed to cause an estimated 2.5-25% of all new cancers, or .
26,000-260,000 new cancers each year" (Miller,1999, p.388).
RISK ANALYSIS.
The remaining 17% of municipal solid waste in the United States is recycled or .
composted (Solid Waste, 2000). Recycling is the collection, procession and the reuse of .
materials that would have otherwise been thrown away. There are many benefits of .
recycling. One example of how natural resources can be saved is by the recycling of .
aluminum cans instead of mining more ore to make new cans. The same can be said about .
recycling paper instead of cutting down more trees to make new paper. Recycling also .
2.
reduces water and air pollution and saves land space. "In 1997, recycling and composting .
kept 61 million tons of material out of landfills and incinerators" (Encarta Online, 2000). .
Compost is a rich natural fertilizer and soil conditioner the aerates soil, improves its ability .
to retain water and nutrients and helps prevent erosion. Compost consists of vegetable .
kitchen scraps and animal manure. It reduces the amount of waste taken to the landfill or .
incinerator (Miller, 1999, p. 365).
A recycling symbol that is recognized the world over consists of three arrows that .
form a circle, or a loop. This symbol is called a mobius loop. A mobius loop on a light .
background means that the packaging or product can be recycled where facilities exist.