* The calculations use average data for Russia

An integral part of human life is the generation of waste different types– food, electronic, household. And the more complex our lives become, the more we consume, the more waste we produce. According to statistics, per person there is 200-300 kg of waste (MSW) per year, and in Russia as a whole, waste generation is estimated at 30-35 million tons annually.

Unlike Western countries, where waste is effectively recycled, in Russia this entire volume ends up in landfills, where it remains for decades, polluting the environment. The lack of a culture of sorting and recycling of at least the most hazardous waste, such as, for example, mercury lamps, batteries, medicines, only aggravates the current situation. Only a small part - no more than 5% - ends up in waste incineration plants, which, in fact, pollute the environment almost more than the landfills themselves.

Of course, our country does not stand still. At the end of 2014, the President of the Russian Federation signed a package of amendments to the law on industrial and consumer waste, which approved a recycling fee, and also tightened the requirements for the use of waste, in particular, a ban was introduced on the disposal of waste that has not lost its consumer properties.

Ideally, waste should be almost completely recycled with the aim of recycling the resulting materials. This is exactly what happens in Europe – up to 80% of solid waste is recycled there. With proper recycling, almost all of this volume can be reused. This means that you can earn good money by selling recycled waste.

You can make compost from organic waste and use it as fertilizer. Used automobile oil and other liquids can be converted into biological products and physiologically active compounds. Paper and cardboard can be produced from recycled paper and cardboard, and polymers can be produced from polymer materials. And so on.

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In general, all work with waste can be divided into several stages: collection, transportation, sorting, processing (disposal, storage). Often, enterprises in this industry have a narrow specialization at some stage. This is logical, since the creation of an integrated organization for collecting, sorting and recycling waste not only requires huge capital investments, but also organizationally difficult.

Figure 1. Structure of solid waste in Russia

In addition, this area of ​​business is perhaps one of the most corrupt in our country, and the market has been divided for a long time and for a long time. Removing waste and burying it in landfills is the most common way to get rid of it today. Garbage removal companies have been working here for years in the same urban area or with the same industrial enterprises. According to some estimates, the profitability of such a business reaches 20%. However, also for this reason, it is almost impossible for a new player to enter this market.

Waste sorting in itself is hardly of interest from a business point of view, at least because the main consumer of this service is recycling companies, of which there are still very, very few in Russia. Thus, we come to the logical conclusion that a sorting and processing complex may be the most profitable. And if after these words the imagination pictures a territory built up with multi-storey industrial buildings, with conveyor belts, access railway tracks and so on, then in reality everything is much more prosaic. We will talk further about how you can organize an enterprise for collecting and processing waste.

First of all, we need to decide whether we will limit ourselves to just sorting and recycling, or whether we will try to cover all links in the chain, ensuring that waste is collected directly from its source. As mentioned above, this market is divided and cannot be redistributed. However, you can find your own source that will provide the enterprise with a small but stable amount of material. Such a source could be a cottage community, of which there are many currently being built; it could be an industrial enterprise - just opened or already operating. In the second case, strong arguments will be required to convince the management of the enterprise to abandon the already established relationship with the service organization. Still, working with an industrial enterprise is more profitable, because will be able to provide our company with a stable volume of waste of a certain fraction, on which we can build specialization. And specialization, as we understand it, allows us to reduce costs. Actually, searching for a source, collecting and transporting waste from it is not expensive: you will need one or two containers for collecting and freight car for its transportation. Transportation costs can be reduced by using a press at the collection site if the material being collected allows it.

Ready ideas for your business

If we are not interested in organizing the supply of material directly from the source, we will focus directly on sorting and recycling. Here we return to the issue of specialization. It can be approached from two opposite sides: from the material being processed or from the source of waste.

The most common material for recycling today is PET containers, that is, ordinary plastic bottles from under drinks, sunflower oil etc. But almost anything can be recycled – from cars to wood, from consumer electronics to paper. Naturally, the more complex the original product, the more complex the technology for its disposal will be. We talked about specialization at the source above - it could be a plant, shopping mall or a cottage community. The first gives one or two main factions, the second two - a much larger assortment.

Ready ideas for your business

The simplest and most accessible waste disposal technologies include pressing and grinding. Actually, they can be used either individually or sequentially in a full technological cycle: crusher, sorting line, press, storage hopper, magnet.

Equipment is selected depending on the type of waste and the required productivity. For example, a press for aluminum and other non-ferrous metals, which allows you to press, for example, beverage cans, will cost about 100 thousand rubles. The wool and rag press, with which you can press spinning waste, has more high cost– about 250 thousand. A press for briquetting PET containers and waste paper costs from 180 thousand rubles. Such a press produces a finished briquette that meets the requirements for acceptance by pulp and paper mills. More serious industrial presses from Western manufacturers cost one or two orders of magnitude higher. For example, a used German semi-automatic horizontal press will cost 46,000 euros, and a two-shaft Austrian shredder will cost 26,000 euros.

Various types of crushers and shredders are designed for crushing waste, which are also selected depending on the type of material being processed, productivity and the required degree of grinding. The cost of domestically produced crushers for polymers, foam rubber, padding polyester, fabrics, glass today is 90-100 thousand rubles.

Some suppliers offer ready-made universal lines with program control for processing a wide range of solid waste, including everything down to conveyors, protective fences, etc. The cost of such a line with installation will be approximately 5 million rubles.

There is also a lot of specialized equipment for processing electronic circuit boards (machines for removing components from circuit boards, vibrating tables, hammer crushers), package tearers, various extruders and granulators, dryers for the organic fraction and much more. Manufacturers and distributors of such equipment also offer comprehensive solutions depending on the planned focus of the enterprise; their cost is announced upon request. It should be expected that for a more or less serious line it will be at least 3-4 million rubles.

Ready ideas for your business

There are also more unconventional ways to make money from waste. For example, processing of landfill gas. On this moment There is at least one such plant in Russia, founded by a Swedish company. The principle of operation of the plant is relatively simple: gas is collected through wells from the “body” of the landfill and collected in a furnace for its combustion, in the process of which electricity is generated. The plant itself consists of several mobile buildings, “roaming” through the landfill from a used gas source to a new one. According to rough estimates, the energy produced by the plant is enough to power a city of 50 thousand people. Of course, such an enterprise will require larger investments than a sorting and recycling line - such projects are beneficial only in the long term, especially taking into account the imperfections of Russian legislation in the field of environmental supervision.

Depending on the type of waste being processed, various requirements set out in SanPiN are imposed on the territories and premises. As a rule, they are all quite tough, because... the processing organization must not pollute the atmosphere and soil, not discharge wastewater, have high fire safety indicators, etc. Perhaps this can be called one of the main obstacles to opening such a business.

If the premises or territory have been sorted out, licensing of activities will then be required. According to the law, activities for the collection, use, neutralization, transportation and disposal of waste of I-IV hazard classes are subject to licensing (Class I is extremely hazardous waste that causes irreversible damage to the environment; these include, for example: vinyl chloride, lead oxide, polonium , plutonium, mercury, hydrogen fluoride, etc.). The accumulation of waste of any hazard class, as well as activities for the collection, use, neutralization, transportation and disposal of waste of hazard class V are not subject to licensing. The licensing procedure is carried out by Rostechnadzor, and its duration can reach 3-5 months.

As for the profitability of the “garbage” business, according to experts, a sorting and processing line can pay for itself in two to five years. Important factors ensuring profitability are: a slowly but steadily growing demand for recyclable materials and a fairly low level of risks due to fixed tariffs for waste disposal from municipalities. And, of course, there is an extremely low level of competition in this area.

Among the difficulties an entrepreneur will face here is a clash with the bureaucratic apparatus, which is often corrupt. If there are still potential competitors in your region, be prepared for the fact that they will try with all their might to prevent your entry into the market.

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Having trouble dealing with trash at home? A little more attention to this and you will learn how to manage household waste and recycle at home. With proper planning, you can save money and have a smaller impact on the environment.

Step 1: Reduce Waste

Use a cloth bag instead of a plastic one

This small measure will significantly reduce the amount of waste you bring home. No matter where you shop, bring your own reusable cloth bags instead of buying plastic bags from the store. Prepare ahead of time and buy a few reusable bags and keep them in a visible place so you don't forget your bag the next time you go shopping. For example, in the kitchen or in the trunk of a car.

• If you forget to take your bags to the store, you can still reduce your waste! Most stores now sell cloth or paper bags.
• The use of such packages extends not only to products. Take one when you go shopping for clothes, tools or any other goods.

Buy food that has less packaging

Products that come in boxes wrapped in plastic with individually wrapped portions inside certainly generate more waste than can be avoided. Look for food with minimum quantity packaging, especially plastic and polyethylene, and you will see that the pile of garbage will decrease in size. Here are a few nuances:

• Buy bulk products by weight. It would be good if the store has paper bags for such goods.
• Store food in airtight glass or plastic containers.
• It is better to take dairy products in glass containers, great option- farmers' markets.

Method 1. Recycling food waste - composting with worms

This method of recycling waste at home allows you to quickly compost food waste almost odorless.

Pick up a box. This will be a home for the worms, and a place where they digest the organic material you put in for them. You can buy it at a farm store or make it yourself. Suitable materials:

• rubber - cheap, simple and durable;
• galvanized containers;
• wood - provides better air exchange, but then you need to use wood that has not been chemically treated;
• plastic buckets 20 liters;

Ventilation. The receptacle for home waste recycling must be well inspected. The holes must be made large, otherwise the worms will remain below and die.

Size. For every 500 grams of worms you need about 1 square meter of area. Depth no more than 60 cm.

Lid. The container should have a lid to prevent light from shining on the compost and preventing the substance from drying out. You can simply use a lid of a suitable size, a tarpaulin with fastenings, wood, burlap (then you can water directly).

Base. At this home recycling station, you can create a fence to separate it from the premises. Suitable:

• old tires,
• boards and bricks and so on.

Room. The container should be in a cool place to avoid overheating. In the yard - in the shade, under a tree, in a garage or shed.

Internal Ecosystem

Fill the bin with pieces of corrugated cardboard or newspaper, straw, dry grass or some similar material. This will provide a source of fiber and support ventilation. Add a handful of dirt and water thoroughly. Let the water soak in for a day before adding the worms.

This flowerbed will eventually turn into a rich nutrients compost.

Avoid putting pine, redwood, or eucalyptus leaves into the box. Most brown leaves are acceptable to worms.

Choose your worms

There are several varieties of worms that are suitable for vermicomposting. Simply digging up earthworms is not recommended. You should buy a pound of worms from a gardening store or online.

The most commonly used worms are:

• Eisenia fetida,
• Eisenia hortensis.

They are able to eat a lot (more than half their weight), reproduce quickly, and feed on paper.

How often to load trash and collect compost

You need to add garbage regularly. Worms eat fruit and vegetable scraps, bread, grains, tea, coffee, shells - almost anything that people eat. If you shred the garbage, the worms will process it faster. It needs to be mixed with the soil in the box to prevent midges.

You need to water the box every other day. Once a month you need to add potato peelings, paper or hay to create fibrous material.

Compost can be made for 3-6 months.

What not to do!

Don't feed the worms too often or too much. If your compost bin starts to smell, it may be because you are feeding your worms more than they can handle.

The following products are not suitable:

• a lot of citrus fruits - no more than 1/5 of total number worms;
• Meat or fish;
• Fats or excessively fatty waste;
• Dairy products (except shells);
• Cat or dog feces;
• Twigs.

Cleaning

Composting involves sacrificing some worms. Separate the worms from the mass; you will put them into a new blank in the same box. If you don't need your hands and rubber gloves, there is a long way: tilt the container and add new fibrous materials, water, etc. to the free side. The worms will crawl there themselves over time.

Method 2. Storing garbage in the freezer

If you don’t want to create an exotarium, you can store organic waste in the freezer. It is better to use paper bags or just lay them on the litter. Then, when the space is full, the garbage is dumped into one bag and taken to the country house in a compost heap or to a landfill.

Method 3. Automatic composter for the kitchen

Most often, they look like a trash can, tightly closed so as not to spread the smell, but the trouble is that devices for home waste recycling are expensive. For example, NatureMill will cost about 10 thousand, and finding it in the store is not so easy. Please note:

• what type of waste can this model process;
• what time will she do it;
• what is the permissible volume and is it sufficient for your family;
• what principle is the model based on: there are also vermicomposters that operate according to the principle with worms described above. If this disgusts you, it is better to choose a device that uses microorganisms or heat to process waste at home.

Home toilets with recycling

A composting toilet contains a special tank where the backfill is placed and the sewage can be processed into compost. Such equipment is especially valuable for a country house and an estate with a plot. These toilets are cleaned once a year. There are models that run on electricity, and there are manual ones (you can make them yourself).

Popular options:

• Separett Villa 9000 (dry toilet, works without filler)
• Biolet Mulltoa 20
• Biolan Populett

There are different operating principles:

1. Removal of water, salts and other things from a mass, that is, separation into solid and liquid parts, each placed in its own container. This dry toilet must be ventilated.
2. Peat toilets, in which the mass is filled with granules on top and the smell does not spread: there are devices with a dispenser, and others with manual filling.
3. Toilets in which sewage is burned through an incandescent coil or over an open fire. They require a powerful filter and a high degree of protection to prevent odors and fire from spreading. The result is water and ash (which is suitable as fertilizer).
4. Freezer toilets. They do not allow recycling of waste at home, but only prevent the spread of odors if the house is not connected to a sewer.

In Russia, like many other things, our country is distinguished from the West. Mainly in Western countries Waste is sorted according to certain criteria. The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation does not want to rush into the transition from burning waste to recycling it.

The solution to the problem proposed by the Ministry and its Federal Agency

In Russia, waste incineration plants are used locally for waste disposal. According to representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources, these plants are very energy- and cost-intensive and largely survive due to government subsidies. But build this ministry still plans in accordance with the adopted concept for solid waste management until 2030. Rosprirodnadzor considers incineration to be the most optimal form of waste disposal.

Why incineration is not the optimal solution

In Russia, burning solutions are dangerous from an environmental point of view. With the help of waste incineration plants, solid waste is converted into smoke, which contains all the carcinogens that are not dispersed throughout the environment when waste is stored in landfills. As a result of the construction of such plants, there may be an increase in the incidence of a number of serious illnesses, including cancer. But even if the issue under consideration is removed from the area of ​​the most serious diseases, then emissions with carcinogens cause allergic reactions- scourge of diseases recent years. When burning garbage, dioxins are released, which are more dangerous than strychnine and potassium cyanide.

The problem of waste recycling in Russia exists, but it needs to be solved.

Concept of garbage business

The waste recycling business should be based on the creation of appropriate plants. Like any other business, this business requires initial capital to rent or purchase premises, hire personnel who will have to work on the appropriate equipment, but this will also need to be purchased.

In addition, you will have to collect a bunch of different documents permitting this type of activity.

It is also necessary to provide for how the waste will be delivered and how it will be sold. The first is especially relevant, since there is no culture of garbage collection in our country - on a local scale, it is all stored in one bag without sorting and thrown away trash container. According to Rosprirodnadzor specialists, if the state does not encourage manufacturers of recyclable materials to purchase from waste processing plants, such plants have no future.

Russia has its positive and negative sides.

Positive aspects of the garbage business

• The volumes of waste are limitless.
• The processed product, as world experience shows, must be in demand.
• Such a business will most likely be supported by local authorities, since recycling is also a headache for them.
• A processing plant can process different raw materials, or maybe some specific ones, which makes it easier to make a decision about starting business development.
• Almost zero competition - as will be shown below, there are practically no waste processing plants in Russia.
• With reasonable organization of production, these factories can become fully profitable and profitable in a couple of years.

Negative aspects of the garbage business

• The main disadvantage is waste sorting, as mentioned above.
• Large costs - the plant may or may not pay off if not approached correctly, but it will require initial costs, and these costs will not pay off in any case for a number of years.
• A huge pile of documents that an enterprise in this business will have to deal with.
• Finding suppliers and buyers, especially at the beginning of a business, is very difficult.

Garbage statistics

Here are the statistics on waste recycling in Russia. Only 4% of the total volume in our country is recycled. In 2017, the volume of solid waste in Russia exceeded 60 billion tons with an annual replenishment of 60 million tons.

All the garbage in our country occupies about 4 million hectares, which is comparable to the area of ​​Switzerland or Holland. Every year this area increases by 10%, which is comparable to the total area of ​​the two capitals of Russia.

Currently, there are about 15,000 garbage dumps in the country that have been sanctioned by the authorities; the number of landfills, according to various sources, ranges from 200 to 1000.

More landfills are illegal. Most of them are in Leningrad, Chelyabinsk, Moscow, Sverdlovsk and a number of other regions.

Waste recycling plants in Russia

Data from Rosprirodnadzor indicate that there are only seven waste incineration plants in our country, which are located in Moscow, Sochi, Murmansk, Vladivostok, and Pyatigorsk. Here, garbage is burned, the resulting ash and slag are compressed and disposed of by burial. Moreover, only 7-10% of the received waste is burned. The cost of burning solid waste is higher than the cost of burying it.

According to other sources, there are more than 200 waste processing plants in Russia, as well as about 50 Let's take a closer look at some of the list of waste processing plants in Russia.

IN Kemerovo region The Novokuznetsk waste processing plant has been operating since 2008. Here waste is sorted, recyclable materials are recycled, and the remaining garbage is buried in a landfill designed for 75 years.

In the Kursk region, a sorting line for a waste recycling plant was opened in 2013.

In Krasnoyarsk there is a waste sorting plant that processes up to 730,000 tons of solid waste per year. Recyclable materials are sent for recycling, and the remaining waste is disposed of at our own landfill.

In 2014, a waste processing plant was launched in Orenburg. Toxic substances such as medical waste, mercury. The plant is equipped with a perolysis unit. Processing is possible up to 250,000 tons annually. Sorting occurs manually. The remains are buried at the landfill and compacted with a roller.

There are several waste incineration plants operating in the Moscow region. These include the State Unitary Enterprise "Special Plant No. 2", "Special Plant No. 3" (this plant operates with enviable instability), and the Rudnevo Waste Incineration Plant has been operating since 2003.

World experience in waste management

Not only the surface of the Earth, but also the ocean is currently polluted with garbage. In 1997, the American oceanographer C. Moore, passing through the Northern Pacific Spiral, saw that he was surrounded by heaps of debris far from land. According to him, it took him a week to overcome this pile.

In most countries of the world, waste is collected not in one container, but in different ones, after being sorted. In Ljubljana in Slovenia, as well as in Russia, they were going to build waste incineration plants. Their construction was included in the 2014 project, but the country’s leadership came to their senses in time. A special employee visits the apartments. The need to recycle waste and use recyclable materials is actively promoted among the population.

Finally

Waste recycling in Russia is at the initial phase of its development. Not very a large number of garbage is recycled. In Russia, the garbage business is not developed. It has its own prospects, but those who are not afraid of paperwork and who have money for initial capital that can be risked should try their hand. Management should listen to environmentalists and, instead of building waste incineration plants, pay attention to global experience in waste processing.

Eco-technoparks are designed to replace traditional places for storing waste - that is, well-known landfills and landfills. In the 21st century, simply throwing away broken things, packaging and other rubbish is almost criminal - caring for nature and recycling glass, plastic, metal are in trend... This is exactly what eco-technoparks are needed for, in which waste delivered by regional operators will be sorted and processed, producing something from it something necessary and useful. And only components that are completely non-recyclable will be sent for disposal to repositories that are reliably isolated from the environment.

According to the official “Strategy for the development of industry for the processing, recycling and disposal of production and consumption waste for the period until 2030”, the eco-technopark is an interconnected complex of facilities and equipment for processing, recycling and disposal of waste. It ensures their continuous processing and production of industrial products based on them, as well as scientific, research or educational activities.

According to the authorities’ plans, by 2030 in the territory Russian Federation 70 eco-technoparks will appear. They will accept waste, sort it, extract recyclable components and thus return them to economic circulation. “Kaluga” is the first-born and, one might say, the flagship of the line of eco-technoparks; using its example, it is convenient to get acquainted with their structure and operating technologies.

The waste treatment process begins at the entrance to the eco-technopark, where trucks with waste undergo mandatory radiometric control. If, when measuring the radiation dose, it turns out that there are dangerous isotopes in the body, the car will be immediately isolated and the decontamination service will be called. Well, if everything is in order, they will unload it and send it for a new portion of waste.

The first device into which waste received by the eco-technopark falls is a bag opener. It frees waste from packaging, making it available for sorting on a special automatic line. Here, electronic scrap and glass, as well as bulky waste, are removed from the total mass.

The next stage of sorting is a drum separator, which separates waste into fractions ranging in size from 0 to 150, from 150 to 300 and over 300 mm. The largest fraction is supplied via a conveyor line to an industrial shredder, in which it is crushed to sizes of 150−200 mm and is also sent via conveyor lines to a receiving hopper.

The 150-300 mm fraction is meanwhile sent to optical scanners, which identify and separate cardboard, paper and plastic. Glass and metal are also extracted from the total mass. The organic fraction - food waste - is redirected to the composting sector, where they are turned into fertile compost or inert soil. - The garbage enters the conveyor, a special infrared sensor detects plastic from the total volume of garbage and gives a command to special nozzles that know when and where to apply the flow air, shoot. And thus the plastic goes into the right chamber,” said Alexey Cherepanov, development director of the Kaluga Plant of Municipal Machines company.

Sorted recyclables will become the basis for the technological chain of eco-technopark residents engaged in the production of consumer goods. In Kaluga, for example, it is planned to produce plastic hatches, pipes, fences, benches, goods for gardeners and even nylon tights. As the project develops, a plant for RDF fuel – briquettes pressed from recycled materials used in industrial enterprises – will be added to these production facilities.

All technological processes occurring in the eco-technopark are under the vigilant control of an automated monitoring system. It records the noise level and air composition, authorizes incoming garbage trucks by license plate, studies the composition of groundwater and many other factors. The system is so advanced that if deviations from the specified parameters are detected, it will not only send an alarm to the control panel, but will also offer the operator options for action based on the algorithms embedded in it.

This is what a modern replacement for landfills, which have become an eyesore for Russians, looks like. Instead of leachate and smoke from burning garbage - new goods, fuel and clean water suitable for use in agriculture. Scientific and technological progress does not stand still, and the main task facing Russians today is to keep up with it even in such a trivial area as waste processing and waste management.

The modern world does not stand still. Every year production volumes increase, population growth and urban expansion continue. At the same time, the problem of waste disposal has become urgent. On earth, special landfills for waste are present in limited quantities. At the same time, the volumes arriving at them exceed their capacity, so the garbage mountains are increasing every day. Untreated heaps of waste negatively affect the ecological state of the planet. That is why the need arose to create high-quality waste processing plants. At these sites it is necessary to use only modern methods waste processing and disposal. It is worth noting that the garbage generated by humanity belongs to various danger groups. In order for waste recycling to be effective, it is necessary to select its own disposal method for each individual type. But first they need to be sorted.

Household waste

This number includes product residues associated with human activity. This can be plastic, paper, food and other similar waste that was thrown out of institutions and homes of the population. The garbage that we are used to getting rid of is found at every step. Many wastes are assigned the fifth and fourth degree of danger.

Recycling household waste made of plastic should not be done without mechanical action, i.e. grinding. Next, they are in mandatory treated with chemical solutions. Often, after such a procedure, new polymer substances are produced, which are reused to create new products. Household waste such as paper or food waste can be composted and then rotted. Subsequently, the resulting composition is suitable for use in agriculture.

Biological decay

Biological species in nature are humans and animals. These two groups also generate large amounts of waste. A lot of such waste comes from veterinary clinics, sanitary and hygienic organizations, catering establishments and similar enterprises. Processing of biological waste is reduced to its combustion. Liquid substances are transported using special transport. Incineration is also used for organic waste.

Industrial waste

This type of waste is generated as a result of the functioning of production and technological activities. This includes all construction waste. It appears during installation, cladding, finishing and other works. For example, this category of waste includes paint and varnish residues, heat-insulating substances, wood and other industrial “trash.” Recycling industrial waste often involves burning. Wooden residues are suitable for obtaining a certain amount of energy.

Radioactive waste

Such waste includes solutions and gases that are not suitable for use. First of all, these are biological materials and objects containing radioactive components in large quantities (above the permissible norm). The degree of danger depends on the level of radiation in such waste. Such waste is disposed of by burial, some is simply burned. A similar method of processing applies to the next group of activity residues.

Medical waste

This list contains all substances that are produced by medical institutions. Approximately 80% of waste is simple household waste. He's not dangerous. But the remaining 20% ​​can cause damage to health in one way or another. In Russia, the disposal and processing of radioactive and medical waste has many prohibitions and conventions. Also, the country carefully spells out the necessary conditions for handling this group of waste, and methods for burying or burning them. Special repositories were created for liquid and solid radioactive components. If it is necessary to get rid of medical waste, it is placed in special bags and set on fire. But this method, unfortunately, is also unsafe, especially if the drugs belong to the first or second danger group.

Division into classes

All waste is divided depending on its state of aggregation. So, they are solid, liquid or gaseous. In addition, all garbage is classified according to the degree of danger. There are four classes in total. Garbage classified as the first degree of danger poses the greatest threat to the planet and living organisms, including humans. This waste can ruin the ecological system, which will lead to disaster. These include the following substances: mercury, polonium, lead salts, plutonium, etc.

The second class includes residues that can cause an environmental failure that cannot be restored over a long period (about 30 years). These are chlorine, various phosphates, arsenic, selenium and other substances. The third hazard group includes those wastes from which the system can recover within ten years. But only if the garbage no longer affects the contaminated object. Among them are chromium, zinc, ethyl alcohol, and so on.

Low-hazard waste - sulfates, chlorides and simazine - is assigned the fourth class. But this does not mean that they have virtually no effect on humans and the ecosystem. If the source is eliminated, the body or nature will only be able to recover after three years. There is fifth class garbage. This means that the waste is completely safe for the environment.

The importance of recycling

There are several reasons why proper waste recycling is necessary:

1. Once in the environment, most substances and materials turn into pollutants (it is worth considering that our planet is already suffocating every day from emissions from cars and factories).
2. Many of the resources from which certain materials are created are being exhausted. Their supplies are too limited, so recycling is the solution.
3. In some cases, objects that have fulfilled their purpose turn out to be a source of substances. Moreover, they are cheaper than natural materials.

More about recycling

Recycling is the change of waste materials until they completely disappear or the structure is modified so that they cannot be reused. But this word can have another meaning. For example, it is often used figuratively.

Today, a large amount of waste is reused for various purposes. All garbage that is disposed of today is divided into two main groups:

1. Solid household waste (glass, paper, plastic, food waste).
2. Industrial waste (biological, medical, radioactive, construction waste, as well as waste from the transport complex).

Disposal can be carried out in one of several ways, which are also divided into groups. For example, the main methods include heat treatment, composting, which is natural method decomposition, and disposal of waste in special landfills. Some of these waste processing methods make it possible to obtain secondary raw materials.

Recycled materials

Typically, all waste that remains after production and human activity is called “recyclables”. But this idea is not entirely correct. The fact is that not all waste is advisable to reuse or send for other needs. There is also a group of garbage that is used again only as a source of energy (after special processing), therefore also not classified as secondary raw materials. Those substances that release energy after processing are called “secondary energy raw materials.”

This group includes only those materials that, after a certain exposure, can become suitable for use. national economy. A good example is can from canned food. It can no longer be used for storing food, but after melting it is used to make a new container for food or other metal objects. It becomes obvious: secondary raw materials are items that, after being used for their intended purpose, are resources that are useful for further use. To obtain a new product or raw material, waste recycling is necessary. Today, several methods are used for this, which are described below.

Natural recycling

Back in the 20th century, in most cases, household waste was processed through composting. Garbage, in particular organic waste, was dumped into specially dug pits and covered with earth. Over time, the waste decomposed, rotted and was used as fertilizer in agriculture. But relatively recently this method has been slightly modified. Scientists have developed sealed installations for heating composted waste. In this case, organic residues begin to decompose faster, which produces methane, which is biogas. It was this that began to be used to create biofuel.

Specialized companies have emerged that build mobile stations for waste recycling. They are used in small villages or on farms. It was calculated that such large stations intended for cities are unprofitable to maintain. It takes quite a lot of time to obtain a decomposing product, but the resulting fertilizers still remain unused and also need to be disposed of somehow. Besides this, there is other waste that has nowhere to go, so it will accumulate. For example, this is plastic, construction residues, polyethylene, etc. But creating a specialized plant where solid household waste would be processed is not economically profitable for the authorities.

Thermal recycling

Thermal processing means the combustion of solid household waste. The process is used to reduce the amount of organic substances and neutralize them. Further, the resulting residues are buried or disposed of. After combustion, the waste is significantly reduced in volume, all bacteria are destroyed, and the resulting energy can generate electricity or heat water for the heating system. Such plants are usually located near large city landfills in order to process solid waste passed by conveyor belt. There are also landfills nearby intended for the disposal of recycled waste.

It can be noted that waste combustion is divided into direct and pyrolysis. With the first method you can only get thermal energy. At the same time, pyrolysis combustion creates the opportunity to extract liquid and gas fuels. But regardless of the method of thermal disposal, harmful substances are released into the atmosphere during combustion. This harms our environment. Some people install filters. Their purpose is to retain volatile solids. But as practice shows, even they are not able to stop pollution.

If we talk about the technology for processing medical waste, several special furnaces have already been installed in Russia. They are equipped with gas cleaning devices. In addition, microwave, steam and heat treatment and autoclaving appeared in the country. All this is alternative methods burning medical and other suitable waste. Residues containing mercury are treated using special thermochemical or hydrometallurgical methods.

Plasma recycling

This method is currently the most modern method of disposal. Its action takes place in two stages:

1. The waste is crushed and compressed under a press. If necessary, the garbage is dried to achieve a granular structure.
2. The resulting substances are sent to the reactor. There the plasma flow transfers so much energy to them that they acquire a gaseous state.

Fire can be avoided using a special oxidizer. The resulting gas is similar in composition to ordinary natural gas, but it contains less energy. The finished product is sealed in a container and sent for later use. This gas is suitable for turbines, boilers, diesel generators.

Similar processing of industrial waste and household waste has been used for some time in Canada and the USA. In these countries, the remains of human activity are effectively disposed of, and the final product is used for good as fuel. In the West they are already preparing to introduce this technology on an even larger scale. But since such equipment is quite expensive, CIS countries cannot purchase it.

Is it possible to solve the problem of waste disposal?

Of course, in order for the processing of solid waste and hazardous waste to take place at the highest level, a lot of financial investments are required. Political circles should also be interested in this. But at the moment we have to make do with outdated recycling equipment. According to the authorities, existing factories are coping with the problem, so there is no need to reconstruct and re-equip them. The impetus for this can only be an environmental disaster.

Although the problem is vast, it is still possible to solve or reduce its size. The situation requires an integrated approach on the part of society and the authorities. It’s good if everyone thinks about what he personally can do. The simplest thing a person can do is to start sorting the garbage that he generates. After all, the one who throws away waste knows where he has plastic, paper, glass or food products. If you get into the habit of sorting waste residues, then such waste will become easier and faster to recycle.

A person needs to be regularly reminded of the importance of proper waste disposal, sorting and careful attitude To natural resources which he owns. If the authorities do not take measures and conduct motivating campaigns, simple enthusiasm will not be enough. Therefore, the problem of waste disposal will remain in our country at a “primitive” level.