Position Statement- Dirty Job

Ashland's waste would be dealt with by adding a recycling facility to the city. This facility would be placed further away from the citizens of Ashland for the sole purpose of safety and wellness. The facility would employ a large number of citizens in the community. Therefore the center would benefit the economy as a whole with 150 more jobs available at the facility in addition to the workers currently employed at the landfill and driving now. The total cost of a recycling facility would include the building the facility, collection of the garbage (which is currently already in place), the cost of employing workers,

  • 1.25 million people whereas the US Solid Waste Management industry employed only 0.25 million
  • recycling industry pays higher than the solid waste management industry does
  • As said by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), systematic removal of every 10,000 tons of solid waste creates only 6 jobs while exactly same amount of waste if recycled can create recycling jobs for as many as 36 people
  • In total, the agency took in a total of 430,000 tons of such debris, and about $25 million in revenue,
  • Cities that do not invest in recycling and proper waste control miss out on revenue from recycling. They also miss out on job opportunities that come from recycling, composting and businesses that work with them (effects of waste and poor waste disposal)

Effects of waste and poor waste disposal:

  • Everyone wants to live and visit places that are clean, fresh and healthy. A city with poor sanitation, smelly and with waste matter all over the place do not attract good people, investors and tourists
  • Waste that end up in water bodies negatively change the chemical composition of the water
  • Hazardous chemicals that get into the soil (contaminants) can harm plants when they take up the contamination through their roots. If humans eat plants and animals that have been in contact with such polluted soils, there can be negative impact on their health
  • Bad waste management practices can result in land and air pollution and can cause respiratory problems and other adverse health effects as contaminants are absorbed from the lungs into other parts of the body
  • Liquid that forms as water trickles through contaminated areas is called Leachate. It forms very harmful mixture of chemicals that may result in hazardous substances entering surface water, groundwater or soil
  • don't want to harm the people who work the dirty jobs
  • they are people too
  • can reach the upper class by means of water, soil, air, etc.

A WORLD OF WASTE: Effect of poor waste management on the planet:

  • Incineration and landfills are the most widely-used waste management methods. From small-scale to municipal-industrial units, incineration is the burning of garbage
  • favored when there is lack adequate landfill space
  • Burning plastics and other types of waste releases toxic gases into the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect

Toxic Waste: Man's Poisonous Byproducts:

  • Higher prevalence of reproductive disorders, including low birth weight, are common in areas located near existing and former landfills. And although studies have produced equivocal results, “cancer clusters” are said to also exist in areas within close proximity to landfills

Hazardous Substances and Hazardous Waste:

  • a lot can go wrong when we try to contain hazardous waste. Even the most technologically advanced landfills we build will leak some day. Tanks used for storing petroleum products and other chemicals can leak and catch fire; underground storage tanks weaken over time and leak their hazardous contents. Transportation accidents, such as train crashes and overturned trucks, can occur while transporting hazardous substances. There are also cases of intentional and illegal dumping of hazardous waste in sewer systems, abandoned warehouses, or ditches in remote areas to avoid the costs and rules of safe disposal
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