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Recycling:
part of a larger global
economic and environ=
mental
picture
Gleaning, 21st century style
We will examine the case for=
and
against recycling
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Review globalization
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Examine new attitudes to the gl=
obal
economy
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Focus on polymers to explore
factors affecting recycling
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Discuss merits and issues facin=
g recycling
What is globalization?
•“Global=
ization
is an inevitable, technologically driven process t=
hat
is increasing commercial and political relations
between people of different countries.”
Dimensions of globalization
•Dimensions of Globalization: (UC Atlas of Global Inequality, Cambridge/Harvard, 1992)
•
•=
Economic
globalization –
the greater global connectedness of economic activities, through
transnational trade, capital flows and migration. Its pace has increased with the advent o=
f new
technologies, especially telecommunications.
•
•=
Environmental
globalization – the increasin=
gly
global effects of human activity on the environment;
implications such as: spread of disease, destruction of
rainforests/habitat/ecosystems, ozone/ global warming, food =
=
supply, and pollution=
.
•
•=
Cultural
globalization – the connectio=
ns among
languages, ways of living, and fears of global homogeneity through the sp=
read
of North American
and European languages and culture.
•
•=
Political
globalization –
wider acceptance of global political standards =
such as human rights,
democracy, labor standards, environmental standards.
Another perspective
•Th=
ere is
globalization and there is taking a global perspective
•In
the latter we consider an issue from the perspectives of diffe=
rent
culture and value systems
•In
one sense globalization tends to render all into one,
resulting in a homogeneous cultural system
Global good or global bad?
•Gl=
obalization
will lead to loss of identity for individual cultures an=
d economies
•It =
will
also create greater wealth for a broader cross-section of
society
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•It
is not a new phenomenon but has been a continuing historic
process
•It=
is as
inevitable and irreversible as the increase in entropy
Is technology the enemy?
•In “The New Atlantis,” Francis Bacon (=
b =
1561) describes a paradise produced by science. Machines can fly, people communicate over long distances, medicines =
cure all ills.&nb=
sp;
Interestingly people live together
in harmony: no crime, no pollution, no
fornication.
•Sadly the last part has not and never will be =
realized by science
–Is
science morally neutral? Dis=
cuss
Jerry Mander-ing
•Environmental=
ists
hate globalization
–The
Case Against the Global Economy: and for a turn toward the local
(Sierra Club Books)
•But then they=
hate
technology because of its association with
globalization
=
211;“Assume
all technology guilty until proven innocent” – in
The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian
Nations
![](3D"slide0063_image003.gif")
Off with his head
•Th=
e French
revolution sentenced the great French chemist Lavoisier to d=
eath
with the sentiment,
•“The Republic has no need of
scientists”
•
•I
submit that the world needs scientists more than ever
•
•
The
Litany and the Doomsday prediction
•“Modern
industrial civilization as presently organized, is colliding violently
with our planet’s ecological system.”
&=
#8211;Al
Gore – “Earth in the Balance”
•Current
“calamities” are “…only the first
of a steady stream of progressively more serious ecological catastrophes…”
Motivation for recycling
•These sentime=
nts,
to whatever extent real or imagined prepare us for the =
case
for recycling
![](3D"slide0096_image004.jpg")
•Reduce:
–source reduction, unnecessary
packaging and single-use products
<=
/div>
•Reuse:
–use many times not once
•Recycle:
–part of the total solution
to solid waste
No room =
at the
landfill
•Barges and
distorted images of garbage
–The
modern era of the recycling craze can be traced to 1987,
when the garbage barge Mobro 4000 had to spend two months
touring the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico before it found
a home for its load.
Do you ever wonder:
•Is=
it
working?
•Is=
it
justified?
•Ar=
e we
really in such a bad shape?
Beware
the ides of environm=
entalists
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•A
familiar refrain:
“The
damage we do is increasing…our soils are vanishing, fishe=
ries
are being killed off, wells are drying up, and the burning
of fossil fuels is endangering the lives of millions.New Scien=
tist,
April 2001
We are still waiting
•&#=
8220;…before
1985 mankind will enter a genuine age of scarcity in
which many things besides energy will be in short <=
span
style=3D'position:absolute;top:45.75%;left:9.73%;width:97.19%;height:6.75%=
'>supply…food,
fresh water, copper and paper will become increasingly diffi=
cult
to obtain…”
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal;visibility:hidden'>•
•Paul
Erlich, “The End of Affluence,” 1974History
•Agricultural
revolution transformed the land
–The
Agricultural Revolution entailed clearing one-tenth of the earth's l=
and
surface of either grass or trees so it could be plowed
Industrial revolution
•Industrial
Revolution is transforming the earth's atmosphere.
=
–At
its foundation was a shift in sources of energy from wood to fossil
fuels, a shift that set the stage for a massive expansio=
n in
economic activity. Its distinguishing feature is the
harnessing of vast amounts of fossil energy for economic purpos=
es.
The Future
•The Eco-econo=
mic
revolution
–Eco-economic
revolution will create a sustainable economy, balancing the n=
eeds
of both the environment and its citizens
Premises of an eco-economist
<=
span
class=3DBB style=3D'position:absolute;left:-3.88%'>•An=
economy
shaped by market forces does not consider the environmental =
costs
•An
economy is only sustainable if it satisfies ecological
principles
•Market forces =
do not
consider the costs of increasing C emissions; ecological=
considerations
would call for balancing the C cycle
Compassion
<=
span
class=3DBB style=3D'position:absolute;left:-3.95%'>•Ec=
ologists
understand the processes that support life on Earth. They understand
the fundamental role of photosynthesis, the concept of sustainable
yield, the role of nutrient cycles, the hydrological cycle, the =
sensitive
role of climate, and the intricate relationship between the p=
lant
and animal kingdoms.
Les Glaneuses
•Waste =3D foo=
d
–In
nature, one organism's waste is another's sustenance, and nutrients =
are
continuously cycled.
•Recycling is =
an
(imperfect) way to render waste into feedstuff for another =
process
Why mark=
et
economics are wrong
• In a=
world
where the demands of the economy
are pressing against the limits of natural
systems, relying on distorted market signals
to guide investment decisions is a recipe
for disaster.
•Examples include increasing number of =
trawlers in an over-fished environment
=
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:88%;font-weight:normal'>•Drilling mo=
re
wells in a depleted well aquifer
Ther=
e is
something wholesome(?) in the
state of Denmark
•Denmark is the eco-economy leader. It has <=
/span>=
stabilized its population, banned the construction of coal-fired power plants, =
banned the use of non-refillable beverage <=
/span>containers*,
and is now getting 15% of its electricity
from wind. In addition, it has restructured
its urban transport network; now
32% of all trips in Copenhagen are on bicycle
–*Economic protection or environmental concern?
Extreme Green
•Instead of running on fossil fuels, it will be =
powered by renewable sources of energy, such as wind and sunlight, and by =
geothermal energy from within the earth. It =
will be hydrogen-based instead of carbon-=
based. Cars and buses will run on fuel-cell engines powered by electricity produced =
with an electrochemical process using hydrogen as the fuel instead of internal =
combustion engines.
And yet…
•Is it all a g=
ame
for the affluent?
–“My
working class constituents have their own version of the environment
which is equally valid and which calls for economic growth. They want lower housing
densities and better schools. They want washing machines. They want cars and the freedom=
to
go on holiday. Why
should they too not enjoy the sun?”
&=
#8211;Anthony
Crosland, 1971
The
eco-economy stresses recyclin=
g
<=
span
class=3DBB style=3D'position:absolute;left:-3.96%'>•As=
the
world shifts from a throwaway economy, engineers will be
needed to design products that can be recycled-from
cars to computers.
<=
span
class=3DBB style=3D'position:absolute;left:-4.43%'>•De=
sign
must allow for simple separation into components
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New
technologies, new opportun=
ities:
Green Gold
•Technologies used in recycling are <=
span
style=3D'position:absolute;top:30.5%;left:9.73%;width:100.18%;height:6.0%'=
>sometimes quite different from those used in producing from virgin raw materials. Within =
the U.S. steel industry, for example, where =
nearly 60% of all steel is produced from =
scrap, the technologies used differ =
depending on the feedstock. Steel =
manufactured in electric arc furnaces from =
=
scrap uses far less energy than traditional =
open-hearth furnaces using pig iron.
Survey
of domestic recycling by types
•Aluminum cans
–<=
/span>More than 50 % of aluminum products come from recycled (first started in 1904)
•Steel cans
–<=
/span>Recycling steel cans saves 74% of the energy
<=
/span>
•Glass
–<=
/span>Is 100 % recyclable, but achieves less than that&#=
13;
•Plastic
–<=
/span>Dominates packaging, non bio-degradable
•Paper
–<=
/span>Derives from a renewable resource
•
Testing our eco-credibility
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Composting
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Scrap metals
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Tires
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Oil
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal'>•Batteries
•Household hazardous waste![](3D"slide0097_image005.jpg")
Focus on polymers and plastics
•All the world’s a stage and all =
the polymers and plastics merely players.&=
nbsp;
They have their =
exits
and their entrances and one
molecule in its time plays =
many
parts
The seven ages
•Pr=
oduction
•Us=
e
•Wa=
ste
generation
•Po=
st-consumer
waste recovery
•Re=
-use
•Re=
cycling
•La=
ndfilling
<=
span
style=3D'font-weight:normal;visibility:hidden'>•
Polymers
are giant molecules made by
joining small ones
•A polymer may contain thousands of =
these units (monomers) and have a <=
span
style=3D'position:absolute;top:43.25%;left:9.73%;width:97.0%;height:6.75%'=
>molar mass of hundreds of thousands=
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