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=Recycling and Solid Waste Management Practices=

__**Waste Management**__

The main processes of waste management are source reduction, recycling and composting, and the disposal in combustion facilities and landfills. (U.S. Environmental, Muncipal Solid Waste)

__**Source Reduction**__

Source reduction,also known as waste prevention, is a method used for reducing waste generations and also, is the reuse of materials, an example of this would be printing or copying on two sides of a piece of paper. Source reduction includes changing the design and manufacture of the products or even the use of the products and materials to reduce the levels of what gets thrown away. Some environmental benefits would be preventing emissions of greenhouse gases, reducing pollutants, saves energy, conserves resources, and reduces the need for landfills. Purchasing long lasting and durable goods, finding products with packaging that have no toxins, and having products that use less raw material in production are ways that are using source reduction effectively.

__**Recycling**__

Recycling, diverts items, such as paper, glass, plastic, and metals. Materials such as these are collected, sorted, processed, manufactured, sold and are bought as new products by others. Common materials recycled are batteries, paper, and yard trimmings. Recycling prevents the emission of greenhouse gases and water pollutants, conserves energy, provides raw materials to the industry, creates jobs, sets off the development of green technologies, conserves our resources and reduces our need the have new landfills and combustors. This process helps reduce or even prevent in some cases the emission of greenhouse gases the affect our climate. In 2006, 82 million tons weren't disposed, they were recycled. (U.S. Environmental, Muncipal Solid Waste) __**Composting**__

Composting is a form of recycling. It is the controlled biological decomposition of organic matter, such as food and yard wastes, into a soil like material. Composting is the way nature recycles organic wastes into new soil, which can be used for gardens. Gardens it could be used in is vegetable and flower gardens, and landscaping.

__Combustion__

This process is another way the solid waste is reduced, so the space needed for landfills goes down. Facilities where this is performed is burned at a high temperature, reducing the waste volume and generating electricity. Burning waste does reduce the amounts of it, and also creates some energy. The greatest environmental concern is the air emissions from the combustion sites.

__Landfills__

They are engineered sites where waste is placed in the land. There are tow different types of landfills, they are landfilling and landraising. Landfilling is when a hole is created and filled with the waste. The amounts of these types of landfills have decreased over the years, but the holes are bigger. Landraising is when the waste is built up above ground. Landfills usually contain industrial waste, munciple waste, and construction debris. Landfills now have to follow laws that protect areas where it could effect it, from gases in rivers, streams or through the ground.

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