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Do you know what happens to the things you throw away? Sustainable management of municipal and industrial waste is essential in any society, but is particularly crucial for a future in which we face diminishing resources and a growing population. This album considers the issues that are driving the waste management industry across the EU, looking in depth at processes of recycling, landfill, incineration, obtaining energy from waste, and composting. In the bonus audio tracks Professor Andrew Porteous of The Open University explains why the case studies were chosen, and Dr Suresh Nesaratnam gives an overview of the academic context in which waste management is studied. The material forms part of The Open University course T210 Environmental control and public health.
Track 5: The Science of Landfill
The 6,000 landfill sites across Britain take about 80% of our household waste. A visit to a former landfill site, now a golf course.
- Read a transcript of this track - you'll need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe's free Adobe Reader
- Download this track from iTunes - you'll need Apple's free iTunes software
- Discover more from The Open University and iTunesU at open.edu/itunes
Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Using and managing waste | A brief introduction to this album Play now Using and managing waste |
| 2 | Waste Minimisation | Cutting down the amount of waste we create per household is our biggest challenge. Play now Waste Minimisation |
| 3 | Waste Re-use | How your recycling gets separated and processed. When to re-use packaging, opt for composting, or incinerate waste to produce energy. Play now Waste Re-use |
| 4 | Waste Incineration | Harnessing the power of your rubbish. The steam from incinerators fuel turbines that generate electricity. Play now Waste Incineration |
| 5 | The Science of Landfill | The 6,000 landfill sites across Britain take about 80% of our household waste. A visit to a former landfill site, now a golf course. Play now The Science of Landfill |
| 6 | Landfill Site Selection | Stage by stage in the design of a landfill site. Finding the right geology and hydro geology and assessing the pollution risk. Play now Landfill Site Selection |
| 7 | Landfill Construction | Planning the infrastructure, the delivery of waste, the drainage of the site, and the monitoring facilities. Play now Landfill Construction |
| 8 | Landfill Operation | At landfill site Judkins in Nuneaton they conduct daily checks , dispose of accumulated leachates and make use of the gas and water collected. Play now Landfill Operation |
| 9 | Landfill Closure | How the site is safely sealed, monitored and redeveloped. How Grunden Waste redeveloped a site into a golf course. Play now Landfill Closure |
| 10 | Landfill – the Future | The EU landfill directive is enforcing major change - reducing the volume of waste going to landfill and developing more incineration sites. Play now Landfill – the Future |
| 11 | Waste Collection | Analyse what you throw away. The different methods local authorities use to collect and sort your rubbish. Play now Waste Collection |
| 12 | Energy From Waste | How incineration generates electricity and hazardous waste is treated at landfill sites. Play now Energy From Waste |
| 13 | Composting | The different types of green waste, how they are processed and who uses the compost created. Play now Composting |
| 14 | Exploring issues | Professor Andrew Porteous gives his views on waste management in today’s society. Play now Exploring issues |
| 15 | Studying environmental control and waste management | Dr Suresh Nesaratnam discusses the course T210 Environmental Control and Public Health. Play now Studying environmental control and waste management |
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