What is the Kyoto Protocol? August 9, 2016 In the early 1990s, members of the United Nations agreed that global warming was an issue that needed to be addressed. On May 9, 1992, members agreed on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but it’s loose and vague goals made world governments find it not to be satisfactory. Talks for a more binding agreement started during the first climate change conference in Berlin Germany in 1995. Two and a half years later, a new…

What is In-vessel Composting? August 9, 2016 In-vessel Composting is a practice in disposing of organic refuse in large batches. Unlike conventional composting or methods like windrows, in-vessels take up less land, process organics faster, and can handle a much wider array of organics. Because of their versatility, this form of composting has become popular among large food processing plants. In a specially designed container that can vary in size from small vessels to silos, an extensive variety of organics is stored for decomposition. During…

What are Injection Wells? August 9, 2016 Injection wells first became widespread during the 1930s, where they were used to store brine that was created during oil production. In the 1950s, chemical companies began to use these wells to store hazardous industrial refuse. While injection wells have been used to dispose of pollutants in the Earth, they have also been used to store carbon dioxide, preventing more of this greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere. Injection wells are used for the underground storage of fluids…

What is Incineration? August 9, 2016 Incineration serves in waste management as a way to treat waste through controlled burning. This treatment is often used in the production of electricity as it reduces the mass of waste up to 96 percent. It is popular among smaller countries like Japan, whose scarcity of land make incineration a convenient way to dispose of waste. While incineration is a popular way to dispose of waste, the use of combustion also burns refuse items that could have been recycled…