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Is a Maxmatic Unit Environmentally Friendly?
YES
As waste is safely flushed through your existing drainage system to a treatment works, there is a reduced reliance on refuse collection and associated fuel consumption. The addition of food waste to sewage aids the production of a valuable resource, currently the majority of this is recycled for forestry and other agricultural uses.
Although conventional waste disposers have been available in the UK for at least 40 years it is only recent environmental concerns that have started to encourage more general adoption. Concerns that adding foodwaste could overload wastewater treatment plants have proven to be unfounded in the many studies that have been conducted throughout the world.
In New York City, for example, waste disposers were banned for many years as it was thought their antiquated sewerage system would not cope with additional burden. However an extensive study was undertaken in the 80's to determine the net environmental effect of waste disposers resulting in a lifting of the ban and a $300 grant to encourage their use.
Documentary evidence in favour of waste disposers is now considerable. The CIWEM (Chartered Institution Of Water And Environmental Management), an independent professional body representing over 12,000 environmental managers....concluded in their evaluation that food waste disposers may have a useful place in the management of food waste - "they might well be a more convenient and environmentally superior alternative to separate storage and collection". In Italy a general ban on Waste Disposers was lifted recently in recognition of their waste management potential in large-scale landfill reduction strategies.
Landfill increases Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) which by starving oxygen can devastate local waterways and ecologies. Anaerobic Biological waste decomposition in landfill can produce Methane -a greenhouse gas that can also 20 times more damaging to the ozone layer than CFC's - and acid leachate that can contaminate the soil and groundwater (this is more damaging than raw domestic sewage).
Our government along with many others is committed to reduce landfill as set out in the EU Landfill Directive [1999/31/EC] adopted on 16 July 1999. The Directive aims to improve standards of land filling across Europe, through setting specific requirements for the design, operation and aftercare of landfills, and for the types of waste that can be accepted in landfills. The Directive is to be implemented over a period of years, impacting directly upon the industry this year.
Targets for Reducing Biodegradable Waste
The Directive sets out successive targets for reducing biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). BMW must be reduced to 75% of the 1995 baseline by 2010, 50% by 2013 and 35% by 2020.
Incinerators are planned to help meet the government's commitment to reduce landfill. Construction on green field sites will increase heavy traffic in local communities and it is unclear how the emissions will affect our health and the environment. Incineration leaves a residue of 25%-30% of the original mass, which may contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals, and which still has to be disposed of by landfill.
Composting at home cannot be attempted by everyone, proper management is required to avoid health hazards and similar problems associated with landfill. As it can only be used for true green material it leaves behind any 'animal based' or other food waste such as pasta and rice to be disposed of by one of the other methods.
Pig Swill and other methods of returning untreated waste to the food cycle have had devastating consequences in recent years. The outbreaks of Foot and Mouth, BSE and Swine Fever have been linked to untreated food waste being fed to animals.
With MAXMATIC you can make a further positive contribution to your environment.
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Not All Disposers Are The Same ! |
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