第十八章 固体废物管理与处置
Solid waste is generally made up of objects or particles that accumulate on the site where they are produced, as oppod to water- and airborne wastes that are carried away from the site of production.Solid wastes are typically categorized by the ctor of the economy responsible for producing them, such as mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and municipalities.
固体废物通常是指在废物产生的现场累积起来的物体或颗粒物。进入空气或水中的废物在产生现场就被带走，固体废物则与之不同。固体废物按其产生的经济部门分类，可分为采矿废物、农业废物、制造业废物和城市废物。
Wherever people exist, waste disposal is a problem.
无论人们身在何处，废物处置都是一个问题。
Esntially, five techniques are ud: (1) landfills, (2) incineration, (3) source reduction, (4) composting, and (5) recycling.
基本说来，主要使用以下5种技术：填埋、焚烧、源头减量、堆肥、回收。
Landfills have historically been the primary method of waste disposal becau this method is the cheapest and most convenient, and becau the threat of groundwater contamination was not initially recognized.
有史以来，由于垃圾填埋最便宜、最方便，起初也没有认识到对地下水污染的威胁。所以，这种方法是废物处置最主要的方法。
A modern municipal solid waste landfill is typically constructed above an impermeable clay layer that is lined with an impermeable membrane and includes mechanisms for dealing with liquid and gas materials generated by the contents of the landfill.
通常，现代化的城市固体废物填埋场建在非渗透性的粘土层上，上面衬有不透性的薄膜。填埋场不仅可以处置固体废物，而且可以处理在废物处置过程产生的液体及气体物质。
Today, about 55 percent of the municipal solid waste from the United States and about 80 percent of Canadian municipal solid waste goes into landfills. The number of landfills is d
eclining.
现今，美国约55%的城市固体废物，加拿大约80%的城市固体废物进入垃圾填埋场。垃圾填埋场的数量正在减少。
Japan and many Western European countries have already moved away from landfills as the primary method of waste disposal becau of land scarcities and related environmental concerns. Switzerland and Japan dispo of less than 15 percent of their waste in landfills, compared to 55 percent in the United States. Instead, recycling and incineration are the primary methods. In addition, the energy produced by incineration can be ud for electric generation or heating.
日本和许多西欧国家，因为土地缺乏和环境问题，已不再将填埋作为废物处置的主要方法。在美国，利用填埋处理的固体废物量为55%；与之相比，在瑞士和日本，填埋处理量小于15%。回收和焚烧成为其主要的处理方法。此外，焚烧过程中产生的能源可用于发电或供热。
Incineration is the process of burning refu in a controlled manner.
焚烧是指用一种可控制的方式燃烧垃圾的过程。
Incinerators drastically reduce the amount of municipal solid waste----- up to 90 percent by volume and 75 percent by weight.
焚烧可以极大的减少固体废物的量，体积减容高达90%以上，质量可减少75%。
Primary risks of incineration, however, involve air-quality problems and the toxicity and disposal of the ash.
然而，焚烧的主要风险包括空气污染问题、灰分的毒性及其处置。
Incineration is also more costly than landfills in most situations.
在大多数情况下，焚烧比填埋更昂贵。
Critics have argued that cities and towns have impeded waste reduction and recycling efforts by putting a priority on incinerators and committing resources to them.
批评家们认为，城市和城镇，由于优先使用焚烧，并投入大量的资源，阻碍了废物回收和源头减少的发展。
Composting is the process of allowing the natural process of decomposition to transform organic materials----anything from manure and corncobs to grass and soiled paper-----into compost, a humuslike material with many environmental benefits.
堆肥是指控制有机物自然分解转化的过程。在堆肥过程中，把任何来自粪肥、玉米穗轴、杂草、废纸等废物中的有机物，转变成类似腐殖质、对环境有益的肥料。
In addition to keeping wastes from entering a landfill, composting has other significant benefits. The addition of compost to soil will improve it by making clay soils more porous or increasing the water-holding capacity of sandy soils.
堆肥法，除了能阻止废物进入垃圾填埋场，还有其他重要益处。堆肥产物加入土壤，会使粘性土壤的孔隙增多、沙土的持水能力增强，从而改良土壤。
Source reduction is the practice of designing, manufacturing, purchasing, using, and reus
ing materials so that the amount of waste or its toxicity is reduced.
废物预防，也称源头减量，是指在设计、制造、购买或使用材料过程中，减少废物的产生量或降低其毒性。
Some benefits of recycling are resource conrvation, pollutant reduction, energy savings, job creation, and reduced need for landfills and incinerators. However, incentives are needed to encourage people to participate in recycling programs.
回收的一些好处包括：节约资源、减少污染、节约能源、创造就业机会以及减少对填埋场和焚烧设施的需求。然而，为了鼓励人们参与回收计划，需要一些激励机制。
Although recycling programs have successfully reduced the amount of material that needs to be trucked to a landfill or incinerated, there are many technical and economic problems associated with recycling.
尽管回收计划已经成功的减少了需要运送到填埋场或需要焚烧的固体废物的量，但仍存在一些与回收相关的问题。这些问题既有技术方面的，也有经济方面的。
Summary:
Municipal solid waste is managed by landfills, incineration, composting, waste reduction, and recycling. Landfills are the primary means of disposal.
城市固体废物可以通过填埋、焚烧、堆肥、废物减量以及回收等方法来进行处置。填埋是一种主要的处置方法。
