Waste Management NICOLE OBENI BIO-120 GENERAL BIOLOGY 06/6/2019 Waste management on the ecosystem  The interaction of living organisms ranging from plants, animals, and humans make up the ecosystem.  Changes in the ecosystem are experienced on a daily basis due to human activities (Salzman et al. 2001).  Waste management is a critical component to consider when it comes to conservational and protection of the ecosystem Cont. Methods  Conserving water at home by harvesting rain water and installing water efficient appliances  Cutting down on waste and packaged food. This can be done by:   Planning weakly meals  Creating composite pits  Reusing plastic bags Saving fuel use. This can be done by:  Ride-sharing Uber services  Using carpool Education  This impacts knowledge concerning human actions and decisions affect the ecosystem (Grumbine, 1994).  Education motivates the public on creating solutions for better ways to conserve an preserve the environment.  Enlightens on the sense of connection between the public and the ecosystem Solutions  Reducing the use of household and commercial chemicals  Recycling waste and reusing other resourceful materials  Reducing the carbon print. This can be achieved by:  Using energy efficient appliances  Washing  Taking  dishes by hand instead of a dishwasher shorter showers and baths Naturally growing household food in the garden Solutions cont. Ethical perspectives  This provides a moral ground for the practices meant to protect an conserve the natural resources (Reed et al. 1995).  Ethical perspective is human-centered on the intrinsic and instrumental value of natural resources.  The media holds a sensitive position of influence on the contents they distribute. This content may inspire the public to preserve the environment, or it may encourage them to destroy it (Grumbine, 1994). Positive-negative balance  The negative effects on the ecosystem are more felt than positive.  More initiatives and involvement need to be done to ensure a balance between the two.  The growth in industrialization, which is continuous cause the negative effects.  The enlightening of the global economies on the need to embrace waste management still is a work in progress.  For example, overpopulation in countries like India calls for heavy use of natural resources and other pollutant components such as diesel-powered cars (Salzman et al. 2001). Personal impact  Reusing materials to cut down waste  Conserving water  Shopping wisely  Learning and insisting on reusable bags on improved ways to make better choices  Using energy efficient electrical appliances Reference  Reed, S. C., Crites, R. W., & Middlebrooks, E. J. (1995). Natural systems for waste management and treatment (No. Ed. 2). McGraw-Hill, Inc..  Salzman, J., Thompson Jr, B. H., & Daily, G. C. (2001). Protecting ecosystem services: Science, economics, and law. Stan. Envtl. LJ, 20, 309.  Grumbine, R. E. (1994). What is ecosystem management?. Conservation biology, 8(1), 27-38. 4-3 Milestone Two: Biological Concepts Outline Waste Management BIO-120 General Biology Nicole Obeni 06/01/2019 1 WASTE MANAGEMENT 2 Waste management processes include organic decomposition, recycling, reduction, and reuse, fermentation, eutrophication, waste to energy, landfills, among other methods (What is Waste Management? n.d.).Waste management can be applied at the household level and national level. A. Level of organization There are different levels of waste decomposition, but I will major on organic decomposition. Organic decomposition is the process of dumping natural products to obtain the essential nutrients required for plant growth. The process needs optimum temperature, moisture, small size organic particles, air, and decomposing enzymes. The level aims at disposing of organic wastes. Organic decomposition has various effects on living things, and some of them are; positive turnover and growth of micro bacteria and parasites. Microbes, wherein the process do organic decomposition; they obtain essential nutrients that stimulate and facilitate their metabolic activities that foster their multiplication. Another effect is the success of plant growth and vegetation. The nutrients generated from the decomposition (nitrate, phosphate) are essential in photosynthesis process in plants thus enabling plants to create strong immunes hence increasing the rate of plant growth and vegetation (Haynes, 2014). B. Analysis of three biological processes that are essential to life and pertain organic decomposition ➢ Water holding capacity - The retention of water to the upper layers of soil is a biological process that is much important in the presence of human beings and plants. For water to be held at the water service, it needs chelates of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. WASTE MANAGEMENT 3 ➢ Formation of soil structure - soil aggregation and porosity is done by microbes, which are the principal engineers of soil structure which is important in root growth. ➢ Respiration - respiration process needs oxygen gas that needs to be generated through the various gaseous exchange processes. C. Formation of soil structure is facilitated by the microbes, which multiplies through the decomposition of organic waste since they obtain nutrients fastening their metabolic activities. Similarly, water retention is done through the formation of chelates, which are formed by minerals like magnesium, potassium, and sodium, which are extracted from the organic decomposition process. Finally, respiration is achieved through the generation of oxygen gas, which is formed through the help of nitrogen cycle stimulated from organic decomposition as a result of nitrate formation. D. Respiration is an essential biological process that is essential in the nutrition of living things. If respiration is effectively taking place, then the diet will be positively affected. If respiration fails, then the process of nutrition will fail in the same proportion. Respiration needs oxygen gas to break down food substrates to final nutrients which can be assimilated in bloodstreams for nutrition purposes. If therefore respiration, which is a result of organic decomposition fails, then nutrition will also fail significantly, which will affect human lives and the environment negatively for a long time (Rhyner et al, 2017). E. Respiration is essential is the health of human beings since it helps in purification of air atmosphere, thus ensuring that air pollution is minimized; otherwise, it would lead to airborne diseases, which will affect human health negatively. Some of the common airborne infections are tuberculosis, asthma, among others. If organic decomposition does not play a significant role which facilitates respiration, then there could be a lot of unhealthy problems. For instance, is the WASTE MANAGEMENT 4 scenario of city waste it is not decomposed it will cause a lot of air pollution hence irritating in times of breathing due to carbon monoxides emissions. WASTE MANAGEMENT 5 Reference Haynes, J., (2014). Nature of the Belowground Ecosystem and Its Development during Pedogenesis. Retrieved from science direct journals and books: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biologicalsciences/decomposition-of-organic-matter What is Waste Management? (n.d.). Retrieved from conserve energy for future: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/waste-management-and-waste-disposalmethods.php Rhyner, C. R., Schwartz, L. J., Wenger, R. B., & Kohrell, M. G. (2017). Waste management and resource recovery. CRC Press. Paper Outline Title: Waste Management Introduction This part entails a brief reflection on waste management and the significance of the topic. This part also contains the thesis of the research. Body This part analyzes the extent of aquatic waste disposal that has affected aquatic ecosystem. This part also entails a brief description of aquatic ecosystem and aquatic biomes that are affected by waste disposal. This part demonstrates the different species that benefit from proper waste management. Conclusion This part includes a brief analysis of the topic and its significance in promotion of sustainable livelihoods and aquatic life. Running Head: WASTE MANAGEMENT Waste Management University Affiliation Student’s Name Course 2 WASTE MANAGEMENT Waste Management The realization of negative environmental effects that have been caused by waste disposal has become a very sobering experience. I found this topic very interesting as waste management has enacted many individuals to think what to and how to handle the increased waste. Several organizations have come up with strategies to educate the public on proper waste disposal as a way of taking care of the natural environment (Ramachandra, 2015). This article looks into the importance of waste management, the relationship between waste management and the environment as well as analysis of the process of waste management within the ecosystem. Waste management includes the process of waste collection, transporting, processing, recycling and assessing of the waste materials. Waste management is important in the recovery of useful resources from the waste collected. Different waste substances are disposed of each day. They include; solid, liquid and gaseous materials. Waste collection and its management play a key role in the global cleanliness and sustainability drive, with people's health and the conservation of resources being a major responsibility of the government. Recycling as a process of managing waste enables saving of resources and prevents the accumulation of waste in the ecosystem ("Waste from processing aquatic animals and animal products - 3. Aquatic waste treatment and utilization," 2016). Waste management in the aquatic ecosystem requires sound understanding and proper study. The aquatic system should be studied effectively and acknowledge the socio-economic potential and political context. The approach taken must reflect the interest of the local communities, their livelihoods and the aquatic environment as a whole. Aquatic system management aims to ensure the sustained multifunctional utilization of the ecosystem. Aquatic biomes depend on several abiotic factors. The aquatic ecosystem has different physical and 3 WASTE MANAGEMENT chemical properties. The aquaculture industry has been focusing on environmental impact as a result of poor waste management (Ramachandra, 2015). It is important to reduce the amounts of waste released into the aquatic ecosystem. The Federal Clean Water Act requires the industries to meet the necessary standards before releasing their waste to the ecosystem. Solid and metabolic waste may dissolve or remain suspended in water bodies. Excess accumulation of this form of waste into the aquatic ecosystem may lead to the destruction of aquatic life. The solid waste reduces oxygen levels thus reducing the biodiversity of a stream. Metabolic waste can be as a result of dissolved waste that comes in the form of chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand. Ammonia, nitrate, nitrate and phosphorous dissolve in water. Fish excrete the contaminated water through the gills posing a lot of harm to the fish as well as people who feed on fish food. Aquatic waste management helps to remove solid waste from water bodies. A robot may collect solid waste to a predefined location. Sustainable aquatic waste management must consider the communities that depend on water for domestic and industrial use ("Effects of pollutants on the aquatic environment: View as a single page," 2019). The problem of aquatic waste management was approached in Norway, a decade ago. Norway is leading to ineffective aquatic management to reduce fish pathogens to cultured fish species. The impact of water pollution on aquatic ecosystems may lead to human illnesses. Proper waste management may help human beings reduce illnesses caused by contaminated water; hence they depend on clean water for domestic use and industrial purposes. Aquatic plants are also affected by increased waste disposal into water bodies. Proper waste management will thus benefit these plants as they will develop and support aquatic animals with food and oxygen ("Effects of pollutants on the aquatic environment: View as a single page," 2019). Pathogenic 4 WASTE MANAGEMENT bacteria are found naturally in water bodies. These pathogens are important for the natural cycle of nutrients. Waste management may be important to protect these bacteria as they are an important part of the aquatic ecosystem. Lastly, clean water is essential in the promotion of good health globally. Aquatic waste management thus will require collective intervention from all relevant stakeholders to reduce risk of contamination (Ramachandra, 2015). This article is essential in the creation of awareness and increases interest towards the methods for involvement in mitigation of environmental damages in the aquatic ecosystem. 5 WASTE MANAGEMENT References Effects of pollutants on the aquatic environment: View as a single page. (2019, May 13). Retrieved from https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=18241&printable=1 Ramachandra, T. V. (2015). Aquatic Ecosystems: Conservation, Restoration and Management. Retrieved from http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/water/paper/cons_res_mgmt/management.htm Waste from processing aquatic animals and animal products - 3. Aquatic waste treatment and utilization. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/x9199e/x9199e04.htm
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