Page 28 - Aruba Today

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SCIENCETuesday 22 September 2015

Study: U.S. puts twice as much trash in landfills than thought

SETH BORENSTEIN In this Dec. 6, 2012 file photo, trash is compacted at the landfill in Moretown, Vt. Americans Three outside experts said
AP Science Writer they trust the Yale numbers
WASHINGTON (AP) — are sending more than twice as much trash to landfills than the federal government estimates, more than the EPA’s. How-
Americans are sending ever, Thomas Kinnaman, a
more than twice as much according to a new study. Associated Press Bucknell University profes-
trash to landfills as the fed- sor who studies the eco-
eral government has es- 1,200 landfills and calcu- lion metric tons (135 million Jon Powell at Yale’s Center nomics of solid waste and
timated, according to a lated amounts, predomi- tons). for Industrial Ecology said recycling, added the find-
new study. nantly based on weights. The Yale team calculated the amount is different be- ings don’t matter much,
It turns out that on aver- They figured it was 263 mil- that in 2013, waste sent cause of the way his team because landfills have
age Americans toss 2.3 lion metric tons (289 million to landfills rose to 268 mil- calculated it: Adding up plenty of room to expand.
kilograms (five pounds) of tons) in 2012, according to lion metric tons (294 million actual measurements in- Powell found that for every
trash per person per day a study published Monday tons). With 316 million peo- stead of estimates based year’s worth of trash filled
into its landfills, according in the journal Nature Cli- ple, that comes to 849 kilo- on what businesses told on average in the United
to an analysis of figures mate Change. For the grams (1,871 pounds) per government indirectly. The States, landfills add 2.7
from the same study, which same year, EPA estimated person in that year, the last EPA partially funded the years’ worth of capacity.
is based on actual landfill the figure to be 123 mil- for which there are figures. study. If Powell’s data is correct,
measurements instead of Americans aren’t recycling
government estimates. as much as authorities
For years, the U.S. Environ- thought. EPA estimated
mental Protection Agency that Americans recycled
relied on estimates to de- 34.5 percent of their waste
termine how much trash in 2012, but if the amount
was being sent to landfills. of trash matches Powell
But in 2010, the agency calculation, the recycling
required most municipal rate would be 21.4 per-
landfills to measure and re- cent. But the data may not
port how much trash was match up well, Powell cau-
heading into the dumps, tioned. Americans don’t
as part of an effort to lower seem to generate more
heat-trapping methane trash than other cultures,
emissions. Researchers at Bucknell’s Kinnaman said.
Yale University looked at And not all of the waste is
the records for more than from homes.q

Investigation opens in deaths
of 25 walrus on Alaska beach

In this July 17, 2012, file photo, adult female walruses rest on northeast of the Bering answer questions about it,” tic sea ice hit its summer
Strait. Initial reports indicat- she said. minimum this month 1.7
an ice flow with young walruses in the Eastern Chukchi Sea, ed the walrus — 12 pups The dead walrus were re- million square (4.4 million
and 13 adults — had been ported by a person con- square kilometer) miles,
Alaska. Associated Press shot. However, the agency nected to an Air Force down 240,000 square miles
would not speculate on radar station at Cape Lis- (621,600 million square kilo-
DAN JOLING northwest Alaska beach. the causes of death and burne. Some walrus were meters) from 2014, accord-
Associated Press The U.S. Fish and Wildlife sent two officers from its missing heads and tusks. ing to the National Snow
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Service on Wednesday re- law enforcement division Walrus ivory is prized for and Ice Data Center. It’s
to investigate. jewelry and crafts. Skulls the fourth-lowest level on
— Federal prosecutors ceived a report and pho- The officers have not re- with tusks attached are record for minimum sum-
have opened a criminal in- tos of the dead animals turned, said USFWS spokes- collectors’ items. mer sea ice. Walrus breed
vestigation into the deaths found near Cape Lisburne woman Crystal Leonetti Only Alaska Natives who in the Bering Sea. Many
on Monday. She said she live in the state may hunt walrus found in the Chuk-
of 25 Pacific walrus found on the Chukchi Sea about could not reveal details of walrus. Walrus killed solely chi Sea north of the Ber-
last week on an isolated 230 miles (370 kilometers) what they found. Addition- for ivory with the meat ing Strait are females with
al information will only be wasted is illegal. pups that use ice as a plat-
released by the U.S. Attor- The fate of walrus has be- form from which to dive
ney’s office. come a cause for concern and rest. As ice melts, wal-
“We’ve opened an investi- as climate warming dimin- rus move north over new
gation and can no longer ishes summer sea ice. Arc- feeding areas.q