The topic that I have selected to research was “waste management.” This topic was used by Professor Isabel Duque. I selected this topic for the main reason being that there are different types of wastes that fall into this category, so there were a number of options that I could choose from. To get a better understanding of what the topic is about, I can define, list the causes of waste management, who/how does it affect the environment that I am living in, and find any possible outlooks or solutions for it.

This first article introduces new recycling programs that are being built here in South Florida. Recycling is quite hard to maintain without proper resources to put waste in. To solve this problem, South Florida is doing a partnership with Waste Management, Inc (WMI), to start the first and one of the largest single stream recycling programs. This facility contains advanced technology to mark sorting out and recycling much more convenient, not only in the facility, but also in communities for it to be more manageable.

My next article discusses one of the ways in dealing with waste. There are facilities being created for this reason, to recycle and manage the waste that is accumulating in South Florida. A waste-management facility called the Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM), directed by Michael Fernandez, not only collect waste, but manage the disposal of waste and converts it into electrical energy.

My third and final article answers the revolving question: where does the number of waste go thrown away by Floridians? The problem with the accumulation of waste is that it is not thoroughly supervised to where it would wind up. Most residents would think that if it is out of side then it is out of mind and not think anything of it. There are a number of ways we can deal with the available resources for waste and recyclables.

Completing CAS1 was definitely a learning experience for me. I have gotten to know a lot more about how plastic waste and how it is affecting the environment, while getting intel on who and where it is affecting. I do not remember key details when completing this activity, only remembering some information that I have viewed. What I do remember is what the United States do with the excess waste. To sum it up, the United States has been sending plastic waste to China, polluting their country. China got sick of all the waste and issued a Waste Bann. Having no where else to dump the waste, they disposed plastic waste into low class, third world countries. I thought that was a trifling act to do, as these countries did not think of how it will affect the people who live in those areas. I know they could have done something better and more effective to recycle and sustain the growing number of wastes.

Doing SP3 was also an educational experience. By completing the activity, I managed provide 3 summaries from articles that relate to my following concept, “How Does the South of Florida Handle their Waste?” Mentioned in those summaries are explaining what different communities in South Florida are doing to maintain what waste is left in the environment. When I first started researching about South Florida’s waste control, I did not seem like they were doing much. However, I see that South Floridians are actually trying to build facilities for waste to go in. the percentage of waste in Florida is high, but it is slowly going down as the numbers rise in recycling.

Completing CAS1 has given me a new view on the topic of plastic waste. It was never new to me of how plastic in water or in any other environment was dangerous. One of which is that it is more deadly that I had given it credit for. Not only does plastic particles that, when ingested by sea creatures, can cause health problems within the animal and even death, humans consume some of those creatures that have digested plastic, which will then lead them to develop health problems as well. The accumulation of plastic waste in regions of Southeast Asia is only getting worse, even though there are facilities that are trying their best to get a grip of this situation, it is still not enough to make an imapct. This is a big eye opener that plastic waste is a serious problem that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. Keeping these health issues at hand, I try to be more cautious of where and how I dispose of waste.

As the anchorman addresses the crisis of plastic formation continuing to accumulate in the environment, this short documentary gives information about how much plastic is affecting our lives and making a turn for the worst if people don't start making so drastic changes. It's no secret that there is an abundance of plastic not only in the ocean, but are now forming on land, with beaches being polluted with washed up plastic from the ocean. Approximately 14% of plastic is getting recycled, with a mere 2% of the plastic being recycled successfully. With another 14% of plastic being incinerated, or burned, will only cause health problems as plastic releases harmful toxins when burned.

There are companies that are trying to recycle all the unwanted plastic. There is still conflict on what to do with the recyclable things that companies claim are "recyclable," as people think that the scraps of plastic will be gone, out of sight out of mind. This type of thinking is putting more work and pressure on individuals who are doing their best to maintain healthy level of recycling. It's an overall eye-opener that the United States cannot deal with so much scrap plastic, that they ship it over to China, so it can be there problem now. This only creates bigger problems. China basically was like "You know what, we're tired of dealing with this mess. We're done here." Soon, they created a waste ban to prevent any plastic from further polluting their environment. Plastic then starts to accumulate in different areas of Southeast Asia. 

Work Cited

Edited by Nils, Malte, et al. Reinecke, Rohwer-Kahlmann, et al., The Truth about Carbon Neutral Fuels, YouTube, 1 Apr. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDyh-H7AAcg.