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Litter No More: Top Strategies to Combat Illegal Dumping in Florida

Awareness campaign, “polluter pays” scheme, development of recycling channels… There is no shortage of actions aimed at limiting fly-tipping in Florida, and yet illegal dumping is still estimated at 1 million tons each year. How can we contain this scourge that continues to pollute the soil, air and water of Florida?

Fly-tipping: everyone is responsible

Fly-tipping is material that is abandoned illegally, outside the channels provided for this purpose. The perpetrators can be individuals or companies. A citizen who throws away a piece of paper or a cigarette butt commits an offence. A construction company that dumps paint or solvents that are dangerous to health and the ecosystem is guilty of an offence as well.

The local municipality may also be held liable. This will be the case if it is deemed that there has been a failure or inaction on the part of the mayor to preserve the cleanliness of public spaces. Fault may be recognized in particular in the event of pollution or fire due to these rubbish dumps.

An environmental scourge that affects the quality of life in Florida

Local authorities pay a high price for these fly-tipping waste dumps. The cost is environmental, economic and aesthetic.

The environmental cost is that of the direct pollution of soil and water and, by extension, of everything that the earth produces (vegetable gardens, market gardening, etc.). In the long term, the most harmful waste, such as that produced by industrial activities, ends up affecting an entire ecosystem. This is why the Environmental Code qualifies fly-tipping as an offense, punishable by two years of imprisonment.

The throwing of garbage by individuals in an urban environment is punishable by the Penal Code, which provides for a fine for fly-tipping corresponding to violations. These incivilities include, for example, bags and boxes of takeaway meals left on the side of the road. One NGO recorded some 8,000 tons of rubbish along the roads in 2023, particularly at tourist sites. Although less toxic in principle, this waste is nonetheless dangerous and complex to treat.

Without appropriate treatment, the community is not only exposed to sanctions, but it also runs the risk of seeing its image deteriorate and the situation worsen. There is a direct link between the perception of a city like Saint Petersburg and its waste management quality. However, when a pile of household waste appears, it can quickly become an illegal public dump.

Reminder on waste management and public dumps

Waste management includes a whole series of actions ranging from sorting at source to disposal or recovery.

Household waste treatment chains thus begin at the “holder”, with the separation of biowaste, glass, cardboard/plastic, etc. The user normally finds a collection area equipped with the traditional yellow and green containers at their disposal.

Professional actors like junk disposal companies also follow specific channels, with a treatment chain that begins on the site of activities, construction/deconstruction. Some waste linked to economic activities can join the household waste channels. Others must be the subject of a request for specific bins or be deposited in the public landfill areas provided for this purpose.

Note that an illegal public landfill is not necessarily wild. Some are managed by companies or individuals using dumpster rentals, but without authorization issued by the government.

Why is it still stuck in 2024

The rules and the different waste management routes are clearly defined. The illegal nature of fly-tipping and the resulting penalties are well-known (from fines for fly-tipping to imprisonment). However, organizations and local stakeholders continue to warn of the worrying increase in the number of fly-tipping incidents in recent years. How can this be explained?

For professionals, fly-tipping is an illegal practice that saves time and money. Among the biggest contributors are construction companies that produce tens of millions of tons of waste each year, some of which is abandoned in nature.

Hence the interest in the new system set up by the law on the fight against waste and the solidarity economy. These measures make the producer responsible for managing the product at the end of its life cycle and provide for the free collection of certain sorted waste from construction sites at the recycling center.

For individuals, it is also a question of time and ease. Bulky items (mattresses, large household appliances, etc.) are simply left at the bottom of buildings and hinder the movement of users. Waste deposited next to full bins can also clutter public roads and become accident-prone. Here, the solution involves awareness-raising, information and the provision of suitable solutions for sorting, bringing and collecting waste.

How can we reduce fly-tipping in urban areas

In cities, fly-tipping is mainly the result of voluntary actions by citizens who want to quickly and easily get rid of an item they no longer need. The most visible are bulky items and similar rubbish dumps near bins and other collection points. Finally, there is all the throwing of rubbish on public or private roads.

Ensuring that users can find regular and suitable collection points in public spaces helps to combat the abandonment of waste. According to an expert in street furniture, well aware of these issues encountered by communities, to address them, the urban planning specialist offers concrete city bins that are resistant and inert for the environment, as well as elegant public ashtrays that are easy to maintain and fireproof.

To better supervise waste collection points at the bottom of collective residential buildings, they also offer functional and aesthetic container shelters. The aim is to offer users a quality space with smooth and efficient use that can encourage good daily actions. The design of the solution and its integration into the installation environment also counts. This is why Florida favors modern lines and modular designs that can be adapted and customized according to needs.

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A New Report From The American Lung Association Claims That Changing Climate Will Make It More Difficult To Safeguard Health

This year’s report card on air quality by American Lung Association indicated that more U.S. cities and much more people were affected by bad air than in the previous year. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were found to be among the worst polluted cities nationwide, according to the report.

In its 2020 Health of a Air report, the American Lung Association claims that global warming is making it more difficult to ensure good health from air pollution.

A single pollution incident cannot be predicted by looking at climate change, according to Kevin Stewart, head of environmental health, advocacy, and public policy at the Lung Association.

More often than not, it’s been claimed, climate change is likened to a game of chance where the chances of anything bad happening increase.

There has been an increase in the frequency of days with high levels of ozone pollution and widespread wildfires, according to the research.

Data from the Environmental Agency (EPA) from 2016 to 2018 was analysed in the report, as were spikes and the year averages of particle pollution (also known as soot).

This article covers three years that are among the 5 hottest ever.

According to James Fabisiak, an professor of occupational and environmental health at University of Pittsburgh, this report stuck out to him because ozone levels had been decreasing in previous studies.

There is no one source of ozone, and greater temperatures exacerbate it.

It’s thus a good bet that climate change is to blame for that particular shift in the weather patterns, he said.

Allen Robinson, a professor in engineering & public policy from Carnegie Mellon University, has warned that climate change may reduce the effectiveness of air pollution controls.

We are cutting emissions from autos or anthropogenic sources, but if those reductions were offset by all of these wildfire emissions, then air quality may well not improve,” he warned. Many of these kinds of trade-offs seem to be taking place in climate policy, which is disheartening.

Although air quality in the state’s two largest cities, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, has improved, the assessment says that the quality of the air in both cities remains poor.

Philadelphia and its surrounding areas, including Reading , Camden, N.J., were the 23rd most polluted with in country this year, despite having fewer days containing high levels in ozone than in the previous study. Additionally, its year-round fine particle pollution levels rose from 18th to 12th worst in 2020 report, compared to last year’s rankings.

One of only 14 districts in the country, Allegheny County, is home to Pittsburgh.

Short-term particle pollution was particularly bad in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, which straddles Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Although the region’s average year-round fine particle pollution concentration was at its greatest ever level and fewer days of dangerous spikes were seen, this remains the case.

Not all changes over time are reflected in the rankings. In Pittsburgh, Robinson has spent the past two decades analysing the city’s air pollution levels.

Even at low levels, we’ve found there are health implications,” he said. “There’s been significant progress.” It’s still unhealthy in that setting, although the air is far cleaner than it was ten or twenty years ago, much alone four decades ago.

According to the Lung Association, even healthy people are at risk from ozone pollution, but those with lung illnesses like asthma or COPD are particularly vulnerable.

It is possible for particulate pollution to penetrate the lungs and enter the circulation. Asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer can all be brought on by secondhand smoke, according to Stewart of the Lung Association.

In the 2020 report, air quality in central Pennsylvania counties improved across the board.

Two years in a row Harrisburg- York-Lebanon metro area has achieved its best ever results in all three metrics. Particulate pollution in the area has decreased from the 24th worst last year to the 41st worst this year according to the latest study.

An A grade for York County in the metro area’s first-ever fine particle pollution assessment means that the county is now ranked as one of the nation’s cleanest for that pollutant.

A decrease in the year particle pollution levels in Lancaster County’s metro area was enough to remove it off the top-25 most polluted metro areas.

Southwestern Pennsylvania’s three counties of Lackawant any, Luzerne, and Northampton saw their greatest performance in any of the three criteria to date.

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In The United States, Pennsylvania Has The Highest Rate Of Premature Deaths Per Capita Due To Air Pollution Of Any State

According to a recent study, Pennsylvania ranks first in the nation in terms of premature deaths due by polluted air per capita.

The study, which was published on February 12 by researchers just at Georgia Institute of Technology, revealed that air pollution was responsible for more than 4,800 premature deaths in Pennsylvania in 2018. California has the highest number of deaths in the country, with 13,110, following by New York, with 6,332. Pennsylvania ranked third in terms of the number of premature deaths due to air pollution, and it had the highest percentage of premature deaths each capita in the country.

After receiving a F rating of the American Air Association previous summer, these findings are in line with the region surrounding Pittsburgh. Considering that a substantial chunk of Pennsylvania’s economy is based on energy generation, including the production of natural gas, coal, as well as oil, industrial facilities such as the Clarion Coke Works as well as coal-fired power stations have been making a contribution to poor air quality — with fatal consequences in some cases.

The MIT study demonstrated how pollution may travel long distances from its source, creating health problems hundreds of kilometers away from its source. Pennsylvania has a high number of deaths among its own citizens, but it also has a high number of premature deaths outside the state’s borders caused by pollutants which originated in Pennsylvania. As a result, Pennsylvania is one of the most important contributions to unhealthy air there in entire Northeast, with even more than 3000 premature deaths outside the state’s borders caused by toxins that originated in Pennsylvania. Visit here to learn Sanitary Landfill

According to the report, Pennsylvania’s air pollution is responsible to 306 deaths in Maryland, 715 deaths in New Jersey, and 657 deaths in New York due to respiratory illnesses. An estimate 2,724 of Pennsylvania’s and over 4,800 deaths were attributed to air pollution caused by the state’s industrial activity.

According to the study’s abstract, emissions by electricity generation have the biggest cross-state impact, whereas emissions from business and residential buildings have the smallest influence. But there have been decreases in electric power generation since 2005, “cross-state premature mortality related with the corporate world were twice that linked with power generation,” according to the study.

According to data from the United States Energy Information Administration from October 2019, natural gas and nuclear power are the primary sources of electricity generation in Pennsylvania. Natural-gas power plants generate 48.2 percent of the state’s electricity, with nuclear power accounting for 33.8 percent of total electricity generation. The majority of electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, with only 1.4 percent coming from hydroelectric power plants and only 2.8 percent coming from renewable sources such as wind, solar, or biomass.

According to the EPA, in 2005, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions were the most common causes of cross-state premature deaths. By 2018, main PM2.5 emission levels — atmospheric particulates (PM) with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometres, such as dust, soot, or ash — were “associated with three times the number of cross-state premature deaths associated with sulphur dioxide emissions,” according to the EPA.

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Health Impacts Of Air Pollution

More than 6 million people die prematurely each year from heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and respiratory diseases as a result of air pollution, making it the most significant environmental risk factor for early death. More people have died from AIDS, TB, and malaria than have died from all of them.

Minorities and low-income populations, as well as children and the elderly, persons with pre existing ailments, and those who are sick, are especially at risk from the negative health effects and economic consequences of air pollution exposure, such as lost workdays.

Emphysema is more common in people who have long-term exposure to certain contaminants than those who smoke one pack of cigarettes every day. Recent research also shows that air pollution has an effect on people’s emotional well-being, productivity at work, and even the stock market.

It’s critical to gain a clearer picture of this lurking danger if we hope to devise effective countermeasures. The term “air pollution” refers to a mixture of tiny particles, like the ones below.

Particles In The Environment

Dust, soot, and liquid droplets make up particulate matter (PM), which is a term used to describe these microscopic airborne particles. Most of the particulate matter found in cities comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, whether in power plants, cars, non-road machinery, or industrial operations. Dust, diesel emissions, and secondary particle production from gasses and vapors are some of the other forms of pollution.

Rough particle matter has been linked to health concerns in the nasal and upper nasal passages. Asthma, heart attacks, strokes, and bronchitis can all be caused by fine particles that penetrate deep in the lungs and cause early mortality from heart illnesses, lung disease, and cancer. Children that are exposed to high levels of PM2.5 have been shown to have a reduced ability to learn.

Carbon-black ash Particulate matter contains black carbon, a byproduct of burning fuel. PM2.5 is the most commonly targeted particulate matter in air pollution legislation, however black carbon inhalation also poses a major health risk. People who have been exposed to black carbon for a long period of time are more likely to suffer heart attacks or strokes. Asthma, chronic obstructive lung illness, bronchitis, and a number of cancers have been linked to black carbon in addition.

Oxides Of Nitrogen

The transportation industry is the primary source of NO and NO2 emissions. Sunlight converts NO to NO2 very quickly. Asthma and bronchitis can develop or worsen as a result of breathing in high amounts of NOx, which can also raise one’s risk of heart attack.

Ozone

A layer of ozone that reaches the stratosphere can shield us from harmful UV rays. It is widely documented that ozone at floor level (because it is half of the so-called “smog”) is an irritating agent for the lungs and respiratory system. Because of fossil fuel combustion, volatiles and nitrous oxide, both of which produce ozone in the atmosphere, are generated. Toxic effects of short and long-term exposure to ozone include chest pain and coughing; chronic bronchitis can result from long-term exposure. As a result, ozone exposure might worsen existing lung conditions.

Oxygenated Sulfur

When sulfur-containing fossil fuels are burned, sulfur dioxide (SO2) is released into the atmosphere. Furnaces with sulfur are used in many industrial processes, including coal mining and smelting, ship propulsion, and heavy machinery. Asthma and respiratory infections are exacerbated, and the cardiovascular system is affected by sulfur dioxide. Acid rain, a well-documented cause of deforestation, is primarily composed of sulfuric acid, which is formed when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and water interact.

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