Litter blow

The Flemish painter David Ryckaert s portrait of an alchemist (Figure i6) combines the untidy desk littered with vanitas symbols, the vase (here containing not urine, but the coming-to-form of a homunculus), and the wife. Like Madame de Lavoisier, the wife peers over the shoulder of her seated husband. In Ryckaert s work, the alchemist wears an expression of horror. The glass contains a little man, or perhaps the devil. The wife raises her hand in dismay. Meanwhile, in the corner, a child blows a pig s bladder, a common symbol of futility. 

Self-encapsulation means the refuse becomes encased in a hard skin or shell which is developed by the refuse itself. Self encapsulation offers the benefit of reduced water absorption and therefore lower biological activity which impedes the development of noxious odors and leachate. Self-encapsulation eliminates the problem of blowing litter and makes the waste less attractive to scavengers. Encapsulated refuse also lends itself well to mechanized handling. 

Garbage can be defined as the discarded solid-waste products of household or industry which are collected and disposed of in some central facility such as a dump, landfill, or incinerator. Litter, on the other hand, may be defined as a synthetic object in a place where it should not be. For example, a fallen tree in the forest is not litter, but a discarded wooden box made from the same material in the same place is. Paper in a rubbish bin is not litter. The same piece of paper blowing along the side of a road definitely is. Surveys of litter show that by far the greatest proportion consists of containers or packages of various kinds used for food, beverages or tobacco. 

A major concern of civic organizations and local governments has been the disposal of plastic containers. Bleach bottles and other blow-molded containers from polyolefins are lighter than water and litter the shores of our lakes and streams. What are some ways in which the problem might be attacked ... 

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