THE PROCESSING AND
RECOVERY OF
|ON THOMAS- COOL CAT!
WB
vvi
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As we produce more toys, books, cars, food, and other things to
enjoy, the problem of what to do with the things we no longer
need and want gets bigger and bigger. Our story tells about
some of the new ways we are finding to handle this solid waste.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
1972
An environmental protection publication
in the solid waste management series.
For sale by tha Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402- Price M cents Stock Number 55O2-0084
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I
THE PROCESSING AND RECOVERY OF
JON THOMAS- COOL CAT!
This publication (SW-4t|) was written by Troy Marceleno for the Federal solid waste management programs and other cats who seek treasure in garbage.
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.....mid uiiiiiilHIIIllilll
With grateful appreciation to Michelle
Laura
David
Kathy
Arthur
These cats—They know some words!
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Jon Thomas is no ordinary alley cat.
!1e is well bred, intelligent,
-M-O-O-T-H. His heroics are
praised all over tow
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But J.T. likes to investigate the
\ contents of old-fashioned garbage cans*
\ —a habit that almost costs
him one of his nine lives.
*modern cans are now animal-proof.
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We want to encourage everyone to
But, hold on’
reuse materials.
Not that WaY(
J
T
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While making one of his daily rounds, J.T. is
caught off guard by a BARREL SNATCHER
— a new type of truck that empties garbage
cans without the driver leaving his seat.
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New developments like th
reduce collection costs at!
workmen. At the present
billion dollars are spent oij
problems in this country
$3.8 billion goes into cd
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*Operation Responsible—a federally sponsored safety program for
collectors will also help to reduce these injuries, presently 10
times greater than for industry as a whole.
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Snatcher and, like the other solid
waste, is about to be...
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What a dip! Before J.T. can holler
“MEOW,” he is caught by the Barrel
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•4 Processed!
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ARM
1/Af/J/141—PWEUMATh
A WZ7 /47/V
//AYL 7Z741/N55
V/FT PULPER
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First he goes through a TRANSFER STATION,
where waste is put
into larger trucks (or into containers for
shipment on trains) and then taken to a
disposal site.
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J.T. barely escapes recycling.
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Ut, to his amazement, j.T.
s now faced with a series of
ioiume reduction processes that
nake solid waste A
into manageable forms
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Fortunately he does miss being shredded in a
er (like the common kitchen garbage disposal
much larger).
grind-.
but
Some of these giant grinders can reduce oversized
solid waste, like old T.V. sets and cars, into small
chunks. Grinders are now reducing about 7 million cars
each year into scrap that can be used over again.
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He also barely escapes INCINERATION.
Here the waste that accompanies J.T. is
burned and reduced so that instead of
filling a garbage can as before, it can now
easily fit into a couple of shoe boxes.
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But the Cool Cat isn’t interested in having
that happen to him. The very thought of
becoming ashes burns him up!
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Luckily, J.T. had avoided being
shredded and burned. But he was BALED!
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When compacted into a bale,
solid waste is easier to handle
and more can be carried in
each load.
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Squeezed in his bale, J.T. was on his
way to a nearby SANITARY LANDFILL.
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Unless he escapes, J.T. can
bet that he and his bundle
will become part of a disposal
ancestors who taught us to
cover waste with dirt.
4 ,
method started byour
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The sanitary landfill today is the only
system for the final disposal of solid waste
on land thatwill not pollute the
environment. This is made possible by
applying science and engineering principles
to its design and operation.
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Normally the waste,if not already baled,
is compacted on a slope into a series of
cells and covered daily with earth
When filled, the site is covered with at
of earth and converted into a park,a
playground,or maybe into a parking lot.
least 2 feet
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It looKs as t o g
Jofl 11 omas
will be BURIED ALIVE!!!
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though t se erned his destiny
be disposed of, the re are
other tki n, that happen
to oUd Wastes that areI flot
so F1NAL ‘At the r ew -
DISt4 Y WORLV, for instanc&,
Solkt wastes are moved around
in pneumatic_tubes.
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1 ven Swimmtn in a Wet pulr e r
is not So bad
as be n buried
In
a wet pulper,
(nto MtIAL 5 ,
These mater a s c3n then be
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—
alive.
solid waste
00
is separated
re,used.
GLASS, PAPER 1 B R.
1
4
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And f there 1 was flo Way
\ out of ths mess
he’d rather be among the sol(d Wastes
used to rnaKe 5team or etectric ty
in 8 neW Kind of incinerator.
‘tMW iNE! That weiI-tred, intelli9ent, Coo( cat
used to drive, turbines t ’ produce
EL ICTZ/Cir VP
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But Jon Thomas wasn’t zapped. He wasn’t
I dunked. He wasn’t swallowed whole. 7
Jon Thomas was about to be buried alive /
\ very much alive in a sanitary landfill. /
That cool cat is well on his way to becoming /
a beautiful park when suddenly
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Instead
of being placed into
position as is usually done,
the bales are accidentally
dropped and crack open.
J.T. is free!
—
c.
a
/
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Jon Thomas, like solid waste, is down
but not out! Fortunately for
landfill operators
soft-hearted.
are hard- 1
V
him,some sanitary
hatted but
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Jon Thomas had a narrow escape—
but then he did have nine lives.
So, too, will solid waste
when we put modern methods to work for us.
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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
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