Abstract
Solid waste management is a critical civil service in all places where there are people, from a small city like Pittsfield to a massive Disney theme park. For my Capstone Project, my team designed a solid waste transfer station in Pittsfield, Massachusetts with Casella Waste Systems. The team pursued this research and design to provide a source of disposal capacity for the Pittsfield region. My STS Research Paper examines solid waste generation in theme park environments. I conducted this research in order to understand how theme parks, functioning as sociotechnical systems, encourage visitor consumption that results in the production of high volumes of solid waste that theme park infrastructure must manage. Both my Capstone Project and STS Research Paper explore solid waste generation and management. My technical research focuses on physical design, operations, and logistics and my STS Research taps into the underlying sociotechnical causes of waste generation and management challenges.
My Capstone team’s final design of the Pittsfield transfer station provides for sufficient disposal capacity of municipal solid waste (MSW), single-stream recycling, and select waste ban items and safe and accessible engagement for all who interact with the facility. The sizing of the MSW and recycling buildings allows for site adaptability and longevity upon future regional growth, seasonal fluctuations, emergency conditions, and reserve capacity. Traffic routes were designed to prioritize safe vehicle passage, especially since collection trucks, tractor-trailers, and passenger vehicles will all be on-site. A designated access point serves as the entry and exit for residential visitors only, minimizing the traffic route overlap between passenger vehicles and collection trucks and tractor-trailers. The team employed regulations research and Civil3D throughout the design process.
The site layout and operations were designed to prioritize residential users. The team’s design provides a convenient space for residents of Pittsfield and neighboring areas to safely drop off MSW, recyclables, and waste ban items (e.g., lead and lithium-ion batteries). Nuisance mitigation is achieved to protect the surrounding environment; baffles are hung in the main transfer station building (MSW building) to muffle loud noises and a misting system with a deodorizing agent is installed in the main transfer station building to neutralize odors. Information regarding the waste drop-off process, accepted materials, and pricing is communicated through a community brochure for residents. A Narrative of Requirements outlines minimum requirements for the site, including tipping floor specifications to handle waste loads and a multi-stage leachate management system that connects to the public sewer.
My STS Research Paper aims to provide an understanding of how high-volume solid waste generation occurs at big-name theme parks. These environments are known to cultivate a consumptive culture, and my research examines why this consumer behavior exists in these spaces. This sociotechnical issue is significant because the continued generation of solid waste, which is significant among theme park industry giants, leads to an unsustainable world in which cradle-to-grave management increases both greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on the processes that release them. I employed a literature review of secondary sources and sustainability reports and policies of theme park companies to conduct this research.
Consumption at theme parks occurs through various designs in which human sociological tendencies are leveraged by theme park components. Theme parks use spatial layout (e.g., funneling attraction riders into adjoining retail locations); visual, auditory, and olfactory stimuli; immersive environments; branded merchandise, highly-themed products, and limited-time items; and an experiential economy to encourage consumption. Theme park technologies are strengthened by sociological behavior – namely through visitors exhibiting social proof and the bandwagon effect – and human values, specifically sign value, meaningfulness, and hedonics. While theme park companies are working toward sustainability goals, most initiatives do not aggressively pursue source reduction. A deliberate shift from material goods to experiential goods is needed to maintain financial security while combatting waste generation.
