Green Glossary – P - 1-800-Recycling

Green Glossary – P

Pandemic: The World Health Organization classifies a communicable disease as a pandemic if it reaches levels of widespread human infection.
Paper Log Makers: A household gadget that lets consumers turn trash paper into burnable bricks that can be used for fireplaces or wooden stoves.
Paper Pollution: Pulp mills waste and discarded paper that contribute to land, air and water pollution. Prior to recycling, waste paper accounts for an average 35 percent in weight of municipal solid waste dumped in landfills in Canada and the US.
Parasite: A plant or animal that lives on another living organism or host. A parasite gets nourishment from its host without giving it any benefit in return.
Partial Zero Emission Vehicles or PZEVs: Cars that run on conventional gasoline fuel but produce significantly lower carbon emissions when used. These gas-powered cars use a certain type of engine and run on low-sulfur gasoline.
Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas or PSSAs: A PSSA is an area that needs special protection through action by the International Maritime Organization because of its significance for recognized ecological, socio-economic, or scientific reasons and its vulnerability to damage by maritime activities
Particulate Matter or PM: Very small but solid pieces of air pollution that have been found to penetrate deeply into human lungs.
Parts Per Million or ppm: The weight to weight ratio used to describe concentrations, ppm is the number of units of mass of a contaminant per million units of total mass.
Passive Smoking: The involuntary inhalation of somebody else’s tobacco smoke. Such secondhand tobacco smoke is a mixture of mainstream smoke exhaled by active smokers and sidestream smoke released from the smouldering tobacco and diluted with ambient air.
Passive Solar Design: Passive solar design uses heat from the sun to light and power homes in order to minimize or completely replace the use of electrical devices.
Pathogen: Any substance that can trigger the onset of disease.
Pay-As-You-Throw/Unit-Based Pricing: Systems under which residents pay for municipal waste management and disposal services by weight or volume collected, not a fixed fee.
Peat: The partially decomposed remains of plants which accumulate and are preserved in waterlogged conditions in areas of cool, humid climate.
Pedogenesis: Also known as soil evolution, pedogenesis refers to the process of creating soil. It is a key study are in the science of pedology which is the study of soils in their natural environment.
Pedology: The study of different soil types in their natural environment. In particular, it is the branch of soil science that focuses on pedogenesis, soil morphology and soil classification.
Pedosphere: The outermost layer of the earth composed of soil and is subject to soil formation processes.
Perennial Plant: A species of plant that lives longer than two years, perennials are divided into two large groups, those that are woody and those that are herbaceous. These plants are usually easy to maintain and thrive well in most environments.
Perfluorocarbons or PFCs: Compounds containing carbon and fluorine, which are classified under the Kyoto Protocol as among the basket of gases that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Permaculture: A design-approach that takes inspiration from natural systems--even mimicking relationships within ecologies--in order to create sustainable communities and agricultural systems.
Permafrost: Permanently frozen ground, soil, sediment or rock that stays below zero degrees celsius throughout the year, regardless of season--for a time period of at least two years. Frozen ground such as this occurs on land and beneath offshore Arctic areas.
Pesticide: Any substance used to kill insects, rodents, weeds, fungi or other living organisms which are harmful to plants, animals or foodstuffs. Pesticides are primarily used to protect crops but also to removes pests in homes and urban areas. While pesticides have provided food safety for humans, certain types have also been responsible for environmentally-damaging pollution and contamination. Current efforts focus on developing safer, less harmful pesticides.
Pests: Organisms that are harmful to humans or human concerns, particularly organisms that are harmful to agriculture. Pests can include insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases.
PETE (Polyethylene Terepthalate): (Commonly abbreviated PET, PETE) A thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers.
pH: pH is a measure of the concentration of protons (H+) in a solution and, in effect, its acidity or alkalinity. The p stands for the German "Potenz", meaning power or concentration, and the H for the hydrogen ion (H+).
Phosphates: Phosphates are a family of chemicals used for special glasses, sodium lamps, in steel production, in military applications, pyrotechnics, pesticides, toothpaste and detergents. Increasing phosphate concentrations in surface waters raise the growth of phosphate-dependent organisms, such as algae and duckweed.
Photosynthesis: A process that occurs in plants, algae and bacteria that transforms sunlight into sugar which is then converted into ATP--a "biological fuel" used by all living things. Photosynthesis involves converting carbon dioxide in the air into sugars needed by the plants.
Photovoltaic Shingles: Used in homes and buildings, photovoltaic shingles convert sunlight into clean, usable electricity. The shingles offer a more attractive, less cumbersome alternative to solar panels.
Photovoltaic System: A photovoltaic system uses solar cells to convert sun light into electricity.
Phtalates: Also known as phtalate esters, phtalates are used in making plastic products, improving their flexibility, transparency and durability.
Phylum: In animal classification, one of the major groupings forming the principal category below kingdom, and comprising classes and lower categories.
Physiochemical Conversion: A type of conversion technology that turns organic wastes into usable products. Physiochemical conversion involves the physical and chemical synthesis of products from feedstocks--for example, biodiesel from waste fats, oils, and grease.
Phytoestrogens: Estrogen-mimicking substances in the environment found in food and plants that can alter animal and human hormonal activity.
Phytotoxic: A substance that causes harm or death to a plant specie is considered phytotoxic.
Phytotreatment: An environmental clean-up practice that involves the cultivation of special plants that can absorb contaminants from soil through their roots or their leaves.
Pipeline Installation: A collection of equipment situated at a single site, used in the operation of a natural gas transmission or distribution pipeline.
Pit: An excavation that is open to the air and that is operated for the purpose of extracting sand, clay, marl, earth, shale, gravel, stone or other rock.
Plankton: Tiny organisms such as animals, plants, archea or bacteria that drift in deep oceans, seas or some freshwater environments.
Plant Tissue Testing: Tissue testing is a technique used to identify and monitor the levels of trace elements in most crops. Plant tissue analysis is a strategic monitoring tool which can compliment soil testing.
Plastic Granulator: A machine used in plastic recycling, made up of an electric motor, rotor and thousands of tiny blades that will cut the plastic into tiny pieces or granules.
Plastic Recycling: The method through which plastic waste or scrap is re-processed so that they may be used to manufacture new products.
Plastic Shredder: A machine used in recycling that cuts discarded plastic into thin rectangular shapes or square strips. Plastic shredders are used for large plastic pieces such as car bumpers, pipes and drums which are too big to handle for plastic granulators.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles or PHEVs: Vehicles outfitted with an electrical power source or battery that allows travel beyond 35 miles without gas.
Pneumatic Can Crusher: A device that uses air pressure to crush discarded cans to decrease the volume of waste disposal.
Point Source Pollution: Any single, indentifiable source that discharges pollution directly into the environment such as pipes, ditches, factories, smokestacks or ships. Factories and sewage treatment plants are two common types of point sources.
Polar Ice Caps: Polar ice caps are dome-shaped sheets of ice that feed ice to other glacial formations, such as ice sheets, ice fields, and ice islands.
Pollination: The process that transfers pollen grains from male plants to female plants, a necessary step in reproduction among flowering plants.
Pollution: The direct or indirect release of harmful substances into the environment.
Pollution Indicator Species: A living organism that appears in a given environment because of man-made conditions such as air or water pollution.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls or PCBs: Recognized as a persistent organic pollutant, PCBs are a class of organic compounds once widely used as dielectric fluids in transformers, capacitors and coolants.
Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC: PVC is a widely-used plastic material found in products such as pipes, packaging, cling film, credit cards, flooring, wall paper and many other consumer items.
Population: Population is measured as the total number of individuals of a species in existence.
Population Dynamics: A branch of life sciences that examines how biological and environmental processes interact and influence the size and age compositions of populations.
Population Ecology: A field of ecology that focuses on factors that affect population size, population growth rates and the dispersion of members within populations.
Post Consumer Food Scraps: Food that has been served to diners but is not eaten; also called plate scrapings. This may include vegetables, salad dressings, sauces, cheese, meat, and bones, as well as nonfood items, such as napkins.
Post Consumer Waste: Garbage that people routinely discard in dumps, waste receptacles, incinerators, drains or gutters.
Post-combustion Carbon Capture: The method of collecting carbon dioxide emissions after the fossil fuel is burned. The burning of fossil fuels produces flue gases, which include CO2, water vapor, sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides. In a post-combustion process, CO2 is separated and captured from the flue gases that result from the combustion of fossil fuel.
Poultry Litter: Manure from broilers and turkey production facilities mixed with cellulosic bedding material that can be converted into energy--thermal, electrical or even liquid fuel.
Poverty: The state of people, communities or nations that have little access to resources, health, education and basic services due to low economic status. It is a social issue that bears a negative impact on the environment.
Prairie Restoration: An ecologically-friendly way to revive prairie land that was lost to farming, industry or urbanization. Prairie restoration aids in the conservation of the earth's topsoil, which disappears along with the prairie grasses and plants to make way for crop growing.
Pre-combustion Carbon Capture: A method of collecting carbon dioxide emissions before the fossil fuel is burned. That means the CO2 is trapped before it's diluted by other flue gases.
Precautionary Principle: The precautionary principle embodies the core value for making prudent health and environmental decisions.
Preconsumer Food Scraps: Preconsumer scraps include food processing wastes such as vegetable culls, brewery by-products, coffee grounds, or kitchen preparation wastes.
Preconsumer Waste: Paper waste that was not produced by, or has not passed through the end user or consumer. Preconsumer waste are paper materials that have been discarded during the product conversion process.
Precycle: A source reduction option wherein evaluation and selection of items for use is dependent upon the method of manufacture, product content and recyclability of product.
Precycling: Reducing waste before it is even produced by changing one's shopping and consumption habits.
Propane: Propane is a hydrocarbon that normally comes in gas form but can be compressed into liquid form.
Protected Areas: Designated land or water ecosystems that are under special protection from any form of environmental degradation. For instance, forests that cannot be cleared for any form of development or parts of the sea that cannot be fished.
Protozoa: Single-cell organisms that are too small to be seen without a microscope. Protozoa are large concerns for the water treatment industry, because they can be resistant to chlorine and disinfection.
Pyrolysis: The decomposition of organic matter by heating without oxygen or other agents, except for steam--which is sometimes used. Pyrolysis is involved when biomass or waste is converted into synthetic gas.