1. Solid & Hazardous Wastes

2. Domestic Waste  38 % Paper  18% Yard waste  8% Metals  8% Plastic (20% by volume)  7% Glass  7% Food  14% Miscellaneous

3. Waste Disposal Methods  Open Dumps  Common in developing countries  Mexico City 10,000 tons/day!  Exposed to wind, rain, flies, vermin  Toxins get into groundwater

4. Waste Disposal Methods  Ocean Dumping  55 million lbs of packaging dumped a year  330 million lbs of fishing gear is lost a year!  Endangers sea life  NY State last to stop in US, 1992

5. Waste Disposal Methods  Landfills  Ditch is lined w/clay or plastic  Drainage system installed to collect leachate  Waste is compacted daily  Fresh soil is placed over layer daily

6. Waste Disposal Methods  Landfills (cont)  Large land area needed  Anerobic; little decomposition  NIMBY  Transportation & disposal costs  Methane recovery

7. Waste Disposal Methods  Incineration; aka energy recovery  Refuse-derived fuel: unburnable waste removed before incineration  Mass burn: Burn it all! Faster, but more polluting  Ash & residue sent to landfill; usually more concentrated toxins (Hg, As, Pb, dioxins)  Initial high cost for construction

9. Waste Disposal Methods  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Recover  Japan recycles ½ of all household & commercial wastes (7 categories!)  Saves $$$$  Energy  Raw Materials  Land Space

10. Hazardous Wastes  Hazardous waste: discarded material, liquid or solid known to be  fatal to humans or lab animals in low doses  toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic to any life form  ignitable with a flash point < 60 o C  Corrosive  Explosive or highly reactive  US: 265 million metric tons officially

11. Federal Legislation  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA): requires rigorous management & testing of hazardous substances (“cradle to the grave”)

12. Federal Legislation  Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund)  Rapid containment, cleanup or remediation of abandoned toxic wastes sites. EPA may take emergency action & sue for cost of cleanup from responsible parties.  Community “Right to Know” information  State emergency response plans  Toxic Release Inventory: manufactures must list toxic materials they release

13. Federal Legislation  Superfund  Revolving pool designed to provide immediate response to emergency situations that pose imminent hazards  Clean up or remediate abandoned/inactive sites  Originally $1.6 billion, now 10x that  NPL Sites NPL Sites NPL Sites

14. Clean-up  Brownfields: large areas of contaminated properties that have been abandoned or are not being used to potential due to real or suspected pollution  Should be cleaned up for any use; safe for children to play in

15. Options for Hazardous Wastes  Produce Less!  Store Permanently in secure landfills or retrievable storage  Convert them to less hazardous substances through  Physical treatments: charcoal absorption, distillation, precipitation  Incineration  Chemical processing  Bioremediation: using bacteria (activated sludge)