1 Solid, Toxic and Hazardous Waste

2 SOLID WASTE Solid waste-any unwanted or discarded materials that is not a liquid or gas  United States - 4.6% of the world's population - 33% of the world's solid waste - 75% of its hazardous waste

3 Municipal Solid Waste In 1999, U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 230 million tons of MSW  Approximately 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day (1680 pounds/year)  Up from 2.7 pounds per person per day in

4 *Includes rubber and textiles Source: EPA Office of Solid Waste, Municipal Solid Waste Fact Sheet

5 Waste Disposal Methods Landfills Incineration Shrinking the waste stream  Composting  Recycling  Reuse  Reduce

6 Federal Landfill Standards Location restrictions ensure that landfills are built in suitable geological areas away from faults, wetlands, flood plains, or other restricted areas Liners are geomembrane or plastic sheets reinforced with two feet of clay on the bottom and sides of landfills

7 Landfill Design The bottom liner may be layers of clay or other synthetic material (clay, plastic, or composite), which is placed on compacted soil. The bottom of the landfill is sloped and pipes along the bottom collect leachate. This leachate collections system must be very carefully planned and built by engineers. It is usually a system of pipes. (These pipes are among a gravel and sand layer.) The leachate is then pumped away and treated at a plant. Trash is dumped onto the landfill and consistently layered with soil to promote safer and better decomposition. A cover is placed over the landfill to keep water out (to prevent eventual leachate formation). Landfills also must have a system to dispose of methane gas. The structure of this system must be carefully engineered.

8 Landfill Design

9 Federal Landfill Standards Operating practices such as compacting and covering waste frequently with several inches of soil help reduce odor; control litter, insects, and rodents; and protect public health Groundwater monitoring requires testing groundwater wells to determine whether waste materials have escaped from the landfill

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11 Waste Disposal Methods Cont. Incineration-burn it  Reduces volumes of waste  Leads to increased air pollution  Energy used to heat buildings or generate electricity

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13 Shrinking the Waste Stream Composting  Biological decomposition of organic matter, such as food and yard wastes, into humus, a soil-like material  Benefits - Keeps organic wastes out of landfills - Provides nutrients to the soil - Increases beneficial soil organisms - Reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides - Protects soils from erosion

14 Shrinking the Waste Stream Recycling  Benefits - Prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants - Saves energy, supplies valuable raw materials to industry - Creates jobs - Stimulates the development of greener technologies - Conserves resources - Reduces the need for new landfills

15 U.S. Recycling Rates

16 Shrinking the Waste Stream Reuse  Reusing items by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them  Use a product more than once, either for the same purpose or for a different purpose  Preferable to recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again  Reduces energy and pollution  Ways to reuse:  Using durable coffee mugs  Using cloth napkins or towels  Refilling bottles

17 Shrinking the Waste Stream Reducing Waste  Decrease excess packaging - Excess packaging of food and consumer products is one of our greatest sources of unnecessary waste.  Source reduction (waste prevention) means consuming and throwing away less  Developing products that are easy to reuse, manufacture and recycle  Purchasing durable, long-lasting goods

18 Hazardous Waste Any discarded liquid or solid that contains substances known to be:  Fatal to humans or laboratory animals in low doses.  Toxic, carcinogenic, or mutagenic.  Explosive or highly reactive.  Ex.: paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides contain hazardous components

19 Disposal of Hazardous Wastes Deep-well disposal-liquid hazardous wastes pumped through a pipe beneath aquifers Aboveground buildings-made of concrete Surface impoundments-excavated depressions or ponds into which liquid hazardous wastes are drained and stored Secure hazardous waste landfills-store in drums and carefully bury

20 Hazardous Waste Management Options Produce Less Waste  Avoid creating wastes in the first place.  Recycle and Reuse Convert to Less Hazardous Substances  Physical Treatment (Isolation)  Incineration  Chemical Processing (Transformation)  Bioremediation (Microorganisms)

21 Ever Hear of Love Canal? Love Canal (Niagara Falls, NY)  Homes and a school were built on land that a chemical company used as a toxic waste dump ( )  Toxic wastes leaked out causing: asthma, dizziness, blurred vision, seizures, miscarriages, birth defects, etc.  : 939 families were evacuated  Company paid $98 million to help cleanup mistake

22 Hazardous Waste Regulation Federal Legislation  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) EPA has to identify hazardous wastes and set standards for management

23 Hazardous Waste Regulation Cont. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).  Better known as Superfund  Identifies abandoned hazardous waste dump sites  Protects and cleans up groundwater near sites  Cleanup: polluters-pay-principle

24 Superfund Sites EPA estimates 36,000 seriously contaminated sites in the U.S.. Total costs for hazardous waste cleanup in the U.S. are estimated between $370 billion and $1.7 trillion. Studies of Superfund sites reveal minorities tend to be over-represented in these neighborhoods.

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