1. Chapter 16 Waste Generation and Waste Disposal

2.  Refuse = waste (something discarded or worthless)  Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions such as schools, prisons, municipal buildings and hospitals. Municipal Solid Waste

3.  United States: 31% - paper, 12%- plastic, 18%- durable goods (appliances, tires) Composition of MSW

4.  Electronic waste (E-waste) – televisions, computers, cell phones that contain toxic metals (lead, mercury) E-Waste

5.  Reduce - waste minimization or prevention  Reuse - reusing something like a disposable cup more than once  Recycle - materials are collected and converted into raw materials and then used to produce new objects Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

8.  Compost - organic material (vegetables, fruits, some paper, yard waste) that has decomposed under controlled conditions to produce an organic-rich material; needs oxygen, moisture, and turning Composting

10.  Most MSW is put in landfills or incinerated  Sanitary landfills - engineered ground facilities designed to hold MSW with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible  Leachate - the water that leaches through the solid waste and removes various chemical compounds with which it comes into contact Landfills

12.  Once a cell is filled, it is covered with top soil and capped, with planted vegetation on top  Closed landfills can be reclaimed later, with some playgrounds or parks being built on top  Tipping fees are charged for the truckloads weighed and dumped  NIMBY – “not in my back yard” – when people don’t want the landfill where designated

13.  Incineration - the process of burning waste materials to reduce its volume and mass and sometimes to generate electricity and heat Incineration

14.  Ash – residual nonorganic material that does not combust; ~ ¼ of the volume of precombustion material  Bottom Ash – residue collected underneath furnace  Fly Ash – residue collected beyond furnace  If not toxic, can be disposed in landfill  If toxic, placed in specially treated landfill  Incinerators are expensive and some places might recycle less in order to fill it

15.  Hazardous waste - liquid, solid, gaseous, or sludge waste material that is harmful to humans or ecosystems  Collection sites for hazardous waste must be staffed with specially trained personnel  Hazardous waste must be treated before disposal  Not to be put in incinerators or landfills Hazardous Waste

16.  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) - designed to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste. Also know as “cradle-to- grave” tracking (from manufacture to use to disposal).  RCRA ensures that hazardous waste is tracked and properly disposed of. Laws

17.  Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) - also known as “ Superfund ”.  Puts a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries. This revenue is used to cleanup abandoned and nonoperating hazardous waste sites where a responsible party cannot be found.  Requires the federal government to respond directly to the release of substance that may pose a threat to human health or the environment Laws

18.  Contaminated industrial or commercial sites that may require environmental cleanup before they can be redeveloped or expanded.  Old factories, industrial areas and waterfronts, dry cleaners, gas stations, landfills, and rail yards are some examples. Brownfields

19.  Garbage and ash barges travel the oceans looking for a developing country willing to accept it (hazardous or not) in exchange for cash  The U.S. does this; India sends us waste thermometer mercury to purify and resell

20.  A method that seeks to develop as many options as possible, to reduce environmental harm and cost  Reduction, recycling, composting, landfills, and incineration are some ways IWM is utilized  Goal: less generation of MSW  Change package design and manufacturing practices  Change purchasing habits; reuse items; compost Integrated Waste Management