1. Chapter Nineteen: Waste

2. Section One: Solid Waste
The Generation of Waste
Solid Waste: any discarded solid material
Americans generate 10 billion metric tons per yer
Towns are running out of space to dispose of waste
The average person generates 4.4 pounds per day
Human population growth and waste growth decrease the amount of available land

3. Section One: Solid Waste
Not All Wastes Are Equal
Biodegradable: a material that can be broken down by biological processes
Ex: Plant and animal matter
Ex: Products made from natural materials like newspapers, cotton, and leather
Plastics
Nonbiodegradable
Made of petroleum and natural gas
Some may last for hundreds of years

4. Section One: Solid Waste
Types of Solid Waste
Municipal Solid Waste
Waste produced by households and businesses
Makes up 2 percent of solid wastes
Fastest growing waste
Solid Waste from Manufacturing, Mining, and Agriculture
Makes up 98 percent of solid waste
Scrap metal, plastics, paper, sludge, ash

5. Section One: Solid Waste
Solid Waste Management
Landfills: a permanent waste disposal facility where wastes are put in the ground and covered each day with a layer of soil, plastic, or both
Methane: a highly flammable gas that can cause explosions
Gets into ground and into basements of homes
Leachate: a liquid that has passed through compacted solid waste in a landfill
May contain chemicals
Can get into groundwater and cause pollution

6. Section One: Solid Waste
Solid Waste Management
Safeguarding Landfills
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: any new landfills built must have safeguards to reduce pollution
Line the bottoms with plastic or clay to prevent pollution
Building More Landfills
Not much available space
We fill the landfill faster than the material can degrade
Incinerators
Large machines that burn solid waste
Alternative to landfills
Causes air pollution by burning dangerous materials

7. Section Two: Reducing Solid Waste
Source reduction: any change in design, manufacture, purchase, or use of materials or products to reduce their toxicity before they become waste
Buying Less
Buy products that have less packaging
Buying reusable materials
Buying materials that last longer
Lasting longer
Manufacturers could make material that last longer

8. Section Two: Reducing Solid Waste
Recycling
The process of reusing materials and recovering valuable materials from waste or scrap
Saves water, energy, and resources
Materials must be sorted by type
Compost: a dark brown, crumbly material made from decomposed plant and animal matter that is spread in gardens and fields to enrich the soil

9. Section Two: Reducing Solid Waste
Changing the Materials We Use
Use products that are made or recyclables or that can be recycled
Degradable Plastics
Plastics that break down more easily and quickly
Green plastics: plastics made from living things like plant sugars
Only makes the plastic pieces smaller, but the harmful materials are still there

10. Section Three: Hazardous Waste
Any waste that is a risk to the health of humans or other living things
Types
Can be solid, liquid, or gas
Can be toxic, corrosive, or explosive
Chemicals used for cleaning
Lubricants to help machines run
Nuclear waste

11. Section Three: Hazardous Waste
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Requires producers of hazardous waste to keep records of how their wastes are handled from the time the waste are created to the time they are placed in a disposal facility
Producer has all legal responsibility for the waste
The Superfund Act
Gives the EPA the right to sue owners of hazardous waste sites who illegally dump waste

12. Section Three: Hazardous Waste
Hazardous Waste Management
Preventing Hazardous Waste
Produce less
Find a way to reuse it
Conversion into Nonhazardous Substances
Treatment to make wastes less hazardous
Can be treated biologically
Land Disposal
Most hazardous waste is disposed on land
Buried underground in barrels
Deep-well injection: wastes are pumped deep into the ground where they are absorbed into a dry layer of rock below the water label
Surface impoundment: a pond that has a sealed bottom
Water evaporates and wastes do not

13. Section Three: Hazardous Waste
Hazardous Waste Management
Biologically Treated Hazardous Waste
Some wastes can be absorbed or broken down
Some toxicity can be reduced when treated with biological and chemical agents
Bacteria can break down some hazardous waste
Incinerating Hazardous Waste
Some disposed through burning
Most expensive waste disposal
Ash must be buried in landfills
Exporting Hazardous Waste
Many were sent to other states
Some sent to other countries

14. Section Three: Hazardous Waste
Hazardous Wastes at Home
Chemicals such as paint, pesticides, and batteries
Disposing of Household Hazardous Waste
Some cities have collection sites
Some cities recycle the materials
Motor Oil
Turn used old oil into auto service station for recycling