1. Waste Generation and Waste Disposal
Chapter 16
Waste Generation and Waste Disposal

2. Municipal Solid Waste
Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions such as schools, prisons, municipal buildings and hospitals.

3. Municipal Solid Waste Throw away society: Wealth leads to waste.
Example of planned obsolescence: _______?

4. Ways to think of MSW Long-term viability (feasibility)
Durable goods will last for years
Non-durable goods are disposable
Compostable goods are mostly organic and will decompose

5. Waste Stream
Flow of solid waste

6. Composition of Municipal Solid Waste
31% - paper
33%- organic materials (yard waste, food scraps, wood)
12%- plastic
18%- durable goods (appliances, tires)

7. E-Waste
Electronic waste (E-waste) televisions, computers, cell phones that contain toxic metals.

8. 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
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
Which of the above is most important for reducing our waste issue?

9. 5 R’s?
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Refuse (to buy it)
Repurpose

10. Closed loop recycling: recycled into the same product.
Example: carpet, aluminum cans
Open loop recycling: recycled into a new product.
Example: water bottles into polar fleece

12. Composting
Compost- organic material that has decomposed under controlled conditions to produce an organic-rich material.

13. Carbon to nitrogen should be 30:1 this will support the best microbial activity. HOW??
Layering dry material, leaves, with wet material, kitchen vegetables. Or brown and green layers!

14. Landfills
Initially started as open dumps, developed countries then went to “landfills”.
Growing concern for the what was “leaching” into our water and community known as:
Leachate- the water that leaches through the solid waste and removes various chemical compounds with which it comes into contact.
Sanitary landfills- engineered ground facilities designed to hold MSW with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible.

16. Landfills Who pays for the development and running of the “landfill”?
Tipping fee – a fee charged for each truckload, MSW is weighed then its tipped into the landfill.
Average $35 per ton
What is a ton?
Where would tipping fees be higher for the United States? Lower? Why?

17. Landfills Where should you put a sanitary landfill?
Clay rich soils
Located away from rivers, streams, and other bodies of water
Away from population centers
Siting – designation or location
Keep in mind the farther away the more cost of transporting your MSW.
NIMBY – “not in my back yard!”
Political!
Closed landfills will go through reclamation, for future minimal development.

18. Landfills How can landfills be useful to the public?
Collecting Leachate?
Collecting Methane?

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

20. Incineration Which is better: Sanitary Landfill or Incineration?
Ash – residual nonorganic material that does not combust during incineration
Bottom ash vs. Fly ash
Waste-to-energy system – heat from incineration is used rather than released to the atmosphere
Disposal of ash is considered to toxic and must go to a special landfill for toxic materials.
Which is better: Sanitary Landfill or Incineration?

21. Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste- liquid, solid, gaseous, or sludge waste material that is harmful to humans or ecosystems.
By products of – industrial processes and small businesses ( textile production, cleaning of machinery, dry cleaners, auto service stations, small farms) and households (oven cleaners, batteries, lawn fertilizers)
Collection sites for hazardous waste must be staffed with specially trained personnel.
Periodic collections are held in communities.
Hazardous waste must be treated before disposal = less environmentally harmful.

22. Laws
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)- designed to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste. Also know as “cradle-to-grave” tracking.
RCRA ensures that hazardous waste is tracked and properly disposed of.
Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendment (HSWA) – encouraged waste minimization and phased out the disposal of hazardous wastes on land

23. Laws
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)- also know 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.
Best known superfund site:
Love Canal, New York

24. “Superfund” Sites

25. Brownfields
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.
This is for the sites not deemed as superfund, but still a danger to the public health.

26. International Consequences!
Read page 454
What are all the problems that can occur?

27. Integrated Waste Management
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.