1. Solid and Hazardous Waste
Chapter 21

2. Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem
Electronic waste, e-waste: fastest growing solid waste problem
Composition includes
High-quality plastics
Valuable metals
Toxic and hazardous pollutants

3. Figure 21.1
Rapidly growing electronic waste (e-waste) from discarded computers and other electronic devices represents a waste of resources and pollutes the air, water, and land with harmful compounds. Question: Have you disposed of an electronic device lately? If so, how did you dispose of it?
Fig. 21-1, p. 560

4. Core Case Study: E-waste An Exploding Problem
Shipped to other countries
70% of the world’s E-waste is
shipped to China
Rest to India and poor African Nations
Worker- many of them children- dismantle product to recover valuable parts
They are exposed to toxic metals and other harmful chemicals
International Basel Convention
Bans transferring hazardous wastes from developed countries to developing countries
US, Afghanistan, and Haiti did not ratify

5. Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem
European Union requires Cradle to Grave approach
What should be done?
Recycle
US recycles roughly 10-15%
Changing
E-cycle
Reuse
Prevention approach: remove the toxic materials

6. 21-1 We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials
Solid waste- any solid unwanted or discarded materials
Industrial solid
Produced by mines, agriculture, and industries
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
Trash that comes from households and workplaces
Hazardous, toxic, waste
Poisonous, dangerously chemically reactive, corrosive, or flammable ex. Industrial solvents, car batteries(lead), dry-cell batteries(mercury and cadmium) and incinerator ash
Hazardous wastes
Organic compounds (pesticides, PCB’s, dioxins)
Toxic heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic)
Radioactive waste (nuclear power plants, weapons facilities)

7. We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials
80–90% of hazardous wastes produced by developed countries
Why reduce solid wastes?
¾ of the materials are an unnecessary waste of the earth's resources
Huge amounts of air pollution, greenhouse gases, and water pollution

8. Figure 21.2
Harmful chemicals found in many homes. The U.S. Congress has exempted disposal of these materials from government regulation. Question: Which of these chemicals are in your home?
Fig. 21-2, p. 562

9. Solid Waste in the United States
Leader in solid waste problem
With 4.6% of the world’s population we produce 1/3rd of the world’s solid waste
Leader in trash production, by weight, per person
98.5% of all solid waste in US is
Industrial-76%
Agriculture- 13%
Industry- 9.5%
For every pound of electronics ~8,000 pounds of waste is produced

10. 1.5 % is Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
About 55% of U.S. MSW is dumped into landfills,
30% is recycled or composted, and 15% is burned in incinerators.
Recycling is helping

11. 2006 Ecological Footprint Analysis
This pie chart diagram from an EPA report shows the typical composition of U.S. municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2006.
2006
p. 587

12. Figure S3.15
Total and per capita production of municipal solid waste in the United States, 1960–2005. (Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Data and Graph Analysis: 1. How much more municipal solid waste was generated in 2005 than in 1960, in millions of tons? 2. In what year did per capita solid waste generation reach a level four times as high as it was in 1960?
Fig. S3-15, p. S18

13. Figure S3.16
Total amount and percent of municipal solid waste recycled in the United States, 1960–2005. (Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Data and Graph Analysis: 1. After 1980, how long did it take for the United States to triple the total amount of materials recycled in 1980? 2. In what 10-year period was the sharpest increase in the percentage of solid waste recycled in the United States?
Fig. S3-16, p. S19

14. Each year, the United States produces enough MSW to fill a bumper to bumper convoy of garbage trucks long enough to encircle the earth almost 8 times!

15. Solid wastes polluting a river in Jakarta, Indonesia
Figure 21.3
Natural capital degradation: solid wastes polluting a river in Jakarta, Indonesia, a city of more than 11 million people. The man in the boat is looking for items to salvage or sell.
Fig. 21-3, p. 562

16. Case Study: Trash Production, Recycling in NYC: Past, Present, and Future
1920–1940: Highest trash due to coal ash
1962 and 1963: Lowest trash, coal burning phased out
1964 and 1974: Rise in trash due to throwaway containers
1999: Mandatory recycling
2001: Fresh Kills landfill closed, trash hauling

17. 2001: Landfill temporarily reopened to accept 9/11 debris
2006: The City of New York releases Master Plan for Fresh Kills Park
2010: Last batch of 9/11 debris sifted for human remains
2040: Full build out of Fresh Kills Park projected.

18. 1990

19. Tire dump in Midway, Colorado
Figure 21.4
Hundreds of millions of discarded tires have accumulated in this massive tire dump in Midway, Colorado (USA). Lehigh Technologies has developed a way to freeze the material in a scrap tire with liquid nitrogen. This converts the rubber to a brittle form that can be pulverized into a fine powder, which can be used in a variety of products such as paints, sealants, and coating. A prevention approach would be to double the average lifetime of tires in order to reduce the number thrown away each year.
Fig. 21-4, p. 563

20. 21-2 We Can Burn or Bury Solid Waste or Produce Less of It
Waste Management –”where to put it?”
Waste Reduction- “how can we avoid it?”
Integrated waste management
Uses a variety of strategies
54% of MSW is buried in landfills
25% recycled
14% is incinerated
7 %- composted

21. Figure 21.5
Integrated waste management: wastes are reduced through recycling, reuse, and composting or managed by burying them in landfills or incinerating them. Most countries rely primarily on burial and incineration. Question: What happens to the solid waste you produce?
Fig. 21-5, p. 565

22. Integrated waste management
Figure 21.6
Integrated waste management: priorities suggested by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for dealing with solid waste. To date, these waste reduction priorities have not been followed in the United States or in most other countries. Instead, most efforts are devoted to waste management (bury it or burn it). Question: Why do you think most countries do not follow these priorities, even though they are based on reliable science? (Data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. National Academy of Sciences)
Fig. 21-6, p. 565

23. Solutions: Reducing Solid Waste
Refuse: to buy items that we really don’t need. Reduce: consume less and live a simpler and less stressful life by practicing simplicity. Reuse: rely more on items that can be used over and over. Repurpose: use something for another purpose instead of throwing it away. Recycle: paper, glass, cans, plastics…and buy items made from recycled materials

24. We Can Cut Solid Wastes by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling
Seven strategies:
(1) Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy
(2) Redesign manufacturing processes to produce less waste and pollution
(3) Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle
(4) Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging
(5) Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems
(6) Establish cradle-to grave responsibility
(7) Restructure urban transportation systems

25. 21-3 Reuse: Important Way to Reduce Solid Waste, Pollution and to Save Money
Reuse: clean and use materials over and over
Ex. Coffee cups
Downside of reuse in developing countries
Often savage in dumps for useful items are exposed to toxins and infectious disease
Salvaging automobiles parts
Rechargeable batteries
Children looking for
materials to sell in an
open dump near
Manila in the
Philippines

26. Case Study: Use of Refillable Containers
Reuse and recycle
Refillable glass beverage bottles
Refillable soft drink bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic
Paper, plastic, or reusable cloth bags
Pros
Cons

27. There Are Two Types of Recycling
Primary, closed-loop recycling
Materials are recycled into products of the same type
Secondary recycling
Waste products are recycled into different products
Used tires shredded and converted into rubberized road surface.
Newspapers transformed into cellulose insulation.
Types of wastes that can be recycled
Preconsumer: internal waste
Postconsumer: external waste

28. We Can Mix or Separate Household Solid Wastes for Recycling
Materials-recovery facilities (MRFs)
Source separation
Pay-as-you-throw
Fee-per-bag
Which program is more cost effective?
Which is friendlier to the environment?

29. We Can Copy Nature and Recycle Biodegradable Solid Wastes
Composting
Individual
Municipal
Benefits
Successful program in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

30. Figure 21.10
Backyard composter drum in which bacteria convert kitchen waste into rich compost. When the compost is ready, the device can be wheeled out to the garden or flowerbeds.
Fig , p. 570

31. Case Study: Recycling Paper
Production of paper versus recycled paper
Energy use- pulp and paper industries are the 5th largest energy users
Water use – uses more water to produce a metric ton than any other industry
Pollution- In US it is the third largest polluter
Recycling paper uses 64% less energy and produces 35% less water pollution and 74%less air pollution
Countries that are recycling
U.S -56% of its waste paper
Denmark-97%
South Korea- 77%
Germany- 72%
Replacement of chlorine-based bleaching chemicals with H2O2 or O2

32. Case Study: Recycling Plastics
Plastics: composed of resins
Produced mainly from oil and natural gas
Most containers discarded: 4% recycled
Litter: beaches, water
Significance?

33. Figure 21.11
Discarded solid waste litters beaches, poses a threat to beach users, and washes into the ocean and threatens marine animals.
Fig , p. 571

34. Case Study: Recycling Plastics (2)
Low plastic recycling rate
Hard to isolate one type of plastic
Low yields of plastic
Cheaper to make it new

35. Waste Management at the Empire State Plaza

36. Figure 21.12
Advantages and disadvantages of recycling solid waste (Concept 21-3). Question: Which single advantage and which single disadvantage do you think are the most important? Why?
Fig , p. 573

37. Science Focus: Bioplastics
Plastics from soybeans: not a new concept
Key to bioplastics: catalysts
Sources
Corn
Soy
Sugarcane

38. Science Focus: Bioplastics
Sources cont…
Switchgrass
Chicken feathers
Some garbage
CO2 from coal-burning plant emissions
Benefits: lighter, stronger, cheaper, and biodegradable

39. Figure 21.12
Advantages and disadvantages of recycling solid waste (Concept 21-3). Question: Which single advantage and which single disadvantage do you think are the most important? Why?
Fig , p. 573

40. We Can Encourage Reuse and Recycling
What hinders reuse and recycling?
Encourage reuse and recycling
Government
Increase subsidies and tax breaks for using such products
Decrease subsidies and tax breaks for making items from virgin resources

41. 21-4 Burning Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages
Waste-to-energy incinerators
600 Globally
Most in Great Britain
Advantages
Disadvantages

42. waste-to-energy incinerator
Figure 21.13
Solutions: a waste-to-energy incinerator with pollution controls. It burns mixed solid wastes and recovers some of the energy to produce steam used for heating or producing electricity. Question: Would you invest in such a project? Why or why not?
waste-to-energy incinerator
Fig , p. 575

43. Figure 21.14
Advantages and disadvantages of incinerating solid waste (Concept 21-4). These trade-offs also apply to the incineration of hazardous waste. Question: Which single advantage and which single disadvantage do you think are the most important? Why?
Fig , p. 575

44. Burying Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages
Open dumps
An open-air garbage dump tarnishes the sapphire coast of Barrow, Alaska. Trash that makes its way into the oceans decomposes very slowly, littering coastlines, polluting ground water, and harming marine creatures that mistake the trash for food.

45. When landfill is full, layers of soil and clay seal in trash
Sanitary landfills
Topsoil
Sand
Electricity generator building
Clay
Methane storage and compressor building
Leachate treatment system
Garbage
Probes to detect methane leaks
Pipes collect explosive methane for use as fuel to generate electricity
Methane gas recovery well
Leachate storage tank
Compacted solid waste
Figure 21.15
Solutions: state-of-the-art sanitary landfill, which is designed to eliminate or minimize environmental problems that plague older landfills. Since 1997, only modern sanitary landfills are allowed in the United States. As a result, many small, older local landfills have been closed and replaced with larger regional landfills. Question: How do you think sanitary landfills could develop leaks of toxic liquids?
Leachate pipes
Groundwater monitoring well
Leachate pumped up to storage tank for safe disposal
Garbage
Sand
Synthetic liner
Leachate monitoring well
Sand
Groundwater
Clay and plastic lining to prevent leaks; pipes collect leachate from bottom of landfill
Clay
Subsoil

46. Figure 21.16
Advantages and disadvantages of using sanitary landfills to dispose of solid waste (Concept 21-4). Question: Which single advantage and which single disadvantage do you think are the most important? Why?
Fig , p. 576

47. 21-5 We Can Use Integrated Management of Hazardous Waste
Integrated management of hazardous wastes
Produce less
Convert to less hazardous substances
Rest in long-term safe storage
Increased use for postconsumer hazardous waste

48. We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes
Collect and then detoxify
Physical methods
Chemical methods
Use nanomagnets
Bioremediation
Phytoremediation
Incineration
Using a plasma arc torch

49. phytoremediation Figure 21.18
Solutions: phytoremediation. Various types of plants can be used as pollution sponges to clean up soil and water and radioactive substances (left), organic compounds (center), and toxic metals (right). (Data from American Society of Plant Physiologists, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Edenspace)
Fig , p. 579

50. Figure 21.19
Advantages and disadvantages of using phytoremediation to remove or detoxify hazardous waste. Question: Which single advantage and which single disadvantage do you think are the most important? Why?
Fig , p. 579

51. We Can Store Some Forms of Hazardous Waste
Burial on land or long-term storage
Deep-well disposal
Surface impoundments
Secure hazardous landfills

52. Double leachate collection system Plastic double liner
Bulk waste
Gas vent
Topsoil
Plastic cover
Earth
Sand
Impervious clay cap
Clay cap
Impervious clay
Water table
Figure 21.24
Solutions: secure hazardous waste landfill.
Earth
Leak detection system
Groundwater
Double leachate collection system
Plastic double liner
Reactive wastes in drums
Groundwater monitoring well
Fig , p. 582

53. Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States
1976: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)- management of hazardous waste (cradle-to grave system) only regulates 5% of hazardous waste
1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund
Identify sites where contamination has occurred
Pace of cleanup has slowed
Superfund is broke
Laws encouraging the cleanup of brownfields- abandoned industrial and commercial sites

54. Case Study: Love Canal — There Is No “Away”
Between , Hooker Chemical sealed
multiple chemical wastes into steel drums and
dumped them into an old canal excavation (Love
Canal).
In 1953, the canal was filled and sold to Niagara
Falls school board for $1.
The company inserted a disclaimer denying
liability for the wastes.

55. Love Canal In 1957, Hooker Chemical warned the school
not to disturb the site because of the toxic waste.
In 1959 an elementary school, playing fields and
homes were built disrupting the clay cap covering the wastes.
In 1976, residents complained of chemical smells and chemical burns from the site.

56. Love Canal
President Jimmy Carter declared Love Canal a federal disaster area.
• The area was
abandoned in 1980.

57. Love Canal
1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund

58. 21-6 Grassroots Action Has Led to Better Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
NIMBY “Not in my backyard”
Produce less waste
NIABY “Not in anyone’s backyard”
NOPE “Not on planet Earth”

59. Providing Environmental Justice for Everyone Is an Important Goal
The ideal whereby every person is entitled to protection from environmental hazards regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, or social class.
Which communities in the U.S. have the largest share of hazardous waster dumps?
African-American, Hispanic and indigenous communities that were subject to hazardous and polluting industries located predominantly in their neighborhoods