23 Solid and Hazardous Waste

Overview of Chapter 23

Solid Waste Waste Prevention

Reducing the Amount of Waste Reusing Products Recycling Materials

Hazardous Waste Types of Hazardous Waste Management of Hazardous Waste

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Solid Waste

US generates more solid waste per capita than any other country 1.98kg (4.34lb) per person per day 243 million tons in 2009 (down from 2007)

Waste generation is highest in developed countries Instead of repairing items, they are replaced

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Types of Solid Waste

Municipal solid waste Solid material discarded by homes, office

buildings, retail stores, schools, etc. Relatively small portion of solid waste produced

Non-municipal solid waste Solid waste generated by industry, agriculture,

and mining

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Composition of Municipal Solid Waste

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Disposal of Solid Waste

Three methods Sanitary Landfills Incineration Recycling

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Sanitary Landfill

Compacting and burying waste under a shallow layer of soil

Most common method of disposal Problems

Methane gas production by microorganisms Contamination of surface water & ground water by

leachate Not a long-term remedy Few new facilities being opened Closing a full landfill is very expensive

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Sanitary Landfill

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Sanitary Landfill

Special Problem: Plastic Much of plastic is from packaging Chemically stable and do not readily break down

and decompose Special Problem:

Tires Made from materials

that cannot be recycled

Can be incinerated or shredded

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Incineration

Volume of solid waste reduced by 90% Produces heat that can make steam to

generate electricity Produce less carbon emissions than fossil fuel

power plants Byproduct

Bottom ash Fly ash

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Incineration - Types of Incinerators

Mass burn (below), Modular, Refuse-derived

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Incineration - Problems

Production of hazardous air pollutants Carbon monoxide, particulates, heavy metals Reduced by

Lime Scrubbers Electrostatic Precipitators

Byproduct - Bottom ash and Fly ash Must be disposed of in hazardous waste landfills

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Composting

Municipal Solid Waste Composting Includes: Food scraps, Sewage sludge,

Agricultural manure, Yard waste Reduces yard waste in landfills Can be sold or distributed to community

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Waste Prevention

Three Goals1. Reduce the amount of waste

2. Reuse products

3. Recycle materials

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Reducing Waste

Purchase products with less packaging

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Reducing Waste

Source reduction Products designed and manufactured to decrease

the volume of solid waste Reuse and recycle wastes at the plant where they

are generated Pollution Prevention Act (1990) Dematerialization

Progressive decrease in the size and weight of a product as a result of technological improvements

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Reusing Products

Refilling glass beverage bottles used to be standard Heavier glass required in reusable glass bottles-

costs more to make and transport Cheaper to use lightweight, non-reusable glass

Japan recycles almost all bottles Reused 20 times

11 US States have deposits on cans and bottles to promote reuse

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Recycling Materials

Every ton of recycled paper saves: 17 trees 7000 gallons of water 4100 kwatt-hrs of energy 3 cubic yards of landfill space

Recycle Glass bottles, newspapers, steel cans, plastic

bottles, cardboard, office paper

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Recycling

US recycles 38% of Municipal Solid Waste

Recycling Paper US recycles 62.1% This has increased due to

consumer demand for recycled paper products

Recycling Glass US recycles 25% Costs producers less than

new glass (right)

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Recycling

Recycling Aluminum Making new can from recycled one costs far less

than making a brand new one (economic incentive)

51% of aluminum was recycled in 2009 Recycling Metals other than Aluminum

Lead, gold, iron, steel, silver and zinc Metallic composition is often unknown

Makes recycling difficult

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Recycling

Recycling Plastic 14% of all plastic is recycled

(2009) Less expensive to make from

raw materials 28% of PET in water and

soda bottles is recycled Most plastic containers are

made of many types of plastic that must be separated to be recycled

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Recycling

Recycling Tires Few products are made from old tires

Playground equipment Trashcans Garden hose Carpet Roofing materials

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Integrated Waste Management

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Hazardous Waste

Any discarded chemical that threatens human health or the environment Reactive, corrosive,

explosive or toxic chemicals

1% of waste stream in US

Love Canal Toxic Waste Site

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Hazardous Waste

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Hazardous Waste

Dioxin Formed as byproduct of combustion of chlorine

compounds Bioaccumulate and biomagnify through foodweb Cause cancer, effect reproductive, immune and

nervous system PCBs

Used as cooling fluid, fire retardant, lubricator Disposed of in open dumps, sewers and fields in 1970s -

issue in groundwater today Endocrine disrupter

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Case-In-Point Hanford Nuclear Reservation

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Management of Hazardous Waste

Chemical accidents National Response Center notified Typically involves oil, gasoline or other petroleum

spill Current Management Policies

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976, 1984)

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (1980) Commonly known as Superfund

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Superfund Program

Pesticides dumps Piles of mining wastes

Must be cleaned up 2011 - over 11,000

sites on list

Cleaning up existing hazardous waste: 400,000 waste sites Leaking chemical storage tanks and drums

(below)

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Management of Hazardous Waste

Superfund National Priorities List 2011: 1,290 sites on the list

States with the greatest number of sites New Jersey (112)

Pennsylvania (95)

California (94)

New York (87)

Michigan (67)

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Management of Hazardous Waste

Biological Treatment of Hazardous Chemicals Bioremediation - use of bacteria and other

microorganisms to break down hazardous waste into relatively harmless products 1000 species of bacteria and fungi Time consuming Inexpensive

Phytoremediation- use of plants to absorb and accumulate hazardous materials in the soil Ex: Indian mustard removes heavy metals

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Examples of Phytoremediation

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Management of Hazardous Waste

1. Source reduction

2. Conversion to less hazardous materials

3. Long-term storage

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Hazardous Waste Landfill

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