Solid and Hazardous Waste Chapter 21

Case Study: Love Canal, NY http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/love-canal-tragedy

Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem (1) Electronic waste, e-waste: fastest growing solid waste problem Composition includes High-quality plastics Valuable metals Toxic and hazardous pollutants

Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem (3) What should be done? Recycle E-cycle Reuse Prevention approach: remove the toxic materials

Rapidly Growing E-Waste from Discarded Computers and Other Electronics

21-1 What Are Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste, and Why Are They Problems? Concept 21-1 Solid waste represents pollution and unnecessary waste of resources, and hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural capital degradation, health problems, and premature deaths.

Case Study: Love Canal, NY 1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund Polluters pay for cleanup (the idea) Tax payers foot the bill for cleanup (reality) Pace of cleanup has slowed

We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials (1) Solid waste Industrial solid – comes from industry Municipal solid waste (MSW) – “trash” Hazardous, toxic, waste – threatens human health or the environment

Hazardous Waste Hazardous wastes can be: Examples of hazardous waste: Poisonous Chemically reactive Flammable Examples of hazardous waste: Organic compounds Toxic heavy metals Radioactive waste

Yucca Mountain

Yucca Mountain

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials (2) 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

Natural Capital Degradation: Solid Wastes Polluting a River in Indonesia

Solid Waste in the United States Leader in solid waste problem What is thrown away? Leader in trash production, by weight, per person Recycling is helping

Hundreds of Millions of Discarded Tires in a Dump in Colorado, U.S.

We Can Burn or Bury Solid Waste or Produce Less of It Waste Management Waste Reduction Integrated waste management Uses a variety of strategies

Integrated Waste Management

Processing and manufacturing Products Raw materials Processing and manufacturing Products Solid and hazardous wastes generated during the manufacturing process Waste generated by households and businesses 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? Food/yard waste Remaining mixed waste Plastic Glass Metal Paper Hazardous waste To manufacturers for reuse or for recycling Compost Hazardous waste management Incinerator Landfill Fertilizer Fig. 21-5, p. 565

Integrated Waste Management: Priorities for Dealing with Solid Waste

We Can Cut Solid Wastes by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling (1) Waste reduction is based on Reduce Reuse Recycle

7 strategies industries and communities can use to reduce resource use, waste, and pollution Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy Redesign manufacturing process to produce less waste and pollution (ecoindustrial revolution) Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle. Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems Establish cradle-to-grave responsibility laws Restructure urban transportation systems

Milkman – 1950s & 60s

“If only nature would find a way to cover these oranges so we didn't need to waste so much plastic on them”

What Can You Do? Solid Waste

Reuse: Important Way to Reduce Solid Waste, Pollution and to Save Money Reuse: clean and use materials over and over Example – Glass soda bottles, glass milk bottles Downside of reuse in developing countries -Exposure to disease

Case Study: Use of Refillable Containers Reuse and recycle Refillable glass beverage bottles Paper, plastic, or reusable cloth bags Pros Cons

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics

Commonly Used Plastics #1 PLASTICS: POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) Common uses: 2-liter soda bottles, single-use water bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter jars, etc. #2 PLASTICS: HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE) Common uses: detergent bottles, yoghurt tubs, milk jugs, bottle caps, backpack frames, hard hats, hula hoops, etc. #3 PLASTICS: POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) Common uses: plastic pipes, Saran wraps, outdoor furniture, flooring, siding, etc. #4 PLASTICS: LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (LDPE) Common uses: plastic film, grocery bags, dry cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers #5 PLASTICS: POLYPROPYLENE (PP) Common uses: bottle caps, food containers, drinking straws, etc PLASTIC #6: POLYSTYRENE (PS) Common uses: packaging pellets or "Styrofoam® peanuts," cups, plastic tableware, meat trays, to-go "clam shell" containers.

Energy Consumption Involved with Using Different Types of 350 ml Containers

What Can You Do? Reuse

There Are Two Types of Recycling Primary, closed-loop recycling Materials are recycled into new products of the same type Ex. Aluminum cans to aluminum cans Secondary recycling Waste material converted to different products Plastic bottles to park benches

Types of wastes that can be recycled Preconsumer – generated by manufacturing process Postconsumer – generated by consumer use of products

Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) Machines or workers separate mixed waste recover valuable materials for sale to manufacturers as raw materials paper, plastics, and other combustible wastes are recycled or burned to produce steam or electricity to run the recovery plant or to sell to nearby industries or homes.

Science Focus: Bioplastics Plastics from plants Sources Corn Soy Sugarcane Algae Compostable

Trade-Offs: Recycling, Advantages and Disadvantages

Burning Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages Waste-to-energy incinerators Burns (incinerates) waste to produce energy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmtOuAed5nM Advantages Reduces volume of MSW by 90% Disadvantages Air pollution (CO2, toxic metals, dioxin) Remaining waste (fly ash) is toxic and must be disposed of in special landfills

Solutions: A Waste-to-Energy Incinerator with Pollution Controls

Trade-Offs: Incineration, Advantages and Disadvantages

Burying Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages Open dumps Fields or holes in the ground where garbage is deposited Sanitary landfills Waste spread out in thin layers Compacted Covered daily with clay or foam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA608GJ-EzM

Leaching and Leachate Leaching – process in which various chemicals in the upper layers are dissolved and carried to lower layers Leachate – water that has percolated through a solid and leached out chemicals Concern about groundwater contamination

Solutions: State-of-the-Art Sanitary Landfill

When landfill is full, layers of soil and clay seal in trash Topsoil Sand Electricity generator building Clay Leachate treatment system Garbage Methane storage and compressor building 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

Trade-Offs: Sanitary Landfills, Advantages and Disadvantages

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

Integrated Hazardous Waste Management

We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes Collect and then detoxify Physical methods Chemical methods Bioremediation Phytoremediation Nanomagnets Incineration

Solutions: Phytoremediation

Trade-Offs: Phytoremediation, Advantages and Disadvantages

Trade-Offs: Plasma Arc, Advantages and Disadvantages

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

Surface Impoundment in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S.

Trade-Offs Surface Impoundments, Advantages and Disadvantages

Solutions: Secure Hazardous Waste Landfill

What Can You Do? Hazardous Waste

Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States 1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund Polluters pay for cleanup (the idea) Tax payers foot the bill for cleanup (reality) Pace of cleanup has slowed Laws encouraging the cleanup of brownfields Brownfields – abandoned industrial and commercial sites In most cases, contaminated with hazardous waste Can be cleaned up and turned into parks

Leaking Barrels of Toxic Waste at a Superfund Site in the United States

21-6 How Can We Make the Transition to a More Sustainable Low-Waste Society? Concept 21-6 Shifting to a low-waste society requires individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and to reuse and recycle wastes at local, national, and global levels.

Grassroots Action Has Led to Better Solid and Hazardous Waste Management “Not in my backyard” Produce less waste “Not in anyone’s backyard” “Not on planet Earth”

Providing Environmental Justice for Everyone Is an Important Goal Which communities in the U.S. have the largest share of hazardous waster dumps?