Solid Waste

► Unwanted/discarded material, not liquid or gas ► Sources:  Sludge from water treatment, industry  Commercial & Industrial byproducts  Construction  Municipal garbage ► An underutilized resource ► A mirror of society ► “Cradle to Grave” production philosophy

Natural Capital Degradation ► U.S. produces 1/3 of worlds solid waste ► 12 billion tons of solid waste produced in the United States each year from:  75% Mining, oil, and gas production  13% Agriculture  9.5% Industry  1.5% Municipal (MSW)  1% Sewage Sludge

Where does it come from? ► Paper is about 38% of MSW ► Yard waste – 12% ► Food waste – 11% ► Plastics - 10% ► Fastest growing problem is ‘e-waste’ or from electronic devices

Natural Resources Goods and Services Pollution, Waste and Environmental Disturbances

P2 – Pollution Prevention ► Option - Waste Management  Accept high-waste society as unavoidable because of economic growth  Reduce environmental harm; bury, burn or compress it  Transfer from one environment to another

Exporting Wastes ► Between Countries ► Between States  New York (3,774,000 tons) ->PA, VA, OH, CT PA, VA, OH, CT <-VT, MA (0.16 mil tons)  Illinois (2,800,000 tons) -> IN, WI IN, WI <- MO, IA, IN, WI (1.3 mil. tons)  California (453,183 tons) -> NV, WA

Problem: Rise of Interstate Garbage Commerce ► 1993: million tons of municipal solid waste crossed state lines ► 2003: 39 million tons ► Causes:  Increased generation  Geographic distribution of landfill  Capacity limits  Consolidation of waste management industry

Interstate Commerce - Garbage Stakeholders Biggest Garbage Exporters New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Maryland, Massachusetts Biggest Garbage Importers: Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana Waste Management Companies: Three companies gross 67% of the revenue earned for U.S. municipal solid waste management

Environmental Concerns ► Diesel exhaust – air pollution  Human health concerns  Environmental impacts ► CO2 emissions– global warming ► Highway congestion  Increase in accidents  Increase in spills ► Inter-coastal transport – water pollution, spills

P2 con’t. ► Option - Waste Reduction  Low waste approach ► Reduce consumption ► Redesign products ► Eliminate or reduce packaging ► Recycle, Reduce  View waste as a resource  Encourage reduction and prevention (economically & legislatively)  Conserves matter (resources) and energy  Reduces pollution, ecological benefits  Can be economically beneficial

SOLUTIONS - Sustainability ► Consume less ► Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less ► Redesign industrial processes to produce less waste and pollution ► Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost or recycle ► Design products that last longer ► Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging ► “Cradle to Cradle” philosophy

Reduce Use of Natural Resources Recover Technical Nutrients

Ecoindustrial Revolution ► ‘Biomimicry’ mimic natural environment – matter is recycled ► Resource Exchange between industries ► Redevelop ‘brown fields’ ► Success stories – 3M: reduced waste by 30%  Redesigned equipment and processes  Used fewer hazardous chemicals  Recycled more hazardous pollutants

Service-flow Economy ► Compare to material- flow economy ► Eco-leasing: Xerox  Air conditioning  Carpets & tile  cameras

Reuse or Throw-away Society? ► Reuse Advantages  Used in developing countries – saves $  E-Products used in developed countries dismantled and re-used where labor is cheap  Drinks in reusable containers cost less (PET plastics); saves energy  Cloth shopping bags instead of plastic  Industrial packaging ► Disadvantages  Potential health risks when reusing food or water containers  Pollution and health risks from Pb, Hg, Cd, dioxin  Companies make more money selling disposable containers  Less convenient  Need economic incentives and redesign

Recycling ► Preconsumer vs. postconsumer ► Municipal Possibilities  Paper  Glass  Aluminum  Steel  Plastics ► US MSW recycling  Currently - 30%  Future - up to 60-80%

Recylcing ► Primary or closed Loop ► Secondary recycling or down cycling (tires to surfacing materials)

Recycling Benefits ► Reduce solid waste ► Reduce pollution: air, water, soil ► Saves energy (harvesting virgin resources) ► Reduce habitat destruction ► Species protection ► Saves money (tire disposal site on fire)

Recycling Disadvantages ► Source separation ► Technology ► Cost? ► Space

Composting ► Reduce paper, yard, and vegetable waste ► Currently, composting 5% in the US ► Potential – 35% ► Useful as fertilizer, topsoil, or landfill cover

Why is the US behind in reuse and recycling? ► Market price of products do not include environmental costs ► Resource-extracting industries receive more tax breaks and subsidies than recycling and reuse industries ► Still cheaper here to use landfills. ► Demand and prices for recycled materials fluctuates

How can we encourage recycling and reuse? ► Increase subsidies and tax breaks for industries choosing recycled resources over virgin resources ► PAUT: pay as you throw ► Product stewardship – industry responsibility for take back of products (e- waste) ► Phase out use of hazardous materials when possible

Sanitary Landfills ► Advantages  Little odor  water pollution  Quick and easy to build  Low operating costs ► Disadvantages  Noise and traffic  Dust  Air pollution  Greehouse gases (methane and CO2)  Water pollution

Incineration ► Advantages  Reduce trash volume  Lowers need for landfills  Lower water pollution  Easy ► Disadvantages  High cost  Air pollution (dioxins)  Produces toxic ash  Discourages recycling

Hazardous Waste ► RCRA – Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, regulates 5% of hazardous waste ► Not regulated by RCRA:  Radioactive waste  Household waste  Mining wastes  Oil and gas drilling  Liquid waste  Small business

Detoxifying Hazardous Waste ► How?  Physical methods  Chemical reactions  Bioremediation  Phytoremediation  Plasma ► Where do they go?  Incineration  Deep well injection  Surface impoundments  Secure landfills  NIMBY

Brownfields ► Abandoned industrial sites or other hazardous waste sites that are cleaned up and put to use ► Include: old landfills, munitions dumps, shooting ranges, ode factories ► Require: remediation, soil reclamation

Chemical Toxins – Heavy Metals ► Lead  Children inhale or ingest  Banned leaded gas  Still found in paint chips from homes build prior to 1960 ► Mercury  Inhale or ingest in fish  From burning coal and incineration  Bioaccumulation and maginification

Chemical Toxins - Dioxins ► Chlorinated hydrocarbons ► Sources:  70% from incineration of MSW & medical waste  Smelting, refining  Forest fires ► Toxicity:  Persistent  Carcinogenic – TCDD  HAAS  Human exposure from food

Hazardous Waste Regulation ► RCRA – Resource Conservation and Recovery Act  EPA identify hazardous waste and set standards  Industry permits for managing  Develop ‘cradle to grave’ system, generation to disposal ► CERCLA – Superfund  Identify abandoned sites  Protect and/or clean up ground water  Identify sites for NPL – National Priorities List for remediation  Who pays? Polluter or Taxpayer