Hazardous Waste Any waste that is a risk to the health of humans or other living things.

Background Information (still continuing) The average home can accumulate up to 100 pounds of hazardous household wastes. During the 1980’s, communities started special collection days or permanent collection sites for handling hazardous waste. Only 6% of all hazardous waste produced in the U.S. are legally defined as “hazardous waste”.

Disposing of the Hazardous Materials Many types of businesses, both large and small generate hazardous waste. Examples: dry cleaners, auto repair shops, hospitals, exterminators, photo processing centers, chemical manufacturers, electroplanting companies, and petroleum refineries. Americans generate up to 1.6 million tons of waste per year.

Proper Household Waste Management: Conserves resources and energy that would be expended in the production of more products. Saves money and reduces the need for generating hazardous substances. Prevents pollution that could endanger human health and the environment.

Materials NOT included in definition of Hazardous Waste Radioactive waste Hazardous and Toxic materials discarded from households Mining Waste Oil and Gas-drilling wastes Liquid wastes containing hydrocarbons Cement Kiln dust Wastes from businesses that produce less than 220 lb of hazardous waste per month.

6 methods to dispose of hazardous materials Discharge into streams and “dilute it” Locate the material to deep wells, salt caverns, or specially designed landfills. Process it, detoxify it, recycle it, and so on. Store the material in pits, but 70% of contaminate ponds do not have liners. Incinerate it. Store it in sealed drums, and the drums are placed in hazardous waste landfills.

Neutralization Lime (a base) is used to neutralize some hazardous chemicals—Conversion Phytoremediation—plants are grown on a chemical spill that absorb hazardous substances and then are harvested and disposed of as hazardous waste. Sunflowers at Chernobyl to absorb radioactive materials

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency or a state hazardous waste agency enforces the hazardous waste laws in the United States. The EPA encourages states to assume primary responsibility for implementing the hazardous waste program through state adoption, authorization and implementation of the regulations.

Niagara Falls, New York (Love Canal) In the 1940s and 50s the empty canal was used by a chemical and plastics company to dump nearly 20,000 tons of toxic waste. The waste was sealed in metal drums in a manner that has since been declared illegal. The canal was then filled in and the land given to the expanding city of Niagara Falls by the chemical company. Housing and an elementary school were built on the site. By the late 1970s several hazardous chemicals had leaked through their drums and risen to the surface.

Love Canal- A Picture of the Disaster

What is a Superfund? The purpose of a superfund is to identify and clean up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites, such as the Love Canal, and leaking underground tanks that threaten human health and the environment. The cleanup is not paid for by taxpayers, instead they use the polluter-pays-principle. Meaning the potential liable culprit for the pollution has to pay for the entire cleanup.

Costs Are Escalating Estimates for cleanup The 1,200 sites on the EPA’s national priority list” range from $32 billion to $60 billion These estimates are well below what the actually price for funding would be due to the fact the more than 30,000 sites are being considered for cleanup.

The Liability Mess The Superfund tab will have to be picked up by industry, through taxes imposed under CERLA, out-of-pocket cleanup costs, or settlements with insurance companies. CERCLA dictated a “polluter-pays” philosophy to deal with what had largely been lawful disposal of wastes. Any company remotely involved could be held responsible.

Polluters turn to insurance to pay for cleanup costs Insurance companies want to change laws, and make taxpayers pay for it.

Superfund Recap Idea behind superfund is good Law needs reform Discourages pollution Can work in the future