1. Unit 5: Mineral and Energy Resources Chapter 19: Waste Section 3
Hazardous Waste
Unit 5: Mineral and Energy Resources
Chapter 19: Waste
Section 3
All information is from and/or adapted from : Environmental Science Copyright 2013 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Pictures are cited within the picture and are from the Teacher DVD, unless otherwise noted in the picture’s citation

2. Classroom Catalyst

3. OBJECTIVES to Understand for Section 3
Name two characteristics of hazardous waste.
Describe how one law that governs hazardous waste.
Describe two ways in which hazardous waste is disposed.

4. Types of Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste are wastes that are a risk to the health of humans or other living organisms.
They may be solids, liquids, or gases.
They often contain toxic, corrosive, or explosive materials.
Some examples are
The methods used to dispose of hazardous wastes often are not as carefully planned as the manufacturing processes that produce them.

5. Types of Hazardous Waste
An improperly maintained hazardous waste disposal site can leak toxic waste into the air, soil, and ground water.
Love Canal, Niagara Falls, New York, USA
Begun late 1800 : Ideal Community, land eventually sold
By 1920: dumping site for toxic materials.
Bought by Niagara Falls School Board
School Board knew about toxins buried at the location
schools and low income housing built on this location
Late 1970: corroded barrels popping up in yards, increased health problems, birth defects were being reported
Federal laws were passed to clean up old waste sites and regulate future waste disposal.

6. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires producers of hazardous waste to keep records of how their wastes are handled.
The RCRA also requires all hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities to be built and operated according to standards that are designed to prevent the facilities from polluting the environment.

7. The Superfund Act
In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, more commonly known as the Superfund Act. It was renewed in 1986.
This act gives the EPA the right to sue the owners of hazardous waste sites who had illegally dumped waste.
It also allows the EPA to force the owners to pay for the cleanup.

8. The Superfund Act
Cleaning up improperly discard waste is difficult and extremely expensive.
The act also created a fund of money to pay for cleaning up abandoned hazardous waste sites.
Cleanup has been completed at only 341 of the roughly 1,620 approved or proposed Superfund sites.

9. The Superfund Act

10. Preventing Hazardous Waste
One way to prevent hazardous waste is to produce less of it.
For example, manufacturers discovered they can redesign manufacturing methods to produce less or no hazardous waste.
Such techniques save the manufacturers money by cutting the cost of materials as well as in cutting the cost of waste disposal.
Another way to prevent hazardous waste is to find a way to reuse it.
For example, a company that would usually throw away a cleaning solvent after one use can instead sell it to another company that produces a product that is not harmed by small amounts of contamination in the solvent

11. Conversion into Nonhazardous Substances
Some types of wastes can be treated with chemicals to make them less hazardous.
For example, cyanides, which are extremely poisonous compounds, can be combined with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
Wastes can also be treated biologically.
Sludge from petroleum refineries, for example, may be converted by soil bacteria into less harmful substances

12. Check for Understanding
QUESTION:
EXPLAIN
How can cleaning machinery with plastic beads rather than solvents help to reduce hazardous waste?.
ANSWER:

13. Section 3: REMEDIATION Biologically Treating Hazardous Waste
Some hazardous wastes can be absorbed, broken down, or their toxicity can be reduced when they are treated with biological and chemical agents.
Certain bacteria and chemicals can be used to help clean up an area in the environment that has been contaminated with hazardous substances.
Flowering plants and trees that absorb heavy metals can also be planted in contaminated areas.

14. Section 3: REMEDIATION
Incinerating Hazardous Waste
Some hazardous wastes are disposed of by burning in specially designed incinerators.
Incineration can be a safe way, but it is generally the most expensive form of disposing waste.
Incinerators need pollution-control devices and they need to be monitored for hazardous gases and particles.
Incinerators produce ash that needs to be buried in a hazardous waste landfill.

15. Section 3: REMEDIATION Exporting Hazardous Waste
Until recently, only local laws regulated waste disposal in the United States.
Until the 1980s, companies would often send hazardous waste to landfills in other, less populated states.
Hazardous wastes are now exported through international trade agreements to facilities in another countries that specialize in treating, disposing of, or recycling a particular hazardous waste.

16. Check for Understanding
QUESTION:
Describe
What are two problems associated with using incinerators to dispose of hazardous waste?.
ANSWER: 1 2

17. Section 3: HAZARDOUS WASTE AT HOME
Households produce hazardous waste.
Some household products should be disposed of in specially designed hazardous waste landfills, and not down the drain or put in the trash for a solid-waste landfill.

18. Section 3: HAZOURDOUS WASTES AT HOME
Disposing of Household Hazardous Waste
More cities around the country have begun to provide collection for household hazardous waste to make sure they are disposed of properly.
Trained workers sort the hazardous materials and send some for recycling and pack others into barrels for disposal.
Used batteries and motor oil, for example, can be recycled.

19. Section 3: HAZOURDOUS WASTES AT HOME
Motor Oil
It is illegal to pour motor oil on the ground or throw it in the trash.
However, people in the United States throw away over 700 million liters (185 million gallons) of used motor oil every year. This does not include the oil disposed of by service stations and automobile repair shops.
Motor oil can be recycled by taking it to an automobile service station. Some cities have designated oil-collection receptors. These cities recycle the used oil turned in by citizens.

20. Re-cycle Up-cycle Down-cycle
Reducing
Solid Waste
Re-cycle Up-cycle Down-cycle
All information is from and/or adapted from : Environmental Science Copyright 2013 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Pictures are cited within the picture and are from the Teacher DVD, unless otherwise noted in the picture’s citation

21. OBJECTIVES to Understand for Section 1
Identify three ways you can produce less waste
Describe how you can use your consumer buying power to reduce solid waste
List the steps that an item must go through to be recycled
List two benefits of composting
Name one advantage and one disadvantage to producing degradable plastic
Identify the similarities and differences between the terms recycling, upcycling and down-cycling.

22. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste
If landfills and incinerators can pollute the environment and are expensive to operate, what else can we do to safely reduce solid waste?
Ways to reduce solid waste may occur through producing less waste, recycling and changing the materials and product we use.
Source reduction is any change in design, manufacture, purchase or use of material or product to reduce their amount or toxicity before they become municipal solid waste.

23. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Consumer Power
If we produce less waste, we will reduce the expense and difficulty of collecting and disposing of it.
Many ideas are common sense ideas
Use both sides of a sheet of paper
Don’t use more bags than necessary while shopping
Don’t take unnecessary napkins or utensils while eating at a restaurant or fast food location.

24. Check for Understanding
QUESTION:
What are some types of ways that you and your family attempt to reduce the amount of solid waste in your house and / or your community?
ANSWER:

25. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Consumer Power
Reusing Materials
You can influence manufacturers to reduce solid waste.
Buy products that contain less packaging
Buy products that last longer or are reusable
Buy dish towels instead of paper towels
Buy rechargeable batteries instead of regular batteries

26. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Consumer Power
Reusing Materials
Until 1965, soda bottles were designed to be returned to the store when empty, now the bottles are disposable rather than refillable.
Buy more refillable bottles.

27. Check for Understanding
QUESTION:
How many rolls of paper towels does your family use in a week?
Do you use rechargeable or regular batteries?
Do you buy water in bottles or use a resuable water bottle?
ANSWER:
PAPER TOWEL ANSWER BATTERY ANSWER WATER BOTTLE ANSWER

28. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Consumer Power
Reducing Materials
Manufacturers could reduce waste and conserve resources by redesigning product to use less materials.
Products that last longer
Products that are easily repaired rather than be made to be disposable

29. Check for Understanding
QUESTION:
When your computer, television, or cell phone breaks do you get it fixed or just buy a new device?
ANSWER:

30. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Recovering Resources
In addition to reducing waste, we need to find ways to make the best use of all the materials we throw away.
Recycling is a process of reusing materials or recovering valuable material from waste or scrap.
Making products from recycled materials usually saves energy, water and other resources.
Aluminum from recycled material rather than ore – 95% less energy
Paper from recycled paper rather than trees – 70 % less energy

31. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Recovering Resources
Recycling: A series of Steps
There are many steps to recycling, after placing the products into a recycling bin
Discarded material is collected and taken to a facility to be sorted
Material must be cleaned and made ready
Glass sorted by color and crushed
Paper sorted by type and made into pulp
New materials used by manufacture to make new products
New products are sold to the consumer

32. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Recovering Resources
Composting
Yard waste makes up about 14 % of a community’s solid waste
This is biodegradable so it does not need to go to a landfill
The more oxygen and moisture there are in compost piles, the quicker the material will biodegrade (breakdown)
This material becomes compost, a dark brown, crumbly material that is spread on gardens and fields to enrich the soil.
It is rich in nutrients to help plant grow better

33. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Recovering Resources
Composting
Grass clippings can be collected or left on the lawn to decompose and add nutrients back to the lawn
Some places collect yard waste from each neighbor and have a large central location for composting the materials.
This is sometimes used by the community as material for their lawns the following seasons
Composting can be effective for reducing solid waste material
If all biodegradable materials were composted, landfill material would be reduced.

34. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Changing the Material We Use
Simply changing the materials we use could reduce or eliminate the amount of solid waste.
EXAMPLE:
Single serve drink boxes
Made from foil, cardboard and plastic
Difficult to recycle/separate
If in recyclable glass/ cardboard/ plastic, it could be recycled easily

35. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Changing the Material We Use
Degradable Plastic
Most plastics are not biodegradable
Companies are developing newer plastics
Photodegradable plastics when left in sunlight for a few weeks becomes weak and brittle and eventually breaks into pieces.
Green plastic are made by blending sugars in plants with special chemical agents to make plastics.
More environmentally friendly, uses less fossil fuels to make, biodegradable.

36. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste Changing the Material We Use
Problems with Degradable Plastics
They break apart and the organic parts can degrade
The plastic parts only break into much smaller pieces
Helps reduce harmful impact of plastic on animals
Plastic pieces too small to get stuck in animal’s throats
Plastic parts do not disappear completely
Plastic parts may be spread out more and impact small organisms
The plastics can remain in landfills for many years, just like regular plastics

37. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste UpCycling and Down Cycling
Re-Using Old Materials
When you upcycle-you recycle and reuse something for new and greater purpose!
making it new and better, using old materials
Take something old and worn, like a tire or bottle and make it into something wonderfully useful like a table or bird feeder.
The goal is to prevent wasting useful materials.
Before you toss something away--Try to think of some ways you can upcycle it!

38. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste UpCycling and Down Cycling
Re-Using Old Materials
Creating a clock from a vinyl record
Creating new skirt from old jeans
Creating tote bags from outgrown tshirts
Creating leather bracelet from an old belt
Creating a bench from an used headboard
Creating table or foot stool from used a wine crate or dresser drawer
Creating a rug from fabric scraps
Creating lawn furniture from old wooden pallets

39. Section 1: Reducing Solid Waste UpCycling and Down Cycling
Re-Using Old Materials
Downcycle is the recycling into a lesser quality.
it is then cheaper or weaker than the original product.
Although downcycling helps the planet because it keeps things out of landfills (for a time at least ) many times it will eventually end up there.
Before you toss something away--Try to think of some ways you can Down-cycle it!
Creating recycled papers from paper
Creating product packing from cardboard
Creating rags from clothing

40. Check for Understanding
QUESTION:
Have you ever UPCYCLED anything before? Explain
Have you ever DOWNCYCLED anything before: Explain
ANSWER:
UPCYCLE ANSWER: DOWNCYCLE ANSWER:

41. Show your understanding of the OBJECTIVES
Identify three ways you can produce less waste
Describe how you can use your consumer buying power to reduce solid waste 1 2 3

42. Show your understanding of the OBJECTIVES
List the steps that an item must go through to be recycled
List two benefits of composting 1 2

43. Show your understanding of the OBJECTIVES
Name one advantage and one disadvantage to producing degradable plastic
Identify the similarities and differences between the terms recycling, upcycling and down-cycling.
Advantage:
Disadvantage:
Similarities:
Differences: