1. Chapter 24 Solid and Hazardous Wastes

2. Overview of Chapter 24 Solid Waste Waste Prevention Hazardous Waste
Reducing the Amount of Waste
Reusing Products
Recycling Materials
Hazardous Waste
Types of Hazardous Waste
Management of Hazardous Waste

3. Solid Waste
US generates more solid waste per capita than any other country
2.1 kg per person per day

4. Types of Solid Waste Municipal solid waste Non-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

5. Composition of Municipal Solid Waste

6. Disposal of Solid Waste
Three methods
Sanitary Landfills
Incineration
Recycling

7. Sanitary Landfill

8. 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

9. Sanitary Landfill Special Problem: Plastic Special Problem: Tires
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

10. 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

11. Incineration Types of Incinerators Mass burn (below) Modular
Refuse-derived

12. 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

13. Waste Prevention Three Goals (1) Reduce the amount of waste
(2) Reuse products
(3) Recycle materials

14. Reducing Waste
Purchase products with less packaging

15. Reducing Waste Source reduction Pollution Prevention Act (1990)
Products designed and manufactured to decrease the volume of solid waste
Pollution Prevention Act (1990)
Dematerialization
Progressive decrease in the size and weight of a product as a result of technological improvements

16. Reusing Products Refilling glass beverage bottles
Heavier glass that costs more
Japan recycles almost all bottles
Reused 20 times

17. Recycling Materials Every ton of recycled paper saves: Recycle
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

18. Recycling Recycling Paper Recycling Glass US recycles 50%
Many developed countries are higher
Recycling Glass
US recycles 25%
Costs less than new glass (right)

19. Recycling Recycling Aluminum Recycling Metals other than Aluminum
Making new can from recycled one costs far less than making a brand new one
49% of aluminum was recycled in 2007
Recycling Metals other than Aluminum
Lead, gold, iron, steel, silver and zinc
Metallic composition is often unknown
Makes recycling difficult

20. Recycling Recycling Plastic 12% of all plastic was recycled in 2007
Less expensive to make from raw materials
37% of PET was recycled in 2007
Mostly water and soda bottles

21. Recycling Recycling Tires Few products are made from old tires
Playground equipment
Trashcans
Garden hose
Carpet
Roofing materials
36% of tires are currently recycled to make other products

22. Integrated Waste Management

23. Love Canal Toxic Waste Site
Hazardous Waste
Any discarded chemical that threatens human health or the environment
Reactive, corrosive, explosive or toxic chemicals
Types of Hazardous Waste
Dioxins
PCBs
Radioactive waste
Love Canal Toxic Waste Site

24. Hazardous Waste

25. Case-In-Point Hanford Nuclear Reservation

26. 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

27. Superfund Program Cleaning up existing hazardous waste:
400,000 waste sites
Leaking chemical storage tanks and drums (right)
Pesticides dumps
Piles of mining wastes
Must be cleaned up

28. Management of Hazardous Waste
Superfund National Priorities List
2009: 1,264 sites on the list
States with the greatest number of sites
New Jersey (114)
California (94)
Pennsylvania (94)
New York (85)
Michigan (65)

29. 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
Time consuming
Phytoremediation - use of plants to absorb and accumulate hazardous materials in the soil
Ex: Indian mustard removed heavy metals

30. Examples of Phytoremediation

31. Management of Hazardous Waste
(1) Source reduction
(2) Conversion to less hazardous materials
(3) Long-term storage

32. Hazardous Waste Landfill