Transcript Document

Solid and Hazardous Waste
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
14th Edition
Edited by Mr. Manskopf 2009
Chapter 24
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
Love Canal, New York
When Waste is Not Disposed of Properly
• 1942 to 1958 Hooker
Chemicals Disposal Site
• 1953 Sold to Niagara Falls
School Board (school,
housing)
• 1976 Residents becoming
sick
• 1978 Lois Gibbs leads
outcry
• 1980 Declared Disaster Site
• 2004 Taken off Superfund
List
Chapter 24 Key Concepts
Types and amounts of wastes
Methods to reduce waste
Methods of dealing with wastes
Hazardous waste regulation in the US
Section 1: Wasting Resources
• Why should we care about
solid waste?
• How much waste does the
U.S. produce?
• What is in the garbage?
• The throw away
mentality: OUT of
SIGHT… OUT OF MIND
Solid Waste
• Unwanted or discarded
material that is not liquid
or gas
• Out of sight Out of Mind
• No Waste In Nature
Two Reasons to Be
Concerned:
1) Wasted Resources
2) Causes huge amounts of
air, water, land pollution
and soil erosion
Wasting Resources
Industrial and agricultural waste
Municipal solid waste
Fig. 24-2 p. 533
US: 11 billion metric tons/year
Affluenza In Action
• U.S. produces 1/3rd of
world’s solid waste and
buries ½ of it
• Most waste from
mining, oil, gas, ag.,
sewage, industry
• Think about a simple
product like a
computer…how much
waste produced to
create it (Life Cycle)
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
• 1.5% of Solid Waste is
MSW
• Between 1960 and 1990
per capita MSW grown
70%...why do you think
that is?
• 38% is paper, 12% yard
waste, 11% food waste,
10% platics
• E-Waste Growing FAST
MSW Continued…
Garbologists findings
• 50 year old
newspapers still
readable
• Pork Chops decades
old
WHY DO THEY NOT
DECOMPOSE????..
...what do things
need to decompose
MSW Continued…
• Read page 534 for some
examples of how much
stuff we waste….
Enough disposable diapers
each year linked together
would go to moon and
back 7 times
Enough office paper to
build a wall 11 feet high
between NYC and SF
Section 2: Producing Less Waste
• What are our
options?
Management or
Prevention
• How can we reduce
solid waste?
• What can you do?
Producing Less Waste and Pollution
 Waste management (high waste approach)
Waste is part of economic growth, lets manage negatives
 Burying, burning, shipping
 Waste prevention (low waste approach)
Before product is produced look to minimize life cycle
 Reduce, reuse, recycle
Dealing with Material Use and
Wastes
Fig. 24-3 p. 535
The Sustainability Six
1) Consume less: Do we
Really NEED this?
2) Redesign products to use
less resources: How can
we make this product
using less resources
throughout their life cycle
3) Redesign to use and make
less pollution: Toxic
substances etc.
The Sustainability Six
4) Develop products that
are easier to repair,
reuse, remanufacture,
compost or recycle
5) Design products to last
longer
6) Eliminate or reduce
packaging (nude
packaging)
Section 3: Selling Services not
Things
• How can we copy nature
and reduce waste?
• What is a service flow
economy?
• Xerox example
Solutions: Cleaner Production
Ecoindustrial revolution: mimic nature
Resource exchange webs: waste of 1
manufacturer becomes raw materials for another
Biomimicry: using less resources to do same
Service-flow economy selling services
not goods. Renting, eco-leasing, etc.
Solutions: Selling Services Instead
of Things
 Service-flow economy
 Uses a minimum amount of material
 Products last longer
 Products are easier to maintain, repair,
and recycle
 Eco-leasing: computers, cell phones, etc.
See Individuals Matter p. 538
Section 4: Reuse
• What are the advantages
and disadvantages of
reuse?
• Should we use refillable
containers?
• What are some other
ways to reuse things?
What is REUSE?
Cleaning and using
the material over and
over again increasing
the lifespan of the
product
Junkyards and
salvaging wood from
old homes etc.
Not Reuse…
Reuse: Pros
 Extends resource supplies
 Saves energy and money
 Reduces pollution
 Create jobs
 Reusable products
Reuse: Cons
• Waste (especially e-waste)
can contain harmful
substances…especially
heavy metals
Many eke out living scavenging for waste in large open dumps
Some Success
• 95% of Finland’s soft
drink, beer, wine bottles
reused
• Germany about 3/4th are
refilled
Other examples of Reuse…
Shopping bags and
tool libraries
Section 5: Recycling
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is recycling?
What is composting?
How should we recycle solid waste?
How much waste paper is being recycled?
How feasible is recycling plastics?
Why isn’t more reused and recycled?
What is recycling?
Reprocessing solid waste into
new useful products
5 Categories in US
Household Recycling
1) Paper Products
2) Glass
3) Aluminum
4) Steel
5) Some plastics
Types of Recycling
 Primary
(closed-loop)
 Secondary
(open loop)
 Preconsumer
waste
 Postconsumer
waste
Fig. 24-6 p. 539
Characteristics of Recyclable
Materials
Easily isolated from other waste
Available in large quantities
Valuable
Recycling Rates
• Switzerland, Japan 50%
• U.S. 30% up from 6.4%
in 1960
• 60-80% is achievable
Benefits of Recycling
Fig. 24-8 p. 541
Composting
• Composting organic waste mimics
nature
• Only 5% of yard waste composted
in U.S….could easily be raised to
35%
• Compost used as fertilizer, topsoil
and help restore eroded land
Composting
Recycling Methods
 Centralized recycling of mixed waste
(Materials-Recovery Facilities, MRFs)
Pros/Cons of MRFs
 Source separation: separate waste at home
 Pay-as-you-throw (PAUT): pay for waste, not
recycling
MRFs: Need large volume and energy
Wastepaper Recycling
• Easy to recycle
• Removing ink, glue
coating and reconverting
into pulp
• 42% of world tree harvest
is for paper
• Currently U.S. recycles
49% of waste paper
• Making paper has big
enviro impact
How plastics
are made
Recycling plastic is
difficult chemically and
economically
•10% in U.S. recycled
•Different resins
•Low cost of oil
•Biodegradable plastics
(bioplatics) offer hope
Types of Plastic
Economics of Recycling
• Paper, aluminum, steel
are easy to recycle and
make easy economic
sense
• CRITICS: 1) plenty of
landfill space, 2) Glass
and plastic expensive to
recycle
• Employs 1.1 million
people
Why we don’t recycle more
• Enviro Costs not included
(externalities)
• Too few government
subsidies
• Tipping fees at landfills
cheap
• Price fluctuations for
goods
• Often don’t PAUT
• Life cycle costs often not
factored in
Section 6: Burning and Burying
• What are advantages
and disadvantages of
burning solid waste?
• What are the
advantages and
disadvantages of
burying solid waste?
Typical Waste to Energy Plant (incinerator)
Burning Wastes
Mass burn
incineration
Air
pollution
Waste to
energy
Fig. 24-13 p. 546
Burning Waste
• Japan and Switzerland
over 50%, U.S. about
16%
• More than 280 project
canceled in U.S. due to
high costs, concern
among citizens, air
pollution etc.
Burying Wastes
 Open dumps
 Sanitary landfills
 Leachate collection
 Monitoring wells
 Emit greenhouse gases (CO2 and
methane)
Sanitary Landfill
Fig. 24-14 p. 547
Sanitary Landfills: Trade-offs
And what about all of the
older landfills around U.S.
and the rest of the world???
NIMBY
• Not In My Back Yard
common with landfills and
incinerators
Section 7: Hazardous Waste
•
•
•
•
What is hazardous waste?
What can we do with hazardous waste?
How can we detoxify waste?
What are advantages and disadvantages of
burying hazardous wastes?
• What are Brownfields?
What is Hazardous Waste?
Any discarded solid or
liquid that is toxic,
ignitable, corrosive or
reactive enough to
explode or release toxic
fumes.
• 80-90% from developed
countries
• 72% from Petro-Chem
• 22% mining
Hazardous Wastes: Types
Contains at least one toxic
compound
Catches fire easily
Reactive or explosive
Corrodes metal containers
Not Hazardous Wastes under
RCRA
 Radioactive wastes
 Household wastes
 Mining wastes
 Oil and gas drilling wastes
 Liquids containing organic hydrocarbons
 Cement kiln dust
 <100 kg (220 lb) per month
Case Study: Bhopal India
• 1984 World’s worst
industrial accident
• Union Carbide
pesticide plant
explosion
• Toxic cloud settled
over region killing
23,000
• 120,000 to 150,000
suffer chronic illnesses
related to accident
Dealing with Hazardous Wastes
Fig. 24-17 p. 550
Detoxifying and Removing Wastes
Physical methods
Chemical methods
Bioremediation
Phytoremediation
Plasma incineration
Deep-well Disposal
Fig. 24-21 p. 553
Hazardous Waste Landfill
Fig. 24-23 p. 554
Surface Impoundments: Trade-offs
Fig. 24-22 p. 553
Brownfields
Abandoned industrial
and other hazardous
waste site
• Factories, junk
yards, gas stations
• Usually older urban
areas like Camden
are full of them
Brownfields
• Can be cleaned up
and reborn as parks,
industrial parks, etc.
• First need to be
cleaned
• Some developers
weary of taking risks
and costs
Brownfields
One example of many in Camden:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep//srp/brownfields/bda/n_camden.htm
Case Studies: Lead
 Lead poisoning major problem in children
Primary Sources of Lead
 Leaded gasoline (phased out by 1986)
 Lead paint (banned in 1970)
 Lead in plumbing
 Progress is being made in reducing lead
Case Studies: Mercury
 Vaporized elemental Mercury
 Fish contaminated with methylmercury
 Natural inputs
 Emission control
 Prevention of contamination
Case Studies: Dioxins
 Potentially highly toxic chlorinated
hydrocarbons
Sources of Dioxins
 Waste incineration
 Fireplaces
 Coal-fired power plants
 Paper production
 Sewage sludge
Section 9: Hazardous Waste
Regulation in the U.S.
• What is RCRA?
• What is
Superfund?
Hazardous Waste Regulation in the
United States
 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA)
 Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)
 National Priority List
 Polluter-pays principle
RCRA
1976 Passed By
Congress: amended
1984
1) ID Hazardous Waste
and set standards
2) Companies that deal
with Haz. Waste over
220 lbs. must get
permits
3) Cradle to Grave
tracking and submit
proof to EPA
CERCLA
Commonly called
Superfund
• Passed in 1980 (NJ
Congressman leaders)
• Established tax on on
chemicals to
1) ID abandoned dumps
sites
2) Clean up groundwater
3) Establish NPL list for
cleanups
http://www.scorecard.org/envreleases/land/
CERCLA
• Responsible parties must
pay
• If no party can be found
clean ups down using $
from tax on oil and
chemical companies (tax
expired 1995)
• 1,250 NPL sites…113 in
NJ
• About 72% clean up
underway avg. $20
million per site
CERCLA
• Some estimates 10,000
sites could cost $1
trillion…pollution
prevention cheaper?
• Toxic Release Inventory
www.epa.gov/tri
Polluter Pays Principle
• Who should pay for
cleanup when
responsible parties can
not be found?
• Currently tax payers
• 1 in 4 Americans live
within 4 miles of
Superfund NPL site
Solutions: Achieving a Low-Waste
Society
Local grassroots action
International ban on 12 persistent
organic pollutants (the dirty dozen)
POPs Treaty
Precautionary Principle