Transcript Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste

Chapter 21:
Solid and
Hazardous
Waste
Aaron Gewecke, Will
Gibson, Naba Zamir, Nick
Beyer
21-1: Wasting Resources
 The
US produces 33% of the world’s solid
waste
 Solid waste: any unwanted or discarded
material that is not a liquid or a gas
 98.5% comes as a result of mining, oil
and natural gas production, agriculture,
sewage sludge, and industrial activities
 Remaining 1.5% is municipal solid waste
(MSW) from homes or urban areas
21-2 Producing Less Waste
and Air Pollution
2
-
ways to deal with waste
Economic Approach: Burying, burning,
shipping it off to be stored
Waste and Pollution Prevention Method:
not using the resources in the first place
and views waste as resources that should
be recycled/reused
21-1 Wasting Resources
 Hazardous




Wastes: Possible classifications
Contain toxic, carcinogens, mutagens or
teratogens. Ex: pesticides
Catches fire easily. Ex: gasoline, paints
Too reactive; could explode or release
fumes. Ex: ammonia
Can corrode metals. Ex: drain cleaners
 95%
of our hazardous waste is not
regulated because of this definition
21-2 Producing Less Waste
and Air Pollution
 Ways






to reduce waste:
consume less
redesign manufacturing processes to use
less energy, waste, and pollution
Develop products easy to reuse
Design products to last longer
Eliminate and reduce packaging
Economic incentives like trash taxes
21-3 Solutions: Cleaner
Production and Selling
Services Instead of Things

Eco industrial Revolution



Achieve industrial, economic, and
environmental sustainability
Bring about cleaner production/industrial
ecology
Industrial manufacturing process would be:
Closed systems
 Cyclical flow
 Waste become raw material


Biomimicry - Mimic nature and interact in
resource exchange webs
21-3 Continued
 Economic





benefits of biomimicry:
Reduce cost of controlling pollution
Improve health and safety of workers
Reduce legal liability
Stimulate companies to produce
environmentally friendly chemicals
(subsidies, tax breaks, etc.)
Example: Minnesota Mining and
Manufacturing Company (3M)
21-3 Cont.
 Service


Flow Economy
Lease/rent services the goods provide
instead of purchasing
Yields profit:
 Minimum
 Lasts
material use
long
 Easy to maintain
 Recyclable
21-4 Reuse

Benefits:
 Extends resource supplies, reduces energy
waste, creates jobs, saves money (for
companies)
 Problems:

Disposable plates, napkins, and tissues have
taken the place of reusable items in today’s
society
 Examples

of reusable items:
Lunch boxes, cloth shopping bags,
recyclable pallets
21-5 Recycling

Two types of recycling:



Primary, or closed-loop recycling
Secondary, or downcycling
Recycling on Solid Waste

Source separation approach
Little air/water pollution
 Low startup costs/moderate operating costs
 Save energy
 More jobs
 Cleaner and valuable recycleables
 Educate public

21-6 Recycling Paper and
Plastics
 Recycling

Saves money, energy, reduces air/water
pollution
 Plastics



instead of making new paper
are much harder to recycle
Occur in many different types
Often are made of composites of plastics
Contain chemicals that must be removed
before recycling
21-7: Detoxifying, Burning, Burying,
and Exporting Chemical Wastes
 Detoxifying
Waste: involves injecting waste with
cyclodextrin to remove toxins
 Plasma detoxification is another option

Includes decomposing organic material into ions and
atoms
21-7: Detoxifying, Burning,
Burying, and Exporting
Chemical Wastes
 Burning



Waste
High cost
Air pollution
Beginning to be outlawed
21-7: Detoxifying, Burning, Burying,
and Exporting Chemical Wastes
 Sanitary
Landfill
 Spread out in thin layers
 Compacted
 Covered with layer of clay
 To deal with leachate (leakage)
 Any leakage pumped into the bottom of the
landfill
 Stored in tanks
 Sent into regular sewage
 Other Greener Ideas

Apply green water to landfills
Exporting Waste
 Canada
recycles 89% of the U.S.’s
exported waste
 Basel Convention on Hazardous Waste

Requires consent from the recipient nation
before waste is shipped there
Disposal of Liquid Waste
 Disposal



of Waste
Deep underground wells
surface impoundments
Above ground storage facilities
 Built
and reinforced to insure no damage is
caused by storms
 Fans/filters to prevent release of toxic gases
21-8: Lead, Mercury, Chlorine,
and Dioxins

Threat from lead:







Nervous system impairment
Lowered IQ (4-7 points)
Shortened attention span
Hyperactivity
Hearing damage
Behavioral disorders
Threat from mercury:


Neurotoxin – harm brain and spinal cord
Exposed to mercury in two ways:
Inhaling
 Eating contaminated fish


Human-based sources of mercury:
Coal burning
 Waste incineration electric arc furnaces

21-8: Lead, Mercury, Chlorine,
and Dioxins

Chlorine:

Used in:
Plastics (PVC)
 solvents
 Paper and pulp bleaching



Produces many toxins
Dioxins


Family of 75 different chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds
formed as by-products in chemical reactions involving
chlorine and hydrocarbons
Sources:
Wood-burning fireplaces
 Coal-fired power plants
 Metal smeling/refining facilities
 Wood pulp paper mills
 Sludge

21-9 Hazardous Waste
Regulation in the US
 Resource
(RCRA)

Conservation and Recovery Act
EPA must identify hazardous wastes
Provides firms that store, treat and dispose of
hazardous wastes
 Superfund
Act (Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act)


Cleaning abandoned hazardous sites and
affected groundwater
Made possible through taxes on raw chemicals
21-9
 Polluter

pays principle
EPA must find responsible parties (that
polluted an area) and charge them for the
cleanup
 Brownfields


Abandoned industrial and commercial sites
that are in most cases contaminated
450,000-650,000 sites in the US, attempts are
being made to restore or change these
sites so they don’t affect groundwater
21-10 Achieving A Low Waste
Society
 Living
free of pollution is considered a
human right
 POPs treaty

Treaty to control 12 persistent organic
pollutants (POPS), also called the dirty
dozen
 Precautionary

principle
Prevention of pollution and waste instead
of cleaning it up