Solid and Hazardous Waste Chapter 21 Core Case

Solid and Hazardous Waste Chapter 21

Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem (1) § Electronic waste, e-waste: fastest growing solid waste problem § Composition includes

Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem (3) § What should be done? • • Recycle E-cycle Reuse Prevention approach: remove the toxic materials

Rapidly Growing E-Waste from Discarded Computers and Other Electronics

21 -1 What Are Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste, and Why Are They Problems? § Concept 21 -1 Solid waste represents pollution and unnecessary waste of resources, and hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural capital degradation, health problems, and premature deaths.

Case Study: Love Canal, NY § http: //www 2. epa. gov/aboutepa/love-canaltragedy

Case Study: Love Canal, NY § http: //www. nytimes. com/video/us/100000002566 509/love-canal-a-legacy-of-doubt. html

Case Study: Love Canal, NY § 1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund • Polluters pay for cleanup (the idea) • Tax payers foot the bill for cleanup (reality) • Pace of cleanup has slowed

We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials (1) § Solid waste • Industrial solid – comes from industry • Municipal solid waste (MSW) – “trash” • Hazardous, toxic, waste – threatens human health or the environment

Hazardous Waste § Hazardous wastes can be: § Examples of hazardous waste:

Yucca Mountain

Yucca Mountain

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials (2) § 80– 90% of hazardous wastes produced by developed countries § Why reduce solid wastes?

Natural Capital Degradation: Solid Wastes Polluting a River in Indonesia

Solid Waste in the United States § Leader in solid waste problem • What is thrown away? § Leader in trash production, by weight, person § Recycling is helping

Hundreds of Millions of Discarded Tires in a Dump in Colorado, U. S.

We Can Burn or Bury Solid Waste or Produce Less of It § Waste Management § Waste Reduction § Integrated waste management • Uses a variety of strategies

Integrated Waste Management

Raw materials Processing and manufacturing Solid and hazardous wastes generated during the manufacturing process Products Waste generated by households and businesses Plastic Glass Metal Paper To manufacturers for reuse or for recycling Food/yard waste Compost Hazardous waste Remaining mixed waste Hazardous waste management Landfill Incinerator Fertilizer Fig. 21 -5, p. 565

Integrated Waste Management: Priorities for Dealing with Solid Waste

We Can Cut Solid Wastes by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling (1) § Waste reduction is based on • Reduce • Reuse • Recycle

7 strategies industries and communities can use to reduce resource use, waste, and pollution 1. Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy 2. Redesign manufacturing process to produce less waste and pollution (ecoindustrial revolution) 3. Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle. 4. Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging 5. Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems 6. Establish cradle-to-grave responsibility laws 7. Restructure urban transportation systems

What Can You Do? Solid Waste

Reuse: Important Way to Reduce Solid Waste, Pollution and to Save Money § Reuse: clean and use materials over and over • Example – Glass soda bottles, glass milk bottles § Downside of reuse in developing countries • -Exposure to disease

Case Study: Use of Refillable Containers § Reuse and recycle • Refillable glass beverage bottles § Paper, plastic, or reusable cloth bags • Pros • Cons

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics

Commonly Used Plastics § #1 PLASTICS: POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) • Common uses: 2 -liter soda bottles, single-use water bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter jars, etc. § #2 PLASTICS: HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE) • Common uses: detergent bottles, yoghurt tubs, milk jugs, bottle caps, backpack frames, hard hats, hula hoops, etc. § #3 PLASTICS: POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) • Common uses: plastic pipes, Saran wraps, outdoor furniture, flooring, siding, etc. § #4 PLASTICS: LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (LDPE) • Common uses: plastic film, grocery bags, dry cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers § #5 PLASTICS: POLYPROPYLENE (PP) • Common uses: bottle caps, food containers, drinking straws, etc § PLASTIC #6: POLYSTYRENE (PS) • Common uses: packaging pellets or "Styrofoam® peanuts, " cups, plastic tableware, meat trays, to-go "clam shell" containers.

Energy Consumption Involved with Using Different Types of 350 ml Containers

What Can You Do? Reuse

There Are Two Types of Recycling § Primary, closed-loop recycling § Secondary recycling

§ Types of wastes that can be recycled • Preconsumer – • Postconsumer –

Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) § Machines or workers separate mixed waste • recover valuable materials for sale to manufacturers as raw materials • paper, plastics, and other combustible wastes are recycled or burned to produce steam or electricity to run the recovery plant or to sell to nearby industries or homes.

Science Focus: Bioplastics § Plastics from plants § Sources • • Corn Soy Sugarcane Algae § Compostable

Trade-Offs: Recycling, Advantages and Disadvantages

Burning Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages § Waste-to-energy incinerators • Burns (incinerates) waste to produce energy • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=lmt. Ou. Aed 5 n. M § Advantages § Disadvantages

Solutions: A Waste-to-Energy Incinerator with Pollution Controls

Trade-Offs: Incineration, Advantages and Disadvantages

Burying Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages § Open dumps • Fields or holes in the ground where garbage is deposited § Sanitary landfills • Waste spread out in thin layers • Compacted • Covered daily with clay or foam • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=m. A 608 GJ-Ez. M

Leaching and Leachate § Leaching – § Leachate – § Concern about groundwater contamination

Solutions: State-of-the-Art Sanitary Landfill

Topsoil Sand Clay Garbage Probes to detect methane leaks Garbage Sand Synthetic liner Sand Clay Subsoil When landfill is full, layers of soil and clay seal in trash Electricity generator building Leachate treatment system Methane storage and compressor building Pipes collect explosive Methane gas methane for use as fuel recovery well to generate electricity Leachate storage tank Compacted solid waste Leachate pipes Leachate pumped up to storage tank for safe disposal Groundwater Clay and plastic lining to prevent leaks; pipes collect leachate from bottom of landfill Groundwater monitoring well Leachate monitoring well

Trade-Offs: Sanitary Landfills, Advantages and Disadvantages

We Can Use Integrated Management of Hazardous Waste § Integrated management of hazardous wastes • Produce less • Convert to less hazardous substances • Rest in long-term safe storage

Integrated Hazardous Waste Management

We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes § Collect and then detoxify • • • Physical methods Chemical methods Bioremediation Phytoremediation Nanomagnets § Incineration

Solutions: Phytoremediation

Trade-Offs: Phytoremediation, Advantages and Disadvantages

Trade-Offs: Plasma Arc, Advantages and Disadvantages

We Can Store Some Forms of Hazardous Waste § Burial on land or long-term storage § Deep-well disposal § Surface impoundments § Secure hazardous landfills

Surface Impoundment in Niagara Falls, New York, U. S.

Trade-Offs Surface Impoundments, Advantages and Disadvantages

Solutions: Secure Hazardous Waste Landfill

What Can You Do? Hazardous Waste

Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States § 1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund • Polluters pay for cleanup (the idea) • Tax payers foot the bill for cleanup (reality) • Pace of cleanup has slowed § Laws encouraging the cleanup of brownfields • Brownfields – abandoned industrial and commercial sites • In most cases, contaminated with hazardous waste • Can be cleaned up and turned into parks

Leaking Barrels of Toxic Waste at a Superfund Site in the United States

Superfund Sites § http: //www. epa. gov/superfund/

21 -6 How Can We Make the Transition to a More Sustainable Low-Waste Society? § Concept 21 -6 Shifting to a low-waste society requires individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and to reuse and recycle wastes at local, national, and global levels.

Grassroots Action Has Led to Better Solid and Hazardous Waste Management § “Not in my backyard” § Produce less waste • “Not in anyone’s backyard” • “Not on planet Earth”

Providing Environmental Justice for Everyone Is an Important Goal § Environmental Justice § Which communities in the U. S. have the largest share of hazardous waster dumps?