Solid and Hazardous Waste Chapter 22 Solid waste

Solid and Hazardous Waste Chapter 22

Solid waste v Most solid waste in the US is produced by industry v 75% mining v 13% agriculture v 9. 5% industrial v 1% sludge v Only 1. 5% of waste is household waste

That’s a lot of trash v Municipal solid waste – household waste averaged about 1500 pounds person in the US v This is two to three times other developed countries

Hazardous Waste v The legal definition: v Contains one of 39 toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic compounds above EPA limits v Catches fire easily v Reactive or unstable v Capable of corroding metal containers

Hazardous Waste v What is not defined as hazardous v Radioactive v Household toxic chemicals v Mining waste with heavy metals v Oil drilling waste v Liquid waste with organic hydrocarbon compounds v Cement dust v Small business hazardous waste if under 100 kilograms per month

Hazardous!! v It is estimated that of the 5. 5 billion metric tons produced each year, only 6% is defined as hazardous and monitored correctly v 94% is discarded by homes and industry not defined as hazardous and is therefore not regulated

Two options v Waste management – develop methods for storing and neutralizing waste v Pollution prevention – find ways to decrease amount of waste produced v This is the four “R’s”

Waste prevention v Reduce v Reuse v Recycle v Rot (compost) v Redesign v These are listed in order of increasing energy required

Our new goal v Reduce waste pollution v Reuse as much as possible v Recycle/compost as much as possible v Chemically treat/incinerate the rest v Bury the remaining material in a sanitary landfill

Producing less waste best choice v Save energy and virgin resources v Reduce environmental impact of acquiring material v Improve worker health and safety v Decrease pollution control/waste management costs v Less long term costs associated with cleanup

Ways to produce less waste Decrease consumption v Redesign manufacturing to use less virgin material v Redesign products to be less polluting v Redesign manufacturing to be more efficient v Use less hazardous products at home v Design products to last longer (non-disposable) v Reduce packaging v Trash tax – pay by the pound v