Chapter 21 - Solid and Hazardous Waste

Solid waste

is any unwanted or discarded material that is not a liquid or gas

The United States has 4.6% of the world’s population and produces

about 33% of the world’s solid waste

About 98.5% of the solid waste in the U.S. is industrial solid waste from

mining, oil and natural gas production, agriculture, and industrial activities

The remaining 1.5% of solid waste

in municipal solid waste (garbage) from homes and businesses

Hazardous waste

is any discarded solid or liquid material that

* Contains one or more toxic compounds at levels that exceed established limits
* Catches fire easily
* Is reactive or unstable enough to explode or release toxic fumes

Hazardous wastes may be detoxified by

\
* Bioremediation
* Phytoremediation

Bioremediation

breakdown by microorganisms

Phytoremediation

breakdown by natural or genetically engineered plants in artificial marshes or greenhouses

Electronic waste

, or “e-waste” represents only about 2% of total waste in landfills, but comprises 70% of overall toxic waste. This includes discarded cell phones, computers, printers, televisions etc. E-waste has high levels of many toxic metals, including mercury, copper, palladium, silver and gold.

Under the U.S. legal definition of hazardous waste, the following are NOT included:

\
* Radioactive wastes
* Toxic materials discarded by hazardous
* Mining wastes
* Oil and gas-drilling wastes
* Liquid waste containing organic hydrocarbon compounds
* Cement kiln dust produced when burning hazardous wastes
* Wastes from small businesses and factories

Niagra Falls, NY

Twenty five years after the Hooker Chemical Company stopped using the love cacal as an industrial dump, 82 different compounds, 11 of them suspected carcinogens, have been percolating upward through the soil, their drum containers rotting and leaching their contents into the backyards and basements of 100 homes and a public school built on the banks of the canal.

\

1980, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, CERCLA, the Superfund Program

\
* Identifies and cleans up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites
* Implements “polluter-pays” principle allowing the EPA to sue any parties they consider liable for the pollution.  However, the Bush administration did not renew this tax to corporations, which has led to smaller number of cleanups and payment by Tr .