Solid and Hazardous Waste

History of Solid waste

Rural areas= people

Cities=problematic

The resource conservation and recovery act

forbade open dumping

introduced the sanitary landfill

subtitle c= hazardous waste

subtitle d= non hazardous waste

1976 Gerald ford, richard nixon, rocky and stevie winder

Inappropriate disposal of waste

1. groundwater contamination

2. pollutes ambient air

3. physical health hazards

4. spread of debris around dumping area

5. lowers property values about sites

6. proliferation of rodents/insects

7. disease from microorganisms and toxic chemicals

Organization of federal laws

statutes, titles, subtitles, subchapters, subsections, clauses, regulations/administration, judicial interpretion

RCRA Subtitle D Non hazardous

technical requirements

land fill siting

environmental justice

environmental racism

Waste and kind of waste you generate

discarded

materials include paper and paperboard, yard trimming, food wastes, plastics, glass, metal and wood waste

Non residential D waste

municipal sludge

industrial non hazardous waste

construction and demolition waste

Municipal solid waste production

stabilized at 1000 ibs per person in the 1990s

increased w population

Fate of MSW+ 52.5% Landfilling, 25% recycling, 9% composting

Landfill material by products

containers and packaging= 29.5%

nondurable goods=22.0%

durable=19.2%

food=14.1%

yard trimming =13.7%

RCRA

Removal of solid waste is the responsibility of government

developed and enforce regulations that protect the public health by proper collection and disposal

Trash business

>3000 open MSW landfills

>10000 closed MSW landfills

61% largest six corporations

Collection of MSW

Govern owned or contractors

manual or auto loaded compacting bodies which increases the weight of the load that can be carried and reduced trips

Transfer stations MSW

MSW concentrated before taken to a processing facility or landfill

often involves compaction

roll off collection container

environmental justice

all people should be equal access and protection from environmental hazards

environmental racism

the disproportionate exposure of marginalized communities, particularly those of color, to environmental hazards and pollutants

examples of environmental racism/justice

corroded pipes in flint MI

Distributing bottled h2zo in Jackson MS

Standing Rock Sioux protesting the pipeline

Subtitle D landfill requirements

These requirements primarily focus on preventing groundwater contamination from leachate and controlling landfill gas emission

Textile mat=protective layer and filter out

washed rock=above layer for drainage

Liner systems

leachate collection and removal

groundwater monitoring

operating practices

final cover system=infiltration and erosion layer

methane gas monitoring

financial assurance

closure and post closure

bottom layer/base

two feet of compact clay or bentonite=expandable clay

strong sorption for heavy metals

expands when with water contact: becomes water proof

hydraulic permeability of 10-7

land fill closure caps/covers

meant to be impermeable however can be distrubed

-burrowing and soil dwelling animals

-roots of vegetation

-prescription

-freeze thaw cycles

wind

uneven setting

exposure to sunlight

landfill closure methane release

generated by anaerobic microbe growth

venting required

relieves downward pressure

optional collection used to add power to grid

Landfills reduction activities

1. products package reuse

2. package redesign that reduces material

3. reducing use of modifying practices

recycled materials by type

39.4% mixed paper

13.9% cardboard

20.4% glass containers

recycling (closed) vs downcycling(open)

removing materials from MSW for a productive use is referred to as recycling recovery

recovery for recycling

material recycling facilities MRF prepare recyclables for marketing

public must supply MRFs, curbside program most effective

a magnet removes steel object and recyclables are auto and manually separated

recycling energy saved by material

1. aluminum cans 95%

2. newspaper 68%

3. glass bottles 34%

4. plastic bottles 87%

Bottle bills

laws that require deposits to be paid on beverages sold in recyclable bottles and cans. returned to the consumers when bottles are returned to retailers

composting

degraded organic matter by soil organism

result: humus material

us diverts 25 million tons of waste away from landfills by composting

estimated that could be composted 165 million tons

compost uses

landscaping 31%

agriculture 25%

landfill cover 14%

nurseries 11%

bagged/retail 7%

home composting

create a space that can be aerated and watered

no animal products other than eggshells

dual rotating chamber

uga composting pickup

patio vermiculture

four main steps in WTE

1. combustion

2. heat recovery

3. power generation

4. emissions control

waste to energy plant diagram

1. nitrogen oxide removal system

2. mercury and dioxin removal system

3. acid gas removal system

4. particulate removal system

5. pollution control test

global waste to energy success story

covanta faitfax facility VA

lidkoping energi sweden

shenzhen east wte plant in china