Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution (chapter 16)

Toxicity

Harm, illness, or death caused by chemical means through ingestion, inhalation, or absorption.

Waste

Material outputs from a system that are not useful or consumed.

Planned obsolescence

The process of designing a product so that it will need to be replaced within a few years.

Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions.

Waste stream

The flow of solid waste that is recycled, incinerated, placed in a solid waste landfill, or disposed of in another way.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

A popular phrase promoting the idea of diverting materials from the waste stream. Also known as the three Rs.

Source reduction

An approach to waste management that seeks to cut waste by reducing the use of potential waste materials in the early stages of design and manufacture.

Reuse

Using a product or material that was intended to be discarded.

Recycling

The process by which materials destined to become municipal solid waste (MSW) are collected and converted into raw materials that are then used to produce new objects.

Closed-loop recycling

Recycling a product into the same product.

Open-loop recycling

Recycling one product into a different product.

Composting

Creation of organic matter (humus) by decomposition under controlled conditions to produce an organic-rich material that enhances soil structure, cation exchange capacity, and fertility.

Leachate

Liquid that contains elevated levels of pollutants as a result of having passed through municipal solid waste (MSW) or contaminated soil.

Sanitary landfill

An engineered ground facility designed to hold municipal solid waste (MSW) with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible.

Tipping fee

A fee charged for disposing of material in a landfill or incinerator.

Siting

The designation of a landfill location, typically through a regulatory process involving studies, written reports, and public hearings.

Incineration

The process of burning waste materials to reduce volume and mass, sometimes to generate electricity or heat.

Ash

The residual nonorganic material that does not combust during incineration.

Bottom ash

Residue collected at the bottom of the combustion chamber in a furnace.

Fly ash

The residue collected from the chimney or exhaust pipe of a furnace.

Waste-to-energy

A system in which heat generated by incineration is used as an energy source rather than released into the surrounding environment.

Hazardous waste

Liquid, solid, gaseous, or sludge waste material that is harmful to humans, ecosystems, or materials.

Superfund Act

The common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); a 1980 U.S. federal act that imposes a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries, funds the cleanup of abandoned and nonoperating hazardous waste sites, and authorizes the federal government to respond directly to the release or threatened release of substances that may pose a threat to human health or the environment.

Brownfields

Contaminated industrial or commercial sites that may require environment cleanup before they can be redeveloped or expanded.

Life-cycle analysis

A systems tool that examines the materials used and released throughout the lifetime of a product — from the procurement of raw materials through their manufacture, use, and disposal. Also known as cradle-to-grave analysis.

Integrated waste management

An approach to waste disposal that employs several waste reduction, man-agement, and disposal strategies in order to reduce the environmental impact of MSW.