ch 17: terrestrial pollution and waste

solid waste

• any unwanted or discarded material ppl produce that is not liquid or gas

industrial solid waste

• produced by mines, farms, and industries that supply ppl w/ goods and services

• also includes construction and demolition waste

municipial solid waste (msw)

• aka garbage/trash

• combined solid wastes produced by homes and workplaces other than factories

• ex. paper, cardboard, food wastes, cans, bottles, yard wastes, furniture, plastics, glass, wood, electronics

*trash deposited in a landfill is tightly packed and protected from sunlight, water, air, and bacteria that could degrade the biodegradable materials

hazardous/toxic waste

• any discarded material or substance that threatens human health or the env bc it is toxic, corrosive, flammable, can undergo violent/explosive chemical reactions, can cause disease

  • ex. industrial solvents, hospital medical waste, car batteries (containing acids and toxic lead), household pesticide products, dry-cell batteries (containing mercury and cadmium), and ash and sludge from incinerators and coal-burning power and industrial plants

1. organic compounds

2. heavy metals

e-waste

• discarded electronics

waste management

• focuses on controlling wastes in order to limit their env harm

*does not reduce how much is produced

*typically involves mixing wastes tgt and then burying them, burning them, offshoring

waste reduction

• producing less solid waste, reusing, recycling, composting what is produced

integrated waste management

• variety of coordinated strategies for waste management and reduction

• compares goals of EPA and national academy of sciences w/ waste management trends based on actual data

*keeps waste from degrading ecosystems, reducing amount of waste produced, reusing, recycling, composting

what industries can do

1. changing industrial processes to reduce or eliminate the use of toxic chemicals

2. redesigning manufacturing products and processes to use less material and energy

3. developing products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost or recycle

4. establishing cradle-to-grave responsibility laws

5. reducing or eliminating unnecessary packaging, and using fee-per-bag solid waste collection systems.

primary recycling

• involves using materials again for the same purpose

• ex. an aluminum can is recycled into a new aluminum can

secondary recycling

• involves downcycling or upcycling waste materials into different products

• ex. turning tires into sandals

recycling ads

1. reduces energy and mineral use and air and water pollution

2. reduces ghg emissions

3. reduces solid wastes

recycling disads

1. can cost more than burying in areas w/ ample landfill space

2. reduces profits for landfill and incinerator owners

3. inconvenient

upcycling v downcycling

1. upcycling: converts items into goods that are more useful than the og item

2. downcycling: converts an item into a product that is less useful than the original item

composting

• allows organic waste to decompose into basic elements that plants req so that the nutrients may be used by plants

• one product (food waste) is converted into another useful product (plant nutrients)

materials recovery facilities (mrfs)

• separate mixed waste and recover valuable materials and recyclables

• remaining waste is incinerated to produce electricity which produces air pollution, reqs steady input of waste to remain viable

waste-to-energy incineration

1. ads

   • reduces trash volume

   • produces energy

   • concentrates hazardous substances into ash for burial

   • sale of energy reduces cost

2. disads

   • expensive to build

   • produces a hazardous waste

   • emits some CO2 and other air pollutants

   • encourages wate production

sanitary landfill

• solid wastes are spread out into thin layers, compacted, regularly covered w/ a layer of clay/plastic foam

• keeps material dry, cuts down odors, reduces risk of fire, keeps pests away from waste

• contains contaminated water (leachate) so it doesn’t leak out of the landfill and pollute nearby soil/groundwater

sanitary landfills ads

1. low operating costs

2. can handle large amounts of waste

3. filled land can be used for other purposes

4. no shortage of landfill space in many areas

sanitary landfills disads

1. noise, traffic, dust

2. releases ghg (methane and CO2) unless they are collected

3. output approach encourages waste production

4. eventually leaks and can contaminate groundwater

open dump

• field or pit where garbage is deposited and sometimes burned

• rare in more-developed countries

  • widely used near major cities in many less-developed countries

plasma arc ads

1. produces a mixture of CO and H2 that can be used as a fuel

2. mobile, easy to move to different sites

3. produces no toxic ash

plasma arc disads

1. high costs

2. produces CO2 and CO

3. can release particulates and chlorine gas

4. can vaporize and release toxic metals and radioactive elements

deep-well disposal ads

1. safe if sites are chosen carefully

2. wastes can often be retrieved

3. low cost

deep-well disposal disads

1. leads can occur from corrosion of well casing

2. emits CO2 and other air pollutants

3. output approach that encourages waste production

cercla

• comprehensive env response, compensation, liability act

• identify sites (superfunds) where hazardous wastes have contaminated the env and clean them up

e-waste recycling

• most waste is sent to countries like china and india

  • low paid workers (including children) dismantle electronic trash to recover gold, lead, silver, and copper using toxic chemicals and other methods that expose them to lead poisoning. and toxic fumes from burning/melting electronic components

detoxifying hazardous waste

1. bioremediation

2. chemical methods

3. physical methods: incineration

4. plasma gasification

epa’s toxic release inventory

• list of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste generated by industry that can be found in communities accross the US

biomimicry

• mimicking the way that nature deals with waste in order to move towards cleaner and more sustainable processes

  1. study how natural systems have responded to changes in env conditions over millions of years

  2. copy and adapt responses within human systems in order to deal w/ various env challenges

resource exchange webs

• wastes of one manufacturer becomes the raw materials for another, similar to food webs in natural ecosystems

stockholm convention

• global treaty that regulates that 12 highly toxic persistent organic pollutants (the dirty dozen) that can accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and animals

*DDT, dioxin, PCBs

industrial ecosystem

• group of industries, darms, homes where the waste becomes the resource for another, mimicking a food web

cradle-to-cradle

• phases out toxic substances as a part of products, change the approach to manufacturing so that as products wear out, they are cycled back into the manufacturing system as raw material for more products

*nature continuously recycles nutrients and waste is a resource for organisms somewhere within the ongoing cycle