APES - ch 22 : waste management

what are 3 ways to manage waste?

safe disposal
reduction
recovery

what are the 4 types of waste?

municipal solid waste
industrial solid waste
hazardous waste
wastewater

what are early methods of disposal for MSW?

open area dumps
burned

sanitary landfills

buried or piled
decomposed

sanitary landfill requirements

away from wetlands/faults
6 meters above the water table
has a plastic liner and impermeable clay (prevent leaking into groundwater)
collection pipes and treatment facilities
layered with soil
groundwater beneath regularly monitored for contaminants

decomposition in sanitary landfills is done by?
what does it release?

bacteria
methane (CH4)
anaerobic decomposition

leachate

liquid from substances dissolved in rainwater from sanitary landfills

what are drawback to sanitary landfills?

leachate contamination
slow decomposition
difficult to find locations

steps of incineration

sorted (metal is not burned)
chopped
burned

what does incineration release?

ash -> hazardous waste landfills
may produce and release other hazardous chemicals

2 steps of mitigation

scrubbers
baghouse

scrubbers (mitigation)

neutralizes acids
done by spraying liquids or passing through dry limestone

baghouse (mitigation)

filters that remove fly ash

positives/benefits of mitigation

waste-to-energy (WTE and methane can be used)
heat used to boil water
electricity generation

3 ways to reduce MSW

source reduction
reuse
financial incentives

source reduction example

less packaging

reuse examples

donate
substitute disposable with durable
thrift

financial incentives examples

"pay-as-you-throw-approach"
"bottle bills"

steps of recycling loop

1. collect and process goods and materials
- material recovery facilities (MRF)
2. used in manufacturing new goods
3. consumers purchase

composting

organic material converted into humus

what is humus?

partially decomposed organic matter

industrial waste from...

factories

mining

agriculture

regulation on industrial waste

- state or local governments- companies manage their own landfills OR pay to have it disposed of

industrial ecology

redesign industrial systems to minimize physical inefficiency and maximize economic efficiency

steps of industrial ecology

1. life-cycle analysis of a product
2. how waste products can become raw materials
3. create new products

forms of wastewater

grey water

black water

grey water

relatively clean water from sinks, drains, etc

black water

contains waste and can't be reused unless treated properly

wastewater treatment

sewer systems (primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment)

primary treatment

physical removal of contaminants in settling tanks

secondary treatment

stirred and aerated

\-> decomposed with activated sludge

tertiary treatment

disinfected with chlorine, ozone (O3), UV light

biosolids

organic matter recycled from sewage, especially for use in agriculture

hazardous waste (can be solid, liquid, or gas)

\- ignitive

\- corrosive

\- reactive

\- toxic

\- radioactive

hazardous waste is mostly produced by...

industry

most unregulated hazardous waste is...

households (batteries, oils in paint, etc)

examples of hazardous waste

organic compounds

heavy metals

e-waste

organic compounds (hazardous waste)

plastic containers, rubber tires, pesticides

resist decomposition

heavy metals (hazardous waste)

lead, chromium, mercury, copper, cadmium (comes from electronics and are neurotoxins)

e-waste (hazardous waste)

disposed of after a few years increased recycling -> workers who disassemble face health risks

RCRA

resource conservation and recovery act

\- requires permits to generate/dispose of hazardous waste

\- tracked from "cradle to grave"

positives of disposal

high cost -> reduce hazardous waste

incineration

bacterial remediation and phytoremediation

bacterial remediation

liquefaction or break down of oily waste or clean-up of oil spills by the use of the naturally occurring oil consuming bacteria

phytoremediation

use of green plants and microbes to clean up soil and groundwater

hazardous waste disposal

landfills

surface impoundments

deep well injection

hazardous waste landfills

stricter regulation than sanitary landfills

surface impoundment

stored in depressions lined with plastic and clay

liquid evaporates, leaving solids

surface impoundment cons

overflow

solids can blow away

leak into groundwater

air pollution

promotes waste production

exposure to wildlife

deep well injection

drilling a hole in the ground that's below the water table to hold waste

deep well injection cons

leaks -> aquifer contamination

corrosion

CERCLA

cleans up sites polluted with hazardous waste (superfund site)

superfund

identify landfills

close proximity to humans

high likelihood of spreading

drinking water supply threatened

superfund goal

"polluter pays principle"charge polluting parties for cleanup

superfund reality

taxpayers pay

what percent of superfund sites have been cleaned?

60%

brownfield

a property which has the presence or potential to be a hazardous waste, pollutant or contaminant