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Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste

21.1 What Are Solid and Hazardous Waste, and Why Are They Problems?

Wasting Resources

  • Solid Waste

  • Industrial Solid Waste

    • Mining

    • Agriculture

    • Industry

  • Municipal Solid Waste

  • Hazardous or toxic waste

    • Threatens human health or the environment

    • Poisonous

    • Reactive

    • Corrosive

    • Flammable

    • Developed countries produce 80-90%

  • Solid waste and hazardous waste

    • About 3/4 of unnecessary resource waste

    • Create air and water pollution, land degradation

What Harmful Chemicals Are in Your Home?

Cleaning

  • Disinfectants

  • Drain, toilet, and window cleaners

  • Spot removers

  • Septic tank cleaners

Paint Products

  • Paints, stains, varnishes, and lacquers

  • Paint thinners, solvents, and strippers

  • Wood preservatives

  • Artist paints and inks

General

  • Dry-cell batteries (mercury and cadmium)

  • Glues and cement

Gardening

  • Pesticides

  • Weed killers

  • Ant and rodent killers

  • Plea powders

Automotive

  • Gasoline

  • Used motor oil

  • Antifreeze

  • Battery acid

  • Brake and transmission fluid

21.2 How Should We Deal with Solid Waste?

Dealing with Solid Waste

  • Waste management

  • Waste reduction

  • Integrated waste management

First Priority

Primary Pollution and Waste Prevention

  • Change industrial processes to eliminate the use of harmful chemicals

  • Use less of a dangerous product

  • Reduce packaging and materials in products

  • Make products that last longer and are recyclable, reusable, or easy to repair

Second Priority

Second Pollution and Waste Prevention

  • Reuse

  • Repair

  • Recycle

  • Compost

  • Buy reusable and recyclable products

Last Priority

Waste Management

  • Treat waste to reduce toxicity

  • Incinerate waste

  • Bury waste in landfills

  • Release waste into the environment for dispersal or dilution

What Can You Do?

Solid Waste

  • Follow the three Rs of resource use: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

  • Ask yourself whether you really need a particular item, and refuse to package where possible

  • Rent, borrow, or barter goods and services when you can, buy secondhand, and donate or sell unused items

  • Buy reusable, recyclable, or compostable things, and be sure to reuse, recycle, and compost them.

  • Avoid disposables, and do not use throwaway paper and plastic plates, cups, eating utensils, and other disposable items when reusable or refillable versions are available

  • Use email or text messaging in place of conventional paper mail

  • Read newspapers and magazines online

  • Buy products in bulk or concentrated form whenever possible

Reducing Resource Use, Waste, and Pollution

  • Redesign processes and products to use less material

  • Redesign processes and products to generate less waste

  • Make products easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle

  • Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging

  • Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems

  • Establish cradle-to-grave laws

21.3 Why Is Reusing and Recycling Materials So Important?

Reuse

  • Reuse: Clean and use materials over and over

  • The downside of reuse in developing countries

  • Salvaginf automobiles parts

  • Rechargeable batteries

What Can We Do?

  • Buy beverages in refillable glass containers instead of cans or throwaways bottles

  • Use reusable plastic or metal lunchboxes

  • Carry sandwiches and store food in the refrigerator in reusable containers instead of wrapping them in aluminum foil or plastic wrap

  • Use rechargeable batteries and recycle them when their useful life is over

  • Carry groceries and other items in a reusable basket, a canvas or string bag, or a small cart

  • Buy used furniture, computers, cars, and other items instead of buying new

  • Give away or sell items you no longer use.

There Are Two Types of Recycling

  • Primary, closed-loop recycling

  • Second recycling

  • Types of wastes that can be recycled

    • Preconsumer: Internal waste

    • Postconsumer: external waste

Bioplastics

  • Plastics from soybeans: not a new concept

  • Key to bioplastics: catalysts

  • Source

    • Corn

    • Soy

    • Sugarcane

    • Switchgrass

    • Chicken feathers

    • Some garbage

    • CO2 from coal-burning plant emissions

  • Benefits

    • lighter, stronger, cheaper, and biodegradable

Trade-Offs: Recycling

Advantages

  • Reduces air and water pollution

  • Saves energy

  • Reduces mineral demand

  • Reduces greenhouse gas emissions

  • Reduce solid waste production and disposal

  • Helps protect biodiversity

  • Can save landfill space

  • An important part of the economy

Disadvantages

  • Can cost more than burying in areas with ample landfill space

  • May lose money for items such as glass and some plastics

  • Reduces profits for landfill and incinerator owners

  • Source separation is inconvenient for some people.

We Can Encourage Reuse and Recycling

  • Encourage reuse and recycling

    • Government

      • Increase subsidies and tax breaks for using such products

      • Decrease subsidies and tax breaks for making items from virgin resources

      • Fee-per-bag collection

      • News laws

      • Citizen pressure

21.4 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Burning or Burying Solid Waste

  • Waste-energy incinerators

  • 600 Globally

Tradeoffs- Incineration

Advantages

  • Reduce trash volume

  • Less need for landfills

  • Low water pollution

  • Concentrates hazardous substances into asking for burial

  • The sale of energy reduces the cost

  • Modern controls reduce air pollution

  • Some facilities recover and sell metals

Disadvantages

  • Expensive to build

  • Costs most than short-distance

  • hauling to landfills

  • Difficult to the site because of citizen opposition

  • Some air pollution and CO2 emissions

  • Order or poorly managed facilities can release large amounts of air pollution

  • Outputs approach that encourages waste production

  • Can compete with recycling for burnable materials such as newspaper

Tradeoffs- Sanitary Landfills

Advantages

  • No open burning

  • Littler order

  • Low groundwater pollution if sited properly

  • Cna be built quickly

  • Low operating cost

  • Can handle a large amount of water

  • Filled land can be used for other purposes

Disadvantages

  • Noise and traffic

  • Dust

  • Air pollution from toxic gases and trucks

  • releases greenhouse gases (methane and CO2) unless they are collected

  • Slow decomposition of wastes

  • Output approach that encourages waste production

  • Eventually, leaks can contaminate groundwater

21.5 How Should We Deal with Hazardous Waste

We Can Use Integrated Management of Hazardous Waste

  • Integrated management of hazardous wastes: produce less, convert to less hazardous substances, rest in long-term safe storage

  • Increase the use of post-consumer hazardous waste.

We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes

  • Collect and then detoxify

    • Physical methods

    • Chemical methods

    • Use nonmagnetic

    • Bioremediation

    • Phytoremediation

  • Incineration

  • Using a plasma arc torch

Phytoremediation

  • Rhizofiltration: Roots of plants such as sunflowers with dangling roots absorb pollution.

  • Phytostabilization: Plants such as willow trees and popular can absorb chemicals and keep them from reaching groundwater or nearby surface water

  • Photodegradation: Plants can absorb toxic organic chemicals and break them down into less harmful compounds which they store or release slowly into the air

  • Phytoextraction: Roots of plants can absorb toxic metals

We Can Store Some Forms of Hazardous Waste

  • Burial on land or long-term storage

  • Deep well disposal: disposal of fluids

  • Surface impoundments: holds an accumulation of liquids

  • Secure hazardous landfill: a built-on or depression of the ground to hold waste.

United States

  • 1979: Resource Conservation and recovery act

  • 1980: Comprehensive Environmental, compensation, and liability act

    • The pace of cleanup has slowed

    • Superfund is broke

Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste

21.1 What Are Solid and Hazardous Waste, and Why Are They Problems?

Wasting Resources

  • Solid Waste

  • Industrial Solid Waste

    • Mining

    • Agriculture

    • Industry

  • Municipal Solid Waste

  • Hazardous or toxic waste

    • Threatens human health or the environment

    • Poisonous

    • Reactive

    • Corrosive

    • Flammable

    • Developed countries produce 80-90%

  • Solid waste and hazardous waste

    • About 3/4 of unnecessary resource waste

    • Create air and water pollution, land degradation

What Harmful Chemicals Are in Your Home?

Cleaning

  • Disinfectants

  • Drain, toilet, and window cleaners

  • Spot removers

  • Septic tank cleaners

Paint Products

  • Paints, stains, varnishes, and lacquers

  • Paint thinners, solvents, and strippers

  • Wood preservatives

  • Artist paints and inks

General

  • Dry-cell batteries (mercury and cadmium)

  • Glues and cement

Gardening

  • Pesticides

  • Weed killers

  • Ant and rodent killers

  • Plea powders

Automotive

  • Gasoline

  • Used motor oil

  • Antifreeze

  • Battery acid

  • Brake and transmission fluid

21.2 How Should We Deal with Solid Waste?

Dealing with Solid Waste

  • Waste management

  • Waste reduction

  • Integrated waste management

First Priority

Primary Pollution and Waste Prevention

  • Change industrial processes to eliminate the use of harmful chemicals

  • Use less of a dangerous product

  • Reduce packaging and materials in products

  • Make products that last longer and are recyclable, reusable, or easy to repair

Second Priority

Second Pollution and Waste Prevention

  • Reuse

  • Repair

  • Recycle

  • Compost

  • Buy reusable and recyclable products

Last Priority

Waste Management

  • Treat waste to reduce toxicity

  • Incinerate waste

  • Bury waste in landfills

  • Release waste into the environment for dispersal or dilution

What Can You Do?

Solid Waste

  • Follow the three Rs of resource use: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

  • Ask yourself whether you really need a particular item, and refuse to package where possible

  • Rent, borrow, or barter goods and services when you can, buy secondhand, and donate or sell unused items

  • Buy reusable, recyclable, or compostable things, and be sure to reuse, recycle, and compost them.

  • Avoid disposables, and do not use throwaway paper and plastic plates, cups, eating utensils, and other disposable items when reusable or refillable versions are available

  • Use email or text messaging in place of conventional paper mail

  • Read newspapers and magazines online

  • Buy products in bulk or concentrated form whenever possible

Reducing Resource Use, Waste, and Pollution

  • Redesign processes and products to use less material

  • Redesign processes and products to generate less waste

  • Make products easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle

  • Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging

  • Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems

  • Establish cradle-to-grave laws

21.3 Why Is Reusing and Recycling Materials So Important?

Reuse

  • Reuse: Clean and use materials over and over

  • The downside of reuse in developing countries

  • Salvaginf automobiles parts

  • Rechargeable batteries

What Can We Do?

  • Buy beverages in refillable glass containers instead of cans or throwaways bottles

  • Use reusable plastic or metal lunchboxes

  • Carry sandwiches and store food in the refrigerator in reusable containers instead of wrapping them in aluminum foil or plastic wrap

  • Use rechargeable batteries and recycle them when their useful life is over

  • Carry groceries and other items in a reusable basket, a canvas or string bag, or a small cart

  • Buy used furniture, computers, cars, and other items instead of buying new

  • Give away or sell items you no longer use.

There Are Two Types of Recycling

  • Primary, closed-loop recycling

  • Second recycling

  • Types of wastes that can be recycled

    • Preconsumer: Internal waste

    • Postconsumer: external waste

Bioplastics

  • Plastics from soybeans: not a new concept

  • Key to bioplastics: catalysts

  • Source

    • Corn

    • Soy

    • Sugarcane

    • Switchgrass

    • Chicken feathers

    • Some garbage

    • CO2 from coal-burning plant emissions

  • Benefits

    • lighter, stronger, cheaper, and biodegradable

Trade-Offs: Recycling

Advantages

  • Reduces air and water pollution

  • Saves energy

  • Reduces mineral demand

  • Reduces greenhouse gas emissions

  • Reduce solid waste production and disposal

  • Helps protect biodiversity

  • Can save landfill space

  • An important part of the economy

Disadvantages

  • Can cost more than burying in areas with ample landfill space

  • May lose money for items such as glass and some plastics

  • Reduces profits for landfill and incinerator owners

  • Source separation is inconvenient for some people.

We Can Encourage Reuse and Recycling

  • Encourage reuse and recycling

    • Government

      • Increase subsidies and tax breaks for using such products

      • Decrease subsidies and tax breaks for making items from virgin resources

      • Fee-per-bag collection

      • News laws

      • Citizen pressure

21.4 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Burning or Burying Solid Waste

  • Waste-energy incinerators

  • 600 Globally

Tradeoffs- Incineration

Advantages

  • Reduce trash volume

  • Less need for landfills

  • Low water pollution

  • Concentrates hazardous substances into asking for burial

  • The sale of energy reduces the cost

  • Modern controls reduce air pollution

  • Some facilities recover and sell metals

Disadvantages

  • Expensive to build

  • Costs most than short-distance

  • hauling to landfills

  • Difficult to the site because of citizen opposition

  • Some air pollution and CO2 emissions

  • Order or poorly managed facilities can release large amounts of air pollution

  • Outputs approach that encourages waste production

  • Can compete with recycling for burnable materials such as newspaper

Tradeoffs- Sanitary Landfills

Advantages

  • No open burning

  • Littler order

  • Low groundwater pollution if sited properly

  • Cna be built quickly

  • Low operating cost

  • Can handle a large amount of water

  • Filled land can be used for other purposes

Disadvantages

  • Noise and traffic

  • Dust

  • Air pollution from toxic gases and trucks

  • releases greenhouse gases (methane and CO2) unless they are collected

  • Slow decomposition of wastes

  • Output approach that encourages waste production

  • Eventually, leaks can contaminate groundwater

21.5 How Should We Deal with Hazardous Waste

We Can Use Integrated Management of Hazardous Waste

  • Integrated management of hazardous wastes: produce less, convert to less hazardous substances, rest in long-term safe storage

  • Increase the use of post-consumer hazardous waste.

We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes

  • Collect and then detoxify

    • Physical methods

    • Chemical methods

    • Use nonmagnetic

    • Bioremediation

    • Phytoremediation

  • Incineration

  • Using a plasma arc torch

Phytoremediation

  • Rhizofiltration: Roots of plants such as sunflowers with dangling roots absorb pollution.

  • Phytostabilization: Plants such as willow trees and popular can absorb chemicals and keep them from reaching groundwater or nearby surface water

  • Photodegradation: Plants can absorb toxic organic chemicals and break them down into less harmful compounds which they store or release slowly into the air

  • Phytoextraction: Roots of plants can absorb toxic metals

We Can Store Some Forms of Hazardous Waste

  • Burial on land or long-term storage

  • Deep well disposal: disposal of fluids

  • Surface impoundments: holds an accumulation of liquids

  • Secure hazardous landfill: a built-on or depression of the ground to hold waste.

United States

  • 1979: Resource Conservation and recovery act

  • 1980: Comprehensive Environmental, compensation, and liability act

    • The pace of cleanup has slowed

    • Superfund is broke