23 solid and hazardous waste - napa valley college · hazardous waste dioxin formed as byproduct of...

23 Solid and Hazardous Waste

© 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Overview of Chapter 23

Solid Waste

Waste Prevention

Reducing the Amount of Waste

Reusing Products

Recycling Materials

Hazardous Waste

Types of Hazardous Waste

Management of Hazardous Waste


Waste electronics

Computers replaced every ~18-24 months

Perceived and often obsolete soon

E-waste – electronic waste of high quality plastics

and metals that comprise computers (and phones)

U.S. – 30kg per person annually

Business of recycling e-waste

Selling recyclable electronic

products

Ship most e-waste overseas

(disassembly can increase

exposure to hazards)


Solid Waste

U.S. generates more solid waste per capita

than any other country

1.99kg (4.38lb) per person per day

251 million tons in 2012 (increase from 2010)

Waste generation is highest in developed

countries

Instead of repairing items, they are replaced


Types of Solid Waste

Municipal solid waste

Solid material discarded by homes, office

buildings, retail stores, schools, etc.

Relatively small portion of solid waste produced

Non-municipal solid waste

Solid waste generated by industry, agriculture,

and mining


Composition of Municipal Solid

Waste


Disposal of Solid Waste

Three methods

Sanitary Landfills

Replaced open

dumps

Incineration

Recycling


Sanitary Landfill

Compacting and burying waste under a

shallow layer of soil

Most common method of disposal

Problems

Methane gas production by microorganisms

Contamination of surface water & ground water

by leachate

Not a long-term remedy

Few new facilities being opened

Closing a full landfill is very expensive


Sanitary Landfill


Sanitary Landfill

Special Problem: Plastic

Much of plastic waste is from packaging

Chemically stable and do not readily break down and

decompose

Photo and

biodegradable plastics

Special Problem: Tires

Made from materials

that cannot be recycled

Can be incinerated or

shredded


Incineration

Volume of solid waste reduced by 90%

Produces heat that can make steam to

generate electricity

Produce less carbon emissions than fossil fuel

power plants

Byproduct

Bottom ash

Fly ash


Incineration - Types of

Incinerators

Mass burn (below), Modular, Refuse-derived

Mass burn, waste to energy

incinerator


Incineration - Problems

Production of hazardous air pollutants

Carbon monoxide, particulates, heavy metals

Reduced by

Lime Scrubbers

Electrostatic Precipitators

Byproduct - Bottom ash (slag) and Fly ash

Must be disposed of in hazardous waste landfills


Composting

Municipal Solid Waste Composting

Includes: Food scraps, Sewage sludge,

Agricultural manure, Yard waste

Reduces yard waste in landfills

Can be sold or

distributed to

community

Concern over heavy

metals


Waste Prevention

Three Goals

1. Reduce the amount of waste

2. Reuse products

3. Recycle materials


Reducing Waste

Purchase products with less packaging


Reducing Waste

Source reduction

Products designed and manufactured to decrease

the volume of solid waste

Reuse and recycle wastes at the plant where they

are generated

35% weight reduction in aluminum cans since

1970s

Pollution Prevention Act (1990)

Dematerialization

Progressive decrease in the size and weight of a

product as a result of technological improvements


Reusing Products

Refilling glass beverage bottles used to be

standard

Heavier glass required in reusable glass bottles-

costs more to make and transport

Cheaper to use lightweight, non-reusable glass

Japan recycles almost all bottles

Reused 20 times

11 U.S. States have deposits on cans and

bottles to promote reuse


Recycling Materials

Every ton of recycled paper saves:

17 trees

7000 gallons of water

4100 kwatt-hrs of energy

3 cubic yards of landfill space

Recycle

Glass bottles, newspapers, steel cans, plastic

bottles, cardboard, office paper


Recycling

U.S. recycles 38% of

Municipal Solid Waste

Recycling Paper

U.S. recycles 62.1%

Increased due to

consumer demand for

recycled paper products

Recycling Glass

U.S. recycles 25%

Costs producers less

than new glass (right)


Recycling

Recycling Aluminum

Making new can from recycled one costs far less

than making a brand new one (economic

incentive)

55% of aluminum was recycled in 2012

Recycling Metals other than Aluminum

Metal recycling influenced by economy

Lead, gold, iron, steel, silver and zinc

Metallic composition is often unknown

Makes recycling difficult


Recycling

Recycling Plastic

14% of all plastic is

recycled (2012)

May be less expensive to

make from raw materials

31% of PET in water and

soda bottles is recycled

Most plastic containers are

made of many types of

plastic that must be

separated to be recycled


Recycling

Recycling Tires

45% recycled in 2012

Few products are made from old tires

Playground equipment

Trashcans

Garden hose

Carpet

Roofing materials


Integrated Waste Management


Hazardous Waste

Any discarded chemical

that threatens human

health or the environment

Reactive, corrosive,

explosive or toxic chemicals

1% of waste stream in U.S.

Love Canal (1977)

Classic case of hazardous

waste contaminating human

and environmental health Love Canal Toxic Waste Site


Hazardous Waste


Hazardous Waste

Dioxin

Formed as byproduct of combustion of chlorine

compounds (medical waste incineration and others)

Bioaccumulates and biomagnifies through food web

Causes cancer, effect reproductive, immune and

nervous system

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Used as cooling fluid, fire retardant, lubricator

Disposed of in open dumps, sewers and fields in 1970s - issue

in groundwater today

Endocrine disrupter


Case-In-Point Hanford Nuclear

Reservation



Chemical accidents

National Response Center notified

Typically involves oil, gasoline or other petroleum

spill

Current Management Policies

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976,

1984)

Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act (1980)

Commonly known as Superfund


Superfund Program

Pesticides dumps

Piles of mining wastes

>10,000 hazardous

sites qualify

Cleaning up existing hazardous waste:

400,000 waste sites

Leaking chemical storage tanks and drums

(below)



Superfund National Priorities List

2014: 1,326 sites on the list

States with the greatest number of sites

New Jersey (114)

California (97)

Pennsylvania (95)

New York (86)

Michigan (65)



Biological Treatment of Hazardous Chemicals

Bioremediation - use of bacteria and other

microorganisms to break down hazardous waste

into relatively harmless products

1000 species of bacteria and fungi

Time consuming

Inexpensive

Phytoremediation- use of plants to absorb and

accumulate hazardous materials in the soil

Phytoextraction

Ex: Indian mustard removes heavy metals


Examples of Phytoremediation



1) Source reduction

1) Most effective

2) Conversion to less hazardous materials

3) Long-term storage


Hazardous Waste Landfill

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