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Chapter 19 Waste

19.1 solid Waste19.2 Reducing Solid Waste

19.3 Hazardous Wastep. 480-503

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Key Terms

• Solid waste• Biodegradable• Municipal solid waste• Landfill• Leachate• Source reduction

• Recycling• Compost• Hazardous waste• Deep- well injection• Surface impoundment

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19.1 Solid Waste Objectives

• Name one characteristic that makes a material biodegradable

• Id 2 types of solid waste• Describe how a modern landfill works • Name 2 Environmental problems caused by

landfills

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The Generation of Waste• The US generates more than 10 billion metric tons of

solid waste (any solid material that is thrown away) • More than doubled since the 1960’sSpace and waste-• Most towns are running out of space• 1987- barge with 3,200 tons of garbage left Islip NY

looking for a place to put waste• Sailed Gulf of Mexico for 5months looking for place,

finally burned in NY and 430 tons of ask sent back to be buried

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The Generation of WastePopulation and Waste• As human pop and amount of waste grows

larger the amount of land available per person becomes smaller

• Getting harder to dispose of the waste we create

• Average person 4.4lbs per day

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Not All Waste Are EqualBiodegradable• Can be broken down by biological processes• Plant and animal matter, newspaper, cotton,

leatherNon biodegradable- synthetic• Chemicals to form compounds not naturally

created• Polyester, nylon and plastic

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Plastic Problems

• Made from petroleum or natural gas (carbon and hydrogen)- man made not naturally found

• May last for 100s of years

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Types of Solid Waste

1. Municipal Solid Waste- • Most of what we toss out• About 2% of total solid waste- more than 210

million metric tons each year• Growing much faster than the amount of

mining or agricultural waste

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Types of Solid Waste

2. Solid Waste from Manufacturing, Mining and Agriculture

• Manufacturing and mining waste make up 70% • 56% of solid waste from manufacturing (scrap metal,

plastics, paper, sludge and ash)• You purchase products that have been manufactured • 9% is Agricultural waste (crops and manure) if

contains fertilizers and pesticides difficult to dispose of

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Solid Waste Management

• 1970 only recycled 6.6%, 2004 28%, 2011 35%Landfills- • Permanent waste-disposal facility where waste

are put into the ground and covered each day with a layer of soil, plastic or both

• More than 50% of municipal and manufacturing solid waste created in the us end up in landfills

• Contain the waste that is buried inside it• http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/landfill.htm

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Where Waste in the US GoesWaste-disposal method Percentage of waste by weight

Store in landfills 57Recycled 28

Incinerated 15

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Problems with Landfills• Leachate- liquid that has passed thought compacted solid waste

in a landfill, contains dissolved chemicals from decomposing garbage. (paints, pesticides, cleansers, cans, batteries and appliances)

• Most landfills have monitoring wells and storage tanks to measure and store leachate

• Can be treated as waste waterProblems:• If not monitored- can seep into groundwater, making nearby

wells unsafe to drink• Methane- highly flammable gas, if not pumped out or is not

monitored it can seep through the ground and into the basement of homes up to 300m from a landfill, can cause explosions.

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Safeguarding LandfillsResource conservation and Recovery Act- passed 1976,

updated in 1984, states that new landfills be built with safeguards to reduce pollution problems

• Must be lined with clay and plastic liner • Must have system to collect and treating leachate• Vent pipes carry methane out, collect or burn for energyNew laws and regulations cause:• Increases cost of building • Finding places to build • Close to city but far from residents• Cost of transporting trash to sites

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Safeguarding LandfillsBuilding more Landfills-• Running out of space• Materials are not decomposing fast enough• Active landfills in 1988- 8,000- by 1990 they

will filled• EPA estimates in 20 state that would be filled

to capacity by 2014

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Safeguarding LandfillsIncinerators- reduce weight by 75%• One option to reduce solid waste• 1999- 102 operational incinerators that burned

up to 94,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste per day

Problems:• items are not separated before burning air

pollution, toxic gasses• Ash goes in landfill- can be more toxic• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb-RoAWv3ro

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19.2 Reducing Solid Waste

• Identify 3 ways you can produce less waste• Describe how you can use our consumer

buying power to reduce solid waste• List the steps that an item must go through to

be recycled• List 2 benefits of composting• Name one advantage and one disadvantage to

producing degradable plastics

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19.2 Reducing Solid Waste- Common Sense??

• Source Reduction- reduce solid waste before it gets to the landfills or incinerators

• Buying less- buy products that have less packaging

• Buy products that last longer• Recyclable products• Your buying habits influence the manufacture

they will change their habits to fit yours

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Recycling

• Finding the best use of all the materials we throw away • Saves energy , water and other resources• 95% less energy is needed to produce aluminum from

recycled aluminumSteps:1. Collected and sorted2. Cleaned and made ready to be used again3. Used to manufacture new products4. New products sold to consumer5. Increase demand increase supply

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Composting

• Yard waste makes up more than 1.5% of a community’s solid waste

• Biodegradable• Use bacteria to break down• Compost- dark brown, crumbly material made

from decomposed plant and animal matter that is spread on gardens/fields for nutrients

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Composting- benefits

• Keeps organic waste out of landfills• Provides nutrients to the soil• Increases beneficial soil organisms, worms and

centipedes• Suppress some plant diseases• Reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides• Protects soil from erosion

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Changing the Materials We Use

• Change material eliminate waste • Drink boxes difficult to recycle• Buy items that can be recycled or made from

recycled products• Paper or Plastic please?• Think before you just toss in the trash!

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Degradable Plastic- ??

• Most are not biodegradable• Photodegradable plastic- left in the sun for several

weeks it becomes weak and brittle and will break into pieces.

• Green plastic- made by blending sugars in plants with a special chemical agent, made from living things and are considered to be more eco friendly

• requires 20-50% less fossil fuels• Degrade within 45dyas of being thrown away

(bacteria eats sugar)

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Degradable Plastic- ??

Problems:• Plastic parts are only reduced to smaller

pieces- will never disappear completely• Current issues- needs more research but can

be linked to some health issues (?)• http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/do-we-need-biodegradable-plastics.htm

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19.3 Hazardous Waste

• Name 2 characteristics of hazardous waste• Describe one law that governs hazardous

waste• Describe 2 ways in which hazardous waste is

disposed.

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19.3 Types of Hazardous Waste

• Any waste that is a risk to health of humans or other living things

• Can be solid, liquids or gases• Toxic, corrosive, explosive materials• Love Canal, Niagra Falls NY, homes built on

land that was used as a dump site for toxic waste

• http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/lovecanal/01.html• http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/niagara/children-raised-in-love-canal-speak-out

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Types of Hazardous Waste

• Dyes, cleansers and solvents• PCBs from old electrical equipment• Plastics, solvents, lubricants and sealants• Toxic heavy metals, lead, mercury, cadmium

and zinc• Pesticides• Radioactive waste

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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

• Passed in 1976 and amended in 1984• Regulate solid and hazardous waste disposal

and protect humans and the environment from waste contamination

• Must keep logs of how waste is disposed and how much

• Special regulations and laws to facilities being built

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Superfund Act

• Expensive to properly dispose of waste• 1980- Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation and Liability Act• Forces the owners to pay for cleanup• Funds to clean up abandoned sites• Love Canal- $275 million

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Hazardous Waste Management

• US produces 252 million metric tons of HW and is growing each year (2004)

Prevention:• Produce less of it• Reuse it• Convert into nonhazardous substances

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HW- management Land Disposal

• Most is disposed on landDeep-well injection- wastes are pumped deep

into the ground were they are absorbed into dry layer of rock below the level of ground water, waste is covered with cement to prevent contamination of ground water

Surface impoundment- pond with a sealed bottom, solids collected and buried in landfills

* Must be monitored for safe over years (air, soil and groundwater)

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HW- management Biologically Treating

• Certain bacteria can be used to clean up area that has been contaminated with hazardous substances (crude oil, PCB, cyanide)

• Flowering plants and trees• Other chemicals

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HW management

Incinerating HW• Burning• Many problems- most expensive, pollution

controls, ash must be buriedExporting HW• Used to send them to other states• International trade agreements

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HW at Home

• Motor oil, paints, batteries, computers, phones, pesticides, fertilizers, cleaners, antifreeze

• Public collection dates• Trained workers sort materials and recycle

items• Oil- 185 gallons of used motor oil a year, this

does not include car oil changing places