Chapter 21

Solid, Toxic, and Hazardous Wastes

Study Guide

12.1 Solid Waste

The Waste Stream
Waste Stream: The constant flow of wastes humans produce. Hazardous materials are mixed throughout our normal garbage, making disposal dangerous. The value of recyclable materials is wasted by our disposal dangerous.

12.2 Waste Disposal Methods

Open Dumps
Open dumps are dangerous to people and the environment. Illegal dumping is more of a problem in developing countries rather than developed countries.

Ocean Dumping
Great Pacific Garbage Patch: A collection of dumped garbage in the ocean. Fish and other creatures in the sea are at danger from the objects we dump in the ocean.

Exporting Waste

 Electronic Waste: Known as e-waste, it is waste from technological goods, like computers or cell phones. Shipping it has been illegal since 1989, but still occurs. Waste is often sent to developing countries, although they can rarely handle it. In the modern world, our technology constantly outdates itself, prompting a high rise in e-waste. Recycling the e-waste is often done in developing country where they do not have proper medical care or protective gear.

Landfills
Sanitary Landfills: A landfill where waste is regulated and controlled. Refuse in landfills is compacted and covered with a layer of dirt daily. A liner is put under the waste to prevent leachate from leaching into the groundwater. In addition, drainage systems are installed in case the liner leaks. Many landfills closed when stricter environmental and financial laws were put into effect.

Much of the waste is now exported to other places, often a long distance away.

Incineration
Energy Recovery: Burning waste to recover the energy, for burning it is

recovered in the form of heat. Refuse-derived Fuel: when you sort the waste before you burn it to increase its enriched burnable fraction. Mass Burn: Dumping all waste regardless of flammability. Incineration costs are more expensive than landfill prices but landfill prices are expected to increase, making incineration cheaper. The initial costs of building the incinerator are high, but will eventually pay off.

Case Study
Environmental Justice
Minorities live by toxic waste dumps much more often than the majority. The dirtiest sections of cities are often the ethnic neighborhoods. Environmental racism is often used to describe how the majority, bring richer, makes the lower race take the consequences.

21.3 Shrinking the Waste System

Recycling Captures Resources
Recycling: Reprocessing of discarded material into new products. Recycling is often confused with the term reusing. Recycling is when the product changes its use. Some materials are recycled more than others, either because of their usefulness or because of their popularity. The wild swing in prices of profit from recycling makes recyclers wary.

Recycling Saves Money, Materials, Energy and Space

 Recycling saves money, energy, raw materials, and land space, and decreases pollution. Recycling has quadrupled in usage since 1980, even though landfills are still heavily used.

Commercial-Scale Recycling
Composting: Allowing natural oxygen decomposition of debris, creating nutrient-rich soil. Compost is useful, but has low market value.

Demanufacturing
Demanufacturing: The taking apart and recycling of consumer good products.

Reuse
A better alternative than recycling is reusing a product. Recycling requires that the product changes to another product, which cost money.

Reducing Waste
Photodegradable Plastics: A plastic that breaks down when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Biodegradable Plastics: A plastic made up of a material that is easily broken down.

21.4 Hazardous and Toxic Wastes

Hazardous Wastes
Hazardous Waste: A material that is (1) fatal in low doses, (2) toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic, (3) ignitable at less than 60 degrees Celsius, (4) corrosive, (5) explosive or highly reactive. This is used legally to classify materials. Toxic Release Inventory: A requirement of 20,000 manufacturing facilities to report their annual releases on a plethora of toxic materials.

Superfund Sites
Superfund: A program designed to provide funds to clean up polluted sites. These funds are often spent on lawyers and consultants, and cleanup was argued over methods and liability. Progress has slowed since the year 2000, due to low funding and low priority. Superfunds often pay for sites on the National Priority List (NPL).

Brownfields
Brownfield: Contaminated areas that have decreased in usage due to pollution. Brownfields are generally clustered in heavy industrial corridors. Brownfields have been generally ignored because they are expensive to repair and create cleanup obligations. Some brownfields have been turned into eco-industrial parks.

Hazardous Waste Storage

Bioremediation: Biological waste treatment. Using organisms to treat or break down materials. Permanent Retrievable Storage: Keeping supertoxic materials under constant surveillance in a closed area. Secure Landfills: A landfill that uses layers of clay and other materials to keep wastes in a closed area.