Lecture 2 of Solid and Hazardous Waste

● Burning
● Waste-to-energy incinerators
○ To heat water or produce electricity
● Landfills emit more air pollutants than modern waste-to-energy incinerators
○ Toxic chemicals that are filtered must be disposed of or stored

● Burying
● Sanitary landfills
○ Compacted layers of waste between clay or foam
○ Bottom liners; containment systems
● Open dumps
○ Widely used in less-developed countries
■ Rare in developed countries
○ Large pit
■ Sometimes garbage is burned

● Hazardous Waste
● What is hazardous waste?
● Any discarded solid or liquid that has the potential to harm people
● Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
○ Labelling
○ Training
○ Information

● How can we remove or detoxify hazardous waste?

● Physical methods
○ Distillation, filtration, precipitation
● Chemical methods
● Bioremediation
○ Using bacteria or enzymes
● Phytoremediation
○ Using plants or algae
● Hazardous Waste: Surface Impoundments
● Advantages
○ Low costs
○ Can be built quickly
○ Wastes can often be retrieved
○ Can store wastes indefinitely with secure double liners
● Disadvantages
○ Groundwater contamination from leaking liners or overflow from flooding
○ Air pollution from volatile organic compounds
○ Disruption and leakage from earthquakes
○ Output approach that encourages waste production

● The Love Canal

● A toxic dump in Niagara Falls, New York
○ Has caused birth defects, people getting sick, cancer
● *Considered one of the most toxic places in North America