Solid and Hazardous Waste

Chapter 22
 Solid waste
 Most solid waste in the US is produced by industry
 75% mining
 13% agriculture
 9.5% industrial
 1% sludge

 Only 1.5% of waste is household waste

 That’s a lot of trash
 Municipalsolid waste – household waste averaged
about 1500 pounds per person in the US

 This
is two to three times other developed
countries
 Hazardous Waste
 The legal definition:

 Contains one of 39 toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic,

or teratogenic compounds above EPA limits
 Catches fire easily
 Reactive or unstable
 Capable of corroding metal containers
 Hazardous Waste
 What is not defined as hazardous
 Radioactive
 Household toxic chemicals
 Mining waste with heavy metals
 Oil drilling waste
 Liquid waste with organic hydrocarbon compounds
 Cement dust
 Small business hazardous waste if under 100 kilograms
per month
 Hazardous!!
 Itis estimated that of the 5.5 billion metric tons
produced each year, only 6% is defined as
hazardous and monitored correctly

 94% is discarded by homes and industry not

defined as hazardous and is therefore not regulated
 Two options
 Waste management – develop methods for storing
and neutralizing waste

 Pollution
prevention – find ways to decrease
amount of waste produced
 This is the four “R’s”
 Waste prevention
 Reduce
 Reuse
 Recycle
 Rot (compost)
 Redesign

 These are listed in order of increasing energy

required
 Aluminum can, used once

Steel can used once

Recycled steel can

Glass drink bottle used once

Recycled aluminum can

Recycled glass drink bottle

Refillable drink bottle, used 10 times

0 8 16 24 32

Energy (thousands of kilocalories)

Fig. 21.6, p. 529
Slide 6
 Our new goal
 Reduce waste pollution
 Reuse as much as possible
 Recycle/compost as much as possible
 Chemically treat/incinerate the rest
 Bury the remaining material in a sanitary landfill
 Reduces global Reduces acid Reduces urban
warming deposition air pollution

Make fuel
Reduces Saves
supplies
air pollution energy
last longer

Reduces Reduces solid

energy demand waste disposal

Recycling

Reduces
Reduces
mineral
water pollution
demand

Protects Reduces
habitat
species
destruction

Fig. 21.7, p. 530

Slide 7
 Producing less waste best choice
 Save energy and virgin resources
 Reduce environmental impact of acquiring
material
 Improve worker health and safety
 Decrease pollution control/waste management
costs
 Less long term costs associated with cleanup
 Ways to produce less waste
 Decrease consumption
 Redesign manufacturing to use less virgin material
 Redesign products to be less polluting
 Redesign manufacturing to be more efficient
 Use less hazardous products at home
 Design products to last longer (non-disposable)
 Reduce packaging
 Trash tax – pay by the pound
 Power plant

Steam
Smokestack
Electricity
Turbine Generator

Crane
Wet
scrubber

Boiler
Electrostatic
precipitator

Furnace

Conveyor

Dirty Fly
Water Bottom water
Waste pit ash ash

Conven- Hazardous
Waste Waste
tional
treatment landfill
landfill

Fig. 21.10, p. 536

Slide 10
 Advantages Disadvantages
Reduced trash High cost
volume
Air pollution
Less need for (especially
landfills toxic dioxins)

Low water Produces a

pollution highly toxic ash

Encourages
waste production

Fig. 21.11, p. 536

Slide 11
 When landfill is full,
Electricity
layers of soil and clay
seal in trash generator
building
Methane storage
Topsoil
and compressor Leachate
Sand building treatment system

Clay

Garbage Pipe collect explosive

Methane gas methane gas used as fuel
recovery to generate electricity

Leachate
storage tanks
Compacted
Groundwater
solid waste monitoring
well
Leachate
monitoring
well

Leachate pipes Leachate pumped up

to storage tanks for
Garbage safe disposal

Sand Groundwater
Synthetic liner
Clay and plastic lining
Sand to prevent leaks; pipes
collect leachate from
Clay bottom of landfill
Fig. 21.12, p. 537
Subsoil
Slide 12
 Advantages Disadvantages
No open burning Noise and traffic

Little odor Dust

Low groundwater Air pollution from

pollution if sited toxic gases and
properly volatile organic
compounds
Can be built release
quickly greenhouse
gases (methane
Low operating and CO2)
costs
Groundwater
Can handle large contamination
amounts of waste
Slow
Filled land can decomposition
be used for other of wastes
purposes
Encourages
No shortage of waste production
landfill space in
many areas Eventually leaks
and can
contaminate
groundwater Fig. 21.13, p. 538
Slide 13
 Advantages Disadvantages
Safe method if Leaks or spills at
sites are chosen surface
carefully
Leaks from
Wastes can be corrosion of well
retrieved if casing
problems
develop Existing fractures
or earth quakes
Low cost can allow wastes
to escape into
groundwater

Encourages
waste production

Fig. 21.14, p. 538

Slide 14
 Advantages Disadvantages
Inexpensive Groundwater
contamination
Can store wastes from leaking liners
indefinitely with (or no lining)
secure double
liners Air pollution from
volatile organic
compounds

Overflow from
flooding

Disruption and
leakage from
earthquakes

Promotes waste
production Fig. 21.15, p. 539
Slide 15
 Plastic cover
Gas vent
Earth Impervious clay cap
Topsoil Sand

Clay cap
Leak
detection
system

Bulk waste Reaction

wastes
Impervious in dreams
clay

Earth

Groundwater
monitoring
Water table well

Groundwater

Double leachate Plastic double liner

collection system
Fig. 21.16, p. 539
Slide 16
 Waste
transporter

Elevator shaft

Hazardous waste

Support
column

Inspector

Fig. 21.17, p. 540

Slide 17
 Lead in air
from industrial
incineration
and past auto
emissions
Lead glaze
on ceramics

Lead in food
Lead in
soil and
in streets Lead in
paint

Toy and
floor dust

Lead in water
Lead in dust from pipes,
fixtures, and
service lines

Water Service line

service
main
Underground
pump
or well
or

Fig. 21.18, p. 542

Slide 18