Solid and Hazardous Waste

Chapter 21

Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem

Electronic waste, e-waste: fastest growing solid waste problem

Composition includes• High-quality plastics• Valuable metals• Toxic and hazardous

pollutants

Shipped to other countries• What happens in China?

International Basel Convention• Bans transferring

hazardous wastes from developed countries to developing countries

European Union• Cradle-to-grave approach

What should be done?• Recycle• E-cycle• Reuse• Prevention approach:

remove the toxic materials

21-1 What Are Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste, and Why Are They Problems?

Concept 21-1 Solid waste represents pollution and unnecessary waste of resources, and hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural capital degradation, health problems, and premature deaths.

We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials

Solid waste• Industrial solid from mining, oil, and natural gas production,

agriculture, sewage sludge and industrial activities.• Municipal solid waste (MSW) garbage or trash (generated

mostly by homes and workplaces.)• Hazardous or toxic waste 80–90% of hazardous wastes

produced by developed countries• Organic compounds• Toxic heavy metals• Radioactive waste

Why reduce solid wastes?• ¾ of the materials are an unnecessary waste of the earth's

resources• Huge amounts of air pollution, greenhouse gases, and

water pollution

What Harmful Chemicals Are in Your Home?

Solid Waste in the United States

Leader in solid waste problem: • 98.5% of solid waste in US (and most developed countries) is

Industrial• Mining 76%, agricultrue 13%, industry 9.5%

• 1.5% MSW• 37% paper, 12% yard waste, 11% food waste, 10% plastic 8% metal

• E-trash: Growing Problem

Leader in trash production, by weight, per person• Each day 4.5 lbs/person in US!

Recycling is helping

21-2 How Should We Deal with Solid Waste?

Concept 21-2 A sustainable approach to solid waste is first to reduce it, then to reuse or recycle it, and finally to safely dispose of what is left.

Waste Management: high waste approach • Since making waste is fact of life; we must manage waste

Waste Reduction low waste approach• We must reuse, recycle, reduce

Integrated waste management • Uses a variety of strategies

Integrated Waste Management

Integrated Waste Management: Priorities for Dealing with Solid Waste

We Can Cut Solid Wastes by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling

Waste reduction is based on• Reduce• Reuse• Recycle

Seven strategies:(1) Redesign manufacturing processes

and products to use less material and energy

(2) Redesign manufacturing processes to produce less waste and pollution

(3) Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, or recycle

(4) Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging

(5) Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems

(6) Establish cradle-to grave responsibility

(7) Restructure urban transportation systems

21-3 Why Is Reusing and Recycling Materials So Important?

Concept 21-3 Reusing items decreases the use of matter and energy resources and reduces pollution and natural capital degradation; recycling does so to a lesser degree.

Reuse: clean and use materials over and overREAD CASE STUDY- P. 568

Downside of reuse in developing countries• Poor people scavenge landfills are exposed to

toxins, infectious diseases Examples of reuse

• Salvaging automobiles parts• Rechargeable batteries

There Are Two Types of Recycling

Primary, closed-loop recyclingwaste is recycled into new products of the same type (Al cans into new Al cans)

Secondary recycling (downcycling)- converting waste into different products (tires into mulch)

Types of wastes that can be recycled• Preconsumer: internal waste—made in manufacturing

process• Postconsumer: external waste--generated by consumer use of

products

There is 25% more preconsumer waste--but both must be recycled!

We Can Mix or Separate Household Solid Wastes for Recycling

Materials-recovery facilities (MRFs) recyclables are separated by machine or people and leftovers are

burned in waste-to energy plants.

Ash is then landfilled

Requires constant supply of trash (not the best idea?)

Source separationindividuals separate recyclables which are then collected and sold to

scrap dealers, compost plants, and manufacturers.

** Makes more sense than MRF because MRF wants lots of throughput waste

• Pay-as-you-throw or Fee-per-bag• charges household/business for amount of waste-does not charge

for materials separated for recycling

We Can Copy Nature and Recycle Biodegradable Solid Wastes

Composting• Individual• Municipal

Benefits

Successful program in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

READ case study-P. 571 Recycling Paper Production of paper

versus recycled paper• Energy use• Water use• Pollution

Countries that are recycling

Replacement of chlorine-based bleaching chemicals with H2O2 or O2

Case Study: Recycling Plastics

Plastics: composed of resins

Most containers discarded: 4% recycled

Litter: beaches, water• Significance?

Low plastic recycling rate• Hard to isolate one type of plastic• Low yields of plastic• Cheaper to make it new

Trade-Offs: Recycling, Advantages and Disadvantages

We Can Encourage Reuse and Recycling

What hinders reuse and recycling?• Poor Environmental Accounting: product costs during its life cycle

are not included in determining market cost • Uneven Economic Playing Field: tax-breaks given to mining

companies and industrial users of chemicals and less given to recycling/reuse industries,

• Demand (and price) paid for recycled materials fluctuates because buying recycled goods is not a priority for most.

Encourage reuse and recycling• Government

• Increase subsidies and tax breaks for using such products• Decrease subsidies and tax breaks for making items from

virgin resources• Increase “fee-per-bag” waste collection• Laws to require recycling by companies

21-4 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Burning or Burying Solid Waste

Concept 21-4 Technologies for burning and burying solid wastes are well developed, but burning contributes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and buried wastes eventually contribute to pollution and land degradation.

Burning Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages reduce trash volume, less need for landfills, lo water pollution, quick and easy

Disadvantages high cost, air pollution, produces toxic ash, encourages waste production, discourages recycling/reduction.

Waste-to-energy incinerators:

burn wastes to boil water to make steam for space heating or electricity production

Burying Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages

Open dumps• fields or holes in ground where garbage is deposited-may or

may not be covered with soil—common in developing countries; rare in developed

Sanitary landfills• solid wastes spread out in layers, compacted and covered daily

with clay or plastic foam—lined with clay/plastic to prevent leaching• Leachate: liquid collected and pumped out of landfill—sent to

sewage treatment plant • Can emit greenhouse gasses—methane and CO2

Solutions: State-of-the-Art Sanitary Landfill

Trade-Offs: Sanitary Landfills, Advantages and Disadvantages

21-5 How Should We Deal with Hazardous Waste?

Concept 21-5 A sustainable approach to hazardous waste is first to produce less of it, then to reuse or recycle it, then to convert it to less hazardous materials, and finally, to safely store what is left.

Integrated management of hazardous wastes• Produce less• Convert to less hazardous substances• Rest in long-term safe storage

Increased use for postconsumer hazardous waste

Case Study: Recycling E-Waste

70% goes to China • Hazardous working conditions

Reduce toxic components in electronics

In 2007: only 10;155 of e-waste in US was recycled; up to 80% of that was shipped overseas to dismantle

We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes

Collect and then detoxify• Physical methods-: filter solids, distill liquids to separate,

encapsulate in glass• Chemical methods: reactions convert hazardous materials to

inert • Bioremediation: bacteria and enzymes used to destroy toxins• Phytoremediation: using natural or genetically engineered

plants to absorb filter and remove contaminants from polluted soil and water.

• Use Nanomagnets: remove small particles from waste Incineration-burning Using a plasma arc torch: high temp. torch decomposes

waste into ions and atoms that be converted into non toxic materials.

We Can Store Some Forms of Hazardous Waste

Burial on land or long-term storage

Deep-well disposal-liquids pumped into dry, porous rock--limited number of sites available

Surface impoundments-ponds or pits lined with plastic into which hazardous liquid is poured. Water evaporates and concentrates the wastes. Some hazardous matter may evaporate or pond may overflow in storms

Secure hazardous landfills - monitored landfills designed to contain hazardous waste. Very expensive

Summary of Hazardous Waste Storage

Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States (1)

1976: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)• EPA is to identify hazardous waste and set standards

for their management by states

• firms that store, treat, or dispose of more than 100 kg (220 lbs) of haz. wastes per month must have permit stating how they will be managed

• permit holders must use a cradle-to-grave system to keep track of waste they transfer from point of generation (cradle) to disposal (grave) and submit proof of this to EPA

Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States (2)

1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund • identify abandoned hazardous waste dump sites, tanks, etc.• protect and, if necessary,clean up groundwater near sites and

to clean up the sites.— “Polluter Pays”• if they can be found, responsible party must pay. • If not found, gov’t pays using fund paid for by taxes on oil and

chemical companies

• put worst sites that represent immediate and severe threat to human health on National Priorities list to be cleaned up

• Pace of cleanup has slowed• Superfund is broke

21-6 How Can We Make the Transition to a More Sustainable Low-Waste Society?

Concept 21-6 Shifting to a low-waste society requires individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and to reuse and recycle wastes at local, national, and global levels.

Many people believe in NIMBY (we might have it, but I don’t want to deal with it)• “Not in my backyard”

Some are saying we need to produce less waste• “Not in anyone’s backyard”

• “Not on planet Earth”

We Can Make the Transition to Low-Waste Societies

Norway, Austria, and the Netherlands• Committed to reduce resource waste by 75%

East Hampton, NY, U.S. • Reduced solid waste by 85%

Follow guidelines to prevent pollution and reduce waste

International Treaties

2000: global treaty to control 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) “dirty dozen”• goals: ban or phase out use of these chemicals and to

detoxify or isolate stockpiles of them.

• Compounds cited: DDT, other chlorine-containing persistent pesticides, PCBs, dioxins, furans.

Important treaty because it uses precautionary principle to manage and reduce risks from toxins

Animation: Economic types