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

Fig. 21-1, p. 560

Core Case Study: E-wasteAn Exploding Problem

Shipped to other countries• 70% of the world’s E-waste is

shipped to China• Rest to India and poor African Nations• Worker- many of them children- dismantle product

to recover valuable parts• They are exposed to toxic metals and other

harmful chemicals

International Basel Convention• Bans transferring hazardous wastes from developed

countries to developing countries• US, Afghanistan, and Haiti did not ratify

Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem

European Union requires Cradle to Grave approach

What should be done?• Recycle

•US recycles roughly 10-15%•Changing

• E-cycle

• Reuse

• Prevention approach: remove the toxic materials

21-1 We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials

Solid waste- any solid unwanted or discarded materials

• Industrial solid• Produced by mines, agriculture, and industries

• Municipal solid waste (MSW)• Trash that comes from households and workplaces

• Hazardous, toxic, waste• Poisonous, dangerously chemically reactive, corrosive, or

flammable ex. Industrial solvents, car batteries(lead), dry-cell batteries(mercury and cadmium) and incinerator ash

Hazardous wastes• Organic compounds (pesticides, PCB’s, dioxins)

• Toxic heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic)

• Radioactive waste (nuclear power plants, weapons facilities)

We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials

80–90% of hazardous wastes produced by developed countries

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

Fig. 21-2, p. 562

Solid Waste in the United States

Leader in solid waste problem With 4.6% of the world’s population we produce

1/3rd of the world’s solid waste Leader in trash production, by weight, per person

• 98.5% of all solid waste in US is • Industrial-76%• Agriculture- 13%• Industry- 9.5%

• For every pound of electronics ~8,000 pounds of waste is produced

1.5 % is Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)• About 55% of U.S. MSW is dumped into landfills,

30% is recycled or composted, and 15% is burned in

incinerators.

Recycling is helping

p. 587

2006

Fig. S3-15, p. S18

Fig. S3-16, p. S19

Each year, the United States produces enough MSW to fill a bumper to bumper convoy of garbage trucks long enough to encircle the earth almost 8 times!

Fig. 21-3, p. 562

Solid wastes polluting a river in Jakarta, Indonesia

Case Study: Trash Production, Recycling in NYC: Past, Present, and Future

1920–1940: Highest trash due to coal ash

1962 and 1963: Lowest trash, coal burning phased out

1964 and 1974: Rise in trash due to throwaway containers

1999: Mandatory recycling

2001: Fresh Kills landfill closed, trash hauling

2001: Landfill temporarily reopened to accept 9/11 debris

2006: The City of New York releases Master Plan for Fresh Kills Park

2010: Last batch of 9/11 debris sifted for human remains

2040: Full build out of Fresh Kills Park projected.

1990

Fig. 21-4, p. 563

Tire dump in Midway, Colorado

21-2 We Can Burn or Bury Solid Waste or Produce Less of It

Waste Management –”where to put it?”

Waste Reduction- “how can we avoid it?”

Integrated waste management • Uses a variety of strategies

54% of MSW is buried in landfills 25% recycled 14% is incinerated 7 %- composted

Fig. 21-5, p. 565

Fig. 21-6, p. 565

Integrated waste management

Refuse: to buy items that we really don’t need.

Reduce: consume less and live a simpler and less stressful life by practicing simplicity.

Reuse: rely more on items that can be used over and over. Repurpose: use something for another purpose instead of throwing it away. Recycle: paper, glass, cans, plastics…and buy items made from recycled materials

Solutions: Reducing Solid Waste

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

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, remanufacture, compost, 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 Reuse: Important Way to Reduce Solid Waste, Pollution and to Save Money

Reuse: clean and use materials over and over• Ex. Coffee cups

Downside of reuse in developing countries• Often savage in dumps for useful items are exposed

to toxins and infectious disease

Salvaging automobiles parts

Rechargeable batteries

Case Study: Use of Refillable Containers

Reuse and recycle• Refillable glass beverage bottles

• Refillable soft drink bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic

Paper, plastic, or reusable cloth bags• Pros

• Cons

There Are Two Types of Recycling

Primary, closed-loop recycling• Materials are recycled into products of the same

type

Secondary recycling • Waste products are recycled into different

products• Used tires shredded and converted into rubberized road

surface.• Newspapers transformed into cellulose insulation.

Types of wastes that can be recycled• Preconsumer: internal waste

• Postconsumer: external waste

We Can Mix or Separate Household Solid Wastes for Recycling

Materials-recovery facilities (MRFs)

Source separation• Pay-as-you-throw

• Fee-per-bag

Which program is more cost effective?

Which is friendlier to the environment?

We Can Copy Nature and Recycle Biodegradable Solid Wastes

Composting• Individual

• Municipal

Benefits

Successful program in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Fig. 21-10, p. 570

Case Study: Recycling Paper Production of paper versus recycled paper

• Energy use- pulp and paper industries are the 5th largest energy users• Water use – uses more water to produce a metric ton than any other

industry• Pollution- In US it is the third largest polluter

Recycling paper uses 64% less energy and produces 35% less water pollution and 74%less air pollution

Countries that are recycling• U.S -56% of its waste paper• Denmark-97%• South Korea- 77%• Germany- 72%

Replacement of chlorine-based bleaching chemicals with H2O2 or O2

Case Study: Recycling Plastics

Plastics: composed of resins Produced mainly from oil and natural gas

Most containers discarded: 4% recycled

Litter: beaches, water• Significance?

Fig. 21-11, p. 571

Case Study: Recycling Plastics (2) Low plastic recycling rate

• Hard to isolate one type of plastic

• Low yields of plastic

• Cheaper to make it new

Waste Management at the Empire State Plaza

Fig. 21-12, p. 573

Science Focus: Bioplastics

Plastics from soybeans: not a new concept

Key to bioplastics: catalysts

Sources• Corn• Soy• Sugarcane

Science Focus: Bioplastics

Sources cont…• Switchgrass

• Chicken feathers

• Some garbage

• CO2 from coal-burning plant emissions

Benefits: lighter, stronger, cheaper, and biodegradable

Fig. 21-12, p. 573

We Can Encourage Reuse and Recycling

What hinders reuse and recycling?

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

21-4 Burning Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages

Waste-to-energy incinerators

600 Globally • Most in Great Britain

Advantages

Disadvantages

Fig. 21-13, p. 575

waste-to-energy incinerator

Fig. 21-14, p. 575

Burying Solid Waste Has Advantages and Disadvantages

Open dumps

When landfill is full, layers of soil and clay seal in trash

Topsoil

Sand Electricity generator buildingClay

Garbage Methane storage and compressor building

Leachate treatment system

Probes to detect methane leaks

Pipes collect explosive methane for use as fuel to generate electricity

Methane gas recovery well

Leachate storage tankCompacted

solid waste

Leachate pipesGarbage Leachate pumped

up to storage tank for safe disposal

Groundwater monitoring wellSand

Synthetic liner

Leachate monitoring wellSand Groundwater

ClayClay and plastic lining to prevent leaks; pipes collect leachate from bottom of landfill

Subsoil

Sanitary landfills

Fig. 21-16, p. 576

21-5 We Can Use Integrated Management of Hazardous Waste

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

Increased use for postconsumer hazardous waste

We Can Detoxify Hazardous Wastes

Collect and then detoxify• Physical methods

• Chemical methods

• Use nanomagnets

• Bioremediation

• Phytoremediation

Incineration

Using a plasma arc torch

Fig. 21-18, p. 579

phytoremediation

Fig. 21-19, p. 579

We Can Store Some Forms of Hazardous Waste

Burial on land or long-term storage

Deep-well disposal

Surface impoundments

Secure hazardous landfills

Fig. 21-24, p. 582

Bulk waste

Gas vent

Topsoil

EarthPlastic cover

Sand Impervious clay cap

Clay cap

Impervious clay

Water table

Earth

Leak detection system

Groundwater

Double leachate collection system

Plastic double liner

Reactive wastes in drums

Groundwater monitoring well

Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States

1976: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)- management of hazardous waste (cradle-to grave system) only regulates 5% of hazardous waste

1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund • Identify sites where contamination has occurred

• Pace of cleanup has slowed

• Superfund is broke Laws encouraging the cleanup of brownfields-

abandoned industrial and commercial sites

Case Study:Love Canal — There Is No “Away”

Between 1842-1953, Hooker Chemical sealed

multiple chemical wastes into steel drums and

dumped them into an old canal excavation (Love

Canal).

In 1953, the canal was filled and sold to Niagara

Falls school board for $1.

The company inserted a disclaimer denying

liability for the wastes.

Love Canal

In 1957, Hooker Chemical warned the school

not to disturb the site because of the toxic waste.

In 1959 an elementary school, playing fields and

homes were built disrupting the clay cap covering the wastes.

In 1976, residents complained of chemical smells and chemical burns from the site.

Love Canal

•President Jimmy Carter declared Love Canal a federal disaster area.

• The area wasabandoned in 1980.

Love Canal

1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund

21-6 Grassroots Action Has Led to Better Solid and Hazardous Waste Management

NIMBY “Not in my backyard”

Produce less waste• NIABY “Not in anyone’s backyard”

• NOPE “Not on planet Earth”

Providing Environmental Justice for Everyone Is an Important Goal

Environmental Justice • The ideal whereby every person is entitled to

protection from environmental hazards regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, or social class.

Which communities in the U.S. have the largest share of hazardous waster dumps? • African-American, Hispanic and indigenous

communities that were subject to hazardous and polluting industries located predominantly in their neighborhoods