Waste ManagementWaste Management

Industrial and agricultural wasteIndustrial and agricultural waste

Municipal solid wasteMunicipal solid waste

Hazardous wastesHazardous wastes

Solid Waste in U.S.>100 lbs/person/daySolid Waste in U.S.>100 lbs/person/day

Agriculture - 51%Agriculture - 51%

Mining wastes - 38%Mining wastes - 38%

Industries - 8% (fly ash)Industries - 8% (fly ash)

Municipal - 3% (70% paper, food,yard wastes)

Municipal - 3% (70% paper, food,yard wastes)

U.S. Municipal WastesU.S. Municipal Wastes

Multi-billion dollar industryMulti-billion dollar industry

Resource Conservation and RecoveryAct - 1976- outlawed open dumping

Resource Conservation and RecoveryAct - 1976- outlawed open dumping

Managing Today’s WastesManaging Today’s Wastes

Sanitary landfill - 80% Sanitary landfill - 80%

Recycling - 10% Recycling - 10%

Incineration - 9% (dioxin) Incineration - 9% (dioxin)

Composting - 1% Composting - 1%

Sanitary LandfillSanitary Landfill

1) Synthetic liner

2) Earth cover

3) Leachate collection system

4) Methane venting

Changing LandfillsChanging Landfills

Filling up rapidlyFilling up rapidly

Difficult finding new sites

- restrictions- NIMBY - NOT IN MY BACK YARD!

Difficult finding new sites

- restrictions- NIMBY - NOT IN MY BACK YARD!

RecyclingRecycling

Easily isolated from other wastes

Easily isolated from other wastes

Large quantities

Large quantities

Valuable Valuable

Recycling Aluminum, Wastepaper, and PlasticsRecycling Aluminum, Wastepaper, and Plastics

40% of aluminum recycled in US40% of aluminum recycled in US

Recycled aluminum uses over 90% fewer resources

Recycled aluminum uses over 90% fewer resources

Paper: pre-consumer vs. post-consumer recycling

Paper: pre-consumer vs. post-consumer recycling

10% or less of plastic recycled in US10% or less of plastic recycled in US

Plastics can be very difficult to recyclePlastics can be very difficult to recycle

Burning WastesBurning Wastes

Mass burn incineration Mass burn incineration

Air pollution

Air pollution

Waste to energy

Waste to energy

Hazardous WastesHazardous Wastes

U.S. - >1 ton/person/year U.S. - >1 ton/person/year

Today’s ManagementToday’s Management

1) reduce, reuse, recycle (5%)1) reduce, reuse, recycle (5%)

Today’s ManagementToday’s Management

2) detoxification, incineration (5%)2) detoxification, incineration (5%)

Physical reactions Physical reactions

Chemical reactions Chemical reactions

Land-farming Land-farming

Burning Burning

Today’s ManagementToday’s Management

3) Land disposal (90%)3) Land disposal (90%)

Landfills, pits, lagoons, injection wells,“midnight dumping”, sewage systems,surface waters

Landfills, pits, lagoons, injection wells,“midnight dumping”, sewage systems,surface waters

Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United StatesHazardous Waste Regulation in the United States

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

EPA identifies hazardous wastes, setsstandards for management

EPA identifies hazardous wastes, setsstandards for management

Superfund - established to clean uphazardous waste sites

Superfund - established to clean uphazardous waste sites

Love Canal - Hooker Chemical plant insuburban Niagara Falls, NY

Love Canal - Hooker Chemical plant insuburban Niagara Falls, NY