Solid and Hazardous Waste
Jan 16, 2016
Solid and Hazardous
Waste
• Any solid unwanted material
• U.S. produces 11,000,000,000 tons per yr.
The Solid Waste ProblemThe Solid Waste Problem
• Open dumps
• Ocean Dumping
• Landfills
• Exporting
• Incinerating
Options for Disposal
Open Dump• Common in developing countries,
Illegal in developed countries.• Drop off trash
Dump in Chimalhuacán , Mexico
Kids working in a dump in Tegucigalpa , Honduras
Problems with Open Dumps
• Disease!• Rodent problems
• Groundwater pollution• Organisms eat trash sick
Sanitary Landfills
1) Dig a giant hole2) Line hole with plastic liner3) Place solid waste in hole
4) Cover each day with 6” soil.• Only NEWER ones have lining
(15%)• Possible leakage to
groundwater if liner rips.
• Bacteria break down solid waste methane.
• Pipes suck out methane and is burned to create electricity.
Disposal by Incineration• AKA “Waste-to-Energy”
• Trash is burned heat is used to generate electricity
• 1000 plants in world (110 in US)
Incinerator Problems
• CO, PM, & heavy metals released• Control devices must be installed;
scrubbers/electrostatic precipitators, $$$• Ash produced landfills
Ocean Dumpi
ng
• 55,000,000 lbs of trash are dumped in sea every yr.
• 300,000 lbs of fishing gear.
Pacific Trash Gyre-Urban
Runoff
Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act
• Federal law in U.S. governing the disposal of solid and hazardous
wastes.
• “Cradle to grave” tracking on hazardous materials.
Integrated Waste Management
• Variety of methods to minimize waste (3 R’s= Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle)
Reducing Waste
• Reduce consumption
• Reduce packaging
• Trash taxes
• Photo/biodegradable plastics
• Refillable Bottles • Use fabric bags for groceries• Reuse car parts, motor oil etc.
Reuse
5 cents off/ bag
TJ’s: Bring bags back
25 $ raffle
Corona Factory, Mexico
Recycle• Turning discarded
materials into new materials.
• Pros: reduces virgin resource use, frees up landfill space,
less deforestation,
less habitat loss
• Cons: Expensive for cities to start, trucks create CO2, more expensive
products. Recycling plants create CO2 Global Warming
GIRL ALERT!• M.A.C make-up
• Bring in 6 old M.A.C containers and receive 1 free lip gloss, lipstick, or eye shadow!
Recycled Materials
• Glass bottles
• Aluminum Cans (2/3 are recycled, non-renewable resource)
• Paper
–Low grade
–Requires bleach to de-ink