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
