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_____% of our waste comes from from mining, oil & gas production, agriculture, industrial production (scrap metal, plastic, etc.)
98.5%
Legal Definition of hazardous waste
1. Flammable2. Explosive & releases toxic fumes
3. Corrosive (of container)4. Contains 1+ of 39 toxins (carcinogens,mutagens, teratogens) above a set limit
Things not included in hazardous waste
Radioactive waste Household toxic wastes
Mining waste Oil & gas drilling wastes
Views waste as unavoidable, andmust be handled in a way that, reduces harm Deal with waste by burying,burning, shipping off
Waste Management
Waste is...- A potential resource - Harmful and should not be made in the first place
Waste Prevention
First Priority of Waste Management Primary Pollution and waste prevention, which
includes :
- change industrial processes to eliminate the use of harmful chemicals
- reduce packaging in materials and products
- make products that last longer and are recyclable, reuseable, or easy to repair
Second Priority of Waste Management
Secondary pollution and waste prevention, which includes :
- Reuse- Repair
- Recycle- Compost
- buy reuseable and recyclable products
Last Priority of Waste Management
Waste Management, which includes :
- Treat waste to reduce toxicity- incinerate waste
- bury waste in landfills- Release waste into environment
for dispersal and dilution
Ways to reduce waste production
- Decrease consumption- Increase product life-span
- Reduce/eliminate/redesign extra packaging
- More efficient manufacturing- Design products for reuse or recycling
- Taxation
Benefits of reusing
- Extends resource supplies- Keeps high quality matter from being degraded to low
quality waste- Reduces energy use- Reduces pollution
Primary (Closed-loop) recycling "Post-consumer" wastes made into new product
of SAME type- Reduces virgin materials in product 20-90%
Secondary (Open-loop) recycling
- Waste made into completely NEW product- reduces virgin material by 25% only
Used for large scale recycling, collects urban wastes and separates or shreds it; valuable materials sold to manufacturers as new materials, left-over wastes (mainly non-recyclable plastics and paper) are burned Materials Recovery
Facility
Critics view of recycling
Costs communities lots
Costs more to recycle than burn
Landfill space not a problem
Almost a "religion"
Not profitable for cheap & plentiful resources
Proponents view of recycling
- Should not be judged solely on $$- Full-cost accounting
makes it profitable- Reduces use of virgin materials making supplies last longer & prices
lower
Advantages of recycling
- Reduces air and water pollution- saves energy- reduces mineral demand- reduces greenhouse gas emissions- reduces solid waste production and disposal- helps protect biodiversity- can save landfill space- important part of the economy
Problems of incineration
- Toxic air pollution- higher cancer risk for neighbors
- Expensive to build, operate, maintain, meetenvi. regulations
Benefits of landfills
- Quick setup- Cheap operating cost
- Handles large volumes -useful land above (Parks, golf course, etc... Not buildings)
Problems with landfills
Lots…
-Traffic, noise, dust, smell- Slow decomposition
- Little/no water & oxygen- Methane, H2S, volatile gases - Groundwater contamination
- ALL LANDFILLS WILL EVENTUALLY LEAK
First priority of managing hazardous waste
produce less hazardous waste
which involves : - change industrial processes to reduce or eliminate industrial
processes- recycle and reuse hazardous
waste
Second priority of managing hazardous waste
Convert to Less Hazardous or Nonhazardous Substances, which includes :
- natural decomposition- incineration
- Thermal treatment- Chemical, physical, and biological
treatment- dilution in air or water
Last priority of managing hazardous waste
Put in perpetual storage
which includes :- landfill
- underground injection wells- surface impoundments
- underground salt formations
Ways to detox hazardous wastes
- PHYSICAL : Charcoal or resin filters, Distillation of liquids, Encapsulate in glass/cement and store
- CHEMICAL: Convert to less harmful substance through chemical reactions
Incinerate at high tempsReduced to atoms, released as gasses (CO,CO2, toxic metals, some particulates)More complete incineration than normal
Plasma Arc Torch
Biological detox methods (for hazardous wastes) - Bioremediation - uses bacteria (like in oil spills)
- Phytoremediation - natural/geneticallyengineered plants
Put hazardous wastes into ponds or lagoons, solids will settle and liquids will evaporate..has many transport and leak issues
Surface Impoundment