Hazardous WasteEnvironmental ScienceChapter 19 Section 3

Hazardous Waste

•Any waste that is a risk to the health of humans or other living things.

•Large quantities of chemicals from producing materials and products are often leftover as waste.

Types of Hazardous Waste• Can be solids, liquids, or gases.

• Often contain toxic, corrosive, or explosive materials.

• Examples:▫Cleaners used to disinfect.▫Lubricants to help machines run smoothly.

• Disposal▫Very dangerous if they leak out into the soil.▫Often, not as carefully discarded as they should be.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act•Requires producers of hazardous waste to

keep records of how their wastes are handled from the time the wastes are made to the time they are placed in an approved disposal facility.

•Producer is legally responsible for problems wastes cause in the future.

The Superfund Act• Also known as the Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (1980).

• Gave the U.S. EPA the right to sue the owners of hazardous waste sites who had illegally dumped waste.

• EPA can force the owners to pay for cleanup.

• Created a fund of money to pay for cleaning up abandoned sites.

The Superfund Act

Hazardous Waste Management

•Preventing Hazardous Waste▫Manufacturers have redesigned

manufacturing methods to produce less or no hazardous waste. Example – Instead of chemicals to clean

metal parts of machines, often plastic beads can be used.

▫Find a way to reuse it. Example – A company may sell a used

cleaning solvent to another that can use it.

Hazardous Waste Management

•Conversion into Nonhazardous Substances▫Some types of wastes can be treated with

chemicals to make the wastes less hazardous. Example – Lime can be added to acids to

neutralize them. Example – Cyanides can be combined with

oxygen to form carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

Hazardous Waste Management

•Land Disposal▫Deep-well injection

Wastes are pumped deep into the ground, where they are absorbed into a dry layer of rock below the level of groundwater.

▫Surface impoundment Wastes accumulate and settle to the bottom

of a sealed pond.▫Landfills

Hazardous wastes are often placed into barrels and buried in landfills.

Hazardous Waste Management•Deep-well injection

Hazardous Waste Management

•Biologically Treating Hazardous Waste▫Some can be absorbed or broken down, or

their toxicity can be reduced when they are treated with biological and chemical agents.

▫Bacteria can sometimes be used.▫Chemicals can neutralize and absorb.

Hazardous Waste Management

•Incinerating Hazardous Waste▫Some are disposed of by burning.▫Problems of incineration:

Generally the most expensive method. Need pollution-control devices. Leftover ash still needs to be buried.

▫Long-term storage of hazardous waste means the waste does not disappear.

Hazardous Waste Management

•Exporting Hazardous Waste▫Until recently, only local laws regulated

waste disposal in the U.S.▫Hazardous waste was often shipped to

other states.▫Some are exported to other countries for

specialized disposal, treatment, or recycling.

Hazardous Wastes at Home

•Common Hazardous Household Products:▫Motor oil▫Paints▫Batteries▫Computers▫Mobile phones▫Pesticides▫Fertilizers▫Cleaners▫Antifreeze

Hazardous Wastes at Home

•Disposing of Household Hazardous Waste▫More and more cities around the country

have begun to provide collection services.▫Materials are sorted and then recycled or

disposed of properly.▫Used batteries and motor oil are recycled.▫Paint can be blended or used for projects.

Hazardous Wastes at Home

•Motor Oil▫Illegal to pour on the ground or throw in

the trash.▫Approximately 700 million liters are thrown

away by people in the U.S. every year.▫Automotive service stations and auto parts

stores can collect the oil and send it for recycling.