Solid & Hazardous WasteSolid & Hazardous Waste
•Landfills •Incineration•Hazardous Waste•Hazardous Waste Management
What Happens to Mining Waste?What Happens to Mining Waste?
• Slag- by product that is left when the mineral part is separated from unwanted material and can be used for concrete
Sanitary LandfillsSanitary Landfills
• Land fills in Saint Louis• Location– Far enough away from population centers but
not too far (transportation cost)– Dependent on geology and climate(drainage,
rainfall, flooding)
Sanitary Landfills: DesignSanitary Landfills: Design
Landfill in Maryland Heights MO
Sanitary Landfills: DesignSanitary Landfills: Design
•Liner- prevents leachate from entering groundwater•Collection Pipes- channel leachate for treatment•Clay cover- Seals solid waste in
Problems Associated with LandfillsProblems Associated with Landfills
• Methane gas– Produced by microorganisms that break down
waste– Flammable and explosive– can be used for energy
• Contamination of surface and groundwater– Seeping through unlined or cracks in the lining
of landfills
Methane GasMethane Gas
Methane from a landfill collected and burning
Hazardous WasteHazardous Waste
• What is hazardous waste?– Dangerously reactive, corrosive, explosive, or
toxic chemicals– Can be in all states of matter: solid, liquid, gas
• How much of solid waste is hazardous?– About 1%
Types of Hazardous WasteTypes of Hazardous Waste
• Dioxins– By-products of combustion of chlorine
compounds– Source include: waste incinerators, iron ore
mills, coal combustion, – Why are they harmful• Accumulate in tissue• Cause cancer, reproductive, neurological, immune
system affected
Times Beach, MO (Route 66 State Park)Times Beach, MO (Route 66 State Park)
• Dioxin mixed with oil and sprayed on dirt roads to control dust
• Region flooded• Dangerous levels of
Dioxin found• Evacuated 1982• Dioxin cleaned up and
park opens 1999
Types of Hazardous Waste (ctd)Types of Hazardous Waste (ctd)
• PCBs– Group of industrial chemicals used in electrical
transformers, vacuum pumps, adhesives, etc. – Can damage multiple organs especially interfere
with thyroid function– Why are they dangerous?
• Resist break-down (chemical or biological)• Ocean life lives in PCB contaminated sediment and
pass the PCBs up the food chainhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2009/0110-clam_cleanup.htm
Hazardous ManagementHazardous Management
Hazardous Waste ManagementHazardous Waste Management
• Long term storage in specialized landfills• Reduce the amount produced• Incineration• Biologically– Microorganisms break down waste into
harmless substance like water – Plants take the waste into their tissues and
then are disposed of in hazardous waste landfills
http://www.ecocycle.org/zerowastevideo/
Current ArticleCurrent Article
• Find an article from a news source (newspaper, magazine, text from newscast) can be print or digital about solid waste, hazardous waste, waste management, or the environmental impact of waste
• 1 paragraph summary• 1 paragraph your opinion (must include what
you learned)• Copy of your article• Due 1/14 Friday