Download - SOLID & HAZARDOUS WASTE
SOLID & HAZARDOUS
WASTE
TYPES OF WASTEMunicipal Solid Waste (MSW)
mostly paper and organics (from
lawns . . .), then plastics, which
does not decompose
without oxygen and moisture.Paper is easy to recycle, yet is most of our
waste.Plastic is difficult to recycle, but does not easily
decompose in landfills.
e-waste E-waste includes TV’s, computers, cell phones, some toys . . . E-waste is routinely exported by developed countries to developing ones. In the US, it is estimated that 50-80 percent of the waste collected for recycling is being exported in this way.
Small percentage of overall waste, but often contains heavy metals such as lead (accumulates in bones), mercury & cadmium (neurotoxins), nickel, copper, gold and berylium as well as PVCs which can damage the nervous system.
E-waste banned
Massachusetts was first to ban e-waste from landfills.
18 more states now ban e-waste
25 states have passed e-waste recycling laws
heavy metalsCadmium
Potential health effects include:
•Learning disabilities
•Lung disease and cancer
•Kidney disease
•Weak bonesFound in/used to produce:
•Children's metal jewelry
•Batteries
•Pigments
•Plastics
•Photovoltaic devices
LeadPotential health effects include:
•Brain damage
•Nervous system damage
•Behavior and learning problems
•Lower IQ
•Hearing problems
•Anemia
•Hypertension
•Decreased kidney function
•Reproductive problems (in both men and women)
•MiscarriageFound in/used to produce:
•Children's jewelry
•Toys
•Ceramics
•Lipstick
•Paint
•Candy
MercuryPotential health effects include:
•Fetal developmental problems
•Fetal neurological problems
•Kidney effects
•Central nervous system effects
•Gastrointestinal effects
•Respiratory effectsFound in/used to produce:
•Antiques
•Appliances
•Button Cell Batteries
•Paint
•Skin-lightening creams
•Electronics
•Jewelry
•Lamps/Light bulbs
•Sporting Equipment
•Television Sets
•Thermometers
TYPES OF WASTE
•98.5 % is Non-Municipal Solid Waste
from industry, agriculture, mining, oil &
gas production, sewage sludge.
Hazardous Waste
•FLAMMABLE
•CHEMICALLY UNSTABLE
•CORROSIVE
•CARCINOGENS - cancer causing
•MUTAGENS- DNA altering
•TERATOGENS- birth defect causing
•TOXINS - disease causing
TYPES OF WASTE
•Hazardous waste
•CARCINOGENS - cancer causing
•MUTAGENS- DNA altering
•TERATOGENS- birth defect causing
•TOXINS - disease causing
TREATMENT & DISPOSAL
•Incinerate - Great Britain ~90%
•landfills - United States ~55%
•ocean dumping - illegal in most countries
~ 60% of debris on U.S. beaches is are plastics
Disposal - incinerationPros
Reduces overall mass of wasteCan be used to generate
electricity
ConsAsh contains heavy
metalsCreates air pollutantsContributes to acid
rainRelatively expensive
Disposal - Landfills
WASTE PREVENTION3 R’S reduce source of waste, less
expensive that trash collection & disposal (once established), can be industry & public, contributes to more jobs . . .)
REDUCE - less packaging, buy less (best low-waste approach)
REUSE - shopping bags, water bottles . . . 2nd best approach
RECYCLE - plastics and cans . . . U.S. recycles ~25% of MSW. May cause pollution & uses energy. Cost more than dumping.
•4th R - Repurpose - Using an item for something other than the initial intent. For example. Making coffee cans into flower pots.
•5th R - Refuse - say no. shop smarter
•Compost - Yard waste (organics) can be used to prevent erosion, fill in strip mined lands and for other soil improvements.
HISTORICAL - Love Canal1894- canal started to connect Lakes Erie & Ontario (went bankrupt)
1942 - Hooker Chemicals starts dumping 82 known different chemicals (some carcinogenic)
1953 Company fills the canal and sells the land to Niagara Falls Board of Education
1955 Elementary school opens
1959 Chemical seepage into basements is noticed/reported
1974 Barrels of chemicals are exposed
1976-77 Investigation reveals widespread contamination
1979 Evacuation of pregnant women & young children
1980 CERCLA enacted
LEGISLATION
•Resource Recovery Act - Establishes waste management programs
•CERCLA (Superfund) - pays to clean up abandoned hazardous sites or holds polluter accountable if possible