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CHAPTER 19-1: SOLID WASTE
The US generates more than 10 billion metric tons of solid wasteSolid waste = any solid discarded material- today many places are running out of space to dispose of it- population and waste is growing while land per person is shrinking 2 materials most waste is made of1. biodegradable = can be broken down biologically and absorbed by the environment(plant and animal waste, newspapers, cotton, leather)2. nonbiodegradable = cannot be broken down(synthetic materials like plastic, nylon, polyester)although plastics are made from petroleum and natural gas (which are made of H and C, which is in living things), the H and C are combined in ways not found in nature – which is why they cannot be broken down by microorganisms 2 types of solid waste:1. municipal solid waste = waste from households and businesses. Makes up 2%.2. manufacturing, mining, and agricultural wastes make up the resta. manufacturing – 56%. Scrap metal, plastics, paper, sludge, ashb. mining – left over rock and mineralsc. agricultural – crop waste and manure solid waste management methods – landfills, incineration, recycle- landfill – permanent waste disposal facility where wastes are put in the ground and covered each day w a layer of soil or plastic or botho landfills contain the waste, keep it from causing problems in the environmento important it doesn’t come in contact with the surrounding soil or groundwatero leachate is a problem = the liquid that passes through the waste – it picks up chemicals from the trasho methane is a problem – decomposition produces methane. It is flammableo making landfills safer – stronger lining, leachate collection and treatment, methane vent pipes
- incinerators – burning the wasteo it reduces the waste but it doesn’t disappearo they don’t separate trash, so some stuff gets burned that shouldn’t – like cleaners, batteries, etc, which end up polluting the airo the ash has to be put in a landfill
CHAPTER 19-2: REDUCING SOLID WASTE
Source reduction – producing less waste- change the design, manufacture, or use that reduces toxicity- buying less – stuff with less packaging, things that last longer Recycling – reusing or recovering materials from waste or scrap- saves energy, water, and resources- steps in recycling: collection and separation à clean and make ready for reuse àmanufacture into new products à new products resold- buying recycled products increases demand for these products- composting – plant and animal matter is broken down organically – creates dark brown, nutrient rich material. Food waste, yard waste, manure, sewage. Making changes- buying in bulk, buying environment friendly products- recycling- degradable plasticso photodegradable plastic – breaks apart when left in the suno green plastic – made from plant sugars, and breaks down in 45 daysproblem – the biodegradable parts breakdown, but the rest does not, it’s just in smaller piecesCHAPTER 19-3: HAZARDOUS WASTE
Hazardous waste – waste that is a risk to humans or other living thingsIt often contains toxic, corrosive, explosive materials (dyes, cleaners, solvents, plastics, pesticides, chemicals, etc) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) – requires producers of hazardous waste to keep records of how their wastes are handled from production to disposal. Disposing of hazardous waste is expensive so it’s tempting to dump illegallySuperfund ACT – EPA can sue you for dumping illegally, and force you to clean it up (clean up is even harder and more expensive). The EPA also created a fund of money to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites. Hazardous waste management methods:- preventing it – produce less of it, find alternatives, reuse it- converting it – treating it to make it less dangerous- land disposal – disposing of it on land (3 kinds)o deep-well injection – pumped deep into the ground below the groundwater supply and covered with cemento surface impoundment – pond with a sealed bottom. The wastes accumulate and settle to the bottom, while the water evaporates awayo barreled/buried in landfills. For really bad stuff they need to find places that won’t be damaged by movements of the earth for thousands of years- biological treatment with biological or chemical agents that breakdown or absorb the waste (bacteria that eat it, plants that absorb it)- incinerating it – expensive, needs pollution controls, ash needs to be buried- exporting it – sending it somewhere else. Not nice. Hazardous waste at home – motor oil, paints, batteries, computers, cell phones, chemicals, cleaners- dispose of these items properly – special sites where they are treated or disposed of appropriatelyGoogle Sites
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